Saturday, March 29, 2025

UPDATED: Terriers nip Cornell in OT for Regional Crown; Earn 3rd Consecutive Trip to the Frozen Four

 

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Quinn Hutson's goal at 6:25 of overtime gave the #8 Terriers a 3-2 win over #14 Cornell in the Toledo Regional Final and punched BU's ticket to a third consecutive Frozen Four. The Terriers will head to St. Louis for an April 10 semifinal match-up with the winner of Sunday's Penn State-Connecticut Regional Final in Allentown. It will be the 25th Frozen Four in program history.

Matt Copponi and Cole Hutson had the earlier goals for BU and both Hutsons also recorded an assist while Ryan Greene had a pair of helpers.

In another impressive performance, Mikhail Yegorov stopped 37 Big Red shots.

“We came ready to play,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “ Last game, we didn’t start on time. Tonight we did and we fought all the way through, and at the end of the day, we found a way to win a hockey game.” 

Throughout the Regional, BU received big efforts from its freshman, three of whom--Cole Hutson, Cole Eiserman and Yegorov--were named to the all-tournament team along with senior Jack Hughes.

"We have a special group of players who have a lot of talent," Pandolfo noted. "Our young guys have played in big moments coming into BU so that's helped them. It's fun to coach those guys. It's a challenge sometimes, but at the end of the day, those guys are great players and they want to win."

“But it also starts with our leadership group,” he continued,  “Those guys' understanding what it takes and what it means to get to this point I think leads to our younger players."

Cole Hutson, who was named the Regional's Most Outstanding Player, had been named Beanpot MVP and led the World Junior Championships in scoring earlier in the year.  

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An up-and-down opening period featured a combined 26 shots and produced a pair of flukey goals. After both teams killed off an early power play, Cornell took the lead at 7:35, scoring on the rush. Yegorov stopped Dalton Bancroft’s hard shot from the left circle but the rebound went off the body of Big Red’s top scorer, Ryan Walsh, and into the net. Initially, the goal was called off for a hand pass, but a review reversed the call and Cornell had a 1-0 lead. 

It didn’t last long. Cole Hutson skated into the offensive zone and, when he was impeded by defenders, Copponi collected the puck and weaved his way to the crease. Goalie Ian Shane’s skate save prevented a goal but the loose puck went off Hank Kempf’s skate and across the goal line, tying the score. Copponi’s second goal of the tournament was his sixth of the year.  

Yegorov made a pair of big saves with just over six minutes left in the period and a few more after a Jack Hughes slashing penalty put Cornell on a power play.

A dust-up after a play ended resulted in a five minute major to Cornell for grabbing the face mask with three minutes left in the period. BU created several good chances. With less than a minute left in the period, Cole Hutson carried into the offensive zone and sent the puck to the slot where Ryan Greene had split two defenders, but Shane made a glove save to keep the score 1-1. 

A penalty to Devin Kaplan negated two minutes of the major penalty as the second period began and BU failed to convert during the remaining penalty time.
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Six minutes into the period, a Cornell turnover gave Hughes an unmarked shot from between the circles, but Shane made the glove save.
 
Both teams had grade A chances in the final minute of the period. First, Yegorov fought off a high shot by Ondrej Psenickia. Then, Jack Harvey had a partial breakaway and tried to go five-hole, but the Cornell netminder closed up the pads to deny him.
 
Moments later, Dalton Bancroft was called for holding just as the period ended, giving the Terriers a man-advantage to begin the third period.
 
Cole Hutson later explained that between the periods BU watched some tape [of Cornell's penalty kill] and felt he “saw an opening.”
 
On the power play he skated below the goal line and passed back to Greene at the point. Greene and Quinn Hutson traded passes until Cole Hutson, who had gone around the net, sped around the tops of the circles and took a pass in stride.  He curled through the left circle and fired a sharp-angle shot over Shane’s right shoulder into the top corner to give BU its first lead of the game.
After the game, Pandolfo would explain, “He called his number there on that play. I’m just gonna tell you right now.”
 
►Another look at the BU power-play goal.
 
Six minutes after the power-play goal, the Terriers broke in on a two-on-one, but Quinn Hutson couldn’t jam home Shane Lachance’s centering pass to the crease.
 
With just over five minutes left in regulation, Cornell won a puck battle along the boards in the Terrier zone. A pass attempt went off a Big Red body to Jack O’Leary skating across the slot. He shot back against the grain, beating Yegorov to the stick side and knotting the score at two apiece.

BU nearly replied seconds later when Copponi kept the puck in the zone at the Cornell blue line and set up Hughes for a point-blank attempt that Shane just barely stopped.
 
Yegorov had to come up big in the final seconds to stop Ben Robertson’s bid off a face off.
 
In overtime, both teams produced quality chances right off the bat, but the two goalies—brilliant all night—made the needed stops.
 
The game-winning sequence began with Gavin McCarthy passing from behind the BU goal line. Cole Hutson carried into the zone and was ridden off but strong efforts by Lachance kept the puck alive twice. The second one rimmed around to Quinn Hutson along the right boards. He sent the puck down low to Greene, then one-timed a return pass from the point. The shot appeared to hit the skate of the Cornell defender who was battling with Lachance for position and went under Shane’s pads. It was Hutson’s 23rd goal of the season and third game-winner.

“It’s a great feeling,” Hutson said. “Next goal wins, so I threw it on the net and kind of just froze. I figured it went in when everyone was celebrating. 

“The line [Hutson, Greene, Lachance] that was out there that got scored on, for [Cornell] to tie it late in the game. What line was out there to win the game? It was that line,” Pandolfo said. “I know they wanted to get that goal back, and they did.”

“He can control a game, he can take over a game,” Pandolfo said of Cole Hutson, who produced six points in the Regionial and, with 46 points, is within two of the freshman defenseman record brother Lane Hutson set two seasons ago. “He’s tough to defend. Until you play against him, you don’t know what to expect, and then once you get out there, he’s a special player.”

With the victory, Pandolfo’s record in NCAA Regionals as a player and coach is now a perfect 10-for-10. As a player he won four Regionals en route to Frozen Fours (1993-96). And, in three seasons as head coach, his teams have won all six games.
 
BU has now defeated Cornell in four of the five NCAA tournament games when they’ve met. Terriers previously claimed wins in the 2018 and 2023 Regionals and in the 1972 national championship game, a 4-0 shutout. Cornell defeated the Terriers in the 1967 national final.

BU killed eight of nine penalties during the two Regional games while converting on two of five man-advantages.


● GoTerriers.com recap and box score
● College Hockey News Hutson Family Delivers Again
 

   

Looking ahead

2025 recruit John McNelis’ 16th goal was the game-winner in Cedar Rapids’ 5-2 over the NTDP U17s. He also added an assist and has 40 points in 48 games.

Looking back 

Jack Eichel scored his 27th goal in the Golden Knights' 3-1 win against Nashville. He has a career-high 93 points.

 

 

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