Goals by Wilmer Skoog in the second period and Ethan Phillips in the third was all Boston University needed to shut the door on Cornell for a 2-1 win Saturday before a crowd of 7,143 in Manchester, N.H. The Terriers advance to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time in program history and first since 2015.
This is the third time the Terriers (29-10-0) have advanced to the national semifinals out of the Manchester region. Boston University previously won the Manchester regional final in 2009 and 2015 and are a perfect 6-0 in tournament play in Manchester’s downtown civic arena.
“I’m just so proud of this group,” said BU first-year coach Jay Pandolfo. “We had some times this year around the Beanpot where we lost four in a row but these guys persevered.”
Cornell, searching to get back to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2003, saw its season end at 21-11-2.
The Big Red did not go quietly. With goalie Ian Shane pulled for an extra skater, Dalton Bancroft finished off a scrum in front of the BU net to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 59:32. With about 10 seconds to go, Bancroft had a chance to tie it with a shot at an open net, but BU defender Lane Hutson blocked the shot to save the victory.
Amidst an NCAA tournament that before Saturday had seen games outside the Manchester region decided by an aggregate score of 45-4, Cornell and BU played a tight, defensive battle. Skoog broke the 0-0 deadlock when Jeremy Wilmer flicked the puck to a waiting Skoog, who was positioned right in front of the Big Red net to slam it past Shane at 2:13 of the second.
BU got what turned out to be a much-need insurance goal when Ethan Phillips, on a breakaway, poked home his own rebound for a 2-0 Terrier lead at 8:26. Matt Brown was credited with the assist, his 100th career point.
“I’m really proud of Ethan. Going into the Hockey East playoffs he was the 13th forward at the time,” Pandolfo said of Phillips, who finished the regional with two goals and two assists after being elevated to the first line. “He stuck with it, and he was great this whole weekend. We trust him. I’m just so happy for him. It’s great to see him contribute.”
BU goalie Drew Commesso had 13 saves, while Shane finished with 19. Shane was pulled for an extra skater for much of the game’s closing three minutes.
After Bancroft put the outcome in doubt with his late goal, the BU defense got a big time defensive play from Hutson, who this season has become best known for his offense.
“We kept the puck to the outside,” Pandolfo said. “Yeah, we gave up that one at the end. [Lane’s] play was huge. We trust Lane offensively, obviously, But we trust him defensively as well.”
For Cornell, their head coach Mike Schafer spoke at length about his team after the loss. Two seasons ago, Cornell had their season canceled by COVID, just months after the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled for COVID when Cornell was one of the nation’s best teams.
Saturday evening, he said he was proud of his team’s effort though they fell just short.
“They’re a great opponent,” said Schafer of Boston University. “We had our chances on the power play. In hockey, it gets to that point in time where you know how important that first goal is. But we scored one and their kid blocked a shot [in the closing seconds].”
