Boston College hockey goal waved off after bouncing in off referee's backside

While No. 1 overall seed Boston College will still move on to the second round of the NCAA hockey tournament with a win over Michigan Tech, the margin was a goal less than it maybe could’ve been. And that’s because a serendipitous goal that went in after ricocheting off an official’s posterior was waved off following review.

The goal, which initially counted, had caught Michigan Tech goalie Blake Pietila completely out as a dump in from the neutral zone by Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier that was headed behind the net was sent toward the cage by an official’s behind. Pietila had vacated his crease, going behind his net to play the dump in, which got deflected right as the goalie made a move from in front of his goal.

But NCAA rules bailed out Pietila — and even would’ve if he’d managed to make contact with the puck.

Oh no. The Gauthier dump-in hits the referee in the butt and finds the back of the net. 4-1 BC.

They're reviewing it, may not be a goal. pic.twitter.com/Y7m2mcdpry

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 29, 2024

In essence, if a puck ends up going in the net directly off the referee or off the referee and then the goalie, the officials have the power to review the play and wave off the goal. The rule only applies if the puck hits the ref and goes directly to the net somehow. A deflection off the ref that sets up a breakaway or other offensive chance finished by an attacker wouldn’t be eligible for review to wave off.

So, a quirk of the rules saved the Huskies from falling victim to a meme-worthy goal and cost the ref’s backside its first goal of the season.

Boston College still won and moved on to the next round

The Eagles, who are the favorites to take home the national title, rolled out to a 6-1 win over the Huskies, advancing into the second round and positioning a win away from the Frozen Four.

In the next round, Boston College will face the winner of Wisconsin and Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac are the defending national champions.

But the Eagles should be well up to the task against either opponent, as they boast four of the top six points scorers in all of college hockey, including the top two: Freshmen Will Smith and Gabe Perreault.

The Eagles also have the national leader in goals scored in Gauthier, who is closing in on the 40-goal mark as the postseason winds down. And with just a few more wins, Boston College can win a national title for the first time since 2012.