The Boston College Eagles have made it to the next round of the NCAA tournament in large part due to the work of star freshman Ryan Leonard. The Washington Capitals’ top prospect recorded a game-high four points (2g, 2a) in the school’s 6-1 regional semifinal victory over Michigan Tech.
Leonard was the star of the show and BC’s most effective skater despite losing Gabe Perrault, a big part of his line, to an ejection for a high hit midway through what was then a very tight game. While Tech definitely had no response for his speed, skill, and shot, it was his sheer grit and fearlessness that blew the contest wide open.
Those qualities were evident in his first goal of the game. Seven minutes into the second period with the score tied 1-1, Leonard put away what would become the eventual game-winner.
After dangling multiple Tech defenders and getting a backhand shot off on goaltender Blake Pietila, Leonard stuck around the crease as the Eagles filtered the puck back around the offensive zone. Aidan Hreschuk threw a soft wrister to the net that Jack Malone got a piece of, causing the puck to bounce right to Leonard on the doorstep.
The 19-year-old winger made no mistake with a slam dunk finish before getting decked late by a Tech defender. After getting up, he made sure to flex on the dejected rearguard before hugging his teammates.
The goal put BC up 2-1 and they wouldn’t look back from there. After the Eagles scored two more times to kick off the third period, Tech forward Ryland Mosley tried to step up into Leonard and caught nothing but Leonard’s head.
Leonard was not hurt on the play and got up immediately to try and find some retribution. Mosley was assessed a five-minute major for head contact and ejected from the game.
On the ensuing power play, Leonard found his second of the night. Cutter Gauthier cut into the Tech zone and found a streaking Leonard on the right wing. Leonard kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and sniped to the top shelf for his 29th marker of the year.
“I think that’s something I’ve been working on my whole career,” Leonard told The Heights’ Robert Brennan about getting up after the big hit. “Just trying to keep mentally focused and knowing that I trust the guys to have my back like that, like you saw there. Everybody kind of stuck up for me and wouldn’t really take that, but I know that our power play is capable of making it hurt and that’s what we did.”
Leonard would add two assists in the game to give him 58 points (29g, 29a) in 38 games this season. The multi-goal game was his seventh of the year and he is now just one goal shy of Brian Gionta’s school record (30) for most goals in a season by a freshman. Gionta set that mark in 40 games.
BC now moves on to a regional final matchup on Sunday against the winner of the Wisconsin-Quinnipiac matchup. If the Eagles win that game, they’ll head to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota with an opportunity to win two more games to take home a national championship.
“Yeah, we know the NCAA tournament is no joke,” Leonard said. “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, 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.”
