Men’s Hockey: Terriers Bury Northeastern and Matthews Arena With Late Comeback Victory

By Ethan Pott

Boston University men’s hockey (9-8-1, 6-5-0 HEA) defeated the Northeastern University Huskies (10-6-0, 5-4-0 HEA) in the last ice hockey game ever played at legendary Matthews Arena.

Matthews Arena, home of the Huskies and formerly known as Boston Arena, was built in 1910 and was the oldest active ice hockey arena in the world. It was the original home venue of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, and the Terriers once hosted games there as well, giving BU the distinction of winning the final sporting event in the ancient building.

“It was a good hockey game,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We made some mistakes, but our guys didn’t get down tonight.”

The Huskies generated the first few quality chances of the game but did not score right away. Just over halfway through the first period, Northeastern went to the power play when BU freshman defenseman Carter Amico was sent to the box for tripping.

The Huskies’ power play converted almost immediately. Junior forward Tyler Fukakusa’s shot deflected off freshman forward Jacob Mathieu’s skate and into the net, putting Northeastern up 1-0.

Fukakusa followed soon after with another goal, taking a pass from freshman forward Giacomo Martino — who assisted on both tallies — and redirecting it behind BU sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov to extend the Huskies’ lead to 2-0.

In the waning minutes of the period, a mass of BU and Northeastern players collided along the boards and had to be separated by the officials. Terriers sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson was knocked to the ice but emerged unharmed. BU went to the power play when Northeastern sophomore forward Griffin Erdman was called for boarding.

The Huskies cleared the puck and defended effectively, and the Terriers did not convert on the man advantage. Shortly after the power play expired, though, BU drove the net and sophomore forward Brandon Svoboda beat junior goalie Lawton Zacher to put the Terriers on the board and cut the deficit to 2-1.

“When he skates like that, he’s really hard to handle,” Pandolfo said of Svoboda. “He’s got a lot of speed. He’s good, he’s strong. He was determined tonight.”

Both teams showed their animosity throughout the night, and the middle frame was marked by repeated near-scrums that the referees had to break up.

The stakes were heightened by the setting, with the historic finale at Matthews lending the atmosphere the feel of a postseason game or a Beanpot night, especially with loud, dueling BU and Northeastern student sections.

A Northeastern 2-on-1 rush ended with players sliding into the BU net and knocking it off its moorings. Terriers sophomore forward Kamil Bednarik was called for tripping on the play, sending the Huskies back to the power play, but this time the advantage expired quietly.

More than halfway through the period, BU tied the game 2-2 when sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert buried a chance. The transfer from North Dakota arrived with plenty of buzz after a strong freshman season, but the goal was just his second of the year.

Later in the period, the Terriers went back on the power play after Huskies junior forward Andy Moore was assessed a checking-from-behind penalty.

BU again failed to convert, and Northeastern made them pay in the final seconds of the frame. A steal by junior forward Dylan Hryckowian led to a setup for linemate Justin Connor — who scored with one second left in the period — sending the Huskies to the second intermission with a 3-2 lead.

Early in the third, the teams briefly went to 4-on-4 when two penalties were called within three seconds of each other — one on Bednarik for delay of game and one on Northeastern senior defenseman Austen May for tripping. Neither side scored on the extra space.

Midway through the period, Connor broke free on a partial breakaway, chased by two BU defenders. One slashed him on the leg, resulting in another Northeastern power play, but the Huskies again failed to extend their lead and clung to a one-goal edge.

That proved not to be enough. With just over two minutes remaining in regulation, and Yegorov pulled for an extra attacker, BU tied the game 3-3 on a shot from Bednarik.

“You could feel it on the bench that we were going to find a way to tie that thing up,” Pandolfo said. “I didn’t expect us to win it right there, but we did. [We] were determined to come back.”

Seconds later, Svoboda completed the comeback. Diving to the ice as he released his shot, the sophomore drove the puck into the net to put the Terriers up 4-3 and etch his name into history as the last goal-scorer at Matthews.

“I’m super grateful to have that title,” Svoboda said. “It’s a big deal to get a [win] in the last game at this arena.”

The Huskies pulled Zacher for an extra attacker in the final minute, but BU held firm to cement the result in the history books.

The Terriers will have some time off in the coming weeks, with their next regular-season matchup scheduled for Jan. 9.

“It’s a long year, but just go, reset, refresh,” Pandolfo said. “We’ve got to have a different start to the second half when we come back.”

“Two weeks, we’ve already got a plan ahead of us,” Svoboda said. “We’ve got to keep building and building as a team.”

BU will host the Simon Fraser University Red Leafs in an exhibition matchup at Agganis Arena on Jan. 3. The game will stream on ESPN+.