Northeastern Men's Hockey Splits 4-3 OT Thriller Against Boston College

Northeastern men's hockey completed a 4-3 overtime victory against Boston College on Saturday, securing a split in the weekend series at Hart Center Rink. The Eagles, ranked No. 20, fell for the first time to their crosstown rivals since the first round of the 2025 Beanpot.

The Huskies (3-2-0, 2-2-0 Hockey East) entered the weekend with senior goaltender Lawton Zacher back in net. Zacher had missed time following an injury sustained on October 16 against UMass. His return was tested immediately in the Friday opener, where Boston College (2-4-1, 1-1-0 Hockey East) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes.

Sophomore defenseman Kristian Kostadinski fired a shot that rebounded off Zacher to freshman forward Matias Vanhanen, who backhanded the puck in at the 30-second mark. Two minutes later, Northeastern junior forward Joe Connor took a hooking penalty. Senior forward Ryan Conmey capitalized on the ensuing scramble to extend the Eagles' lead. Head coach Jerry Keefe noted the team struggled to match the opponent's speed early in the game.

Zacher stabilized the Huskies' defense, recording nine saves in the final 18 minutes of the first period. The teams traded goals in the second frame, with Tyler Fukakusa scoring off a deflection off Miguel Marques' skate and Amine Hajibi slotting home a pass from Jacob Mathieu. BC took a 3-2 lead in the 45th second of overtime when Luka Radivojevic set up Dean Letourneau for the winning tally.

Saturday's contest featured a tighter defensive start for Northeastern. Zacher required only three saves in the opening three minutes. Boston College scored first on a power play, with Alex Pelletier passing to Letourneau. The Huskies spent the remainder of the first period in the offensive zone, forcing ten saves from BC goaltender Louka Cloutier.

Jacob Mathieu tied the game in the eighth minute of the second period with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle. Northeastern took a 2-1 lead in the 13th minute when Amine Hajibi launched a shot over Cloutier's right shoulder. BC responded with two power-play goals, one from Pelletier and a backhander from Jake Sondreal, to reclaim a 3-2 advantage.

Zacher made 15 saves in the third period to keep the game alive. Mathieu leveled the score at three with two minutes left in the regulation, collecting his own rebound after an initial shot was blocked. The teams exchanged three penalties during the final frame.

In overtime, Miguel Marques broke away and fired a shot from the left faceoff circle. Tyler Fukakusa jumped on the rebound and scored through the five-hole of Cloutier at the two-minute mark to seal the win. Keefe credited the improved cohesion of the Mathieu, Hajibi, and Connor line for the turnaround from the previous night's loss.

The Huskies will face the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-6-0, 2-4-0 Atlantic Hockey) at Hart Center Rink on November 7.