Terriers blank Vermont, gain second place--UPDATED

Led by junior blueliner Sean Escobedo’s first two-goal game and 18 saves by senior Grant Rollheiser, BU dominated Vermont, 5-0. The victory, coupled with Lowell’s loss to Merrimack moved the Terriers into second place in Hockey East, two points behind BC. A BU win tonight against Vermont would clinch home ice in the Hockey East playoffs.

After a scoreless first period, BU put three goals on the board in the middle stanza: both of Escobedo's goals and freshman Cason Hohmann's second of the season. Terriers put the game out of reach early in the third period with a pair of goals 29 seconds apart. Wade Megan picked up a loose puck to fire home his team leading 16th; then freshman Evan Rodrigues fed junior Justin Courtnall on a 2-on-1 and the assistant captain deked Vermont's Rob Madore for his fourth of the campaign.

Commenting on Courtnall's goal, Escobedo said: “You can’t speak enough about [Courtnall], in the corners and all the little battles he wins that doesn’t get the press or anything like that. He comes ready to play every night and for him to get a goal like that – it was a pretty goal too – it’s really nice to see.”
● GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score
● Video highlights
● Boston Hockey Blog recap, analysis, unlikely scorers
● HockeyEastOnline recap , current playoff picture
● Burlington Free Press recap
● Boston Globe recap
● College Hockey News’ Friday games briefs

Looking back
Former Terrier co-captain John McCarthy, back in Worcester after a tour with the NHL Sharks, scored his 13th goal in a 5-3 loss to Providence, in which his BU teammate Colby Cohen contributed an assist for the P-Bruins.

Former BU All-American Colin Wilson tells Gannett Tennessee how a change in his emotional approach to the game has delivered dividends on the ice for the Predators' forward.