Terriers' late rally ties Wisconsin

Junior wing Ahti Oksanen (photo) score two extra-attacker goals in the final 68 seconds of regulation to rescue the #2 Terriers from a 3-1 deficit and earn an overtime tie with Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Wisconsin came out banging but the Terriers matched the physicality and took a 1-0 lead on freshman Brandon Fortunato’s first goal of the season, a wrist shot from the point on a power play, with assists going to sophomore Robbie Baillargeon and senior assistant captain Cason Hohmann. BU nearly doubled the lead when freshman Jack Eichel's shot rang off the post.

Early in the second, BU had another man-advantage opportunity, but it was the Badgers who found the net, when Kevin Schulze finished off a short-handed bid. Wisconsin took the lead late in the period when Jedd Soleway’s sharp-angle shot beat junior  Matt O’Connor high to the short side.

With 2:41 left in the third period, the Badgers seemed to apply the crusher on a fluke goal when O’Connor’s clearing attempt hit freshman defenseman Brien Diffley and slid into the BU net. Pulling O’Connor for an extra attacker, the Terriers got one back less than a minute later, when Oksanen took a pass from Hohmann and banged it home off the post with senior assistant captain Evan Rodrigues also assisting.

BU pushed furiously to knot the score and, in the final seconds, captain Matt Grzelcyk threw the puck toward the net, where it deflected off Oksanen and past the Badgers’ Joel Rumpel for the equalizer.

The energized Terriers dominated the overtime, outshooting Wisconsin 6-0, but couldn’t come up with the game-winner.

“We’re not going to win many hockey games like that,” BU Coach David Quinn said. “We got lucky. That’s all there is. We’ll take the tie, but we know that that’s not going to cut it tomorrow night.”

► While the game went into the books as a tie, a shootout followed with BU getting a pair of goals from Hohmann and Rodrigues while O’Connor stopped both Badger attempts.

► Terriers and Badgers play again tonight with puck drop set for 8 p.m. Check back later today for details.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Post game comments (video): Quinn, Oksanen

● Daily Free Press recap

● Boston Hockey Blog Pluses & Minuses

● USCHO recap

● Madison.com recap

Looking ahead

2016 recruit Kieffer Bellows scored his team-leading 14^th goal of the season in Sioux Falls’ 4-3 win against Dubuque. The power forward from Edina, Minn., has found the net seven times in his last five games.  

2015 recruit Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson assisted on a pair of goals for Omaha, but the Lancers dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Lincoln.

Women’s Team

#4 Terriers host Maine today in a 3 p.m. start at Walter Brown Arena. BU will seek to rebound from Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to top-ranked BC.

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, GameTracker, TerrierTV Webcast