Men’s Hockey: No 6/7 BU Heads into Break with 3-2 Win Against No. 8 UConn
By Stevie Potter
After a disappointing 9-6 loss to rival Boston College on Friday, No. 6/7 Boston University Men’s Hockey (11-5-0, 8-4-0 HE) had a 3-2 win against the No. 8 University of Connecticut Huskies (11-5-3, 8-4-2 HE) during their Sunday afternoon matchup at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
“The guys, they take ownership of when we don’t play well and they respond,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said following the victory. “If they didn’t take ownership, we probably wouldn’t have the result we had today, but they take ownership of the way we play. It’s the responsibility of the coaching staff and the players together to get a response, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Junior goaltender Drew Commesso had the start for BU despite letting in seven of the nine goals scored in Friday’s tilt against BC. UConn chose freshman goalie Arsenii Sergeev to serve in goal for the afternoon game.
“I think it was obviously tough for us Friday night,” Commesso said. “We knew we wanted to have a bounce back win and I think tonight shows just how resilient we are. … I think the guys played great in front of me tonight and it was a great way to cap off the first half of the season.”
BU won the first face-off of the night and commanded the first 12 minutes of the game. UConn was unable to record a shot on goal until the 8:57 mark of the first period, with BU leading in shots 10-1. During this time, BU was able to sustain 1:59 seconds of uninterrupted zone time.
However, that first shot was all the Huskies needed to regain control of the ice, and they scored the first goal of the game just six seconds later, courtesy of a former Terrier: graduate forward Ty Amonte. Amonte’s goal occurred with 8:51 left to play in the first and shifted the momentum of the game for the remainder of the first period.
In the final 26 seconds of the first, UConn junior forward Ryan Tverberg was assessed a cross-checking penalty that carried over into the second period of play
When the first 20 minutes of play ended, BU led in shots on goal 13-3.
The second period was packed with action from beginning to end.
Shortly after Tverberg’s penalty expired without a BU goal, both the Terriers and Huskies had a player sent to the box at 4:19 into the period. A slash by BU freshman forward Jeremy Wilmer was followed by a retaliation roughing call for UConn junior defenseman John Spetz to give both teams two minutes of 4-on-4 play.
BU capitalized on the opportunity as junior forward Nick Zabaneh scored the first Terrier goal of the day by working himself around the UConn defenders and putting one away off a backhanded shot on net at 5:34 into the period. It was Zabaneh’s third goal of the season and his second game in a row with a goal.
Freshman defenseman Lane Hutson, who would later be named the first star of the game, scored the tiebreaker for BU at 7:33. Hutson picked up a rebound off senior forward Jamie Armstrong’s initial shot and reorganized himself before taking a calm and calculated backhand shot that easily found the back of the UConn net, making the score 2-1 in favor of BU.
Commesso had lots to say about the talented young defenseman, including thoughts on Hutson’s upcoming trip to the World Juniors.
“I can’t wait to watch him there,” Commesso said. “Lane’s definitely earned his chance to make the team. … I think he’s one of the best defensemen in the country already as a freshman and I know he’s going to do great things at the World Juniors. I’ll definitely be rooting for USA, that’s for sure.”
Senior forward Wilmer Skoog scored the insurance goal for BU at 16:06 to make the score 3-1. His goal was scored off a sharp redirect on a powerful shot by his linemate, senior forward Matt Brown.
The final period of play started at a fast and even pace but yielded no goals for either team until the final three minutes.
With less than four minutes remaining, Amonte and BU captain Domenick Fensore went to the box to create a 4-on-4. During the 4-on-4, UConn pulled their goaltender for a makeshift man advantage opportunity. Huskies freshman forward Matthew Wood scored on a redirect of Tverberg’s shot from out in front to bring UConn within one at 17:54 into the third.
Despite continuing to play with the extra attacker, UConn could not tally the tying goal and BU would head back to Boston with a 3-2 victory. BU led the night in SOG 34-26.
The Terriers will have over a two-week break before returning to the ice on Dec. 30 against Harvard, which will take place at Walter Brown Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.