BOSTON — Boston University scored seven unanswered goals, five in the second period, to demolish Harvard, 7-1, in the opener of the 72nd Dunkin Beanpot semifinals on Monday night at the TD Garden
The No. 8 ranked Terriers improved to 15-9-1 and advanced to the title game for the 57th time against the winner of the Boston College vs. Northeastern match. Harvard fell to 7-12-2.
“When you want to win this tournament, you have to take care of business on the first night and we did that,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “I am really happy for our group that we have an opportunity to play for the Beanpot next Monday night.”
Junior right-wing Devin Kaplan and freshman defenseman Cole Huston paced the attack with two goals apiece while 11 BU players were credited with a point.
BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov, a 6-foot-5 freshman from St. Petersburg, Russia, made 26 saves to notch his second win in three starts. Yegorov, a New Jersey Devils draft pick, was added to the BU roster on Jan. 21 after two seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.
“He was great, he was calm and he was composed,” said Pandolfo. “He has confidence and a belief in himself and he’s certainly not from around here so he doesn’t get caught in the moment but I think he enjoys the moment.
“They had some quality chances and he was right there and made the saves look easy. He reads the play really well and he’s been excellent in three games for us.”
Terriers’ freshman defenseman Cole Hutson, who has accrued the most penalty minutes on the roster, was doing a stretch for hooking when Harvard went up 1-0 at 5:39 of the first with its ninth power play goal of the season.
Senior defenseman Ian Moore stopped a clearing attempt at the right point and launched a wrist shot that Yegorov saved but lost under his skates in the crease. Right wing Mick Thompson swiped the puck back to Casey Servo who effortlessly potted his ninth of the season.
“I think he (Servo) goes to the front of the net and the majority of his goals have been from 10 feet,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato. “Casey really goes to the hard areas of the ice and he scored an important goal for us.”
BU tied the game 1-1 on a hustle play along the end boards at 15:47. Senior center Jack Hughes, an LA Kings draft pick from Westwood, won a puck battle behind the Harvard cage and made a blind backhand feed in front. Junior Devin Kaplan, a Flyers draft pick, swooped in from the right circle and flicked it by Harvard goalie Ben Charette for his sixth of the season. Hughes had the primary assist on both of Kaplan’s goals.
“I think it is just communication, we are always talking on the bench to get on the same page and just moving our feet,” said Kaplan. “We did a good job of that tonight.”
BU went up 2-1 on a creative piece of stickwork on the power play at 3:25 of the second. Junior left wing Quinn Hutson took a feed from defenseman Tom Willander, skated to the outside perimeter of the right circle and connected with Shane LaChance at the edge of the crease. The sophomore right wing from Andover backhanded the puck between his legs to the forehand and flipped it home for his ninth of the season.
“I have seen it from him before in practice and he’s got a great skill set around the net, that’s where he is really good,” said Pandolfo. “It is not an easy play to make under pressure. He did it really quickly and it was tough for the goalie to save.”
BU went up 3-1 on a lucky bounce at 5:59 of the second. Cole Hutson crashed the Harvard goal from the right flank and shot the puck at Charette from a bad angle. The rebound deflected off the skate of Harvard defenseman Kyle Aucoin and past Charette. Hutson was credited with his sixth of the season.
“It is just about trusting yourself and I play with a lot of confidence,” said Hutson. “I started off the game slow with a stupid penalty and I owed it to the team to rise to the occasion a little bit.”
The Terriers increased their lead to 4-1 on sophomore left wing Jack Harvey’s seventh of the season at 11:29. Harvey made an uncontested horizontal cut through the low slot and wristed it by Charette.
BU made it 5-1 at 18:37 when Hughes set up Kaplan for his second of the game. Quinn Hutson’s backhander at the crease trickled over the goal line to make it 6-1 with 12 seconds to play. Aku Koskenvuo replaced Charette at the start of the third. Cole Hutson scored his second at 14:42.
