Men’s Hockey: No. 13/12 Terriers Fall Short in 6-2 Loss to Quinnipiac

By Riley Lackey

No. 13/12 Boston University Men’s Hockey (5-6-1, 3-3-0 HE) fell to No. 10/9 Quinnipiac (7-3-2, 1-1-0 ECAC), 6-2, Saturday at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.

The Terriers struggled to match the Bobcats’ pace and structure throughout the night, prompting BU Head Coach Jay Pandolfo to deliver a blunt postgame assessment.

“That was pathetic,” Pandolfo said. “We’re a very poorly coached team based on what I just saw.”

Quinnipiac took early control, with sophomore forward Aaron Schwartz generating the game’s first quality chance.

An early hooking penalty on sophomore defender Sascha Boumedienne gave the Bobcats a chance on the power play. However, it was quickly negated by a tripping call on QU’s junior forward Andon Cerbone.

The Terriers showed flashes of transition speed, sophomore defender Cole Hutson drove the net, and senior forward Owen McLaughlin looked to enter with speed, but turnovers proved costly.

Just three minutes in, McLaughlin lost the puck at center ice, leading to a cross-ice feed for Quinnipiac junior forward Mason Marcellus, who opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season.

Grad Bobcat goaltender Matej Marinov initiated a counterattack to former Terrier Jeremy Wilmer, who set up senior forward Victor Czerneckianair for a top-corner finish, making it 2-0.

BU responded with a strong look from Hutson to freshman forward Ryder Ritchie, but couldn’t convert.

Three minutes later, Quinnipiac extended its lead as freshman defender Nate Tivey scored his first collegiate goal.

“We didn’t win battles, we didn’t backcheck, we didn’t block shots, and we didn’t cover anyone in front of our net,” Pandolfo said. “We just let them skate circles around us.”

The Terriers ended the opening frame with just eight shots on goal to the Bobcats’ 25.

Looking to spark energy, Pandolfo started the fourth-line forwards to open the second period along with BU’s top defensive pairing.

An early penalty on junior defender Aiden Celebrini put BU on the kill, but the Terriers held strong, including a critical save by Yegorov on a shot from sophomore forward Chris Pelosi.

BU generated more zone entries, but finishing chances were scarce. Yegorov stood tall on a dangerous 2-on-0 break.

Midway through the second, the Terriers finally had a chance to swing momentum with a power play. BU moved the puck well and set up sophomore forward Cole Eiserman for a one-timer, but Marinov delivered a great save.

Immediately after, BU regained composure, on a shorthanded rush, Hutson fed junior forward Jack Harvey for a finish, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The goal marked Harvey’s fourth of the season and the Terrier’s fifth shorthanded goal of the year.

Quinnipiac answered quickly as senior defender Will Gilson’s shot produced a rebound finished by freshman forward Antonin Verreault.

Minutes later, freshman forward Ethan Wyttenbach scored on the man advantage to extend the lead to 5-1.

BU responded as sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis scored his first collegiate goal, a sharp-angle shot backstage Marinov that cut the deficit to three.

Hutson generated additional looks late, but BU could not convert.

“We only had one line show up tonight: Morello, Roukounakis, and Merrill,” Pandolfo said. “They were the only line that had any sort of effect on the game.”

BU opened the third with more urgency.

Freshman defender Carter Amico fired a heavy shot that forced a glove stop from Marinov. BU earned a power play but struggled to maintain possession as Quinnipiac cleared the puck repeatedly.

Just past midway through the third, Wilmer set up freshman forward Markus Vidicek, who buried a rebound off the post to make it 6-2.

BU earned a late power play and rattled off several shots, but Marinov stood tall, finishing with 31 saves.

The Terriers return to Matthews Arena on Friday to face the Northeastern Huskies in a Hockey East matchup. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., with streaming on ESPN+.