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Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Previewing the Frozen Four: BU and Penn State have different pedigrees, but similar journeys to St. Louis
Penn State (22-13-4) finished fifth in the Big Ten, one of four from the conference to reach the postseason, and the only one to make it out of the first round, as Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State were all bounced. Advertisement BU barely resembled a team that would even qualify for the tournament, never mind reach the Frozen Four, when it dropped a 7-5 decision at Yale on Dec. 29. But when asked after Wednesday's practice at Enterprise Arena if he envisioned his squad back in the Frozen Four after stumbling against the Bulldogs, coach Jay Pandolfo said he still had plenty of belief. 'I think sometimes it's good for a team to go through the adversity we've went through this year, as long as you learn from it,' said Pandolfo. 'And I think we have, in a lot of different moments. Advertisement 'Right after the game maybe if you asked me, I would have said something different, but knowing these players that we have, I'd say, 'Yeah, we'll find a way.'' Helping to spark the turnaround has been goalie Mikhail Yegorov, who has started the last 16 games since enrolling in the school in January, going 10-5-1 with a .931 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average. Mikhail Yegorov joined the Terriers after the new year. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Even with the turnaround, the Terriers have had a few clunkers, including a 5-1 loss at home to Northeastern on Feb. 21 and a 5-2 drubbing at the hands of UConn in the Hockey East semifinals on March 20 that didn't even feel that close. But they responded with a pair of strong showings in the Toledo Regional, posting victories over Whereas bouts of inconsistency continue to plague BU, Penn State has been on a roll since the holiday break. After sputtering to a 7-9 start, including an 0-8 mark in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions have gone 15-4-4 since Jan. 1. They received the final at-large bid for the tournament and were the No. 4 seed in the Allentown Regional, but managed to post wins over Advertisement Goalie Arsenii Sergeev will certainly look familiar to Hockey East fans. He played two years at UConn before transferring to Penn State for the 2024-25 season, going 19-8-4 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average. He was the goalie of record for the Nittany Lions' second-half surge. Although both teams are getting stellar play in net, the game shouldn't lack for offense. BU ranks fourth in the NCAA in goals per game at 3.8. Penn State is seventh with 3.5. Junior Quinn Hutson and freshman Cole Eiserman each have 23 goals to lead the Terriers. Hutson's 1.39 points per game is second in the NCAA, while younger brother Cole Hutson leads all NCAA defenseman in points per game (1.24) and is first among NCAA freshmen in points (46) and assists (32). Related : Sophomore Aiden Fink leads Penn State in goals (23) and assists (30), and is third in points per game nationally with 1.36. Freshman Charlie Cerrato is second on the team in both assists (27) and points (42). Previewing Denver-Western Michigan While BU and Penn State are meeting for the first time, the day's first matchup features teams that are very familiar with each other. Western Michigan (32-7-1) and Denver (31-11-1) met three times this season, all decided by one goal, two of which went to overtime. The NCHC foes split a series in Kalamazoo, Mich. in December. The Broncos took the rubber match in the conference championship game March 22, rallying from a 3-0 hole to force overtime and prevailing, 4-3 against the defending national champions. This game also features a disparity in postseason experience. Denver has won 10 national titles, the most of any Division 1 program, and is going for its third in four seasons. Western Michigan is making its first appearance in the Frozen Four. Advertisement The winners will meet in Saturday's championship game (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). Follow Andrew Mahoney
Boston Globe
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Here's a close look at Thursday's NCAA Tournament men's hockey matchups
Cole Eiserman is tops among NCAA freshmen with 21 goals. Goalie Mikhail Yegorov ranks in the top 10 for goals-against average (1.99) and save percentage (.931) Advertisement The Terriers will face an old nemesis in forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, who transferred from Northeastern for his graduate season and leads the Buckeyes with 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists). The Rhode Island native Former UConn goalie Logan Terness (2.27 GAA, .925 save percentage) has started each of the last five games after splitting time with Kristoffer Eberly during the regular season. The Buckeyes are the third seed in their 11th trip to the tournament. The winner will move on to face top seed Michigan State or No. 4 Cornell on Saturday. The Big Red finished sixth in the ECAC but won the conference tournament to extend Mike Schafer's tenure at least another week. The coach announced last June that he would call it a career after the 2024-25 season, his 30th. Advertisement The first day of the tournament will conclude when UMass takes on Minnesota in the second game of the Fargo, N.D., regional in a scheduled 8:30 p.m. start. It will mark the first game for the Minutemen since the top 10 candidates for the Hobey Baker Award were announced, a list that somehow did not include forward Cole O'Hara, whose 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) are fourth most in the nation. The junior is a true two-way player, playing on the top units on the power play and penalty kill. UMass had four other players post 30 or more points — Aydar Suniev (36), Jack Musa (35), Lucas Mercuri (31), and Bruins draft pick Dans Locmelis (30). The Minutemen are the No. 3 seed and have qualified for five of the last six tournaments. UMass has not played since Minnesota was co-champion of the Big Ten with Michigan State. However, the Spartans took 7 of the 12 points during the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed and a bye in the conference tournament. That proved costly for the Gophers, who had to play Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, and dropped two out of three and were eliminated. They will have gone 18 days between games by the time the puck drops Thursday night. The upset, combined with Western Michigan rolling to the NCHC championship, was enough for the Broncos to finish fourth in the PairWise and take the last No. 1 seed. Minnesota finished fifth overall and is the second seed. Advertisement The Gophers are making an NCAA-best 42nd tournament appearance and are led by Hobey Baker finalist Jimmy Snuggerud 's 49 points, while Connor Kurth and UConn transfer Matthew Wood each have a career-best 38. Sophomore Sam Rinzel was named the conference's defensive player of the year. Should the Minutemen prevail, they'll advance to Saturday's final against the winner of the Western Michigan-Minnesota State game. The setup has a familiar feel. In 2022, Western Michigan, Minnesota, and UMass were the top three seeds in the Worcester regional. The Gophers rallied from a two-goal deficit Thursday's NCAA Tournament schedule Toledo, Ohio, regional Boston University (21-13-2) vs. Ohio State (24-13-2): 2 p.m. ESPNU Michigan State (26-6-4) vs. Cornell (18-10-6): 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ Fargo, N.D., regional Western Michigan (30-7-1) vs. Minnesota State (27-8-3): 5 p.m., ESPNU Minnesota (25-10-4) vs. UMass (20-13-5): 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 Follow Andrew Mahoney
