Yale gave top-seeded Boston University a scare Friday, taking their NCAA Tournament opener to overtime, but the Terriers wouldn’t be denied.
BU won 7:27 into free hockey in Manchester, N.H., when Danny O’Regan sent a rebound past Bulldogs goaltender Alex Lyon for the 3-2 victory. Still, it took the Terriers quite a bit of work to get there, as No. 4 seed Yale gave them a run for their money.
BU outshot Yale 11-6 in the first period, but it was the Bulldogs (18-10-5) who were relentless. They kept the Terriers (26-7-5) scoreless through two periods, and took the lead thanks to a power-play goal from freshman defenseman Nate Repensky 13:19 into the second period.
The Terriers came in hot during the final frame of regulation, notching goals from Ahti Oksanen and Evan Rodrigues three minutes apart beginning 8:21 into the period. The lead didn’t last long, however, as Frankie DiChiara evened things up less than two minutes after Rodrigues’ go-ahead goal.
Yale did a good job containing freshman phenom and top NHL draft prospect Jack Eichel throughout regulation, holding him without a point. But it didn’t last forever, as he and Rodrigues earned helpers on O’Regan’s OT winner.
BU will take on Minnesota-Duluth in the Northeast Regional final Saturday.
Here are the rest of the results from the first day of the NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament.
St. Cloud State 3, Michigan Tech 2 (OT): No. 2 seed Michigan Tech (29-10-2) made its first appearance in the tournament since 1981, and it made a quick exit with an upset loss to No. 3 seed St. Cloud State (21-18-1). Freshman Judd Peterson scored the game-winner 8:11 into overtime to end the battle of the Huskies and send Michigan Tech home.
Minnesota-Duluth 4, Minnesota 1: The No. 2 seed Bulldogs shellacked the No. 3 Golden Gophers in their Northeast Regional semifinal matchup. Minnesota-Duluth (21-15-3) laid it on early, and Minnesota (23-13-3) trailed 3-0 at the end of the first period. Seth Ambroz scored the lone goal for the Gophers.
North Dakota 4, Quinnipiac 1: Top-seeded North Dakota coasted to victory over the No. 4 Bobcats. Tucker Poolman got the scoring going for North Dakota (29-9-3) with a power-play goal 12:59 into the first period. Freshman Andrew Taverner scored the lone goal for Quinnipiac (23-12-4) 18:34 into the final frame, a minute before North Dakota sealed the deal with an empty-netter.
Thumbnail photo via Elise Amendola/Associated Press
