BC Men's Hockey True Freshman Goaltender Named Hockey East Goalie of the Week
If Boston College men’s hockey fans thought they were having deja vu watching the Eagles play on the road against Minnesota this past weekend, there could have been some truth to that.
True freshman goaltender Louka Cloutier, who committed to BC in May, was showing great signs just a few hours into his collegiate career, owning up to the moment despite his youth and inexperience and keeping the Eagles afloat in the two-game series. BC left Minneapolis, Minn., with a win and a tie.
On Monday, Cloutier was tabbed the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week, according to a release from the league office, for his performances over the weekend, which he accomplished after just two starts into his college career—Cloutier backed up junior goaltender Jan Korec in BC’s first contest of the year, a 4-3 loss to Quinnipiac.
First two starts ✅
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) October 13, 2025
First weekly award ✅
Congrats to Louka Cloutier on being named the @hockey_east Goaltender of the Week!
📰 https://t.co/UX05QXM17W pic.twitter.com/1olMCSj404
Cloutier’s stout play in net was reminiscent of when former BC goalie Jacob Fowler, a two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and the 2024-25 Mike Richter Award winner, made his first couple of starts for the Eagles at the beginning of the 2023-24 season two years ago.
If BC head coach Greg Brown can get half of what Fowler accomplished in his tenure on the Heights from Cloutier, the Eagles will be in good shape from a defensive standpoint, and the early returns were very promising.
Cloutier coming up big in overtime
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) October 11, 2025
💻 B1G+ pic.twitter.com/9AlCLpM8aO
On Thursday, the Sherbrooke, Quebec native made his collegiate debut against the No. 12 Gophers, earning the win with 18 saves in a 3-1 triumph for the Eagles. Cloutier took his play to the extra gear in Friday’s contest, recording a career-high 31 saves to help BC fight to a 2-2 tie.
Cloutier became the first Eagle to win a Hockey East weekly award this year, and he showed glimpses of a player who is destined to earn more awards in the future.
Going on the road to face a team that is considered to be in the “blue-blood” category of college hockey programs and holding his own in both matchups was an impressive feat for Cloutier, and Brown gave him credit for it.
Cloutier comes up with a big stop 🙅♂️
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) October 10, 2025
📺 BTN pic.twitter.com/eikbJ6wyWu
“[Minnesota is] not an easy place to come and have your first game,” Brown said after Thursday’s win. “So for him to step up like that, play really solid, [it] gave us a great chance to win. … He'll remember this the rest of his life."
Before BC, Cloutier played for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the past two seasons. In 2024-25, he skated in 31 games, posting a save percentage of .882.
The Colorado Avalanche selected Cloutier in the fifth round with the No. 132 overall pick in the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft.
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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