O’Connor returns and blanks Spartans, 1-0

Junior goalie Matt O’Connor returned to the Terrier goal and turned aside 29 shots and the Terriers made an Ahti Oksanen second-period goal stand up for a 1-0 win over Michigan State. Nearly half of O’Connor’s saves came in the third period when BU penalties gave the Spartans two late power plays.

Following a scoreless first period, BU solved MSU netminder Jake Hildebrand 29 seconds into the middle stanza when the defenseman-turned-forward backhanded home a Jack Eichel pass from the right circle  with captain Matt Grzelcyk also picking up an assist.

Both Eichel and Oksanen have at least one point in each game this season. Both of them and their linemate Danny O’Regan recorded five shots each. The shutout was the first of O’Connor’s BU career.

Three stars: O’Connor, Oksanen, Hildebrand.

"You have to find a way to win games like that, and I feel we did a great job in this game." - Coach Quinn pic.twitter.com/xw2bsNUdbr
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 25, 2014

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video highlights

● Post-game comments: Coach David Quinn, O’Connor and Oksanen

● Daily Free Press recap
●  Boston Hockey Blog: Pluses & Minuses

● USCHO recap

Terriers are back on the ice Saturday at 7 p.m. against Michigan. The Wolverines doubled up Lowell, 8-4, on Friday.

● Game Notes, Game Tracker, Terrier TV Webcast, Terrier Sports Radio Network Webcast.

● The Michigan Daily preview

Answer to the THFB Trivia Question of the Week (as posed on Inside BU Hockey)

1. Nine Terriers selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft

David Quinn    1984

Scott Young    1986

Keith Tkachuk 1990

Scott Lachance  1991

Jeff Kealty      1994

Rick DiPietro   2000

Ryan Whitney 2002

Kevin Shattenkirk 2007

Colin Wilson    2008

2. Current head coach David Quinn was the first to be selected in 1984 by the Minnesota Stars.

3. Rick DiPietro was selected first overall in 2000 by the New York Islanders

Looking ahead

2015 recruit Maxim Letunov scored his sixth goal of the season—a power play one-timer—in Youngstown’s 6-1 thumping of Bloomington. 2016 recruit Vas Kolias added an assist for the Phantoms.

● JuniorHockey.com recap

2015 recruit Bobo Carpenter tallied his fourth goal of the season—as Sioux City topped Des Moines, 5-1. The right-shot forward from North Reading, Mass., has nine points in nine games this season.

2015 recruit Charlie McAvoy registered an assist on the NTDP U18s first goal, but Team USA was edged by Cornell, 3-2.

Women’s Team 

Terriers opened conference play with a 3-0 shutout of Maine in the first of a two-game series at Alfond Arena. BU received second period goals from senior captain Marie-Philip Poulin—her team-leading fifth—and freshman Victoria Bach, who tallied her third, while junior Sarah Lefort sealed the win with an unassisted goal in the final period.

Sophomore goalie Victoria Hanson (photo) made 20 saves but left the game with an injury early in the third period. Freshman Erin O’Neil stopped four shots in a relief effort.  Lefort earned the game’s first star, while Hanson and Poulin took second and third.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● HockeyEastOnline recap

● Press Herald recap