CHESTNUT HILL — National rankings and a favorable placement in the Hockey East tournament were the source of contention when No. 12 Boston College hosted No. 10 UConn on Friday night at Conte Forum.
With Providence College entrenched atop the Hockey East standings, BC and UConn began the home-and-home weekend series lodged in a contentious battle for second place.
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All the Eagles needed in the moment was for their best player to step up in a big way.
Boston Bruins 2025 first-round draft pick James Hagens recorded his second career hat trick that included the game winner in a 5-2 victory over the Huskies before a boisterous crowd of 6,585.
Hagens leads the club with 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points.
“It is always cool with the crowd we get here and the base that we have,” said Hagens. “It’s one of the best places to play and I’m super grateful to be at Boston College and be on the ice with fans like that and my teammates and it is just something you have to soak in.”
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BC improved to 18-10-1 overall, 12-7-0 in Hockey East, leaping over UConn (17-8-4, 11-6-2) into second place with 37 points. The two regional antagonists will lace them up for the rematch on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn.
“It was two teams battling for league points and national rankings to try and make the national tournament,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “Both teams are competitive and want to get in there and that is why this is such a big series to have late in the year.
“The way the season has unfolded for both teams, it is clear it is so important to both sides and you saw clear effort out of both teams there. There was real intensity out there. The guys are focused and dialed in. You can see it in practice.”
Although it was the first meeting of the season between the two ranked programs, the game took on the aura of a long- standing rivalry with tournament intensity from the opening faceoff.
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Hagens opened the scoring with his 18th of the season at 15:52 of the first. Andre Gasseau connected with Bruins 2024 first-round pick Dean Letourneau, who relayed the puck to Hagens at the top of the right circle. UConn goalie Tyler Muszelik (24 saves) made the initial stop on Hagens’ wrister, but the puck trickled between his pads across the goal line.
Hagens struck again with a little puck luck getting the assist at 18:49. Hagens’ slapper from the high slot deflected off UConn defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and went top shelf stick side to make it 2-0. BC exited the frame with a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal.
“That game had a playoff feel to it,” said Brown. “The ice was contested all over the place, nothing was given for free both ways and I thought we started well and created some chances and they created a few. But I felt overall we had a decent first when we converted on two and had the momentum going our way.”
The Huskies cut the lead to 2-1 just 31 seconds into the second period. Junior first line left wing Jake Richard forced a turnover in the BC end and dished to center Ryan Tattle between the circles. Tattle flicked a quick wrister that beat BC freshman goalie Louka Cloutier (21 saves) stick side for his 11th of the season.
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UConn tied the game 2-2 on a hustler play by freshman left wing Alexandre Blais at 3:03. Blais muscled the puck loose along the end boards and slipped the puck to the crease where Kaden Shahan tucked it home for his eighth of the season.
Hagens put BC back up 3-2 with a hat trick power-play goal at 18:01. Right wing Ryan Conmy set up Hagens for a one timer from the right circle that beat Muszelik near post and brought the hats down from the stands.
“We didn’t come out with the same intensity in the second and they jumped all over us and got right back in the game,” said Brown. “Then it was a battle the whole second and we got a huge goal in the end by James of course. I thought that goal was enormous for us.”
Freshman Landan Resendes made it 4-2 with a wrist shot from the slot at 11:29 of the third. Teddy Stiga scored his fifth of the season into an empty net at 17:32.
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