Chloe Wojanik
Boston University News Service
This weekend, the Hockey East Tournament will be held at TD Garden in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, where men's college hockey's most competitive conference will crown a champion. Boston College, Boston University, Maine, and Massachusetts State are all fighting for a chance to be crowned King of the East.
Boston College vs. University of Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Minutemen jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 6 minutes, 33 seconds into the first period, but they were no match for the Boston College Eagles. The Minutemen's first goal of the game was also their last goal of the game, as they lost 8-1 to the Eagles.
BC scored eight goals from that point, two of which came off the stick of freshman phenom Gabe Perreault. Two of B.C.'s Hobey Baker Award Top 10 finalists also played, with Cutter Gauthier scoring two goals and Will Smith scoring one goal for the Eagles. BC was led by the firepower of its young freshmen all season, with seven of BC's eight goals coming from first-year players, and that proved to be the case in postseason play as well.
The Eagles' freshmen's firepower was also visible in net, with first-year goaltender Jacob Fowler limiting the scoring throughout the game. Fowler stopped 28 of 29 shots on goal he faced, contributing to the Eagles' seven-point lead and eventual victory.
With its explosive offense and solid goaltending, BC became the first team since 1988 to score eight goals in a Hockey East semifinal game.
BC currently sits atop the Hockey East with 11 title wins and an all-time championship. The Eagles will look to bring another championship to Kom. Saturday night they qualified for the championship game, so that's great.
Boston University vs. Maine
After BU's practice Thursday at Agganis Arena, star defenseman Lane Hutson called the Terriers team “special.” With a win over the Maine Black Bears in the semifinals, BU continued to prove why this season is so special.
BU was led by two players who have been on the team all season: Hobey Baker Award Top 10 finalist Macklin Celebrini and Hutson. Celebrini, who was recently named Hockey East Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, had three assists. Hutson was able to record a goal and an assist on the power play. Despite being so young, these two have proven that they can shine under the brightest lights and on the biggest stage.
“I think it's really great for the players just to be in a situation where they can play at TD Garden,” Hutson said. “Luckily the puck is coming in, so let’s hope it continues like this.”
But BU's real hero in the semifinal win was sophomore forward Ryan Greene. His two goals were crucial in swaying the game in BU's favor. Green's first goal, also the first of the game, came at 8:59 of the first period. That quieted the raucous Maine fans and put the Black Bears in a corner. The second goal of the game came about four minutes later when Maine's Linden Breen scored to make it 2-1, and all the momentum was in Maine's favor. Green's goal not only made it 3-1, but BU was back in the driver's seat and never lost momentum.
Beyond the offensive success, head coach Jay Pandolfo marveled at how important Green's two-way game is to this Terrier team. Green is not only part of BU's first power play unit, but also part of the team's top penalty killing unit.
“Green has been great for us,” Pandolfo said. “He crossed the boards first on the penalty kill, he crossed the boards first on the power play. He plays a lot of 5-on-5. He's there at the end of the game. He's on our team. He's a big part of why we're in the situation we're in.”
The star of the show was BU's top goalie, Mathieu Caron. Caron, who improved his record to 26-8-2 with Friday's semifinal victory, stopped 32 of 33 shots on goal. Mayne pulled the goalie in the final minutes of the game, putting pressure on BU's defensive zone. Despite this, Caron never let his concentration wander and was able to deflect all the high-risk shots he faced, ultimately securing victory for BU.
championship preview
The ever-hotter rivalry will intensify even more on Saturday night as the Battle of Com. Avenue will compete in the Hockey East Championship Game.
This is the fourth time BC and BU have met this season, the first two times in the regular season and the third time in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament. BC won both regular season games, but BU defeated the Eagles at TD Garden in the Beanpot.
Asked about the excitement of the championship game against BC, Green said, “I'm sure it's going to be a crazy atmosphere like always.” “It's always exciting to play against them, and it's even more special to play against them in the Hockey East Championship. We're ready.”
With BC ranked No. 1 in the country and BU ranked No. 2, this is sure to be a game that will go down in Hockey East history.
