Sunday, April 13, 2025

Terriers fall in Frozen Four Final; Broncos race away in the third; defkit's Terrier Takeaway

 

 Image

It’s a tried-and-true hockey adage that coaches tell their teams when the score is tied or close after two periods: win the third, win the game.  At the Frozen Four in St. Louis, it was Western Michigan that dominated the third, taking a 3-2 lead into the final period, stretching it two goals, then three before an empty-netter made the final score 6-2.
 
For the Terriers, it was a rough and disappointing ending to an up-and-down season that saw them shake off their inconsistencies in November and February to win eight of nine before Saturday's loss. They finish the season with a 24-14-2 mark.
 
“It's hard to get here,” Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said after the game. “And clearly we know it's very hard to win this last game. But I'm really proud of [the team], and this is tough to swallow.
 
“Overall it was a good game. I don't think it was quite a 6-2 game,” Panolfo added. “We were pushing really hard there. It's 3-2, we're pushing hard. We're getting our chances, the puck's not going in the net. They end up getting a break and they make it 4-2, and it was a little tough from that point on.” 
 
Scroll down for defkit's Terrier Takeaway 
 
For the 34-7-1 Broncos, making their first Frozen Four appearance, it capped off a dominant season that saw them handily win the NCHC regular-season title, then the conference tournament and the Fargo Regional before dispatching Denver and BU. Earlier in the week, head coach Pat Ferschweiler won the Spencer Penrose Award as Division 1’s Coach of the Year.
 
After yielding a tally to Wyatt Schingoethe on a redirection just 1:38 into the game, BU tied the game at 7:12 Cole Eiserman’s 25th goal. He jammed home a loose puck in the crease following an initial shot by Devin Kaplan who also had a whack at the rebound.  

Late in the period a Terrier turnover led to a 3-on-2 rush. Mikhail Yegorov stopped the initial shot but BU's clearing attempt went to Cole Crusberg-Roseen in the right circle. His one-time blast went past a screened Yegorov. WMU held a 2-1 lead and a 9-8 edge shots after one period. 

Five minutes into the middle period, the Broncos extended the lead when a failed forecheck and too many Terriers along the right side allowed two skaters to get behind the defense. Yegorov stopped Cam Knuble’s initial shot, but Ty Hendricks was all alone to bury the rebound for a 3-1 lead.  

Midway through the period, a WMU penalty put BU on the power play and it took just 16 seconds to respond. 

Ryan Greene took a drop pass from Cole Hutson and fired a 40-foot shot on Hampton Slukynsky. Shane Lachance, who began the play with a faceoff win and then got in position to screen the goalie, got his stick on the rebound and pushed it under Slukynsky to cut the margin to 3-2. It was the sophomore co-captain’s 12th tally. Shots for the period again were 9-8 WMU. 

As the third period began, Terriers pressed for an equalizer. At 3:35, a goal was waived off after BU jammed a puck that was under the goalie into the net after the whistle had blown. Five minutes in, Cole Hutson set up Eiserman for a one-timer that Slukynsky defended.    

Two minutes later the Broncos raced up ice on a 2-on-1 rush and Owen Michaels' shot from the right circle beat Yegorov to the stick side for a 4-2 lead.  

With eight minutes left in the period, another netfront scramble saw Matt Copponi dislodge the puck from Slukynsky and push it into the net, but a review ruled the whistle had blown.    

Iiro Hakkarainen's goal at the 16-minute mark increased the WMU lead to 5-2 and after Yegorov was pulled for an extra attacker, Michaels scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the Frozen Four into the empty net.

Eiserman, who was named to the all-tournament team, is the 10th NCAA rookie since 2005-06 to score 25 goals, along with Jack Eichel (2014-15) and Macklin Celebrini (2023-24). 

Cole Hutson's assist on BU's power-play goal gave him 48 points, equaling his brother, Lane Hutson's freshman mark. His 34 assists are the most ever by a first-year Terrier defenseman. 

defkit's Terrier Takeaway

 - Losing a national championship game is always going to be a tough pill to swallow, but the better team won the game. Right from the drop of the puck, we struggled with WMU's speed and forecheck, with way too many turnovers. They won the puck battles and just seemed a step ahead on most plays. For what started out looking like a potential rout, I was surprised that BU ended up staying "in the game" for as long as they did. What stung the most was the goal to make it 4-2 shortly after Eiserman had a chance to tie it up. WMU had a remarkable season with 34 wins. Kudos to their players and coaching staff.

- BU's weakness all season was a lack of depth on defense, and that was magnified when Engum was injured. Our second most reliable defenseman was the youngest player in the country. The coaching staff had to give the third pair some shifts early on in the game for us to have a chance, but unfortunately, their first shift ended up in the early goal. I thought McCarthy also struggled and Cole Hutson was exposed as well.
- WMU also neutralized our forwards for much of the game. Second opportunities were rare until the third period. Bednarik looked back to normal after his illness. Roukunakis may have had the best game of any of the forwards. I think he has the potential to be an impact player next season. His combination of size, grit, and speed is not common.
- This team has nothing to be ashamed of. They went 8-2 in tournament games and had the program's most successful NCAA tournament in 10 years. They went deeper than any other Hockey East team in a historically successful season for the conference.  Congrats to the players and coaches.
- The future looks incredibly bright. We'll learn a lot in the coming days about signings and portal transfers, but the early read is that the team will be more skilled next season. And this season's deep run can only help when we get back into the NCAAs next season. The 1995 title team lost the 1994 title game - hopefully 2026 will follow a similar pattern.

●  GoTerriers.com recap and box score 

● Post-game Pandolfo, Greene, Lachance  

●  Photo gallery

●  Highlights

●  Boston Hockey Blog BU falls short in national championship game  UPDATED

● College Hockey News Western Michigan Wins its First National Championship 

● College Hockey News Elusive Title Was So Close, Yet So Far, For BU

● USCHO Western Michigan rides to its 1st NCAA title, beating Boston University

● USCHO Starting goalies produce a rarity in Frozen Four championship game

Looking ahead

2026 recruit Tynan Lawrence scored his 25th goal and added his 29th assist as Muskegon doubled up Chicago, 4-2.  The 5-star forward from Fredricton, New Brunswick is third among USHL rookies with 54 points.


 

Posted by at

2 comments:

Skolzman said...

Excellent summary by defkit. Disappointing loss, but, after their uneven play this season, who would have imagined this team in the championship game? Too many Cole Hutson turnovers and he stopped skating on goal #4. Maybe taking the puck off the leg was a factor? That stung. This team needs some standup defensemen. Too many chip and pray plays. It’s sad that the current state of college sports makes me wonder who had their heart in this game and who was anticipating their next move. Wish this team could stay intact for another year, but that’s where we are. Bottom line—the better team won as painful as that is to say.

12:18 PM
Skolzman said...

And there goes Ryan Greene. Was his mind on Chicago on Saturday night?

9:20 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Site Meter