Men’s Hockey: Eiserman OT rocket powers Terriers to TD Garden for Hockey East Semifinals

Featured image by Holly Gustavsen

By Alexa Podalsky

It was the tale of Cole Eiserman.

His signature shot paid off once more, as he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to send the Terriers to TD Garden for the Hockey East Semifinals.

The third-seeded Boston University Terriers (21-12-2, 14-8-2 HE) defeated the sixth-ranked University of Massachusetts Minutemen (20-13-5, 10-9-5) in a 3-2 OT victory in their final game of the season at Agganis Arena. 

Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said he felt the Terriers “played on their heels” for the majority of the game, but he was proud of how the team persevered. 

“We’ve had some times that we’ve been down, and our guys always seem to fight back and fight through it,” Pandolfo said. “And, again, we found a way.”

The Terriers dominated from the first faceoff but couldn’t organize past UMass’s defense until four minutes into the game. Ryan Lautenbach was called for hooking, giving BU the man advantage on their fourth-ranked power play. 

Shane Lachance capitalized on the lone power play of the night, sitting on the doorstep and poking the puck in off goaltender Michael Hrabal. Ryan Greene had the secondary assist on the goal, marking his 100th career point. 

UMass came off the penalty kill with a vengeance and got their own power-play opportunity, but BU’s defense limited their possession and netminder Mikhail Yegorov stopped the Minutemen’s blitzes to give BU a 1-0 lead out of the first period. 

Less than four minutes into the second period, Jack Musa jumped over Greene and sent the puck past Yegorov to put UMass on the board for the equalizer.

Between multiple scuffles and foiled breakaway attempts, the Terriers dominated possession in UMass’s zone as they worked the momentum to score again. 

Sascha Boumedienne, who played a pivotal role in stopping multiple Minutemen goals in the second period, put BU back in the lead 11 minutes into the second period. The freshman defender intercepted a 2 v. 1 breakaway and found a clear path to the net off Tom Willander’s assist. 

Quinn Hutson rifled a shot from the right faceoff circle with under a minute left in the middle frame, but the call was negated for offsides, keeping the score at 2-1 entering the final period. 

But the Terriers’ success didn’t last for long. 

“I thought [the offsides call] deflated us a little bit,” Pandolfo said. 

BU scrambled to keep UMass out of their zone for the first half of the final period. Yegorov’s .937 save percentage was palpable until Greene and Aydar Suniev were called for cross-checking after a flurried attempt at the Terriers’ net. 

Right as four-on-four play ended, Suniev evened the score at two apiece. The Minutemen found a jump in their game as time wound down, forcing Yegorov to make 19 saves in the third period. 

With neither team able to score the go-ahead goal, the game went into overtime. 

Almost immediately into extra time, Yegorov made a game-winning stop, denying Musa on the rush.

In quick succession, Boumedienne cleared the rebound off of the UMass scoring attempt and sauced the puck to Eiserman on the breakaway. With Linden Alger on his toes, he fired the puck past Hrabal at the perfect angle to pull off the Terriers’ seventh quarterfinal win against the Minutemen. 

Both Eiserman and Yegorov played a huge role in the Terriers’ win during their first collegiate playoff game. Eiserman had one goal and assist while Yegorov had 36 saves, going .937 on the night.

“It’s great, just experiencing college,” Yegorov said. “It’s all great feelings and an amazing group of guys here. They supported me through the whole time I was here.” 

The Terriers continue their pursuit of the Hockey East title on Thursday at TD Garden. 

“For me, a Mass kid, whenever you play at TD Garden, it’s pretty special,” Eiserman said. “I’ve been to a lot of Hockey East Semifinals and Finals, [but] it’s gonna be my first time playing on the ice.”

BU will face off against the University of Connecticut Huskies at 4 P.M. on Thursday, March 20. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.