PREVIEW: Men’s hockey needs to prove consistency in Providence series

Monday evening was a complete celebration of BU men’s hockey.

The Terriers (16-10-1, 10-6-1 Hockey East) took back the Beanpot for the first time in head coach Jay Pandolfo’s tenure, earning the trophy that has eluded them over the past two seasons. They did it against their arch-rival and No. 1 team in the nation. The four key players were all freshmen — showing off the class’s meteoric development. Two former Terriers and current Calder Trophy favorites, Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson, were along for the ride. 

But, as the Boston University banner drifted into the rafters of TD Garden, the fear of inconsistency moving forward loomed — just two days prior, BU had lost 2-1 to unranked Merrimack.

“This whole year, it’s been a little inconsistent. We’ve had some ups and downs,” Pandolfo said postgame after the Beanpot championship. “We’re still trying to get the message across if we play a certain way, we’re going to have success, and we just got to stick to it.”

Now, the Terriers’ are in the most important stretch of the season and can’t afford to fall asleep at the wheel. 

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the two-game series with No. 7 Providence College (16-7-5, 6-6-5 HEA) in a crucial bout with pairwise and Hockey East implications. 

Cole Hutson, freshman class reaching potential

The top question entering the season was whether or not the freshmen class could pick up the slack that last season’s senior class and top two scorers left behind. 

In the first half of the season, it appeared to be a fool’s wish. Forward Cole Eiserman could snipe a goal here and there but disappeared on the road. Defenseman Cole Hutson had flashes but the turnovers and discipline issues stole the headlines. Brandon Svoboda and Kamil Bednarik were nonfactors, while Nick Roukanakis wasn’t even rostered. 

However, on Monday, the freshman class officially had its coming out party. Of the team’s seven points, five came off the stick of five unique freshmen. Svoboda’s fifth goal of the season was an impressive breakaway goal on BC goaltender Jacob Fowler with an assist from Roukanakis. Then, Hutson’s game-tying snipe went from Bednarik to sophomore defenseman Tom Willander. Finally, Cole Eiserman put the exclamation mark on the game with a do-it-yourself forced turnover and goal.

The freshman class as a whole owns 32 percent of the team’s points.

“We just created a bond so close, and I like to think we’re the closest class on the team, and it builds confidence for the team,” Hutson said after the Beanpot. “I just love every single one of them.”

Hutson, the Beanpot MVP, has risen to the top of his class. After a two-goal performance against UMass, Hutson has played his best hockey of the season, including at World Juniors, where he led the tournament in points. 

Since the UMass game on Dec. 11, Hutson has scored six goals and recorded 12 assists in 11 games. He now trails only his brother, Quinn, for the most points on the team. On top of that, his defensive game has taken a step up.

Yegorov and the starting job are all but a lock

Speaking of the freshman class, one would be remiss not to mention its newest — and arguably most impactful — member, Mikhail Yegorov.

It seems unfair to call the 18-year-old goaltender a freshman considering he’s only been enrolled since late January. However, it seems unfair to call him a freshman since he’s playing like one of, if not the, best goaltenders in college hockey.

In five games as the starting goaltender, Yegorov has only allowed seven goals for a 1.41 goals-against average. His .951 save percentage would rank No. 1 in the NCAA.

Of the seven goals allowed, only three have been even-strength.

On top of all of those achievements, he already has a Beanpot championship to his name, as well as an Eberly Award for the highest save percentage in the tournament.

It’s not like Yegorov is playing easy competition either. Two games have been against top-ranked Boston College. In those two games, Yegorov stopped 66 of 68 shots, a team that hadn’t scored less than two goals in a game all season.

Yegorov’s play gives confidence to the whole team.

“He’s been the backbone of our team since he got here,” Hutson said. “As you guys can probably tell already, he’s an unbelievable kid and a guy you want to be around.”

This was shown on Monday when Pandolfo shifted his team to a defense-first, park-the-bus style play in the third period. 

“They’re getting slot chances, they’re getting second chances, and he’s just sitting in there making saves and being calm,” Pandolfo said of Yegorov. “He’s confident but humble at the same time. He just has a special way about him.”

While Pandolfo hasn’t officially named Yegorov as the everyday starter, it is close to a sure thing that he will be between the pipes on Friday evening. 

Scouting the Friars

Providence is a team with a successful season so far, despite a gauntlet of Hockey East and out-of-conference opponents. However, the team has had its troubles with top-end Hockey East opponents in recent weeks.

In the last eight games, the Friars are 1-4-3, with the lone win coming against No. 11 UConn. 

They’ve fallen to seventh in the Hockey East standings.

The Friars funnel the puck toward the net and create traffic for second-chance opportunities. Pandolfo added Providence is a “real solid defensive team” that clogs up the middle of the ice to make zone entries and quality attacks difficult.

The Friars’ offense is spread out, with 14 players scoring double-digit points on the season. Most notably, freshman Trevor Connelly (3 goals, 8 assists) returns to the lineup on Friday after missing five games with an upper-body injury.

Junior goaltender Philip Svedebäck anchors Providence with 2.34 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

“It’s always a tough challenge against Providence. They work, they play physical, it’s tough to get inside around the net,” Pandolfo said. “We got to make sure we’re willing to be ready to battle tomorrow night.”