Men’s Hockey: Big response for Terriers as they hang on to secure 3-1 victory over Northeastern
Featured image by Holly Gustavsen
By Alexa Podalsky
Punches were thrown, a disqualification penalty was handed out, and Boston University’s goalkeeper, Mikhail Yegerov, made 28 saves to split the weekend with Northeastern after unexpectedly falling 5-1 on Friday night.
One day after the No. 21 Huskies (11-16-3, 6-11-3 HE) netted two powerplay goals, the No. 9/8 Terriers (18-12-1, 12-8-1 HE) solidified their penalty kill to redeem themselves in a 3-1 win at Matthew’s Arena.
“When they want to play a certain way and they’re determined to do it, usually the results are pretty good,” Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “It’s just a matter of finding it more consistently still, even though we’re talking about this 31 games into the season.”
The Terriers opened up Saturday’s match a man down after Cole Hutson was called for tripping. Yegerov was kept on his toes not just during the penalty kill but after it, as BU’s offense struggled to get past center ice.
However, it was evident that BU had learned from their mistakes from the previous night. The Terriers took possession shortly after and didn’t let it go for the rest of the period.
With less than eight minutes left in the first frame, Tristan Amonte tipped the puck into the net’s lower right corner to put the Terriers in the lead for the first time this weekend.
The second period came and went, with neither team being able to capitalize on its possessions. While BU’s 27.8% powerplay percentage ranks fourth in the NCAA, Northeastern successfully killed off all three of the dominant Terrier powerplay.
Six minutes into the third period, the Huskies put themselves on the board. Joaquim Lemay picked up the assist from Ryan McGuire and James Fisher and fired the puck over Yegerov’s head.
With a tied score, the Terriers were eager to maintain structure in the O-zone.
During the following sequence of play, Quinn Hutson found his brother Cole along the left boards, who sniped the puck past Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead to put BU back in the lead.
With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Huskies pulled Whitehead for the extra attacker.
After regrouping on their side of the ice, Shane Lachance led a breakaway off Q. Hutson’s pass and raced for the empty net. Two Northeastern defenders tried to stop him, but Lachance rifled the puck over Jake Higgins to double the Terriers’ lead and secure the victory.
The Huskies tried to score and pulled Whitehead again with less than a minute left on the clock. But, BU’s defense successfully shut down Northeastern’s attempts to organize, solidifying a 3-1 win.
As the game’s final seconds ticked away, Ryan Greene and Cristophe Tellier broke into a fight that turned into a brawl across the ice. Tellier was disqualified for fighting, and Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe received his second game misconduct penalty in the past three games.
Yegerov’s 28 saves were almost double the number he recorded on Friday night (15). Despite allowing five goals, Pandolfo believed the freshman goalkeeper played well this weekend and said there wasn’t much he could have done in the loss.
“I didn’t think he was bad last night by any means,” Pandolfo said. “I expected him to respond, and he did. So, it says a lot about him. His belief in himself, his confidence, and kind of the way he is.”
With three conference matchups left in the regular season, Saturday night’s win puts the Terriers in a position to climb the Hockey East standings. They are scheduled to play the University of Connecticut on Tuesday, Providence on Thursday, and Vermont next Saturday to close out the season.
Tuesday’s game is scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, CT. It will be available to stream on ESPN+ and TSN+.