Men’s Hockey: Terriers Unable To Break Through Providence Defense In 4-0 Home Loss

By Jenny Chen

No goals in the game, no points for the weekend. For the second time in January, Boston University Men’s Hockey (12-12-1, 8-9-0 HEA) was shut out at home in a 4-0 loss to the Providence College Friars (15-7-2, 10-3-1 HEA), their worst defeat at Agganis Arena since Dec. 7, 2024.

“[We] couldn’t find a way to score a goal. So you can’t win hockey games without scoring,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said.

BU entered the game looking to earn a split of the weekend’s results, as it did last weekend. The Terriers opened with a stronger start than Friday night, but in the third minute of the first period, the Friars capitalized on a defensive-zone turnover to take an early lead.

The best early chance from the Terriers came around seven minutes into the game, when sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson found classmate forward Kamil Bednarik for a one-timer from the extended goal line.

But Providence had BU on its heels for most of the frame with a stronger forecheck. The Terriers had few looks in their offensive zone, let alone any consistent cycling.

BU also gave up the first power play of the game when freshman forward Ben Merrill was called for tripping, but unlike the first game of the series, the Terriers killed off the penalty.

Shortly after the kill, the Friars gave BU a chance on the power play, but Providence also survived the two-minute disadvantage without the puck hitting twine.

Despite a shaky first period — though still an improvement from the previous night — the Terriers led the shot count 10-9.

Up a goal, Providence continued to push for a second tally from the opening faceoff of the middle frame.

The Friars maintained their relentless forecheck from the first 20 minutes, keeping BU pinned in its defensive zone for nearly the entire first minute of the period.

Freshman forward Jonathan Morello’s shot in the second period briefly broke the Terriers free from only defending.

Just past the halfway point of the frame, BU went to the power play again, but again came up empty.

In the 14th minute, the Terriers’ man advantage was put to the test when Providence sophomore forward John Mustard skated into sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov and was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for head contact.

But just like on the previous two attempts, the BU power-play unit could not find the back of the net.

“[There was] just not enough volume to the net and puck recovery,” Pandolfo said.

The third period’s start was the Terriers’ best. They maintained more offensive-zone time and generated sharper looks with more pucks on net.

Though the momentum dipped when junior defenseman Gavin McCarthy was called for tripping behind his own net in the fourth minute of the third period, BU’s penalty kill produced three shorthanded chances during the two-minute minor.

In the 11th minute of the final frame, the Friars doubled their lead, cleaning up a loose puck in the crease and quieting Agganis Arena.

After that goal, little clicked for BU. Even on partial breakaways, pucks slipped off sticks, and several passes into the slot were fanned on.

Right before the Terrier coaching staff could pull Yegorov for an extra attacker, Providence effectively put the game out of reach with its third goal of the night late in the 18th minute of the period.

Yegorov was eventually pulled, and while BU came close to breaking the shutout, the puck never fully crossed the goal line.

The Friars added one more tally on an empty net with 18.1 seconds left.

This weekend marked the first time since early November that the Terriers have been swept.

Next Friday, BU hosts rival Boston College at Agganis Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. Streaming will be available on NESN and ESPN+.

“You can’t go home and cry. You’ve got to come back ready to go to work Monday,” Pandolfo said.