Men’s Hockey: Balanced Attack Give Terriers 5-2 Win Over UConn

By Gracie Davenport

No. 9/11 Boston University Men’s Hockey (3-2-0, 1-1-0 HE) split the weekend home series against the No. 14/13 University of Connecticut (6-1-1, 3-1-0 HE) with a 5-2 victory Saturday night.

Senior forward Matt Brown tallied a career-high four points, and eight different Terriers registered at least one point.

These two teams got right back to where they left off last game in an action-filled and physical first period. With junior goaltender Drew Commesso still day-to-day, Vinny Duplessis got the start on back-to-back nights. At the other end of the ice, freshman goaltender Arsenii Sergeev started for UConn, and the Terriers tested him often. BU led in first-period shots 16-4.

“I thought BU deserved to win the game tonight,” said UConn Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh. “[I] thought they had a great first period.”

UConn graduate forward Ty Amonte, who spent five seasons with the Terriers, left the game six minutes in after a big hit along the boards. Down on the ice for an extended time, the Norwell native returned to the game just five minutes later. Cavanaugh confirmed post-game that Amonte’s shoulder popped out, but he was able to pop it back in and finish the game.

With 5:28 remaining in the period, the Terriers get on the board first. Freshman defenseman Lane Hutson notched his first collegiate goal. With the puck on his stick, Brown turned on the brakes at the circle and found Peterson ready in the slot. A UConn defender poked it off the stick of Peterson before he could get a shot off, but Hutson was trailing behind him and backhanded the puck top shelf past Sergeev.

“It was great to see him get his first goal,” said BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo. “Every time he has the puck on his stick it looks like he’s going to make a high-end play. He was really fun to watch tonight. He’s a competitive kid. He made some great plays. He had an excellent game.”

The Terriers kept their momentum going in the second with a quick goal from Brown. Less than two minutes into the middle frame, senior forward Wilmer Skoog made a behind-the-net pass to Brown who one-timed it home. This marked Brown’s third goal of the season and second point of the night.

Shortly after, BU found themselves guilty of a too-many-men penalty, and the Huskies were able to capitalize. Junior forward Ryan Tverberg scored in his third straight contest to make it a 2-1 game.

Before the Huskies could rally behind that goal, senior defenseman Roman Kinal and Sergeev took penalties less than 20 seconds apart. With a full 1:41 of 5-on-3 play, the Terriers were able to regain their two-goal lead as Brown scored his second of the night. As Sergeev was sprawling in the blue paint, Fensore found a wide-open Brown cross-ice to make it 3-1. The Huskies came into this weekend with a perfect penalty kill, but the Terriers managed to score on the man advantage in both games.

“We struggled yesterday, but we did a good job getting pucks to the net and then creating chances off the rebounds,” said Brown on BU’s power play. “Once we got them scrambled and got them moving out of their diamond that was when we found success.”

In the final frame, the Terriers extended their lead early with a goal from Peterson – assisted by Brown and Hutson. On an odd-man rush, Brown found Hutson, who one-timed the puck at Sergeev. The UConn goaltender hustled, sliding from right to left, to make the save. Before Sergeev could get back in position, Brown was able to tap the rebound home. This marked Brown’s fourth and final point of the night.

“I think we just have the chemistry off the ice,” said Peterson on playing with Brown. “We’re roommates, so the chemistry, we’re just clicking out there. So it’s fun.”

In the last five minutes of the game, Tverberg notches his fifth of the season and second of the night to make it 4-2. UConn pulled Sergeev in the final minute, and senior forward Sam Stevens found the empty net for his second on the year. The final shots were 43-26 in favor of BU.

Playing on consecutive nights, Duplessis remained sharp. With a 24-save performance, he helped the Terriers record their first Hockey East win of the season.

BU will begin a home-and-home against UMass Lowell Friday at Tsongas Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.