Rangers prospect scores tournament-winning goal as Western Michigan wins NCAA title
Ty Henricks, selected by the New York Rangers in the sixth round (No. 183) of the 2023 NHL Draft, scored the tournament-winning goal for Western Michigan in a 6-2 victory over Boston University in the NCAA Championship Game on Saturday night at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Henricks was alone near the left post and rifled a pass by Cam Knuble past BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov at 5:18 of the second period to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead.
BU got within 3-2 when Shane Lachance poked the puck into the net off a power-play scramble at 9:18, but the Broncos put the game away with three third-period goals, two by Owen Michaels, and won the title in its first Frozen Four appearance.
“Our will was there. We weren’t going to lose this game,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler told ESPN.
Michaels, who was named the Frozen Four’s most outstanding player, also had two goals — including the winner in double overtime — in a 3-2 semifinal win against Denver on Thursday to go along with his two on Saturday.
Western Michigan – the alma mater of former Rangers general manager Neil Smith – grabbed a quick 1-0 lead when Wyatt Schingoethe scored 1:38 into the game. BU tied it midway through the period when Cole Eiserman poked in a loose puck in the crease; the goal stood after a video review.
But the Broncos regained the lead at 15:01 when Cole Crusberg-Roseen pumped home a shot from the right circle for a 2-1 lead.
The second-period goals by Henricks and Lachance sent the game into the third period with Western Michigan up 3-2. After the Terriers came close to tying the game, the Broncos took a 4-2 lead when Michaels scored at 7:16, calling his own number on a 2-on-1 break and beating Yegorov past his blocker.
Related: Rangers prospects Ty Henricks, Brody Lamb capture NCAA regular-season titles
The Terriers appeared to cut the lead to 4-3 with 8:04 remaining when Matt Copponi jammed in a rebound through goalie Hampton Slukynsky’s legs. Although replays clearly showed the puck going over the line, the goal was disallowed because the whistle had blown.
Iiro Hakkarainen’s goal with less than four minutes remaining made it 5-2, and Michaels closed the scoring by hitting the empty net with 2:07 to play.
The win was a program-best 34th of the season for Western Michigan (34-7-1). The Broncos had won each of their previous four games by one goal and finished the season on a 10-game winning streak. BU has won five NCAA titles; the last came in 2009, with former Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk playing a key role.
Rangers prospect helps Western Michigan win NCAA title
Henricks, a 6-foot-5 freshman forward, is an intriguing prospect — though certainly not on the level of Gabe Perreault, New York’s first-round pick (No. 23) in 2023, who signed with the Rangers after Western Michigan eliminated Boston College on March 30. He’s played primarily on the fourth line; it was his eighth goal in 41 games. Henricks finished with 13 points and was plus-16.
He had one shot on goal and an even plus-minus rating in the victory against Denver, the defending champion.
The Rangers prospect scored a goal in his first NCAA game, Oct. 11 against Ferris State, and had a two-goal outing against North Dakota on March 1. He capped an eventful first season by helping Western Michigan win its first NCAA Championship.
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