Boston University goaltender and New Jersey Devils prospect Mikhail Yegorov has taken the college hockey world by storm. Will Jay Pandolfo’s squad take the Championship game? Or will Pat Ferschweiler’s balanced and experienced Western Michigan team come out victorious?
The Matchup: Boston University Terriers (24-13-2) vs. the Western Michigan Broncos (33-7-1).
The Time: 7:30 PM EDT
The Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
The Broadcast: TV — ESPN2, ESPN+
The Rules: All usual site rules apply for this thread. No foul language, no streams, and no personal attacks.
Phenomenal Play
Earlier this week, James wrote about our prospects in the Frozen Four. Tonight, we will be seeing Mikhail Yegorov play alongside newly-acquired Shane LaChance. James said about the two:
The other two Devils play for Boston University in the 2nd game. Forward Shane LaChance potted 11 goals and 29 points in 38 games this year for the BU Terriers. His rights were acquired by the Devils shortly before the trade deadline. The other Devils prospect is goaltender Mikhail Yegorov, who has been a beast in net since joining Boston mid-season. Yegorov quickly took over the starter’s net and flashed gaudy numbers of a 2.04 GAA and .931 SV% to go along with a 10-5-1 record and 1 shutout.
We came close to having three New Jersey Devils prospects in tonight’s Final, but Samu Salminen’s University of Denver was knocked out by Western Michigan in double overtime. So, alas, we will not get to see Boston University take on the defending champions — and the two teams, widely considered the best two in college hockey, did not even play each other this season. No, instead we will see an “underdog” program in Western Michigan try to take down an old powerhouse. This is Western Michigan’s first Frozen Four appearance, after all.
Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Per Mike McMahon of College Hockey News, both teams bill themselves as playing pro-style hockey. McMahon quoted Coach Ferschweiler of Western Michigan as crediting Jay Pandolfo for bringing the Boston Bruins style down to the college-level, while Pandolfo noted Western Michigan’s heavy nature and their desire to work pucks down to the end boards, creating chances from behind the goal and through chaos around the net. And if these teams truly play a solid pro-style, NHL GMs should be keeping an eye on the undrafted college kids who put on a good show today — McMahon also notes that these are two of the biggest teams in college hockey.
The Scorers, The Prospects, and the Goalies
Western Michigan has seven NHL draftees on their roster:
- Hampton Slukynsky, Los Angeles Kings goalie prospect (18-5-1, .922 SV%, 1.90 GAA)
- Alex Bump, Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect (23 goals, 24 assists in 41 games)
- Zachary Nehring, Winnipeg Jets forward prospect (13 goals, 17 assists in 41 games)
- Joona Valsanen, Pittsburgh Penguins defense prospect (4 goals, 21 assists in 41 games)
- Matteo Canstantini, Buffalo Sabres forward prospect (8 goals, 15 assists in 39 games)
- Ty Hendricks, New York Rangers forward prospect (7 goals, 5 assists in 40 games)
- Wyatt Schingoethe, Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect (4 goals, 5 assists in 30 games)
Their roster also features several notable undrafted players who have scored 20 or more points this season, or who performed very well in net:
- Timmy Washe (Captain), 23 y/o forward (16 goals, 20 assists)
- Grant Slukynsky, 23 y/o forward (10 goals, 26 assists)
- Owen Michaels, 22 y/o forward (16 goals, 18 assists)
- Liam Valente, 21 y/o forward (14 goals, 19 assists)
- Samuel Sjolund, 23 y/o defenseman (4 goals, 25 assists)
- Iiro Hakkarainen, 21 y/o forward (12 goals, 15 assists)
- Cameron Rowe, 23 y/o goalie (15-2-0, .924 SV%, 2.00 GAA)
On the Boston University side, there are fourteen NHL draftees.
- Mikhail Yegorov, New Jersey Devils goalie prospect (11-5-1, .934 SV%, 1.98 GAA)
- Cole Hutson, Washington Capitals defense prospect (14 goals, 33 assists in 38 games)
- Ryan Greene (Captain), Chicago Blackhawks forward prospect (13 goals, 24 assists in 39 games)
- Cole Eiserman, New York Islanders forward prospect (24 goals, 11 assists in 38 games)
- Shane LaChance (Captain), New Jersey Devils forward prospect (11 goals, 18 assists in 39 games)
- Jack Harvey, Tampa Bay Lightning forward prospect (11 goals, 16 assists in 39 games)
- Jack Hughes, Los Angeles Kings forward prospect (7 goals, 18 assists in 39 games)
- Matt Copponi, Edmonton Oilers forward prospect (6 goals, 18 assists in 39 games)
- Tom Willander, Vancouver Canucks defense prospect (2 goals, 22 assists in 38 games)
- Kamil Bednarik, New York Islanders forward prospect (2 goals, 16 assists in 39 games)
- Devin Kaplan, Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect (10 goals, 7 assists in 37 games)
- Gavin McCarthy, Buffalo Sabres defense prospect (3 goals, 13 assists in 38 games)
- Brandon Svoboda, San Jose Sharks forward prospect (7 goals, 2 assists in 32 games)
- Aiden Celebrini, Vancouver Canucks defense prospect (2 goals, 6 assists in 30 games)
The Terriers feature just one very notable undrafted player in Quinn Hutson, who had 23 goals and 27 assists in 37 games for the team this season. Quinn is the only forward of the Hutson family, and he is 23 years old — ready to sign with a team after this game.
In any case, it is very interesting to see two college teams competing by building in completely different fashion. With Western Michigan’s reliance on older, mostly undrafted college players and Boston University’s reputation as a feeder school for the NHL, many players on the ice can take big steps forward in their careers tonight. The undrafted seniors on the Western Michigan side will not want to end their college careers without a championship, and many on the Boston University side might be making the jump to professional hockey through their drafting clubs as well.
All that said, let’s watch some hockey!