PROVIDENCE — Boston College saw one of its leading scorers ejected.
A 5-minute major was imposed on Gabe Perreault, who was penalized for a hit to the head on a Michigan Tech player in the second period.
The Huskies had their shot at the country’s top program.
But Michigan Tech couldn’t capitalize.
Freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler was perfect to kill the sequence and the Eagles (32-5-1) went on to down Michigan Tech, 6-1, with four third-period goals on Friday afternoon in front of 6,988 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in the NCAA men’s hockey tournament.
The Eagles advance to the Providence Regional final on Sunday and will play Quinnipiac, who beat Wisconsin, 3-2, in overtime.
“I thought with that penalty kill and then from then on, we started to play a little faster, a little sharper, we were connecting on more passes,” Boston College coach Greg Brown said. “And then the third period was our best period.”
“I think when we lost our focus a little bit, they were able to get some good looks at our net and it doesn’t take them very much,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan said.
Ryan Leonard put the Eagles ahead, 2-1, with 13:03 left in the second period on a rebound chance off Aidan Hreschuk’s shot. Huskies’ goalie Blake Pietila stopped Hreschuk’s shot with a pad save before Leonard buried for the advantage. Before the tally, Michigan Tech, which knotted the game on Max Koskipirtti’s short-handed goal 12:55 into the first period, was dominating play.
“Our desperation level rose a little bit,” Brown said of the second-period flip. “They knew it’s a tight game and in a 5-minute penalty, you can’t let the game get away from you. The guys who went out there to kill the penalty did a tremendous job.”
BC was slow out of the first intermission before turning in a buzz-saw performance after Fowler (23 saves) blanked the Huskies despite the major penalty. The Eagles opened the third period with Connor Joyce receiving a pass from Jack Malone, who started the rally for the second goal, across the crease and poked in the 3-1 lead.
Nearly two minutes later, Oskar Jellvik buried a shot on a breakaway to the short-side post past Pietila.
“I think it was just a matter of time for our team [to start scoring],” BC forward Ryan Leonard said. “And it was just stick to our plan and stick to the way we play.”
Michigan Tech’s Tyrone Bronte was ejected for contact to the head on Leonard at the 12:54 mark of the third period. BC seized the advantage.
The Eagles scored twice on a five-minute power play midway through the third with Leonard and Gauthier each scoring for the second time in the game.
“Everybody kind of stuck up for me and didn’t really take that,” Leonard said of the hit. “I know that our power play is capable of making it hurt and that’s what we did.”
“We try to be fast in transition and practice it a lot,” Brown said. “These guys like to play that way; we’re constantly in practice trying to keep our pace high and get out as fast as we can.”
Gauthier, who opened the game with a goal just 36 seconds in, is one score away from tying Boston College’s single-season scoring record of 38. Cranston’s David Emma holds the record from a magical 1989-90 winter.
The triumph was the Eagles’ 50th overall and first over Michigan Tech. The Huskies downed BC in the 1965 national championship played at Brown’s Meehan Auditorium.
“The NCAA tournament is no joke and the opponent on the other side is always going to try to take you down and beat you and break you down in any way possible,” Leonard said. “But we know once we stick to our game plan and play the way that we’re supposed to, we know there’s not a team that can stop us.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
