Men’s Hockey: Terriers back in Hockey East Semifinals after win over RV/No. 20 Northeastern
Featured image by Holly Gustavsen
By Alexa Podalsky
Prior to Saturday evening’s quarterfinal matchup, Boston University and Northeastern had not met in a playoff game since 2017. In yet another exciting battle between the cross-town rivals, the Terriers slipped past the Huskies in a 4-2 win, giving the seniors a memorable way to end their final match at Agganis Arena.
The second-ranked Terriers advance to the semifinals next Friday at TD Garden, while the RV/No. 20 Huskies’ season is over.
Graduate student defender Case McCarthy and senior forward Luke Tuch joined sophomore forward Quinn Hutson on the scoresheed in the second period. Freshman forward Macklin Celebrini also tallied his 30th goal this season, the second skater in the NCAA to reach the milestone this season (BC’s Cutter Gauthier sits at 32.)
“I really liked our effort tonight. I thought we played a pretty complete game,” coach Jay Pandolfo said.
Boston and Northeastern both came onto the ice in an attempt to prove to the other who was the top dog. The Huskies played with an aggressive strategy while the Terriers held their ground and focused on keeping possession.
Both teams struggled to get past each other’s goalies, but BU held the majority of possession and led in shots to go into the second. Both junior Mathieu Caron and freshman Cameron Whitehead held their ground and made notable saves, including Caron deflecting the puck over the net with his knee pad.
The BU defense, led by McCarthy and Lane Hutson, kept Northeastern out of the Terrier zone allowing Boston to take control of the momentum.
The narrative changed midway through the second period, as a dominant BU offense took over. Quinn Hutson opened the scoring and Tuch and McCarthy quickly followed. Junior forward Justin Hryckowian put Northeastern on the board to end the second with a score of 3-1.
Both teams were at a stalemate for most of the third period but tensions rose on the ice. The number of scuffles rose even more and resulted in both Celebrini and graduate student forward Liam Walsh getting sent to the box for 4-on-4 play.
Northeastern attempted a comeback when Hryckowian shortened BU’s lead to one, but Celebrini ended their hopes by scoring his 30th goal of the season. In the final minutes of the match, Northeastern pulled their goalie in favor of an extra man on the ice, but their efforts fell flat ending their season and sending BU to the Hockey East Semifinals.
In his two seasons as head coach, Pandolfo has led the Terriers to the Garden. With another season under his belt, he said the team’s expectations to get further than their Frozen Four appearance are high.
“I think our group expects that we should be able to get there if we play the right way,” he said. “We’re in the semis again, but it’s going to be tough.”
Team captain McCarthy and assistant captain Tuch spent the entirety of their collegiate careers in a Terrier uniform, making their final game at Agganis Arena an emotional one.
“[Agganis is] a special place,” an emotional McCarthy said. “I can’t be more grateful for the opportunity to play here.”
The Terriers will move on to play the University of Maine in the Hockey East Semifinals at TD Garden on Friday, March 22, in hopes of replicating last year’s tournament success.
“Our place is set in the tournament, but again, we’re never satisfied,” Tuch said.