Hamilton’s Philip Lagunov goes viral as UMass wins 1st men’s hockey title

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Published April 12, 2021 at 2:04 pm

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Filip Lindberg had 25 saves, Aaron Bohlinger scored his first career goal, and Massachusetts beat St. Cloud State 5-0 on Saturday night to win the program’s first NCAA title.

The talk of the hockey world, though, was a highlight real goal by Hamilton-native Philip Lagunov.

With his team shorthanded, Lagunov picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, cut back to evade a defender looking for a big hit, and scored about five minutes into the second period to make it 3-0.

“It happened really fast,” Lagunov told Todd D. Milewski of uscho.com. “I blacked out.”

Lagunov attended Boston Bruins development camp as an invitee in 2019.

Prior to his collegiate career in New England, the 6-foot forward who turned 22 last November played for Toronto and Mississauga in the GTHL as a kid. Lagunov then played in the OJHL for Mississauga, Milton, and Burlington as a teen.

For Lagunov, it was the perfect college send-off.

“It’s surreal,” Lagunov told uscho.com. “Having it in the senior year, it’s an unbelievable experience.”

UMass (20-5-4), which extended its unbeaten streak to a program-record 14 games, made its third NCAA Tournament appearance.

 

–with files from The Canadian Press/The American Press

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