And then, there was one.
After eight New England teams entered the 2025 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship and four advanced to compete for regional crowns, Boston University will stand alone in representing the region at the Frozen Four.
The Terriers emerged with a Saturday win over Cornell in Toledo, Ohio, while UMass, UConn and Boston College all fell short of advancing to St. Louis. BU will join Denver, Western Michigan and Penn State in the Frozen Four.
Here are four takeaways from the NCAA second-round action involving New England teams.
Frozen Four-bound Terriers … again
It was a tale of two games for Boston University in Toledo, but after blowing out Ohio State in Thursday’s tournament opener, the cardiac Terriers came through again and punched their third straight ticket to the Frozen Four.
Junior Quinn Hutson was the Saturday hero, scoring on a shot from the point through traffic at 6:25 into overtime to lift BU to a 3-2 win over Cornell.
While the likes of freshman defenseman Cole Hutson — Quinn’s brother — and Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) have stolen many of the headlines this season, a younger-than-usual leadership group captained by junior Ryan Greene and sophomore Shane Lachance (Andover, Mass.) provided the dirty work in the win, as well as assists on the game-winner.
“We have a special group of players. Guys have a lot of talent,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “Our young guys have played in big moments coming into Boston University. That's helped them. It's fun to coach these guys.”
Speaking specifically of the leaders, though, the elder Hutson, Greene and Devin Kaplan have all been here before. That could make a difference in a Frozen Four field that includes two first-time participants in Penn State and Western Michigan.
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In the biggest moment, it was Lachance using his 6-foot-5, 218-pound frame to his advantage, setting a net-front screen on Cornell’s Ian Shane, a former Westminster standout.
“They understand what it takes, and they lead our team the right way,” Pandolfo said. “Shane LaChance, who grew up bleeding BU, the way he leads just collectively, those guys understanding what it takes and what it means to get to this point, I think leads to our younger players and I think is really important. It's a special group, and I'm proud of them.”
With Saturday’s win, BU has made three straight Frozen Fours since a run of five straight from 1993-97. Pandolfo played for five of those teams.
Deja vu for Eagles
For Boston College, it was a new year, but the same result against the same team.
After being shut out 2-0 by Denver in last April’s national title game, the Eagles suffered the same fate in a 3-1 Sunday loss in the regional final in Manchester, N.H. Incredibly, it was the seventh time that a championship rematch was played in the tournament the following year, and the first time that the defending champ won again.
“Any loss at this stage of the year is tough, when you’re trying to end people’s seasons. Obviously, both years were brutal,” BC fifth-year senior defenseman Eamon Powell said. “When you throw in a game like tonight, it’s really tough because you care so much about the guys next to you.”
Some added motivation? Perhaps. But the Pioneers, yet again, held strong against one of the most talented teams in the country, even while overcoming a change in the Eagles’ usual game.
“We knew we had to try and be physical,” BC coach Greg Brown said. “They’re an outstanding team, a championship team. They have so many guys that are so dangerous with the puck, and if you’re not finishing checks and you’re giving them space, they’re going to make tremendous plays, which they did do a few times.”
Freshman Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) did inject some life into the pro-BC crowd at SNHU Arena, converting on his second breakaway attempt of the second period with just 52 seconds left. It was an eerily similar goal to the one that Stiga scored to win the gold medal for the United States at World Juniors in January, where he and several Eagle teammates played for Denver coach David Carle.
Stiga slots it home for his 14th goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/cCVjGiPsYW
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) March 31, 2025
Denver goalie Matt Davis was at his best again. He finished with a 35-save effort.
Despite BC’s 36-25 shot advantage, including outshooting the Pioneers 15-1 in the third, the Eagles’ top line of freshman James Hagens centering sophomores Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) was held without a point.
Overcoming a lack of consistent production from other lines was tough. BC was held to just four non-empty-net goals in its final three games.
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“At some parts of the season, we had depth scoring,” Brown said. “But scoring is streaky. … Our top guys hardly ever get kept off the scoreboard, so it’s a huge credit to Denver. That’s why you have to be so sound defensively because you don’t know when the scoring gets tough. The last three games, it was hard to come by for us. … We’d been fairly consistent at being able to generate chances. We just needed to convert on those.”
Minutemen run falls short
In nine years, Greg Carvel has taken UMass to new heights.
It took some time for this season’s Minutemen to put it all together, turning around a 6-6-2 start with a 9-2-3 finish to reach NCAAs and falling a goal short of their third Frozen Four berth under Carvel following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Western Michigan.
The Minutemen were the better team for much of the way, carrying a 1-0 lead until late in the second period on the strength of an early breakaway goal by Bruins center prospect Dans Locmelis, who had a strong regional with three points after assisting on Aydar Suniev’s semifinal-clinching goal in overtime against Minnesota on Thursday.
After being held to just five first-period shots, the high-powered Broncos capitalized twice on a five-minute major, ejecting second-leading scorer Suniev from the game, and killed one of their own in the third period.
That was the difference.
“I think Western Michigan is the No. 1 offensive team in the country (averaging four goals per game entering the tournament), and we didn't give up a 5-on-5 goal. I thought 5-on-5, we were a very good team. Special teams, they were better,” Carvel said.
Despite the team’s early-season inconsistencies, Carvel knew his club was capable of making a deep March run. Sophomore Michael Hrabal stepped up in a big way down the stretch, and the team’s young defense corps continually found its footing while playing key roles.
“In January, we're a .500 team, and (Saturday), with a little more discipline in our game, maybe we’re headed to the Frozen Four. So, I'm very, very, very proud of our group,” Carvel said. “I told them at the beginning of the year, I said, ‘I think you guys can win a national championship.’ Our first half was up and down, but we got to that point where you could feel it.”
Heartbreak for Huskies
This overtime game ended in disappointment for a New England team as UConn fell short of the Frozen Four in its first-ever NCAA appearance, falling 3-2 to the regional hosts from Penn State.
DA-NA-NA, DUH-MAR-SICKO MODE 😤#SCTop10 No. 1️⃣#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/Ub4QVCWVlw
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 31, 2025
The Huskies led 1-0 and 2-1 on goals by sophomore leading scorer Joey Muldowney in the first and junior Tabor Heaslip in the second.
Following the end of a 23-win campaign, though, coach Mike Cavanaugh was quick to point to the return of graduate forward Hudson Schandor and defenseman John Spetz as a catalyst for the team’s ascension in Hockey East.
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“I've said it ad nauseum, I'm gonna say it one more time, but they singlehandedly changed and set the expectations for this program,” Cavanaugh said. “When everybody was jumping ship, they didn't. Not only did they not jump ship, they mentored a big freshman class and everybody else that was new to the program and showed them what it means to be a UConn hockey player. And going forward, we'll get back here someday, and it'll be because of those two. I'll forever be indebted for their loyalty and their commitment to our program.”
After entering the season as one of the league’s bottom few teams, Cavanaugh’s group exceeded expectations. The Hockey East title game loss snapped an 8-0-1 unbeaten streak. The Huskies were playing their best at the right time.
