Men’s Hockey: No. 1 Terriers Squeeze Past Bentley, Hutson Scores OT Winner
By Miranda Lemus
Although No. 1 Boston University Men’s Hockey can put their season opener against Bentley University in the win column, BU and college hockey fans will be asking fellow hockey lovers, “Where were you when Bentley took the number one team in the country to overtime?”
“It wasn’t our best, but we found a way to win the end,” said BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo
Bentley came out swinging, generating many chances early in the first period, including a breakaway opportunity due to a costly turnover from freshman forward Macklin Celebrini. Quickly hopping on the back-check, Celebrini stripped the puck away before the Falcons got a chance to challenge junior goaltender Mathieu Caron.
In an attempt to clear the puck out of the Falcon’s defensive zone, a Bentley defenseman gave Senior Captain Case McCarthy a perfect one-timer pass that went bar down past Bentley’s starting goaltender sophomore Connor Hasley. The Terriers ended the first frame up one over Bentley thanks to McCarthy’s goal.
After a slow start for the Terriers, BU immediately went into a five-minute power play following sophomore forward Stephen Castagna’s game misconduct for pushing junior defenseman Ty Gallagher into Bentley’s netminder. The Falcons would go on to kill the entirety of the penalty.
Shortly after the Falcons’ successful penalty kill, sophomore forward Quinn Hutson and Macklin Celebrini connected on a cross-crease saucer pass to give Celebrini the first goal of his collegiate career. The Terriers lead 2-0 with 13 minutes left to go in the second period.
Bentley continued to be relentless throughout the second frame and peppered Caron with shots, including the Falcon’s first goal of the night. The goal would come off a quick wrist shot from freshman forward Kolby Amici. Amici’s goal would also be the first of his collegiate career.
With another lackluster showing from the Terriers during the second period, BU started the third period dominating puck possession. Eventually, Bentley captain and senior forward Ethan Leyh would get called for tripping Celebrini and give the Terriers another two minutes of 5-on-4 action.
However, the Falcons blocked almost every shot in sight to kill off the rest of the Terriers’ powerplay. Bentley was able to draw a slashing penalty out of junior forward Dylan Peterson to start their own powerplay.
Steadily working the puck around in the Terriers defensive zone, Bentley senior forward A.J. Hodges would go on to score his first career goal off a one-timer. With the Falcons power-play goal, the game is tied 2-2 with a little over half to go.
Penalties would continue to be handed out to both teams. Bentley junior defenseman Nick Bochen would trip Celebrini to give the Terriers another powerplay, only for sophomore forward Devin Kaplan to end the one-man advantage early after getting called for hooking. Nothing would come from either team’s powerplays.
Dominating puck possession late in the third, BU could not seem to find the back of the net. Bentley goaltender Hasley made sure of that as he continued to put on a clinic against the Terrier’s relentless offense.
Hasley’s performance not only carried Bentley to the end of the third period, but it granted the Falcons a chance to play in overtime.
For the first three minutes of overtime, both squads had their chances, but a late holding penalty from Bentley’s Bochen was called for another BU powerplay. 12 seconds into the Terriers’ powerplay, sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson shot the puck through traffic to score the game-winning goal.
“[Hutson] enjoys big moments… he wants to be a difference maker and he has been and I’m sure he’ll continue. It’s nice to have that on your side,” said Pandolfo
The No. 1 Boston University Men’s Hockey will look to improve next weekend in their first Hockey East contest of the season on Friday, October 13th at 8 p.m. against UNH. Following their away game in New Hampshire, BU will hold their home opener on Saturday, October 14th at 7 p.m. The Terriers will face off against the highly touted U.S. Under-18 Team, where Terrier fans will get a chance to see BU commit Cole Eieserman to play against his future teammates.