ST. LOUIS - The No. 8/3 Boston University men's ice hockey team earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA title game, holding off No. 12/5 Penn State by a score of 3-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday evening at the Enterprise Center.
The Terriers, who will be back in the national championship game for the first time since 2015, scored the first two goals of the game in the second period before holding off the Nittany Lions down the stretch.
Senior Jack Hughes and freshman Cole Eiserman tallied the first two goals for the Terriers and freshman Mikhail Yegorov recorded 32 saves. Sophomore Jack Harvey sealed the win with an empty-netter.
BU will face No. 3/1 Western Michigan - a 3-2 winner over defending champion Denver in double overtime - in Saturday's title game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Terriers put together a strong opening period but settled for a scoreless draw entering the first intermission.
- BU opened the scoring just 1:35 into the second when senior Jack Hughes pounced on a loose puck in the crease after PSU netminder Arsenii Sergeev made a save and didn't spot it.
- Senior Matt Copponi took the initial shot on goal to earn the assist.
- BU doubled its lead midway through the second when junior Devin Kaplan pushed the puck to freshman Cole Hutson to set up a 2-on-1 with Eiserman.
- Hutson skated through the left circle before feeding a cross-slot pass to Eiserman, who buried the chance for a 2-0 lead.
- The Terriers had chances to make it a three-goal lead later in the second but the Nittany Lions were able to stay within two entering the third.
- BU killed off a pair of PSU power plays in the middle stanza.
- PSU got on the board at the 2:15 mark of the third when Nicholas DeGraves sent in a rebound that bounced up through the slot.
- Up 2-1, the Terriers had a chance to extend the lead when the Nittany Lions were called for too many men at 5:39 of the third, but were unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
- More than half of PSU's 33 shots came in the third period as Yegorov faced 18 in the frame and was able to turn away 17 of them.
- Harvey secured the victory when he potted an empty-netter from the left point with just under a minute to play.
GAME NOTES
- The Terriers will play in the national title game for the 12th time in program history and are 5-6 in the previous 11 appearances.
- Both teams recorded 33 shots in the game.
- BU was 0-for-3 on the power play while Penn State was 0-for-2.
- Hughes and sophomore Tom Willander picked up assists on the empty-netter.
- Copponi had a game-high six shots on goal while C. Hutson had a game-best four blocked shots.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will face Western Michigan in the NCAA title game on Saturday
- Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
- It will be the fifth all-time meeting with the Terriers winning the previous four, including a 5-1 triumph in the most recent meeting in the 2023 NCAA regional semifinals.
