BOSTON - Joey Muldowney scored three times to lift fourth-seeded UConn to a 5-1 win over third-seeded Boston University in the first semifinal of the 41st annual Hockey East Championship Thursday afternoon at TD Garden. The Huskies move on to take on the winner of the second semifinal between second-seeded Maine and ninth-seeded Northeastern in Friday's championship game at 7:30 p.m. (TV-NESN+; ESPN+).
Skating in its third semi, UConn (22-10-4) advances to the title game for the second time, the first was in 2022, and will play for its first championship Friday. The Huskies have won five straight and are 8-0-1 since a loss on February 7.
Muldowney, who scored a pair in the 4-1 quarterfinal win over Providence last week, scored the final three of five unanswered goals for the Huskies. Goalie Callum Tung allowed a goal on the fourth Terriers shot stopped the next 22 in picking up the victory.
BU got on the board at 9:32 of the first on a power play goal by Quinn Hutson. Just 18 seconds after the penalty, UConn tried to clear the puck around the boards. Cole Hutson grabbed it at the left point, centered it to his brother, who cruised down the slot and snapped it by Tung for his 21st of the campaign.
UConn, who outshot Boston U. 8-4 in the first, tallied three straight in the second to grab the lead, the first pair in the initial three minutes. Tristan Fraser tied it 59 seconds into the stanza on an assist by Tabor Heaslip. Ryan Tattle, at 2:56, put the Huskies ahead 2-1 with his 18th of the season assisted by Jake Richard. After great forechecking, Muldowney notched his first of the night at 8:42 for a two-goal lead. He knocked home a rebound of his own shot, assists going to Richard and Nick Carabin, after the trio forced a turnover along the sideboards.
Muldowney made it 4-1 5:04 into the third, tapping in a goalmouth feed from Richard. He would cap the Huskies scoring with an empty-netter at 16:12, his team-high 27th of the year. Boston University's Kamil Bednarik would cap the scoring with his second of the year with 10 seconds left, assisted by Alden Celebrini and Cole Eiserman.
Tung and the Huskies defense would keep BU scoreless in the final two periods, and he would finish with 25 saves. Terriers goalie Mikhail Yegorov stopped 19 shots in the loss. BU was 1-2 on the power play and killed both UConn attempts.
Richard finished with three assists for UConn. Muldowney's hat trick was the first in the semifinals since BU's David Van der Gulik scored three against UNH in 2006. The last tourney hat trick was four goals by BC's Will Smith in last year's title game.
Boston University falls to 21-13-2 and is still in line for an at large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I Hockey Championship. Selections will be announced Sunday evening.
Notes:
- Boston University was making its record 29th semifinal appearance. It is UConn's third semi, all since 2022.
- BU won the first regular season meeting between the two schools, 4-2, in Boston on October 18th and they skated to a 2-2 overtime tie in Storrs on February 25th, with the Terriers taking the shootout.
