Sunday, March 09, 2025

UPDATED: Hockey East Champions; Terriers flatten Catamounts

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Sydney Healy banged home a rebound at 4:43 of overtime to deliver a 3-2 win over Northeastern as #13 Terriers claimed their first Hockey East Championship since 2015 and the first under second-year coach Head Coach Tara Watchorn.

Along with the conference title, the win gives the Terriers a berth in the NCAA tournament.  The seedings and draw will be announced Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

UPDATE


Senior goalie Callie Shanahan backboned the win with 27 saves. She along with Captain Tamara Giaquinto, Riley Walsh and tournament MVP Healy were named to the All-Tournament team.

2025 Women's Hockey East Championship - Team Photo

BU followed a familiar script, scoring in the third period to force overtime as they had in the 4-3 quarterfinal win over Vermont and the 3-2 double OT win over BC in the semifinal.  Over the three tournament games, the Terriers held a lead for only eight minutes. That was in Saturday's final when Giaquinto opened the scoring and then the Huskies responded.

Giaquinto's tally came just shy of the five minute mark of the opening period. Sneaking in from the point, she took a cross ice pass from Lilli Welcke and slammed the puck past Lisa Jonsson for her career best ninth goal. Luisa Welcke had the second assist. 

Northeastern matched it when Lilly Shannon scored the first of her two goals eight minutes later, converting a rebound from the left post.  

The Terriers' second-best in Division 1 penalty-kill snuffed out two Husky power plays in the opening period, but Northeastern took the lead on its third man-advantage late in the second period. Again, it was Shannon.

In the third period, Coach Tara Watchorn tweaked the forward lines, looking for the equalizer. An early power play provided several chances but the score remained 2-1.  Once again, the five-minute mark proved to be Terrier Time. Christina Vote won a battle along the right boards and slid the puck to Clara Yuhn whose wrist shot went off the left post and in to knot the score at 2-2.

BU had a 13-7 shot advantage in the period but couldn't break the tie. A great defensive effort by Lindsay Bochna broke up a Northeastern breakaway with just under six minutes left in regulation. Bochna nearly won it with 20 seconds left in regulation but her wrap-around attempt was denied.

In overtime Maeve Kelly sent Lilli Welcke up the right boards into the offensive zone. Jonsson stopped her shot from the right circle, but Healy, crashing to the net, lifted the loose puck over Jonsson on the blocker side for her team-leading 15th goal of the season. 

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With the win, Watchorn becomes the first to win Hockey East's Bertagna Trophy as a player — she was an all-star defenseman on BU's 2010 and 2012 champs — and as a coach.

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Highlights

● Post-game Watchorn and Healy

● Boston Hockey Blog BU wins Hockey East title beating Northeastern in overtime

● Boston Hockey Blog BU women’s hockey wins first Hockey East title since 2015, beating Northeastern 3-2 in overtime


Men's Team

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#10/9 Terriers closed out the regular season with a dominant 6-1 win over Vermont at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Twenty was the operative number as BU won its 20th game of the season while Cole Eiserman and Quinn Hutson both reached the 20-goal mark.

Mikhail Yegorov turned aside 21 shots to gain his seventh win in 12 starts and lowered his GAA to 1.82

Terriers got off to a fast start, getting into the offensive zone on the rush and maintaining possession on the cycle. Five of the first seven BU shots were Grade A, forcing goalie Keenan Rancier to make several challenging saves. 

A UVM tripping penalty was followed by another for goaltender interference, giving BU a two-man advantage.  Ryan Greene's sharp-angle shot was stopped by Rancier, but before the goalie could cover the puck, Shane Lachance worked it from and found Eiserman in the slot for a quick finish. 

Terriers connected again just two minutes later.  Greene skated through the Catamount defense and, from the goal line, passed to Quinn Hutson who received the puck on his backhand in the high slot. He wheeled quickly to his forehand and fired over Rancier's shoulder on the stick side for his 19th goal and a 2-0 lead. Cole Hutson had the second assist.  

BU outshot their hosts, 16-8, in the period.

In the second period with the teams skating four a side, BU stretched the lead to 3-0 on the rush. Gavin McCarthy sent Quinn Hutson racing up the left side. Crossing the blue line, he held up for a second, then passed to brother Cole headed for the net. He redirected the puck past Rancier's glove for his 12th of the season.  

Late in the period with BU pressing the attack, Tom Willander recovered the puck deep in the UVM zone and passed to Devin Kaplan in the right circle for a wrister past Rancier for a 4-0 lead. The goal was the junior wing's 10th, matching his freshman total. 

Vermont cut into the margin early in the third period when Timofei Spitserov buried a rebound after Yegorov made an initial save. 

Terriers restored the four-goal margin, scoring on the rush. Matt Copponi and Jack Hughes executed a slick give-and-go with Hughes wristing a shot from the left circle past Rancier on the glove side for his fifth goal.

At the end of a BU power play, Luca Münzenberger came out the penalty box for a clean breakaway that Yegorov stymied with a slick glove save.

At 15:03 Eiserman recovered a puck above the left circle, dipped his shoulder and made a power move to the net. His backhand shot was defended but the rebound went to an unmarked Quinn Hutson who had a half-empty net for his 20th goal.

Eiserman, who had five points (4G,A) in the last two games, became the fourth Terrier freshman in the past 20 years to record 20 goals, joining Jack Eichel (2014-15), Clayton Keller (2016-17) and Macklin Celebrini (2023-24). 

With Quinn Hutson's seven points (2G,5A) in the last two games, he is tied for second in Hockey East scoring with 46 points (20G,26A). His 1.44 points per game mark leads all D1 skaters.

Cole Hutson's three points (G,2A) Saturday night give him 39 points, tied with Army's Mac Gadowsky for most points by a D1 defenseman. 

BU will host a Hockey East quarterfinal game next Saturday with time and opponent to be determined following Wednesday's opening round games.

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Post-game Pandolfo  

● Highlights

Looking ahead

2025 recruit Jack Murtagh scored his 18th goal in the NTDP U18s' 6-3 win over Green Bay. He has 41 points in 40 games. 2026 recruit Yegor Shilov recorded his 12th assist for the Gamblers.   

2026 recruit Jay Feldberg scored his 20th goal in the Junior Canadians' 3-2 win against Cobourg. He has 38 points in 50 games.

2026 recruit Rian Chudzinski scored twice and assisted on two others as Dan Donato's Dexter-Southfield team eliminated Freddy Meyer's Rivers School squad, 6-2, in the New England Prep Elite Eight semifinals. Chudzinski has a 24-26-50 scoring line in 26 games.

Looking back

Marie-Philip Poulin was back on Comm Ave., scoring the opening goal for Victoire de Montreal in its 3-2 win over Boston in a PWHL game at Agganis Arena.  

Brady Tkachuk scored twice, including the overtime game-winner as Ottawa edged the Rangers, 4-3. The Senators' captain has 26 goals. 

Joel Farabee's 11th goal was all the scoring as the Flames blanked Montreal, 1-0.   

AJ Greer scored his sixth goal as Florida skated past Buffalo, 4-0.

 

 

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