Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Terriers rally to claim their 32nd Beanpot Championship

 2025 Beanpot Group Photo 

                  Photo credit Matt Woolverton

As Frankie Valli sang some 50 years ago, “Oh, What a Night!”

#9 Terriers, after nearly being run out of TD Garden by BC in the opening period, roared back with four unanswered goals to defeat the top-ranked Eagles, 4-1, and claim their 32nd Beanpot Tournament championship.

    CHECK BACK FOR DEFKIT’S TERRIER TAKEAWAY

BU goal scorers were Brandon Svoboda, Cole Hutson, Cole Eiserman and Gavin McCarthy. Hutson, whose tally was the game-winner, earned tournament MVP honors. With four points last Monday against Harvard (2G,2A), he finished the tournament as the leading scorer with five points. Just a month ago, he became the first defenseman to lead the World Junior Championship in scoring as the U.S. repeated as gold-medal champs. Svoboda and Eiserman were on that squad as well.

Mikhail “Big Mike” Yegorov delivered once again on the big stage, stopping 43 shots, including 15 in the first period to keep the Terriers in the game. Combined with his semifinal performance, the St. Petersburg, Russia, native saved 69 of 71 shots for a gaudy .971 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA. He received the Eberly Award as the tournament's top netminder.

With the win, BU is now 13-10 in tournament championship games against its arch-rival. Terriers now lead the overall series between the teams, which began in 1918, 140-136-21. The victory also moved BU up to #6 in the Pairwise rankings.

“That’s the joy you have in coaching, watching these guys hoist the trophy,” Coach Jay Pandolfo told NESN following the awards ceremony. “The way we started the game, I didn’t know it would end this way. We had a tough start. Our guys are resilient. They responded. We’ve done it all year. Obviously they (BC) showed up in the first period. We settled down, we made it a game and found a way to win."

Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson reading the starting lineup. 

                  Photo credit Matt Woolverton

Prior to the game, the two leading Calder Trophy candidates showed up in the locker-room to read the lineup to the Terriers. It should have had the team pumped and ready to go toe-to-toe with BC, but no.

Instead, the Eagles’ speed and transition game was clicking on all cylinders from the opening whistles and they had long puck possessions in the Terrier end throughout the opening period.  An early BU power play was completely stifled by the aggressive BC penalty-killers. At one point, the shots stood at 9-1.

Six minutes in, Yegorov made an initial save after BC controlled an offensive-zone draw, but the Eagles controlled the rebound and found an unmarked Gabe Perreault outside the right post to give BC a 1-0 lead.  

Terriers finally made some offensive inroad in the latter half of the period, finishing with nine shots to BC’s 16, with the Eagles forcing Yegorov to make some bigtime saves to keep the deficit at one.

During the intermission, Pandolfo had a succinct message for his team. “It looked like we were playing scared in the first period. So, I just told them to relax and just go out and play hockey. We’re better than what we showed in the first period.”

It worked. BU began playing the direct, simple game that Pandolfo constantly preaches. Shane Lachance nearly jammed one home at the four-minute mark, followed by Kamil Bednarik breaking in alone, only to be stoned by Jacob Fowler.

At 5:43 the Terriers tied the score on Svoboda’s fifth goal. When the Eagles turned the puck over at center ice, Nick Roukounakis pushed it ahead to Svoboda. The freshman center skated through the right circle and whipped a shot home on the short side, over the shoulder of goalie Fowler. Svoboda and the BC netminder had been teammates on USHL Clark Cup champ Youngstown two seasons ago. 

Just over a minute later, BU took the lead. After Cole Hutson’s entry and shot attempt were defended, Bednarik kept the puck alive and Hutson slid it to Tom Willander at the right point. The sophomore defenseman took two quick steps, then rifled a pass back to Hutson in the left circle for a hard wrister that beat Fowler to the blocker side. It was Hutson’s eighth goal of the season.

BU killed a BC power-play midway through the period and the back-and-forth action continued. Four penalties were called in the final minute of the period including a pair of coincidentals. The result was that the third period would begin 4-on-4 followed by a short Terrier power play.

After two periods, shot totals favored BC by just two, 32-30. Meanwhile, the Terriers had blocked 20 Eagle shots.

Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson joined the Dog Pound to pump up the Terriers.

As the third period began, BC controlled the play during the four-on-four and killed the abbreviated power play.

The shots kept coming for both sides with Yegorov and Fowler coming up with big saves. Then with six minutes left in regulation Eiserman intercepted an Eagle cross ice pass just inside the BC blueline. He settled the bouncing puck, raced toward the net and backhanded a shot under Fowler’s right pad for his 16th goal and a two-goal BU lead.

Terriers limited BC’s opportunities the rest of the way and Gavin McCarthy sealed the win with an empty-net goal--from behind the BU goal line-- after Fowler was pulled for an extra skater.   (video)

Both teams would finish with 44 shots. BU won 40 out of 64 draws, after being on the shot end of faceoffs in the opening period. Bednarik won 14 of 20, while Svoboda took six of nine. Terriers blocked 26 Eagle shots with Brehdan Engum accounting for seven.

Yegorov’s .971 save percentage is the third-highest mark in tournament history behind former Terriers John Curry (.985, 2007) and Rick DiPietro (.981, 2000).

Cole Hutson leads all Hockey East defensemen in goals (8) and points (26). He’s second in points by a defenseman nationally.

Pandolfo joins Jack Parker, David Quinn and Albie O'Connell as Terriers who have won the Beanpot as head coach and as a player.

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score
● Post-game Pandolfo/Yegorov/C. Hutson
● Highlights & Award Ceremony
● Photo gallery
● Boston Hockey Blog BU wins 32nd Beanpot title with 4-1 win over BC. 
● College Hockey News BU Recaptures Beanpot Behind 43 Saves from Freshman Yegorov

● FloHockey.tv Mikhail Yegorov Took Unexpected Route To Become BU's Beanpot Hero


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