Men’s Hockey: Terriers swept by Northern Michigan as woes continue
By Sasha Abrams
The Boston University Terriers (3-7-0, 2-4-0 HE) suffered another defeat in Marquette by the Northern Michigan Wildcats (4-5-0, 2-4-0 CCHA), after a 5-3 loss on Friday night. The loss marks the fourth in a row for BU.
“We got to do a better job of coaching those guys up,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said in his postgame press conference. “There’s nothing we can do but just continue to try to get better, and I think that’s kind of the mantra that the group has. There’s definitely a high level of frustration.”
The Terriers did not find the back of the net as much as they were looking to, despite outshooting the Wildcats 36-25. BU sophomore goaltender Vinny Duplessis made 19 saves, while Rico DeMatteo made 34 stops for NMU.
“At some point, we’re going to have to make a play and put the puck by the goalie,” O’Connell said.
Northern Michigan was first to get on the board in the matchup. Wildcat Mikey Colella found his opportunity just 5:14 into regulation on a 2-on-1, taking the 1-0 lead.
Terriers were quick to tie the game when BU freshman defenseman Ty Gallagher marked his first collegiate goal at 7:26. Terrier captain Logan Cockerill and junior forward Sam Stevens both notched a point for the assists on the goal.
It wasn’t long before Colella stole the lead back at 17:53 with his second goal of the night. Colella scored on a power play with Gallagher in the box, making the score 2-1.
Shortly after, Northern Michigan’s AJ Vanderbeck tallied his third goal for the weekend with just 57 seconds left in the first in the second power play goal of the night for the Wildcats. BU trailed Northern Michigan 3-1 at the end of the first period.
Coming out strong, the Terriers managed to kill a penalty in the first three minutes of the second, but Northern Michigan saw one more power-play chance later in the period and Trevor Cosgrove executed a shot making it a 4-1 game.
BU junior defenseman Dom Fensore was then able to cut the lead to 4-2 with a goal 5:33 into the third period. The goal was assisted by junior forward Ethan Phillips and freshman forward Tristan Amonte, who played tonight beside his brother, senior forward Ty Amonte, for the first time at BU.
With 8:06 left in the third, Northern Michigan took advantage of another power play opportunity as Colella completed the first hat trick of his college career. The Terriers continued to drive their offense in the third period, attempting 24 shots, but the puck never reached the back of the net again.
Northern Michigan got on the board once more with a goal from Andre Ghantous just 1:46 left in regulation. BU goaltender Vinny Duplessis was immediately taken out of the net for the remaining time of the game as the Terriers pushed to make one last attempt at the goal.
The game’s result came to 6-2 as the Terriers walk away from their first road trip of the season with two losses against the non-conference opponent. Northern Michigan beat BU with an impressive four power play goals, while BU did not capitalize on any of their power play opportunities.
“We were 0-for-5, they were 4-for-6. That ended up being the difference of the game,” O’Connell said.
The Terriers are set to play reigning national champions UMass Amherst in a home-and-home series next weekend, starting Friday night at Agganis Arena. The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m.
Featured Image by Ryan Gregory