The Boston University men’s hockey team spent much of this rivalry game at Matthews Arena doing what it hadn’t done all season. The top sophomore was at the center of that effort and delivered an immense performance on Friday evening. And it was all for nothing.
Northeastern sophomore Joe Connor fired a one-timer past BU goalie Mikhail Yegorov with just over a minute left for the winning goal in a 3-2 loss for No. 18 BU.
To cap off a week of loud external chatter and brutal internal honesty, the faltering Terriers took a step forward. They needed more discipline, more energy and more care. And they got it, beating the No. 12 Huskies for most of the 60 minutes in front of a rocking, sold-out crowd.
Their reward was a fourth straight loss against a ranked opponent. BU spent most of the game maintaining possession in its offensive zone, never more evident than during the third period, when the Terriers shelled the Huskies (8-3-0, 4-2-0 HE) and goaltender Quentin Sigurdson. But they couldn’t crack the sophomore, and when they left Connor open on the other end, he made BU pay.
Mick Frechette, upon his return to the lineup, opened the scoring for BU just over a minute into the first inning on a shot from the point. The Terriers quickly conceded the equalizer, but sophomore Nick Roukounakis put BU (5-7-1, 3-4-0 HE) back in front midway through the frame. It was one of the better first periods the Terriers have played all year.
But Husky senior Austen May tied the score early in the second, also on a shot from the point. The Terriers offered May a clear path to the net, something they had struggled with all season.
BU finished with 34 shots on goal, compared to Northeastern’s 26.
BU was great in one area and not so great in the other.
The Terriers entered this series desperately in need of better play from their top forwards, and even in the absence of Sacha Boisvert and Conrad Fondrk, that group of players answered the call.
Pandolfo put BU’s lines in a blender and the results were promising: All four trios played with a level of physicality and maturity in the offensive zone that has been missing for most of the season. The Terriers finally won puck battles in the corners. They recovered their rebounds to maintain possession. For the most part, they haven’t committed turnovers, even when their most talented players took risks with the puck. They were more willing to put pucks on net and do the dirty work for it.
Because of those things, BU spent most of the game in the offensive zone. (The Terriers also broke out and cleared the neutral zone cleanly, which was crucial.) The visitors’ advantage in shots on goal was deserved.
The problem? The Terriers, on the other hand, still weren’t great. When asked Thursday about the problems he’s seen defensively at BU, Pandolfo responded, “How much time do you have?” He then listed things like BU’s inability to block shots, inability to move opponents away from Mikhail Yegorov’s net and poor slot protection.
“To be completely honest, our team defense was terrible,” Pandolfo concluded.
And while things improved slightly on Friday – three goals is better than the four per game BU allowed – the Terriers still struggled in the defensive zone. They kept leaving the room wide open too often. They were again poor at blocking shots, which cost them Northeastern’s second goal, when May scored on a wrister from the point with a clear path to the goal. The Huskies finished with 24 shots despite a lack of possession in the offensive zone.
The main positive on the back end was BU’s penalty kill, which went four-on-four. The Terriers allowed just two shots on net through their first four penalties and killed a 5-on-3 minute late in the second, aided by a huge block from Hutson. — Sam Robb O’Hagan
Cole Hutson was huge.
It felt like the sophomore was on the ice for the entire 60 minutes on Friday. Pandolfo also switched the defensive pairs, splitting Hutson and junior captain Gavin McCarthy, who had formed the only consistent pair all season. Hutson was joined by junior Aiden Celebrini; McCarthy of Frechette.
But Hutson and McCarthy spent more time on the ice together than the two pairs on the line chart. As usual, the former was constantly on the puck and did not hesitate to pass several defenders in the neutral zone or the offensive zone. He was generally successful and was a key driver of BU’s transition play and ability to maintain possession. He was given a holding penalty early in the second for his efforts and also came up with that huge block for the kill.
He also looked like his legs were about to fall off. Hutson’s stamina is admirable, but the Terriers will need to reach a point where they can trust other members of the defensive core to play more than they are currently.
Entering the game, Hutson was third in the nation in time on ice per game with more than 26 minutes, according to College Hockey News. — Robb O’Hagan
John McNelis provided the spark.
The freshman forward had plenty of scoring opportunities, flew across the ice and ended up behind Northeastern’s defense. The most notable came with 6:43 left in the second period, when McNelis got on goal on the kill and was held on his shot attempt.
BU received the award first penalty since January 24, 2017but McNelis’ elevated shot was stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Quentin Sigurdson.
Earlier in the same team, McNelis had another breakaway opportunity, but it was denied.
Despite not scoring or even registering a point, McNelis forced turnovers and provided some much-needed energy.
McNelis was the odd man out in Quinnipiac last Saturday when Roukounakis rejoined the lineup. With forwards Sacha Boisvert and Conrad Fondrk out of the lineup this weekend due to injuries, McNelis moved to the second line along with fellow freshmen Jonathan Morello and Ryder Ritchie. He registered four shots on target, which was behind only Hutson. — Henry Dinh Price
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