Boston University takes home 32nd Beanpot title with 4-1 win over Boston College
BOSTON -- The Boston University Terriers are Beanpot champs for the 32nd time in school history after beating rival Boston College, 4-1, in the title bout at TD Garden on Monday night.
The Terriers erased a 1-0 deficit in the second period with a pair of goals from freshmen Brandon Svoboda and Cole Hutson just 1:10 apart, while freshman goaltender Mikhail Yegorov was a star in net with 43 saves on the night.
Boston College's Gabe Perreault was the only Eagle to beat Yegorov on Monday night. The sophomore forward put one by Yegorov just over six minutes into the contest to give top-ranked Boston College an early lead. The Eagles dominated the first 20 minutes on Monday, but only had a 1-0 edge to show for it.
Yegorov buckled down in net the rest of the way and Boston University took control early in the second period. Svoboda and Hutson scored just over a minute apart in the second frame, and the Terriers never relinquished that lead.
Freshman Cole Eiserman tacked on some insurance with 6:08 to to play in the third period, as BU got tallies from three freshmen. Sophomore Gavin McCarthy put an exclamation point on the win with a 185-foot empty-net goal to seal the victory for the Terriers.
It was the first Beanpot title for Boston University since 2022. After going without a trophy at any stage last season, Terriers head coach Jay Pandolfo hopes this Beanpot title will propel his team to even greater things the rest of the way.
"I hope this gives us confidence as a team," said Pandolfo, whose Terriers are now 16-10-1 on the season. "With our guys, we're still trying to get the message across to understand that if we play a certain way, we're going to have success."
Cole Hutson named Beanpot MVP
Hutson, 18, was named Beanpot MVP after he finished the tournament with three goals and a pair of assists for five points. He said winning a Beanpot with his brother, junior forward Quinn Hutson, along with having family in the TD Garden stands made Monday's win all the more special.
"It's going to be something I remember forever," he told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on the ice after Monday's win. "Especially to win it with my older brother and to have my family in the stands."
Bringing home a Beanpot title will give the Terriers some serious bragging rights for the rest of the season, but Hutson isn't expecting any rock-star treatment on campus.
"Hopefully not too much different. We try to stay a little humble and get back to class," he said.
Mikhail Yegorov a star in net for Terriers
In his just fifth start for Boston University, the 18-year-old Yegorov stopped 43 of the 44 shots that Boston College sent his way. Overall in Beanpot action, Yegorov turned away 69 of the 71 shots he saw for a .972 save percentage -- the third-highest in Beanpot history.
That earned Yegorov the Eberly Award in his first-ever Beanpot, given to the goaltender with the highest save percentage across the tournament.
"It's amazing. It's a dream to play in an NHL rink for everyone in the hockey world," Yegorov told Roche on the ice after the win. "Being able to step on the ice and in this rivalry, in front of 17,000 people -- the atmosphere was so much fun."
