Men’s Hockey: Terriers Blank UMass in Road Opener

By Claire Smieszny

Boston University men’s ice hockey (10-8-1, 7-5-0 HEA) took the opening win of its home-and-home conference series against the Massachusetts Minutemen (9-9-0, 2-6-0 HEA), earning a 1-0 road victory Friday night.

“I think it was a really good, solid road game,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “I thought they had some chances around our net, but I thought we got better as the game went on. I like the effort of the whole group.”

The first period opened with rapid puck movement as play swung between zones until the Minutemen settled in and established possession a few minutes in. Massachusetts generated the first dangerous looks, stringing together a few offensive sequences, but BU’s defensive structure kept shots to the outside and chances away from the front of the net.

After being hemmed in early, the Terriers finally broke out cleanly and turned the momentum. BU tilted the ice with an extended shift, firing seven shots in a 31-second span to put the Minutemen under pressure.

The rest of the frame saw both teams trade time in the offensive zone, piling up shots and looking for seams. BU finished the period ahead on the shot clock, but neither side could break through and the game remained scoreless heading into intermission.

The second period began with more traded chances. UMass freshman forward Václav Nestrašil nearly opened the scoring off a quick breakout, racing into the BU zone alone, but sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov stood tall and turned the shot aside for what would be one of his biggest saves of the night.

BU responded by pushing back to ensure the game did not tilt in the Minutemen’s favor. The Terriers again established sustained zone time, creating a cluster of close-range opportunities as they cycled the puck and funneled shots to the crease. Massachusetts tried to regain control, but BU continued to drive play.

The Terriers were eventually rewarded for their pressure. Eight minutes into the period, senior forward Jack Harvey pounced on a rebound off Aiden Celebrini’s toe-drag release just outside the crease and buried it to give BU a 1-0 lead.

Despite a renewed push from the Minutemen to find an answer, BU did not let up. The Terriers closed the period still ahead on the shot count and carried the one-goal advantage into the third.

In the final frame, Massachusetts continued to press for an equalizer, but Yegorov remained composed, tracking pucks through traffic and steering away rebounds to preserve the lead. As the clock wound down, UMass pulled its goaltender for an extra skater, but BU’s skaters sealed off lanes and cleared the zone when it mattered most.

“You have to be comfortable playing in one-goal games,” Pandolfo said. “Going into the third period on the road with the 1-0 lead and to hold on to it, I thought it was great. Would have been nice, maybe a little bit easier to breathe if we hit one of those open nets, but we stuck with it.”

The Terriers and Minutemen meet again Saturday night in the second game of the series at Agganis Arena. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m., with streaming available on NESN and ESPN+.