TBOSTON – In its final game played at Matthews Arena, Boston University men’s hockey defeated Northeastern 4-3 after storming back late in the third period.
BU retained most of the ball in the first period. At the end of the frame, the Terriers had 16 shots on goal, compared to Northeastern’s eight.
Still, Northeastern generated first thanks to a power play opportunity. At 11:23, freshman defenseman Carter Amico was called for tripping.
During the penalty kick, BU pressured Northeastern and kept it out of the slot. The Huskies’ goal came when BU lost coverage of the net. Senior defenseman Vinny Borgesi found freshman forward Giacomo Martino on the opposite side of the circle. With all the Terriers pushing the Huskies out, Jacob Mathieu broke in front of the net and tipped Martino’s pass past Mikhail Yegerov.
At 2:37, junior defenseman Gavin McCarthy couldn’t keep a turned puck in BU’s offensive zone. Martino took advantage, breaking past McCarthy and going for the odd man, leaving second defender Cole Hutson as the only Terrier covering the defensive zone. Martino passed the slot to Tyler Fukakusa, who went top shelf over Yegerov.
Northeastern was called to board at 3:28, but BU couldn’t make it happen on the power play. The Huskies scored the puck four times, and BU’s only dangerous chance came on a shot by freshman forward Jack Murtagh at the end of the man advantage.
With 2:20 left in the period, BU got on the board. Sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis gained possession after a face-off. Roukounakis and Brandon Svoboda crashed the net, and Svoboda knocked in an airborne puck to give BU its first goal.
At 7:13 of the second period, Kamil Bednarik was called for tripping. BU limited Northeastern’s chances by putting sticks on the backcheck three times and clearing the puck.
Much of the second BU retained the majority of sustained possession. Northeastern had a few threatening chances, but they all came on breakouts and in transition.
At 13:40, Malte Vass found Sacha Boisvert on the opposite side of the slot and Boisvert equalized for BU, putting the puck past Lawton Zacher’s glove side.
BU continued on the power play with 2:17 left in the second after the Huskies were called for a hit from behind. The Terriers managed just two shots on net during the power play.
Just when it looked like the period would end in a tie, Northeastern pulled ahead. Dylan Hryckowian tipped away a pass intended for Boisvert. Joe Connor secured the puck past Yegerov by going high with the gloves.
Sophomore forward Cole Eiserman was tripped on a breakaway opportunity at 2:45 of the third period, giving BU a power play. The advantage was short-lived, as Bednarik was called for a facial foul three seconds into the power play.
Midway through the third, McCarthy was called for a chop and the Huskies were awarded a penalty shot, but Yegerov denied Connor to extend Northeastern’s lead.
At 12:58, defenseman Austin May was called for a charge, but BU was unable to generate a gain.
The Terriers crossed Yegerov at 2:12, and it paid off. Bednarik tapped in a rebound on a one-timer by Eiserman.
Svoboda scored the winning goal and his second of the night with 1:39 remaining. Svoboda gained possession after a pass through the neutral area from Nick Roukounakis.
Northeastern pulled Zacher as a last-ditch effort, but ultimately the Terriers’ late charge allowed them to secure a win at their family home.
This story will be updated.
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