CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College men’s hockey sophomore forward James Hagens entered Friday’s inaugural Cancer Awareness Game against UConn on a six-game point streak with six goals and five assists.
His current form has shown exactly why the Boston Bruins selected the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) product with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft, and why he was considered the top prospect in his class before even starting his collegiate career.
But Hagens levelled up even more on Friday, as he manufactured a natural hat trick — his second of the season — in just two periods to carry No. 12 BC to a 5-2 victory over the No. 10 Huskies (17-8-4, 11-6-2 Hockey East). The win pushed the Eagles (18-10-1, 12-7-0) into sole possession of second place in the conference standings with 37 points, one point ahead of UConn.
“It’s always cool [to get a hat trick at home],” Hagens said. “The crowd we get here, the fanbase that we have, it’s one of the best places to play. So, you know, super grateful to be able to be at Boston College, to be on the ice with fans like that and teammates we have here. So it’s just something that you really have to soak in.”
Hagen’s first goal came on the power play — BC’s second man advantage of the game — with 4:08 left in the first period.
Dean finds James for the power play goal!
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— BC Men’s Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 21, 2026
Andre Gasseau won a puck battle on the side of the boards in the offensive zone before leaving the puck for Dean Letourneau, who swung it to Hagens in the slot. He then buried the goal, which initially hit off of UConn goalie Tyler Muszelik’s pads before trickling into the net, to hand the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
The momentum did not stop, as Hagens executed a one-timer to perfection on his very next shift from nearly the exact same spot on the ice.
This time, defenseman Aram Minnetian dished the puck off to Hagens at the top of the zone while skating backwards, and he rifled it off the crossbar to increase BC’s lead to two.
“The first one [was] just the work ethic of [Gasseau] and [Ryan Conmy], and Dean there to be able to get that puck back,” Hagens said. “Dean was able to just give it to me there, and it found its way in. The second one, [Minnetian] made a great play. It all starts with [Gasseau] winning the faceoff. If he doesn’t win that, then we don’t get that chance.”
Second of the period for Hagens!
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— BC Men’s Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 21, 2026
While the Eagles cruised into the first intermission with a full head of steam, up by two, they immediately gave up two goals to UConn within a 2:30 span.
Only 31 seconds into the period, a costly Teddy Stiga turnover resulted in a 2-on-1 for the Huskies in the offensive zone, and Ryan Tattle, UConn’s points leader, capitalized on a one-timer after a cross-ice feed from Jake Richard.
Then, at the 16:57 mark of the frame, Kaden Shahan knotted the score at two apiece with a tap-in goal from just outside the crease.
“Momentum was going our way, but then we didn’t come out with the same intensity in the second,” BC head coach Greg Brown said. “They jumped all over us, got right back in the game, and then it was a battle the whole second. And we got a huge goal, so I thought that goal was enormous for us, for our psyche.”
The final goal of the period also came off of Hagens’ stick, as he slotted in his 20th of the season for his 37th point — the exact number he finished his freshman campaign with — on one-timer once again.
The goal, which was ultimately the game-winner, also came on the power play and occurred with just under two minutes left in the second. The set-up pass by Conmy from the other side of the offensive zone was as crisp as passes get, and Hagens made sure to give credit where credit was due.
Hagens with a hat trick to close out the second!
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— BC Men’s Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 21, 2026
“Just Conmy keeping his head up, making that great play,” Hagens said. “And [I] was just fortunate enough to be able to put it in.”
Freshman Landan Resendes potted his third goal of the season with 8:31 remaining in the third period on a top-shelf one-timer, assisted by Gasseau, and Stiga added another with an empty-netter to seal the 5-2 conference triumph.
“We did a good job of just kind of not trying to do too much,” Brown said. “If we had a pass to make, we made it. If not, we just made sure it got out of the zone. We kind of were smart on both blue lines. No crazy turnovers that we could give them free offense. We kept it boring as much as we tried to.”
Brown continued: “But that’s a heck of a team. They’re fast, they’re physical, they get in on you quickly. So it was a battle. I’m sure we’ll have another one tomorrow.”
