Sunday, January 15, 2023

Tiny Terrors of the Blueline Deliver a Comeback Win for BU UPDATED!!

Note: Today's blogpost is special, not just we're reporting a thrilling win over an ancient rival, but because we've reached the milestone of 3,000 posts since our launch in 2006. And we plan to keep 'em coming. Thank you to all of our readers and to the many contributors to The Terrier Hockey Fan Blog.

 

                               Photo credit Matt Woolverton

After erasing three one-goal deficits, #7 Terriers defeated #15/14 Cornell, 4-3, on a Lane Hutson goal with less than four ticks left on the clock before a frenzied Agganis Arena crowd of more than 5,300.

Cornell had retaken the lead, 3-2, on a power-play near the midpoint of the third period, but it was quickly erased by captain Dom Fensore’s dart into the top corner. Both of BU’s final-period tallies were set up on exceptional plays by Matt Brown. Terriers also scored a goal in the final ten seconds of the second period.

Drew Commesso stopped 28 Big Red shots, including 14 in the opening period, to gain his 11th win of the season.

"That was a heck of a game. It had a bit of everything. They're a really good hockey team, they compete hard and they're very well-coached," said a thoroughly pleased Head Coach Jay Pandolfo.

"To be able to tie it on the power play was big for us," he continued. "The finish was a great play by Jay O'Brien and Matt Brown as well; he delayed a bit and waited for help. Lane Hutson just used his hockey sense, sneaking back door and getting another game-winner for us. 

"When we struggled for a bit—and they're a heavy team and they were getting to our net—Drew did a really good job holding us in it, because it got a little ugly for us for a little while. But we found our game."

The win improves BU’s overall record to 15-6-0 and gives the Terriers a sweep of all four out-of-conference home games. It also snaps a two-game losing streak against Cornell—the last two Red Hot Hockey games at Madison Square Garden—in the 50th game in the series between the schools that began in 1925 on an outdoor rink. It was BU’s 21st win against 26 losses and three ties against Cornell.

Terriers held an early shots and face-off win advantage but the Big Red, pressuring the puck, shifted the momentum. At 17:13, Cornell won a puck battle behind the BU goal line. Gabriel Seger centered to Ben Berard who had beaten his man to gain position at the goalmouth and he banged the puck past Commesso.

BU drew even five minutes into the second period on Sam Stevens’ career-best sixth goal. Lane Hutson threw the puck behind the Cornell goal line where Nick Zabaneh carried it out into the right circle and set up a Case McCarthy one-timer. Stevens was planted at the crease and the Montreal native redirected the puck past Ian Shane. 1-1.

Cornell regained the lead at 13:45 when Nick DeSantis controlled the puck behind the goal line to the left of Commesso and sent a pass to the right circle where Seger buried a shot into a half-open net.

As the middle period wound down, Quinn Hutson tweezed a loose puck from a defender’s skates and slid it to Ryan Greene, who skated across the blue line and closed to top of the right circle. The Blackhawks’ draft pick passed to Jeremy Wilmer who had put himself in the perfect spot in front of the blue paint and rapped the puck behind Shane for his fourth goal, knotting the score at two apiece.

Quinn Hutson’s high-sticking penalty six minutes into the third period gave Cornell its second power play opportunity and this time it cashed in. The Big Red won a puck battle in deep and sent the puck to Sam Malinski, who closed from the point to the right circle and boomed a slapper past a screened Commesso. The tally broke BU’s streak of 16 consecutive power play kills and gave Cornell its third lead of the night.

Minutes later, a hooking call gave BU a man-advantage. Three earlier power-plays, including two two-man advantages had not converted, but the fourth try proved a charm. After Brown and Fensore exchanged passes above the left circle, the Terrier captain, who had stumbled took Brown’s saucer pass in the left circle and wired a shot into the top right corner—with Wilmer Skoog screening Shane—to even the score again.

 

BU weathered one more Big Red power play, limiting the visitors to one shot. As the game appeared headed to overtime, Brown controlled the puck in the offensive zone as the Terriers changed up. When help arrived, his shot attempt was blocked but the senior wing retained control and passed to Jay O’Brien who reached the top of the right circle. 

The senior center zipped a pass to Lane Hutson at the bottom of the left circle and he fired the puck home with 3.9 seconds left in the period. For the recent member of the U.S. Bronze Medal team at the World Juniors, it was his eighth goal and fourth game-winner.

Addressing the power-play struggles in the first two periods, Pandolfo said, “I didn’t think we had enough of a shot mentality. We decided to put Brown and O’Brien both coming downhill like they did last year… I thought that last power play was very good. We got more shots to the net, we recovered pucks.”

Regarding his team's calm demeanor going into the final period, he explained, “If we’re going to go anywhere and go far, you have to be comfortable in those games. You’ve got to believe you’re never out of it, and I think that group in there believes that. As we keep going here in the stretch run, you’ve got to be in games like that.

"I think you’ve seen it from this group all year long. They’re a competitive group. They want to win….I can’t say enough about this group. 

McCarthy had six of the Terriers' 16 blocks to go with his assist on Stevens' goal, lead Pandolfo to say, "He was solid, he was strong, he was ending plays in the D-zone, blocking shots. I've really liked his game since we've been back from break."

Terriers fired 40 shots on goalie Shane, who stopped 36. Previously, Cornell had allowed an average of  only 20.19 shots per game. 

One more look at the game-winner: 

             BU Oldtimer's Terrier Takeaway

1. .    This may have been as well-played and competitive a game as has been played at Agganis Arena. Two talented “brand name” teams with plenty of history went back and forth for the full sixty minutes. Brand name being the description Bernie Corbett applied during the opening of the broadcast.

2.    While discussing the BU – Cornell rivalry, Bernie mentioned that they are the only two Eastern based teams that have contested the National Championship game twice (1967, 1972).

3.    Cornell may be a “heavy, hard on the puck team”, but it is not a UMass-Lowell, Michigan Tech kind of heavy, at least not yesterday afternoon. They are fast to the puck and fast to the puck carrier. Cornell had many extended possessions in the BU d-zone, forcing BU to chase the play during these possessions. Cornell scored its first and third goals after winning battles behind the net.

4.    On BU’s second goal, full credit goes to Quinn Hutson for winning a puck battle at the top of the slot and making the pass to Ryan Greene who, in turn, found Wilmer at the top of the crease.

5.    Similarly, on Dom Fensore’s game tying goal, Wilmer Skoog beat a Cornell defenseman to the puck behind the net after an errant shot and cycled the puck back to the point to keep the power play alive.

6.    Apparently, Matt Brown enjoys the big moments against BU’s traditional Ivy League rivals. As he did against Harvard two weeks ago, Brown ignited the play that resulted in the game winning goal. In this instance, he picked up the puck in the BU d-zone, raced into the Cornell d-zone and maintained puck control until his teammates joined him. He passed to an uncovered Jay O’Brien at the top of the right circle whose crisp pass to Lane Hutson in the left circle allowed the freshman defenseman to rifle home the game winner.

7.    Despite the three Cornell goals, Drew Commesso had a strong game. He was especially effective while the action was in close to the BU net.

 

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video highlights and post-game: Pandolfo, Commessso, Hutson

● Boston Hockey Blog recap 

 

Looking ahead

2023 recruit Jack Harvey scored his league-leading 25th goal, assisted by 2023 recruit Mack Celebrini in the Steel's 4-2 loss to Madison. Celebrini's 18th had narrowed the gap to 3-2 before an ENG closed the scoring.  

● Video: Harvey, Celebrini

 

2024 recruit Kamil Bednarik scored his fifth goal in the NTDP U17s 5-4 loss to Green Bay. He scored on the rush, beating Adam Gajan, the standout Slovakian goalie from the World Junior Championships.

 

2023 recruit Jack Gorton scored his 11th and 12th goals as Victoria defeated Langley, 5-2, earning first-star honors. The 6’3” right wing from Granite Springs, N.Y., has a 12-18-30 scoring line exceeding his output from his first BCHL season.

 

Looking back

Matt Grzelcyk's one-timer from the left circle with 1:16 left in the third period powered the Bruins past Toronto, 4-3. It was the second goal of the season for the two-time All-American and Terrier captain. AJ Greer scored his fourth goal for Boston.

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