BOSTON - Tristan Fraser’s goal at 1:28 into overtime lifted third-seeded Connecticut to a 4-3 win over fourth-seeded Boston College in the semifinal nightcap of the 42nd annual Hockey East Championship Thursday night at TD Garden.
After BC could not corral a loose puck in its own end early in the extra session, it popped out to Fraser in the low slot, and he beat BC goalie Louka Cloutier from the low slot to send the Huskies to Saturday’s final. Tabor Heaslip and Jake Percival picked up assists on the senior Fraser’s sixth of the season. Both teams traded the lead in the third period before the Eagles Ryan Comry forced overtime with 5:46 left in regulation.
UConn (20-11-5) moves on to play eighth-seeded Merrimack, a 2-0 winner over UMass in the semifinal lidlifter, in Saturday’s championship game at 7 p.m. (TV-NESN; ESPN+). Saturday is the first title game since 1988, Hockey East’s fourth season, that will guarantee a first-time champion. The Huskies reach the final for the second straight year and the third time overall. Merrimack, also looking for its first title, advances to its third championship game appearance.
After Boston College out-shot UConn 10-6 in a tightly played but scoreless first period, the Eagles got on the board with great puck movement on the power play only 39 seconds into the second. Dean Letourneau one-timed a right-to-left feed from Andre Gasseau past UConn goalie Tyler Muszelik with James Hagens also getting an assist. The Huskies would even the game less than a minute later on defenseman Trey Scott’s second of the year at 1:32. Scott slipped one between Cloutier’s pads from the right wing with assists to Joey Muldowney and Ryan Tattle.
Letourneau added his second of the night at 5:09, another power play tally, finishing after a nice move in the crease. Lukas Gustafsson started the play from the point with a pass to Hagens, who redirected it across the goalmouth to Letourneau who flipped it behind Muszelik. Ethan Whitcomb would tie it again for the Huskies at 8:28 of the middle period with his sixth, rapping home a pass by Mike Murtagh that came from behind the net. Linemate Ethan Gardula also picked up an assist.
After the UConn defense held the high-powered BC attack without a shot on goal for the first 12-plus minutes of the third, the Huskies took their first lead at 12:29. At one end, Muszulik made his first save of the third then UConn cleared it on a rink long rush by Murtagh, who beat Cloutier to make it 3-2. Whitcomb and Viking Gustafsson-Nyberg picked up assists on Murtagh’s sixth.
Boston College would answer at 14:13 to tie ut at 3-3 on a blast from just inside the blueline by Comry, his ninth, assisted by Teddy Stiga and Drew Fortsecue.
Muszulik finished with 22 saves for Connecticut (20-11-5) while Cloutier, who blanked Maine in last week’s quarterfinal, finished with 28 saves. Boston College came into the weekend tops with Hockey East’s best power play converting at 27%, and tonight went 2-for-5 while killing all four UConn power plays.
The balanced Huskies had four different goal scorers in moving to the title game for the second straight season. With two power play goals tonight, Letourneau leads Hockey East with 10, and is second in overall goals with 22, one behind teammate James Hagens. Hagens had two assists to extend his league lead in assists with now with 24, and in points with 47.
BC drops to 20-15-1 with the loss. Selections for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship will be announced Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m. on ESPNU and NCAA.com.
The attendance of 15,573 at TD Garden was the second-largest in the five semifinal doubleheaders since the tournament resumed in 2022.
NOTES
• Friday night's Hockey East Semifinal appearance marked Connecticut's fourth semifinal appearance, all coming since 2022, and their second consecutive (now 3-0 overall in semifinals). The Huskies reached the Championship game last season, falling to Maine, and also in 2022, losing to UMass in overtime.
• The second semifinal matchup of 2026 marked Boston College's record-tying 28th appearance in the HEA Semifinals (now 19-9 overall in semifinals). The Eagles have reached 19 Championship games and won a record 12 titles, with their most recent coming in 2024.
• Boston College's quarterfinal win over Maine snapped a four-game losing streak for the Eagles, while Connecticut bounced back to win two of three after a five-game winless stretch (0-3-2) heading into the tournament.
• Friday's semifinal marked the second all-time Hockey East Tournament meeting between Boston College and Connecticut. The two programs are each coached by former Boston College assistant coaches — Greg Brown for the Eagles and Mike Cavanaugh for the Huskies. In their only prior tournament meeting, the 2024 quarterfinals, Boston College defeated Connecticut 5-4.
• Boston College's two second-period goals were both scored by Dean Letourneau, giving the sophomore four career Hockey East Tournament points (3g-1a). James Hagens assisted on both goals, bringing him to five career tournament points (2g-3a). The sophomore duo has now combined on 14 goals together this season, with Friday marking the fourth time they have connected on two goals in the same game. With two goals on the night, Letourneau leads the Hockey East with 10 power play goals and ranks second in overall goals with 22, one behind teammate Hagens.
• Six different skaters recorded a point for Connecticut in the second period. Trey Scott and Ethan Whitcomb each tallied a goal, while Mike Murtagh, Ethan Gardula, Joey Maldowney and Ryan Tattle each picked up an assist.
• Ethan Gardula and Trey Scott each recorded their first career Hockey East Tournament point with their second-period contributions. Joey Muldowney's assist brought him to 10 career points in the playoffs (7g-3a). Muldowney is also the most recent skater in the Hockey East to record a hat trick in the semifinal round, accomplishing the feat in the 2025 tournament in a 5-2 win over Boston University.
• Boston College's Ryan Conmy, the transfer from New Hampshire, forced overtime with a late tying goal assisted by Teddy Stiga and Drew Fortescue. The overtime appearance marked the eighth time in program history that Boston College has played overtime in the Hockey East Tournament Semifinals, where the Eagles now hold a 4-4 record. The Eagles last tournament overtime appearance came in 2021 against No. 7 seed UMass Lowell, where BC fell 6-5 in double overtime.
• Friday's game also marked the 18th time in Hockey East Tournament history that a semifinal matchup has gone to overtime. The last time two teams were tied 2-2 heading into the third period and then 3-3 going into overtime of a Hockey East Semifinal was the 2025 tournament, when No. 2 seed Maine and No. 9 seed Northeastern played out the same sequence before Maine eventually won 4-3.
• Seniors Andre Gasseau and Lukas Gustafsson and junior Drew Fortescue each collected assists on the night, all three holdovers from Boston College's 2024 Hockey East Championship team that defeated Connecticut and UMass en route to a 6-2 victory over No. 2 seed Boston University in the title game. Friday marks the fourth Hockey East Tournament and second semifinal appearance for both Gasseau and Gustafsson.
• Tristan Fraser's overtime winner sent Connecticut to the Hockey East Championship game, improving the Huskies to a perfect 3-0 in Hockey East Semifinal play. UConn advances to their second consecutive Championship game, and Friday's result sets up the first-ever Hockey East title game matchup between a No. 3 seed and a No. 8 seed.
