Usually, hockey teams want to be on the power play—especially No. 10 Boston College men’s hockey, which scores on 27 percent of them.
But on Saturday night, the Eagles might have been better off playing the whole game at even strength, as Boston University (16–15–2, 12–11–0 Hockey East) scored two short-handed goals to rout BC (19–12–1, 13–9–0) 5–1 and complete the home-and-home sweep.
“Can’t give up two short-handed goals and be successful in Hockey East or anywhere really,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “Our power play had been strong for a while now, but can’t go two against and none for in one game.”
Despite the final score, the Eagles started the game in the driver’s seat.
Just 24 seconds in, BC got its first power-play opportunity of the game when Brandon Svoboda was booked for interference.
The Eagles were unable to convert, but they wouldn’t have to wait long for another power-play opportunity. With 8:57 remaining in the first, BC would again have the man-up advantage after Cole Hutson was sent to the box for hooking.
Not long after, the scoreboard read 1–0. But unfortunately for BC, it was the Terriers who found the back of the net.
Ben Merrill broke free and found himself 1-on-1 with Louka Cloutier. Calm and composed, he slotted it past the BC netminder for a short-handed goal at the 12:14 mark.
BC continued to generate offensive chances through the rest of the period and managed to avoid going into the break trailing.
James Hagens recovered the puck in the Terriers’ defensive zone and glided across the face of the net before finding Oskar Jellvik at the right post. From there, it was light work for the senior forward, as he fired it in for his first goal of the season with 2:39 to go in the frame.
The game marked Jellvik’s second since coming back from an injury that had sidelined him since Nov. 7 at Vermont.
The Terriers came out of the break with a fire lit under them. BU ripped four shots to BC’s one in the opening 2:30 before the Terriers’ fifth shot that made the difference.
Gavin McCarthy received the puck from Hutson on the left wing and slapped it through Cloutier’s five-hole to put BU back in front 2:40 into the period.
BC was given ample opportunity to tie things back up. Hagens found himself 1-on-1 with Terriers goaltender Mikhail Yegorov twice in the period—at the 10:22 and 11:12 marks—but couldn’t convert either chance.
“Big Mike kept us in that game,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo said. “There’s no question about it.”
BU continued to press, looking to extend its lead, and BC gifted the Terriers a power play with 6:06 left in the period. But the Eagles’ penalty-kill unit managed to keep BU quiet, keeping the deficit to just one.
The period would end with BU’s lead holding steady at 2–1, but with 21 seconds remaining in the second, McCarthy went to the sin bin for holding. Hockey East’s best power-play unit went into the break knowing it had 1:39 of 5-on-4 play left to tie things up at the start of the third.
But instead, it would be dejà vu for the Eagles, as the Terriers scored their second short-handed goal of the evening. This time, it was Jack Harvey who found the back of the net, extending BU’s lead to 3–1 1:27 into the final frame.
“It’s a huge turn of events,” Brown said. “You hope to go back out there and get a goal and get right back in it, and it went the other way … we just have to execute.”
The Terriers wouldn’t stop there. Merrill scored his second goal of the night with 4:57 remaining to put things firmly out of reach at 4–1, and Cole Eiserman potted an empty-netter for a final score of 5–1 in favor of the Terriers.
The game marked the second straight loss for the Eagles, who will now likely need a Hockey East title if they want a chance at a national championship.