Men’s Hockey: Terriers Fend Off Merrimack in a Penalty-Filled Matchup

Featured Image by Jenny Chen

By Ethan Pott

Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey (5-5-1, 3-3-0 HE) outlasted the Merrimack Warriors (3-5-0, 2-4-0 HE) in a 5-2 offensive showdown.

“I liked our effort from start to finish,” BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo said. “We get a 3-0 lead, and we kind of got away from it a little bit.”

In the matchup, the Terriers survived a five-minute major penalty and two minutes of a 5-on-3 disadvantage, fighting off a late-game comeback attempt by the Warriors to secure a weekend sweep in North Andover.

This game closed the weekend series for BU. The Terriers notched a 3-2 overtime win against Merrimack last night at Agganis Arena, thanks to an overtime goal from sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson.

BU’s special teams faced early tests in the opening frame, first as the Warriors committed a too-many-men violation less than two minutes after puck drop. BU’s power-play unit looked solid, but they failed to capitalize.

Merrimack pressured the Terriers as BU junior defenseman Gavin McCarthy was called for holding.

Sophomore forward Nick Pierre found freshman forward Trevor Hoskin in front of the net for Merrimack’s best chance on the power play. BU sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov denied them, and the Terriers survived the two-minute minor unscathed.

BU opened the midframe with a fiery start.

Just 36 seconds into the period, junior defenseman Gavin McCarthy beat Lundgren to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead.

Even as Merrimack peppered BU’s goal with shot after shot, Hutson broke free, scoring his second goal of the series, putting BU up 2-0.

Merrimack had a chance on a shot from freshman forward Benny Yurchuk, which junior forward Ty Daneault nearly tipped into the goal. Amid a mass of bodies, Yegorov sprawled out in front of the net and saved the puck.

In the confusion, Hutson committed a roughing penalty, and Merrimack went up a man.

Soon after, the Terriers found themselves on the power play as Daneault delivered a powerful hit to BU senior forward Owen McLaughlin against the boards. Both power plays were scoreless.

After a few minutes of 5-on-5 play, BU freshman forward Ryder Ritchie beat Lundgren to put the Terriers up 3-0.

Just seconds later, Ritchie was sent to the box for high-sticking.

BU’s penalty-kill unit gave up its first of the night roughly halfway through the power play as Merrimack freshman forward Justin Gill snuck the puck through a mass of defenders to get the Warriors on the board.

Both teams committed penalties as they broke into a fight following the goal, sending the game to 4-on-4 play, which was scoreless.

As 4-on-4 play wound down, Merrimack went on a five-minute major power play as BU freshman forward Jack Murtagh slammed Warrior junior defenseman Seamus Powell into the boards. Though Powell was able to skate himself to the bench, Murtagh was given a game misconduct penalty, sidelining him for the remainder of the night.

Freshman defenseman Hunter Mayo converted for Merrimack for his first collegiate goal with 10.1 seconds remaining in the second, making the score 3-2, Terriers.

As the second period wound down, tensions were still high. Yegorov landed himself a two-minute minor penalty for roughing upon video review.

Merrimack went into the third period with nearly two full minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage remaining. The Warriors tallied shots, but BU emerged without conceding any further damage.

“That’s a challenge,” Pandolfo said. “Obviously, [Merrimack] got some chances. Big Mike [Yegorov] came up big there. But our penalty kill has been really good all season long.”

The third wound down in exciting fashion. McLaughlin capped off a stretch of dominant possession with insurance, putting BU up 4-2 with his fourth goal of the season.

Pandolfo said BU’s second line, which featured McLaughlin, Boisvert, and Ritchie, was “excellent” and called the defeat of the Warriors “their best game.”

“I had a pretty good feeling they were going to be good tonight,” Pandolfo said. “They were on pucks. They were creating chances.”

Down two, Merrimack Head Coach Scott Borek pulled his goaltender. Sophomore forward Quinn Harvey guided the puck into the empty net, putting the Terriers up 5-2.

The game wasn’t over. Daneault and Yurchuk scored in quick succession, making the score 5-4, and Lundgren returned to the net.

Mayo went to the box for tripping with under a minute remaining, ending the Warriors’ hopes of a comeback.

“Make a couple mistakes, and all of a sudden it’s a game again,” Pandolfo said. “[We’ve] got to find a way at the end of the day to finish the game off the right way.”

The Terriers will head south to Connecticut for a non-conference matchup against Quinnipiac on Nov. 15. The game will stream on TSN and ESPN+.