Terriers Strike Back: Yegorov’s Shutout Leads BU to Split with River Hawks

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LOWELL, MA — One night after a historic overtime victory for the River Hawks, the Boston University Terriers found their revenge. Behind a 23-save shutout from Mikhail Yegorov and a literal last-second goal in the second period, BU secured a 3-0 win over UMass Lowell on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.

The loss came before an energetic crowd of 5,856 and left the weekend home-and-home series split. While Friday night saw the River Hawks snap an 18-game overtime winless drought with a Nate Misskey game-winner, Saturday belonged to the Terriers’ defense.

The Netminder Narrative

After being pulled during Friday night’s contest, Mikhail Yegorov returned to the crease with a point to prove. On the other end, Austin Elliott stood tall for the River Hawks but ultimately lacked the offensive support needed to secure the win.

Goalie	Team	Saves/Shots	Key Performance
Mikhail Yegorov	BU	23/23	Second shutout of the season; robbed Bentley in the 2nd.
Austin Elliott	UML	17/20	Kept it close with a massive 3-on-1 save in the 3rd.

Period-by-Period Breakdown

1st Period: A Tactical Stalemate

The opening twenty minutes were defined by disciplined defense and a lack of high-danger chances. UML outshot BU 5-4, and both power-play units struggled to find a rhythm. The River Hawks went 0-for-1 on the man advantage, while the Terriers came up empty on two opportunities, leaving the score knotted at 0-0.

2nd Period: The Buzzer Beater

The middle frame remained a goaltending duel until the final second. Earlier in the period, Yegorov made arguably the save of the game, robbing Dillian Bentley on the doorstep following a crisp pass from Diego Buttazzoni.

The deadlock was finally broken at 19:59. Following an offensive zone faceoff win by Owen McLaughlin, Gavin McCarthy zipped a cross-ice pass to Cole Hudson. Hudson unleashed a “bomb” that beat Elliott just before the horn sounded.

“I knew I did not have much time when the puck came to me,” Hudson said. “I just let the shot go.”

3rd Period: BU Pulls Away

The River Hawks pressured early in the third, with Dalibor Wakely nearly finding the equalizer, but Yegorov remained perfect. At the 11:58 mark, BU found their insurance. Nick Roukounakis scored his fourth of the year after Cole Hudson (1G, 1A) carried the puck down the wall and delivered a perfect feed to the slot.

With three minutes remaining, UML coach Norm Bazin pulled Elliott for the extra attacker. However, BU’s Ben Merrill put the game on ice with an unassisted empty-net goal at 17:45, picking up the puck at center ice and navigating the UML defense to make it 3-0.

Coach’s Corner

The contrasting moods of the coaches highlighted the importance of the weekend split.

Jay Pandolfo (BU): “A solid effort. I liked our bounce-back capabilities from Friday night… our penalty kill has been a strength all season.”

Norm Bazin (UML): “It was a good hockey game. I’m a little concerned about the lack of offense… We had our best two faceoff men out there [on the BU goal] and we just lost the draw.”