When Boston University and Boston College last met two weeks ago, BU freshman goalie Mikhail Yegorov took a costly procedural penalty in his college debut, jumping on the ice too early during pregame warmups and handing a BC a game-opening power play that helped lift the Eagles to a two-game weekend sweep.
In Monday night’s Beanpot final at TD Garden, Yegorov made no mistakes – pregame, in-game or otherwise. He was outstanding, stopping 43 of the 44 shots he faced to lead the No. 9 Terriers to a 4-1 victory, their record 32nd Beanpot title, and some revenge over the archrival No. 1 Eagles.
The Eagles came out flying in this one, outshooting the Terriers 8-1 out of the gate and taking a 1-0 lead 6:13 into the game. With BU pinned in its own zone for an extended shift, BC’s top line of Gabe Perreault, Andre Gasseau (a Bruins seventh-round pick in 2021) and Ryan Leonard jumped over the boards and pounced on the tired Terriers, with Leonard (a Capitals first-round pick) setting up Perreault (a Rangers first-round pick) for an easy backdoor finish.
The Eagles kept the pressure on and eventually increased their shot advantage to 15-2, but Yegorov almost singlehandedly kept it a one-score game with several big saves. The Terriers finally pushed back late in the first period and drew the game’s first penalty, but their power play (which ranks fifth in the country) couldn’t capitalize against BC’s penalty kill (which ranks second).
In the second, the Terriers flipped the momentum in a thrilling, end-to-end period that featured 37 combined shots on goal (21 for BU, 16 for BC). Brandon Svoboda, who had stood out on defense earlier in the game, scored the tying goal 5:43 into the frame when he made BC pay for a turnover by sniping a shot over Jacob Fowler’s left arm.
The Terriers kept pressing on the next shift and took the lead just 1:10 later. Tom Willander fed a pass down to fellow defenseman Cole Hutson, who had popped up uncovered in the left circle with BC scrambling to keep up with BU’s cycle. Hutson (a Capitals second-round pick) proceeded to rip a shot short-side for his third goal and fifth point of the two-game tournament.
Two of BC’s best chances came in the waning seconds of the second period, but Yegorov made back-to-back point-blank saves on Gasseau and Teddy Stiga.
After the wide-open second, the Terriers clamped down defensively in the third, allowing just three shots on goal through the first nine minutes. The Eagles then started to push a little more, but Yegorov – of course – was there to deny Gasseau again with a shoulder save on a good look from the slot.
With 6:16 remaining, another BU freshman – Newburyport native and Islanders first-round pick Cole Eiserman – pushed the lead to 3-1, jumping on a BC turnover and beating Fowler five-hole on a breakaway. Gavin McCarthy would add an empty-netter to finish off the scoring and seal the win.
This marked the second year in a row that BU got swept by BC in their regular-season home-and-home series, but bounced back with a Beanpot win (although last year it came in the first round, and BU ultimately lost to Northeastern in the final). It also extended BC’s Beanpot drought to nine years and ended the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak.
Both teams now have seven regular-season games remaining before the start of the Hockey East tournament. The Terriers have a home-and-home series with Providence College this weekend, while BC has a home-and-home with UMass.