Tom Willander won't be signing with the Vancouver Canucks for at least a little while longer.
There is every indication that Willander will sign with the Canucks this year after the conclusion of his NCAA season with Boston University. The only remaining question is when will that season end?
It could have ended on Thursday when the BU Terriers faced Ohio State in the regional semifinals of the NCAA men's hockey tournament. The winner would move on to the regional finals — the final step before the Frozen Four. The loser would head home, their season over.
Willander's Terriers fell behind early
After the first period, it looked like Boston University was in serious trouble. Ohio State dominated the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Terriers 15-to-2. Even though they only scored one goal to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, they seemed to be in complete control of the game.
A wild second period, however, put the two teams on equal footing going into the third. Boston and Ohio traded goals back and forth, including three goals in the span of 42 seconds in the final three minutes. The flurry of goals left the game tied 3-3 at the end of the second period, though Ohio came a tenth of a second away from the 4-3 lead.
Willander wasn't on the ice for a single goal against in the game, but only because he was saved by the bell. As the seconds ticked off the clock, Ohio's Joe Dunlap was left all alone in front and he fired the puck top corner a fraction of a second too late. While Dunlap wasn't Willander's man, he would have been dinged for a minus if the goal had not been disallowed.
Instead, Willander finished plus-2.
It could have been a very different game if Dunlap had scored, with the more structured Ohio State able to focus on defending the lead in the third period. Instead, the more skilled Boston University took over.
Celebrini opened the floodgates in the third period
It was a closely contested game until, very suddenly, it wasn't. And the goal that kicked off the Terriers' dominant third period was scored by the other Canucks prospect on Boston University, Aiden Celebrini, with Willander picking up one of the assists.
Since both Willander and Celebrini are right-handed defencemen, they rarely spend time together on the ice. Celebrini's goal was a rare exception, as it came in the middle of a line change. Willander played the puck up to Matt Copponi, while Celebrini went streaking up the right wing. Copponi's pass hit Celebrini in stride and he gained the zone and fired a hopeful shot toward the net, likely just looking for a rebound.
Instead, the puck found the back of the net past Logan Terness, just inside the far post.
It was Celebrini's second goal of the season, giving him 8 points in 28 games. He dealt with a significant injury in January that kept him out of action for a few weeks and he's largely played in a depth role for the Terriers this season but Celebrini came through with a big goal in the national championship tournament.
The goal seemed to rattle Terness, as he suddenly began leaking goals against. The Terriers added three more goals against Terness to take a 7-3 lead.
Ohio State, with nothing else to lose, pulled the goaltender late in the game with a 5-on-3 power play, choosing to go 6-on-3 with the extra attacker. Even with twice as many skaters on the ice, they couldn't score, with Willander blocking their best chance.
Eventually, Cole Hutson added the empty-net goal to give Boston University the 8-3 win.
That meant Celebrini's goal, assisted by Willander, stood as the game-winner. It also means the two Canucks prospects will move on with Boston University to the second round — the regional finals — on Saturday against either Michigan State or Cornell.
Canucks fans will have to wait until the weekend to see if Willander will be available to sign with the Canucks.
