Men’s Hockey: BU Narrowly Beats UVM In Weekend Opener

By Jenny Chen

In the opening game of the weekend series, Boston University men’s hockey (8-7-1, 5-4-0 HEA) held off the University of Vermont Catamounts (4-9-0, 2-5-0 HEA) 2-1 at Agganis Arena.

“We got the win, and we needed to get the win,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said.

Both teams were off to a slow start offensively, with the Terriers putting up four shots and the Catamounts two in the first 10 minutes.

Despite being assessed the first two penalties of the game, for goaltender interference and hooking, sophomore forward Kamil Bednarik also scored the night’s opening goal in the 15th minute of the first period. Bednarik took a feed from junior forward Jack Harvey behind the net and ripped a one-timer from the right circle to put the Terriers up 1-0.

The goal was Bednarik’s first at even strength this season, with his previous tallies coming on the power play or shorthanded.

As the first period progressed, BU took over offensively and finished the opening 20 minutes outshooting Vermont 14-4.

The Terriers also earned their first power play of the game with 11 seconds left in the first, but the Catamounts killed it off early in the middle frame.

Vermont managed to generate more offense in the second period, pinning the Terriers in their own zone for extended stretches. BU earned two more power plays in the frame but was unable to capitalize on the man advantage.

However, as the second of those opportunities expired, freshman defenseman Charlie Tretheway jumped into the rush down the right wing and snapped a shot past goaltender Alex Mangbo for his first collegiate goal. Sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert, playing his first game back after missing the last three with injury, recorded the primary assist for his first point since returning, with Harvey picking up the secondary helper.

“It feels great. It is a mile marker for me, and just really exciting,” Tretheway said.

Vermont outshot the Terriers 17-7 in the second period, flipping the overall shot count to 21-20 in favor of the Catamounts. Sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov kept BU in front, coming up with several big saves to preserve the 2-0 lead heading into the third.

The final frame stayed more even, though Vermont again held a slight edge in shots, 8-5. The Catamounts finally broke through in the 10th minute of the period, when freshman forward Jonah Aegerter took a pass near the slot, turned and fired a wrist shot past Yegorov to cut BU’s lead in half.

As the clock wound down, Vermont pulled Mangbo for the extra skater and pushed for the equalizer, creating a six-on-five situation. The Terriers had multiple chances at the empty net but could not convert.

Sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis drove to the crease and appeared to be tripped without a call, and on another chance, Catamounts sophomore defenseman Jax Wismer swept a loose puck off the goal line to keep it a one-goal game.

Even so, BU closed out the final minute without conceding, scraping through to secure the 2-1 win.

BU and Vermont face off again Saturday night, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. at Agganis Arena. The game will stream on ESPN+.