TOLEDO, Ohio — Boston University junior forward Quinn Hutson's goal 6:25 into overtime helped lead the second-seeded and No. 8-ranked Terriers (23-13-2) to their 3-2 victory over the fourth-seeded and No. 16-ranked Cornell men's hockey team (19-11-6) in the Toledo Regional final at the Huntington Center on Saturday evening.
Hutson's golden goal sent Boston University to its third consecutive Frozen Four appearance under head coach Jay Pandolfo, who improved to 10-0 all-time in regional games as a player and head coach of the Terriers.
Matt Copponi and Cole Hutson, Quinn's younger brother, also scored for the Terriers in the victory. Freshman goaltender Mikhail Yegorov stopped 37 of 39 shots to earn his 10th win of the season since joining the Terriers in early January.
Sophomore forward
Ryan Walsh and senior forward
Jack O'Leary were the goal scorers for Cornell, who received a 40-save performance from senior goaltender
Ian Shane.
Both Shane and Walsh were named to the Toledo Regional All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the contest.
The result marked the final game coached by
Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Hockey. His 30-year tenure as the Big Red's bench boss came to a close with a final record of 561-300-117, good for a .633 win percentage. Schafer's 561 career victories are 331 more than the second-place holder, Dick Bertrand '70.
Leaving an indelible mark on the Cornell men's hockey program, Schafer guided Cornell to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2003 Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y., where the Big Red established the single-season program record for wins (30). Cornell ended up winning at least 20 games on 14 occasions and had 18 campaigns with a .600 win percentage, including each of the last eight seasons. In ECAC Hockey play, Schafer helped the Big Red win 10-plus conference games 24 times, including the previous eight campaigns.
"I couldn't be more proud of our hockey team," Schafer said. "If we played yesterday, we would have been without five guys. We unfortunately got hit with the flu while we're out here and the guys that sucked it up in this game never said a word, never batted an eyelash, played hard throughout the night. We gave it everything we possibly could. As a coach, that's all you ask of your players. I told them after the game all you ask is their heart and soul and their preparation to go out on the ice and give it everything they have, from blocking shots to back-checking and taking a hit. It's the adage as a coach, the commitment these guys have had, just their perseverance, and they had a shot at it.
"I'm grateful for my career, I'm grateful for Cornell for providing me the job. I'm not happy we lost; I'm very proud of our players and how they represent Cornell. In today's society, are they not the truest student-athletes? They pay to go to school and have a tough curriculum. They grinded out exams last night from 6-7:30 last night. They're the truest sense of a student-athlete in a world where it's chaos. How could you not be proud as a coach? That's why I've stayed at Cornell. It's the best job in the country. Best fans, best university, best combination of hockey and academics."
Cornell seemed to have scored the first goal of the game within the first seven minutes when Walsh deflected the rebound of junior forward
Dalton Bancroft's shot from the left faceoff circle. However, the officials immediately disallowed the goal, stating that Walsh had deflected the puck into the net with his hand. The Big Red challenged the ruling, and it was ultimately overturned, awarding Cornell a 1-0 lead.
The Cornell lead would be short-lived as Boston University responded with a goal of their own 72 seconds later when Shane saved Copponi's shot, and a Cornell defender inadvertently knocked the loose rebound into the net.
Late in the first period, Walsh received a five-minute face-masking penalty following a lengthy video review that occurred during the final media timeout. Despite the man advantage being split into two segments due to a slashing penalty against Boston University's Devin Kaplan as the first period ended, Shane saved all six shots on goal from the Terriers.
Neither side scored on their 10 shots on target during the second period, but a penalty called as time expired allowed Boston University to start the third period with a power play. Cole Hutson scored on a shot from the goal line, beating Shane over his near-side shoulder to put the Terriers ahead just 34 seconds into the frame.
O'Leary tied the game up with 5:30 left in regulation as he wristed a shot from the mid-slot. Senior forward
Sullivan Mack set up the play by taking the puck away from a pair of Boston University players at the half wall.
Both sides generated scoring chances in the opening 30 seconds of overtime, with Shane and Yegorov each making crucial stops to extend the game further.
Quinn Hutson solidified the Terriers' third consecutive trip to the Frozen Four after attempting a shot from the right point that evaded traffic in front of Shane and went into the bottom left corner of the goal.
GAME NOTES
• Saturday marked the 53rd meeting between Cornell and Boston University, as the Terriers trimmed the Big Red's lead in the series 27-23-3.
• Nine of the last 12 meetings between the Big Red and Terriers have been decided by one goal, and all 12 contests have been determined by two scores or less.
• Boston University has won the last four meetings against Cornell in the NCAA Tournament, improving to 4-1 all-time versus the Big Red.
• Walsh's first-period goal extended his point streak to a career-high four games and has scored in three consecutive games for the second time in his collegiate career (Jan. 27, 2024 – Feb. 3, 2024).
• Shane's 40-save performance was his second career time making 40-plus saves in a game, joining a 42-save shutout against No. 5-ranked Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., on Feb. 25, 2022.
• The 40 saves made by Shane was the most by a Big Red goaltender in a postseason game since Andy Iles made 60 saves in a double-overtime loss to Quinnipiac in the decisive third game of the best-of-three quarterfinal series in the 2013 ECAC Hockey Championship.
