Boston College Takes Aim At Frozen Four Redemption
(Eric Canha-Imagn Images)By Sebastian Zucchet
The NCAA Frozen Four is the tournament that U.S. college hockey players dream of winning. A chance for a once-in-a-lifetime legacy, and to shine on the big stage. This season, 16 teams will face off in the tournament for a chance to play for the national championship in St. Louis.
But for the Boston College Eagles, this tournament feels a little bigger.
BC were stunned by the Denver Pioneers in the 2024 Frozen Four final as Denver shut out a star-studded Eagles team in Minnesota. BC has not won a national championship since Johnny Gaudreau lit up the 2012 final against Ferris State. For BC, this feels like one last ride with a few of their top players most likely leaving for the NHL next season.
BC is the No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA, but were shockingly knocked out by the resilient Northeastern Huskies in the Hockey East quarterfinals. So the Eagles have lots of time to rest and prepare heading into the Frozen Four tournament – and they should be a highly motivated group as well.
BC is known for a playing a fast-paced and offensive game, allowing the Eagles to excel and create scoring opportunities with ease. Leading them in this department are two top NHL prospects in Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault, and a top draft-eligible player in James Hagens. The trio lead the team in scoring and they’re all point-per-game players or better. Leonard, who was named the Hockey East’s Player of the Year, and Perreault are looking to overcome last season’s heartbreak and win a title before heading to their respective NHL teams, the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. Hagens is looking to become a BC hero in his freshman season as he prepares for the 2025 NHL Draft.
BC also has a good amount of depth scoring, too, which will help in the long run of this tough tournament. Andre Gasseau, a Boston Bruins seventh-round draft pick, has been a consistent offensive threat for the Eagles over the past three seasons. A player with size who brings an offensive bent, he plays like your typical Bruin. BC will also look to Team USA hero Teddy Stiga for offense. Stiga scored the overtime winner in the gold-medal game at the 2025 World Junior Championship, and with BC he has been an offensive threat whose talent and vision will undoubtedly be crucial to the Eagles tournament run.
On the back end, BC are stacked with Tampa Bay Lighting pick Eamon Powell, Lukas Gustafsson and Aram Minnetian who’s a Dallas Stars pick. The Eagles have a good balance of offense-minded defensemen, as well as defensive types. Particularly, Minnetian is a solid two-way blueliner who brings strong positional play. And there’s no doubt that Jacob Fowler will be the backbone of this team in between the pipes. Fowler is a Canadiens pick and arguably the best goalie in the NCAA.
So, as the NCAA’s No. 1 team, Boston College is tipped to be one of the favorites to return to Frozen Four glory this season, and they certainly have the team to get it done.