Men’s Hockey: Terriers Rally to Win 3-2 in Overtime

By Claire Smieszny

Friday night, Boston University Men’s Hockey (3-5-1, 1-3-0 HEA) defeated Merrimack (3-4-0, 2-3-0 HEA) 3-2 in overtime in dramatic fashion.

“It’s a big win for us,” Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We’re down to one in the third period and find a way to tie a lead…We needed a win tonight and to find a way in overtime pretty quickly. I think it was great to see that, so big win overall.”

The first period started with the puck bouncing back and forth in the neutral zone. Play refused to settle down as the period went on, with both teams racing up and down the ice without much sustained zone time.

Both BU and Merrimack found early chances. Freshman forward Ryder Ritchie nearly connected on a play from behind the net to sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert, who couldn’t get it on his stick.

The Warriors nearly converted a breakaway of their own, but sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson broke it up with a poke check.

Even as BU was awarded a power play for slashing on the Warriors, they still failed to get set offensively. A second straight man advantage shortly thereafter served as another missed opportunity for the Terriers, who struggled to slow down the puck enough to make coordinated plays.

BU finally broke through halfway through the period when freshman forward Jonathan Morello buried a feed from freshman forward John McNelis in front, putting BU up 1-0. Morello is one of two freshmen from BU’s group of 12 to score in the faceoff.

“I think we’re maturing pretty quickly, and that’s pretty important when we have, like, this many young players,” Morello said of the group. “I think it’s been good. We just got to keep growing.”

Merrimack evened the score minutes later after BU goaltender Mikhail Yegorov misplayed the puck behind the net. Warrior forward Ty Daneault picked it up and fed forward Benny Yurchuk for an easy finish into an open cage.

Merrimack’s pressure continued as BU struggled to break out cleanly.

With two minutes left in the period, forward Justin Gill scored from point-blank range at the right side of the net off a pass from forward Trevor Hoskin in front after picking up BU’s pocket.

The second period began with a similar back-and-forth pace. Both BU and Merrimack had a chance on the man advantage early on, but neither could capitalize.

BU nearly tied it when McNelis fed freshman forward Brandon Svoboda on a rush, but Merrimack defenseman Ethan Beyer crashed into the post during the play, knocking the net off before the puck crossed the line. The officials ruled no goal, and the score remained 2-1.

The Terriers picked up play as the second frame came to a close, racking up time in the offensive zone and making more chances on net. Merrimack’s goaltender Max Lundgren stood tall in net, living up to his .915 save percentage this season.

The third period started rough for BU, as the Terriers took two minor penalties within the first four minutes. BU managed to stave off the Warriors’ offense and kill both penalties, which spurred them forward with newfound momentum.

Applying more pressure to Merrimack and moving the puck, the Terriers managed to lessen the gap in the shot count.

With 3:30 left in regulation, freshman forward Jack Murtagh deked past his defender and snapped a shot past Lundgren’s left pad to tie the game at 2.

The moment of the night came with just seven seconds left in regulation, as Merrimack stormed down the ice on a last-second breakaway, but Yegorov made a clutch glove save.

“I thought [Yegorov] made a couple of really good saves when we were on the power play in the first; he was good tonight,” Pandolfo said of Yegorov’s performance. “I think for him, that’s going to help his confidence moving forward.

It took just 21 seconds into overtime for BU to seal it. Hutson flew up the ice on a solo rush and fired a wrist shot past Lundgren to secure the 3-2 win.

“I think tonight it was up and down,” Hutson said. “I think there were shades of how good we could be, some shades of how poorly we’ve been playing. I think we’ve got to find a way to keep it at an even keel and take it into tomorrow and hopefully get another win.”

The Terriers will face off against Merrimack again Saturday night in North Andover, MA, at 6 p.m., with streaming available on ESPN+.