Men’s Hockey: Three takeaways from BU’s shootout win vs. UMass Lowell

By Patrick Donnelly

The No. 9/10 Boston University Terriers (10-3-1) wrapped up their regular season with a 4-3 shootout victory on the road against the UMass Lowell River Hawks (7-8-1) on Saturday. The game officially went down as a 3-3 tie.

With the win, BU solidified second place in the Hockey East Power Index as the conference playoffs are set to get underway this week.

In the first period, sophomore forward Jay O’Brien notched his team-leading eighth goal of the season before freshman forward Luke Tuch potted his sixth of the year in the final second of the frame. Sophomore defenseman Dom Fensore tallied his second goal of the year in the second period.

In the shootout, sophomore forward Wilmer Skoog, senior assistant captain and defenseman David Farrance as well as sophomore forward Robert Mastrosimone scored for BU. First-year netminder Drew Commesso made 35 saves in the win.

Here are my three takeaways from the game – all opinions are my own:

BU played not to lose

After the Terriers jumped out to a 3-2 lead early in the second, it felt like they preceded to just sit back and play to either win by the one goal, or get the game to overtime at the very least and secure second place. As regulation wore on after Fensore’s goal, Lowell dominated puck possession and offensive zone time, and had BU on its heels for the most part.

Sure, UML certainly isn’t a pushover, but in all reality, the River Hawks are a weaker team that BU should take care of. For a team that has national aspirations, the Terriers have to get the job done in these scenarios. One can hope the killer instinct returns in the playoffs.

Shootouts are fun!

This game marked the first official shootout BU had been apart of. Last year the Terriers won an exhibition game against the USNTDP under-18 team in a shootout, and both of these instances provided to be entertaining products.

The amount of talent that Hockey East teams, especially BU, can put out on the ice in shootouts is absurd. Each shooter that scored, especially sophomore forward Robert Mastrosimone, brought out silky, captivating dekes, while the goalies looked sharp on each save.

It’s high time we had shootouts for regular season games because nothing is worse than a tie.

Tuch and Commesso are top of their class

Tuch is second on the team in scoring with six goals on the year. He has looked like he belongs in each contest this season, playing a heavy, punishing style of play. It feels like we notice Tuch every single game, usually in a good way, whether it be cause of his scoring or his physicality. With his goal against Lowell, Tuch showed great hand-eye coordination to bat a careless UML pass out of mid air before overpowering goaltender Owen Savory with a shot. He’s got poise with the puck and he’s proven he can finish his opportunities.

Meanwhile, Commesso has not missed a beat since returning from an extended absence. Against Lowell, he likely would have wanted the third goal back, but overall he was strong once again and came up with some more highlight reel saves. Commesso’s absence earlier in the season could not have come at a worse time, as he and the team were both hitting their strides, but neither the goaltender not the team has been phased by it. He has taken control of the crease once again and does not seem to be looking back.

BU will host a Hockey East quarterfinal matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena. The Terriers will either host seventh-seeded UMass Lowell, should they beat tenth place Vermont, or the winner of eighth-seeded Maine and ninth place New Hampshire, if UML loses.

Featured Image: Freshman forward Luke Tuch (11) tracks the play in a game against Merrimack College at Walter Brown Arena on Feb. 26, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.

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