Men’s Hockey: Terriers Fall in 299th Battle of Comm Ave

By Jenny Chen

Boston University Men’s Hockey (12-13-1, 8-10-0 HEA) earned no conference points at Agganis Arena in January, falling 4-1 to the Boston College Eagles (14-8-1, 10-5-0 HEA) in the 299th Battle of Commonwealth Avenue.

“They capitalize on their chances, we didn’t,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said.

The Terriers posted their strongest January start, generating pressure early. Sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis and sophomore forward Brandon Svoboda nearly connected just one minute in on a stretch pass, but freshman goaltender Louka Cloutier made the pad save.

BU’s momentum stalled four minutes in when BC capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover and defensive lapse for a 1-0 lead.

The Terriers kept forechecking through two back-to-back power plays starting at the 13-minute mark but failed to score during four minutes of man-advantage time. Late in the first period, BU killed a penalty after successfully challenging a BC goal for offside.

The second period began with BU carrying over its strong play, but BC quickly doubled the lead to 2-0 on an odd-man rush. Shots dropped to 14 combined after 22 in the first period as the game turned defensive.

BC went up 3-0 late in the frame when a Terrier breakdown left their center alone net front. “That’s just a mistake that can’t happen,” Pandolfo said.

BU cut the deficit to 3-1 on a power play goal right after the second intermission, its first in 16 attempts.

The Terriers gave BC a 5-on-3 advantage shortly after but killed both penalties. BU outshot BC 34-21 but couldn’t finish loose pucks or crease chances.

Even with sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov pulled late, BC’s empty-netter sealed the 4-1 win.

The Terriers face Northeastern in Monday’s Beanpot semifinal at TD Garden. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. on NESN and ESPN+.

“There’s a lot more hockey to play and a lot more meaningful hockey to play,” Pandolfo said.