For the Huskies (19-15-6 overall), the loss was their third straight in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament and their third in the last three years.

Still, the Huskies had incredible support from their fans, which helped ease the pain of the loss a little.

“Michigan Tech is a family. I think that’s what makes it so special,” said alternate captain Kyle Kukkonen. “We have a great student fan base and band. It’s awesome to have that many people come to support us even after a 20-hour trip. There aren’t many games that don’t feel like home games for us. The support means a lot to all of us.”

Huskies coach Joe Shawhan agreed with his players that the environment for the NCAA regional game was outstanding, despite the final score.

Michigan Tech forward Kash Rasmussen attempts to wait out Boston College’s Jacob Fowler during an NCAA Regional game Friday at Amica Mutual Pavillion in Providence, Rhode Island. Also pictured is Boston College’s Will Smith (6). (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

“I’m extremely proud of our group,” he said. “There’s some heartbreak in our locker room. We play for more than just the people in our locker room. We have a huge community behind us and generations of fans who travel to see us play.”

Boston College (32-5-1 overall) jumped out to a nightmare opening for the Huskies as Cutter Gauthier took advantage of a quick change of possession after scoring chance for Huskies alternate captain Ryland Mosley at one end, and he buried a wrister at the other end just 36 seconds in.

“We didn’t have the start we wanted, but maybe that worked out for the best,” said Shawhan. “They scored a minute in, and it forced us to get more focused.”

More focused is exactly what the Huskies became. They clamped down the neutral zone, forcing the Eagles to dump pucks into the offensive zone, only to have the Huskies break those pucks out quickly, and transition those breakouts into scoring chances at the other end.

The best of those chances came when freshman defenseman Nick Williams, who made a mistake pinching on Gauthier’s early tally, jumped on a puck that was exiting the offensive zone. He quickly moved it over to freshman winger Isaac Gordon, who fired a shot from the high slot, got to his own rebound and fired that on goal as well, but both times, Eagles netminder Jacob Fowler was there to make the save.

Michigan Tech forward Max Koskipirtti celebrates after scoring a shorthanded goal against Boston College’s Jacob Fowler during an NCAA Regional game Friday at Amica Mutual Pavillion in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

The Eagles had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Huskies freshman defenseman Chase Pietila was whistled for a penalty at 12:02. However, it was Michigan Tech that answered the bell 53 seconds into the advantage.

Freshman center Max Koskipirtti, who was on the ice with co-captain Logan Pietila, timed a pass by the Eagles as they were attempting an offensive zone entry. He picked off the pass and skated in with Pietila from his own blue line on a 2-on-0 break. Koskipirtti gave a quick look to Pietila and then wristed a shot from the right circle near the faceoff dot that beat Fowler at 12:55.

From there, the Huskies poured on the pressure. The best scoring chance they had came with 3:14 left when co-captain Arvid Caderoth got the puck in deep behind Fowler to Kukkonen. Kukkonen skated the puck out front and fired a shot that sailed just beyond the post to Fowler’s left.

“Michigan Tech came hard,” said Eagles coach Greg Brown. “They played fast. They stretched the ice well. When they scored the shorthanded goal, it lifted their bench. They carried some momentum for a while. It was a battle. It was a 50/50 game through the second period.”

Energized by their strong finish, the Huskies kept the pressure on early in the middle frame. Sophomore winger Kash Rasmussen had arguably the best scoring chance the Huskies had the rest of the night just 1:37 in when he picked up a rebound off a shot from Kukkonen. He skated across the crease, trying to wait out Fowler, then, once Fowler committed to sprawling out, Rasmussen fired a shot, but the puck ended up just wide of the post to Fowler’s left.

Just 33 seconds later, senior winger Tyrone Bronte used a hard forecheck to create a turnover that bounced out front to Koskipirtti.

“We knew we could play with them,” Kukkonen said. “Shots were relatively even after that first. There was a lot of belief in our locker room and that was the theme for the day. I think we showed that we can compete with those skilled players with our style of hockey.”

Despite the scoring chances the Huskies had, the Eagles were the team to get a 2-1 lead when winger Ryan Leonard got a pass on the back door from Jack Malone and he buried it at 7:06.

The Huskies were awarded a major power play at 12:18 when Gabe Perrault was whistled for boarding Bronte in the Huskies’ defensive zone. Bronte had a chance on the power play, and Chase Pietila had two good looks, but Fowler kept the Eagles in the lead when the advantage came to an end.

“When we had success (on the penalty kill), everyone got a little taller,” said Brown. “We had more energy, and our game rose. We carried it through the third period.”

The Huskies continued to put pressure on, even early in the third period, when Mosley skated through the right circle and backhanded a shot at Fowler at 2:43. That was the Huskies’ last high quality scoring chance.

Connor Joyce put the Eagles up 3-1 with a goal on the back door at 4:47.

The Eagles then appeared to take a 4-1 lead at 5:35 when Gauthier’s seemingly harmless dump-in caromed into the Huskies’ net while alternate captain Blake Pietila was tracking it to the corner. However, that goal was called back as it was determined that the puck deflected into the net off a referee.

But things did not get much better for Michigan Tech from there. At 6:25, a turnover in the offensive zone created by Leonard led to Will Smith finding Oskar Jellvik driving the slot. Jellvik beat Blake Pietila with a wrist shot.

Mosley was whistled for a major penalty of his own at 7:06, and the Eagles struck twice on that advantage. The first came from Leonard at 7:58, and the second from Gauthier at 11:25, putting the game out of reach.

Blake Pietila, playing his final game for Michigan Tech, made 32 saves in the loss. He finished his senior year 18-13-6 overall. Fowler stopped 23 for the Eagles to earn the win, his 30th of the season.

LOGAN TIES RECORD

Logan Pietila skated in his 180th career game Friday for the Huskies, which tied the school record set by Justin Misiak, who played for Michigan Tech from 2017-22.

END OF AN ERA

With the loss on Friday, the Huskies said goodbye to Logan and Blake Pietila, who both spent five seasons in Black and Gold. They also saw the last games played for Bronte, Caderoth, Mosley, Jed Pietila, Blais Richartz, and Levi Stauber.