Kevin Gilroy's third-period goal off a faceoff pushed the Terriers past Northeastern, 4-3, propeling BU to a third-seed in the upcoming conference tournament and ending the Huskies' season. Assured of a playoff spot after Friday night's 5-4 win, BU needed help, however, to secure home ice, and they got it from Vermont, which tied Lowell, 1-1, and UMass, which completed a sweep of Maine in Orono. BU, Lowell and Maine all finished with 28 points, but since the Terriers owned tie-breakers over the River Hawks and Black Bears, BU gets the third seed and will host red-hot Merrimack in the quarterfinals next weekend. The Warriors are making their first post-season appearance in six years.
Saying the game-winner came from an unlikely source is certainly an understatement. Going into the game, Gilroy, younger brother of last year's Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy, hadn't scored a goal. And after a rib injury that sent him to the hospital during Friday's Terrier win, he wasn't expected back in the lineup. Ross Gaudet won an offensive-zone draw back to Gilroy and the sophomore wing wristed it pas Chris Rawlings with 6:28 remaining. BU killed a pair of penalties in the final minutes to nail down the win.
Terriers also received goals from Nick Bonino (10th), Alex Chiasson (7th) and Zach Cohen (team-leading 15th). Kieran Millan made 21 saves for the Terriers who outshot Northeastern, 42-24.
• USCHO recap
• Boston Globe recap
• Boston Hockey Blog recap and Gilroy feature
• College Hockey News recap
• Hockey East Online recap and playoff news release
No comments:
Post a Comment