In the eighth month of a season that began with captains' practices in September, it all comes down to one game with a national championship on the line. #8/3 Terriers will face off against #1/3 Western Michigan with an opportunity to claim their sixth national championship and first since 2009.
Puck drop at the Enterprise Center is set for 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT with ESPN2 carrying the broadcast, along with TSN2. Live streams are available from ESPN+ and TSN+.
tw-align-centerThis time of year, it's about all the little things that go into winning hockey games.
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) April 12, 2025
That's what you need to do if you want to come out on top.
🎥: @mattwoolverton pic.twitter.com/AhvKGUc5dZ
The game matches two of the top scoring offenses in college hockey. Western Michigan is #2 at 3.95 goals per game, while the Terriers are #4 at 3.82. Both have strong power plays with BU #4 (28.4%) and the Broncos #6 (2.59%).
For the first time in a Frozen Four title game, both goalies are freshmen. BU's Mikhail Yegorov brings a 1.98 GAA and a .931 save percentage, while WMU's Hampton Slukynsky has a 1.90 GAA and a .923 save percentage. The last freshman goalie to win a Frozen Four final was BU's Kieran Millan in 2009.
Both teams had a player named first team AHCA All-American yesterday: BU's Cole Hutson and WMU's Alex Bump. Each has 47 points going into the final.
"This time of year, it's really about making sure we're playing our game and it's about winning your battles," Coach Jay Pandolfo said. "It's about all the little things that go into winning hockey games. That's what you need to do if you want to come out on top."
"Western plays a pro-style game," Pandolfo said. "They're a heavy team. They play with structure. They want to get pucks behind you and play below the goal line. They have some bigger bodies. They'll get to your net."
Be sure to check out the Friday Press Conference and this great read from The Boston Hockey Blog: What is the mark of a college hockey champion? Players from BU men’s hockey’s five national title teams weigh in.
"Hockey East obviously had a great year as a league. We had some really good teams. A lot of different styles of teams. I don't know if there's one that looks like them -- maybe UMass is a little bit similar, where they're heavy on pucks, they get to your net, they do a good job of keeping you away from their net. So I think they're a team that reminds me a little bit of Western."
The Broncos employ an aggressive forecheck and look to break up possessions in the neutral zone.
Besides Bump (23-24-47), WMU has six other forwards with double figures in goals. Grad student Tim Washe and sophomore transfer Grant Skulynsky--Hampton's brother--each have 36 points while Owen Michaels, the double-overtime hero of the semifinal, has 34. Washe and Michaels each scored 16 goals. Another transfer, senior Liam Valente, who came over from Providence, has a 14-19-33 scoring line.
The Broncos defense is led by Finnish freshman Joona Väisänen (4-21-25), who joined Hampton Skulynsky on the NCHC All-Rookie team. He is a Penguins draft pick. Swedish junior Samuel Sjolund (4-25-29) is a Dallas pick.
"I prescouted BU for years," said WMU Coach Pat Ferschweiler, who won the Spencer Penrose Award as coach of the year . "They were called the Boston Bruins. [BU's] style of play is exactly what Boston did. Coach Pandolfo has brought that style down. It's somewhat unique to college. It's pretty popular in the NHL. But there's a lot of similarities there. We'll put points of emphasis on what we try to do every day without trying to change our style of play at all."
Jay Pandolfo is the fifth Terrier head coach to lead the team to a national championship game, joining Harry Cleverly (1950), Jack Kelley (1967, 1970, 1971), Jack Parker (1978, 1991,1994, 1995, 1997, 2009) and David Quinn (2015).
Tonight’s Terrier lineup
tw-align-centerWant to watch tonight's @TerrierHockey game with your fellow Terriers? We've got all the details 🔽https://t.co/eqDMlijjrX pic.twitter.com/jKXtHlmUed
— BU Athletics (@BUAthletics) April 12, 2025
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