NEW YORK — That’s the Mikhail Yegorov everyone expected to see from the onset of his first full collegiate season at Boston University.
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, the sophomore netminder reminded everyone who he was — a high-end goalie. His quick feet, sharp movements, and mobility were on full display in the Terriers 2-1 victory over Cornell in the 10th edition of Red Hot Hockey.
Maybe it was the realization that he was taking over a crease vacated only hours before by two of the game’s top Russian goaltenders that elevated his performance.
Saturday afternoon, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy squared off at Madison Square Garden before BU and the Big Red took the ice.
“It was awesome, especially knowing that right before us, two really good Russian goalies played here in an NHL game,” Yegorov said postgame.
Yegorov was BU’s best player in what was the Terriers’ most important game of the season to this point. He turned aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced, and down the stretch when the Big Red were searching for the tying goal, Yegorov stood tall.
Anyone with eyes can tell you that the first 15 games haven’t met Yegorov’s standard. Even after Saturday’s win, his save percentage sits at a measly .891. He’s allowed a nation-worst 48 goals, and his 3.42 goals-against average is an alarming number.
“A little inconsistent throughout the season so far,” he said. “Obviously, that can be seen.”
Yegorov says he’s just worried about stopping the next puck he sees, and on big stages like “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” he stops just about every one that comes his way.
Last season, over two Beanpot games at TD Garden, Yegorov stopped 69 of the 71 shots he faced, including 43 of 44 in the championship game against Boston College. He single-handedly kept the Terriers in the game in the first period as the Eagles blasted puck after puck on the 6-foot-5 netminder. He won the 2025 Eberly Award for his performance at the Beanpot, which is given to the goalie with the best save percentage.
Yegorov was ultra-reliable when he arrived on Comm. Ave. for the second half of the season last year and was especially so down the stretch and in the NCAA tournament before running into Western Michigan. BU wouldn’t have reached the national championship game if it weren’t for him.
He hasn’t found that consistency yet this season. Yes, there have been several instances where Yegorov has allowed goals he’s certainly wanted back, but there have also been times where he’s bailed out the Terriers. BU’s play in its defensive zone surely hasn’t helped its goalie. As the Terriers continue to shore up their play defensively, Yegorov’s numbers will improve, and while they weren’t great against Cornell, it didn’t matter, because Yegorov was there to bail BU out time and time again.
“I thought he was excellent tonight,” head coach Jay Pandolfo said of “Big Mike” postgame. “Probably his best game for us [this year].”
Goaltending is about rhythm and reading the game as it unfolds. On Saturday, Pandolfo said he could tell Yegorov was “going to be on pucks tonight.” The Big Red are a difficult team to defend; they funnel pucks to the net and crowd the crease. But Yegorov was up for the task once again — just as he was when he made 37 saves against Cornell in last season’s NCAA regional final.
His confidence is only growing as the season progresses and the Terriers continue moving in the right direction. And, at least in his head coach’s eyes, playing in a hostile environment — where a pro-Big Red crowd heckled him for 60 minutes — only boosted that confidence further.
“I’m really, really happy for him,” Pandolfo said. “He was really good in practice this week. I had a pretty good feeling that he was going to have a really good performance tonight.”
When a goalie is playing well and carrying himself with confidence, it gives a lift to everyone else on the team. The defense can be more aggressive, and the forwards can take a few more chances.
“He always works. He wants to get better. I know he hasn’t had the start that he’s wanted to up to this point, but it’s still early, and to have a performance like this is really going to help,” Pandolfo added.
And if hockey doesn’t work out for Yegorov, he can also model. When Yegorov, Pandolfo, and sophomore forward Cole Eiserman filed into the postgame press conference and were trying to figure out who should sit where at the three-person table, Eiserman said Yegorov should sit in the middle.
“He’s the biggest guy here, and the best looking,” he said.