Two elite goaltenders from diverse backgrounds will serve as backend bulwarks when No. 1 Boston College engages No. 8 Boston University in the 72nd annual Beanpot championship game on Monday night (8) at the TD Garden.
The BU Terriers (15-10-1) and the BC Eagles (21-4-1) will meet in the Beanpot final for 23rd time with BU holding a 12-10 advantage.
The last time BU beat BC in the Beanpot final was a 2-1 overtime affair in 2007. Two-time defending champion Northeastern (9-13-3) will face off against Harvard (7-13-2) at 4:30 in the consolation game.
“We are obviously excited and it is something that we have been waiting for all year,” said BU first line center Ryan Greene. “To get past that first game and get it off your chest and it is on to the championship game on Monday.
“It is crazy and you can’t write it up any better and it is going to be awesome. The Beanpot is the best atmosphere I have ever played in and having BC and BU is going to make it even more crazy.”
The match-up is this season’s third instalment of the Battle of Commonwealth Ave. with BC up 2-0 after sweeping a home and home weekend series back on Jan. 24 and 25. BC captured its last Beanpot title in 2016 while BU collected the pot in 2022.
“There is a lot of excitement and it is going to be another great battle in this historic rivalry,” said BC graduate defenseman and team captain Eamon Powell.
“It is going to be memorable and it’s going to be an awesome night. I haven’t played in the championship game yet but this group has played in a lot of big games. It’s going to be a packed building and it’s going to be super loud and a super close matchup.”
The goalies that could ensure the “super close matchup” that Powell anticipates are established BC veteran Jacob Fowler of Melbourne, Fla., and BU newcomer Mikhail Yegorov from St. Petersburg, Russia.
A spacious chasm exists between Fowler and Yegorov in terms of Division 1 college hockey experience. A sophomore, Fowler has packed more individual accolades and team success inside one-plus seasons of college hockey than anyone in the sport.
As a freshman he set the NCAA record for wins by a first-year player with 36, was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, led the Eagles to the NCAA title game and was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award. This season Fowler is 19-3-1 with six shutouts, 1.66 goals against average, a .936 save percentage and is a favorite to cop the Richter Award.
Fowler won three games when the U.S. team captured the gold medal in the 2024 IIHF Junior World Championships and was a third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2023 NHL SuperDraft. Fowler is at his best in the biggest arenas under the brightest lights.
“Anytime a championship is on the line it is pretty special and this one means a lot to us right now,” said Fowler. “You want to play in big games. That’s why you come to a school like this and to play a team down the road makes it a bit more fun.
“They have a really good team this year and a goalie who is red hot. It is not going to be an easy game but I’m looking forward to it. It is going to be a cool moment and I’m looking forward to a lot of BC students being there.”
Yegorov is the “red hot” goalie Fowler referenced and he literally came out of nowhere when he was added to the BU roster on Jan. 21. Nowhere in Yegorov’s case was Ralston, Neb., where he competed for two seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.
Yegorov made his Terriers’ debut in the second match of the home and home against BC in the electric atmosphere of Conte Forum on Jan. 25. Yegorov’s collegiate career got off to a conspicuous start when he skated out onto the ice too early after warm-ups and the Terriers were assessed a two-minute minor for a protocol violation.
BC freshman right wing Teddy Stiga of Sudbury scored on the power play 14 seconds into the first period with the game winning goal. Yegorov shutout BC the rest of the way before Ryan Leonard potted an empty netter at 18:57 of the third.
“To have his first college game in that atmosphere was really impressive, especially when we scored early in the first 20 seconds or so,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “For him to have that goal go in and play the rest of the game rock solid like he did is a great testament to his mental strength and how good a goalie he is.”
Yegorov is 3-1-0 in four starts with a 1.51 goals against average and a .940 save percentage since taking the job from incumbent Mathieu Caron. The rangy 6-5, 180-pound, Yegorov was the New Jersey Devils second round pick in the 2024 NHL SuperDraft.
BU coach Jay Pandolfo is giving Yegorov a crash course in the ways and means of Hockey East that he hopes will propel the Terriers through March and into April.
“He has played very well and he’s only played (four) games on the year so it’s not like he needs a lot of rest right now,” said Pandolfo. “He’s been playing well and we want to keep rolling with him right now.”
