Seven members of the BC men’s hockey team won gold medals today as members of the USA National Junior Team that defeated Sweden, 6-2, in Gotheburg, Sweden, for the world junior championship.

The contingent of Eagles — forwards Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, and Will Smith; defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian; and goaltender Jacob Fowler — is the largest number of players from a single team ever to be members of the USA squad.

Gauthier was named the tournament’s best forward. He tied for the scoring lead in the tournament with 12 points, including 10 assists. He scored the winning goal in the USA comeback 3-2 victory over Finland to reach the final. In his 2022-23 freshman year at BC, he led the team in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists. The Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League picked Gauthier fifth overall in the 2022 NHL draft.

Interestingly, Gauthier was born in Sweden, during his father’s playing career for a professional Swedish hockey team. His family now resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The USA featured a forward line of Perreault, Leonard, and Smith. Perreault and Leonard both scored goals in the gold medal game, while Smith had two assists.

BC, ranked #1 in the country in NCAA hockey, has been on hiatus during the tournament because of the absence of so many team members. The team returns to the ice tomorrow for an exhibition game with Simon Frazier University of BC (British Columbia), Canada. They return to Hockey East play next Friday against Providence.