Men’s Ice Hockey: Lowell Withstands BU Comeback, UML Wins 3-2
By: Jake Reiser
On Friday night in Game 1 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals, the No. 11 University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks outlasted the No. 8 Boston University Terriers, 3-2.
After a lot of jockeying in the Hockey East standings in the last regular season weekend and a BU sweep of Amherst, the Terriers looked to quell a rested Riverhawks squad and a team that had only two home losses all season. Despite a sizeable shot margin in the third period, 18-6 in favor of Boston University, Kevin Boyle all but shut down BU’s final period attack in Lowell’s victory.
The first period saw two Terrier power plays, stemming from an Adam Chapie trip and a Tyler Mueller high-sticking call. Despite six shots on the man advantage, none would trickle through the Riverhawks netminder. BU would need to kill a penalty of their own, a tripping on Robbie Baillargeon, and the PK unit came up big then.
Boston University struck first with a Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson goal 6:22 into the second period. On a wrap around play, Brandon Fortunato dumped the puck low to Danny O’Regan. JFK slid low, then out into the middle of the face-off dot to the right of Boyle. O’Regan found a passing lane to the freshman from Stockholm, Sweden, and he slipped a shot through the five hole of Boyle to put the Terriers up 1-0.
On a Doyle Somerby hitting from behind, the shorthanded group for BU lost Joe Gambardella in the fray, who backhanded a rebound shot from C.J. Smith through Terrier goaltender Sean Maguire.
Boston University erased a Charlie McAvoy charging call that came with some contention, after it was thought a penalty was called on Lowell just seconds earlier. The score remained tied through the second intermission.
Lowell took the lead in the third, when Michael Louria cut to the middle of the ice 1-on-3 and shot a puck, which deflected off the stick of BU defenseman Brandon Hockey and dipped under Maguire’s blocker.
On a Matt Grzelyck slash to stop a breakaway, a one-touch pass by Smith found Chapie wide open for a one-timer to the right of Maguire.
Just 33 seconds later, the Terriers answered when Grzelyck’s own shot deflected off the right hand of Mueller and past Boyle.
Coach David Quinn pulled Maguire with 1:39 to go, and despite three shots, Boyle didn’t give up any rebounds en route to a 3-2 Riverhawks win in Game 1.
The two squads take to the ice for Game 2 of their quarterfinals match-up at 7:00 p.m. at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.