‘I’d like to think I’m doing decent:’ How Cole Hutson’s second-half surge helped BU men’s hockey to the Frozen Four

TOLEDO, Ohio — Huddled around a screen in the locker room at the Huntington Center, the Boston University men’s hockey team studied the tape in search of an opening. 

It was the second intermission of the Toledo Regional Final, and the Terriers were in a 1-1 deadlock with Cornell with their season on the line. BU was set to begin the third period with a full two minutes on the power play.

Freshman defenseman Cole Hutson had an idea. He saw a potential crack in the Big Red’s stingy penalty kill, which had staved off BU’s first two power plays with ease.

As he watched the film from those first two man-advantages, Hutson noticed Cornell collapsing its skaters into the middle of the ice, clogging the slot and passing lanes.

As a result, Hutson figured there could be an opening around the outside. He drew up a set play.

The Terriers would work the puck to Ryan Greene above the left circle, and Hutson, positioned below the right-hand side of the net, would skate to retrieve it at the blue line. With the puck, he would curl down the left-hand side to the bottom of the circle, creating multiple passing lanes and, potentially, a look on net.

“There were three or four different plays he could have made off that play,” head coach Jay Pandolfo said in his media call Tuesday. “But he saw the one that was open.”

When BU took the ice for the third, the plan worked to perfection. 

After setting up in the offensive zone on the power play, Greene held the puck and Hutson made his move. The freshman received the puck and picked up a head of steam, looping around the outside of the zone until he found what he was looking for.

As he curled down the opposite side of the ice, Hutson found a sliver of space on Cornell goalie Ian Shane’s short side. Drifting past the goal line, he sniped his spot. 2-1 Terriers. 

“He called his number right there on that play,” Pandolfo said after the game. “I’m just going to tell you right now.”

From inception to execution, the play was a comprehensive example of the Cole Hutson Experience. The vision, hockey sense, edgework, speed and shot — all on display in one 10-second burst. 

“He can control a game, he can take over a game,” Pandolfo said after Saturday’s win. “Until you play against him, you don’t know what to expect. And then once you get out there, he’s special.”

All throughout the Toledo Regional, Hutson was in control with the puck on his stick. That has been the case all season, but especially in the second half, when Hutson returned to BU after leading Team USA to a gold medal at World Juniors. 

At the same time, Hutson has improved his defensive game. The freshman struggled with puck management and discipline in his first semester of college hockey, and described his first half as “not good enough” after scoring twice in a 4-2 win over UMass on Dec. 11.

Hutson has recorded a point in 18 of BU’s 21 games since that night. Perhaps more importantly, he has only taken 18 penalty minutes, compared to his 46 PIM in the first 16 games of the season. 

He’s also shown an ability to rise to an elevated stage. In the Beanpot at TD Garden, Hutson delivered three goals and two assists across the semifinal and final, including the go-ahead goal in BU’s 4-1 title game win over Boston College. 

He managed an assist in the Terriers’ lackluster loss to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden, before earning Most Outstanding Player of the Toledo Regional with a dominant six-point display.

If that history is any indication, Hutson should be primed for some big moments next week, when BU plays Penn State in the first round of the Frozen Four in St. Louis. 

When he was asked about his second half turnaround after Saturday’s 3-2 win over Cornell in the regional final, Hutson offered a humble, measured response.

“I’d like to think I’m doing decent. I think I owed it to the team. Still battling back from that first half that I had,” Hutson said. “I don’t think I’ve quite fully owed it back to the team yet, and hopefully we can chase down a national championship.”

That answer reflects how Hutson tends to come across off the ice — quiet, reserved, unassuming.

There’s a quiet cockiness too, to be sure. You just have to watch him play to see it.