Saturday, October 19, 2024

UPDATED Terriers double up UConn; Women edge Maine; Yegorov pitches a shutout

 


After spotting UConn a 1-0 lead, #3 Terriers scored twice in the second period and twice in the third to earn a hard-fought 4-2 win over Connecticut before 5,074 at Agganis Arena. Freshman Cole Eiserman connected for his third and fourth goals of the season, while freshman Brandon Svoboda and sophomore Tom Willander each notched his first.

Scroll down for defkit's Terrier Takeaway

Head Coach Jay Pandolfo had told the media Thursday that UConn always plays BU tough and that was the case Friday night.

The visitors outworked BU in the early going, creating, some quality chances, which Mathieu Caron, sharp in goal once again, defended. At exactly the midway point of the opening period, Quinn Hutson stole a puck in the neutral zone to create a breakaway, but UConn freshman netminder Thomas Heaney, making his first NCAA start, stoned him.

Six minutes later Hudson Schandor blocked Gavin McCarthy's shot from the point and was off to the races. He beat Caron through the five-hole for a 1-0 UConn lead. A late flurry gave BU a 9-8 shot advantage, which wasn't indicative of the period.

BU applied the pressure from the opening draw of the second and scored the tying goal in just over a minute. Kamil Bednarik controlled an offensive-zone draw in the left circle. Jack Harvey pushed the puck ahead to Eiserman who darted to the net front and backhanded a shot past Heaney's glove to knot the score at one apiece.

Late in the period, just after a Terrier power play failed to convert, Svoboda connected for his first collegiate goal. Alex Zetterberg collected the puck deep in the UConn zone and sent it to Tristan Amonte in the left circle. The senior wing drew a defender to him before dishing the puck down low to a wide-open Svoboda. The freshman quickly zipped a shot past the near post and Amonte retrieved the puck for his linemate.

BU maintained the one-goal edge through the first half of the final period. Then, at 9:07 UConn defenseman John Spetz boarded Matt Copponi and the transfer from Merrimack lay on the ice for several minutes before being able to skate off. Spetz received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

It took BU just nine seconds to score. Ryan Greene controlled the puck below the goal line and fed  Shane Lachance for a shot from the top of the crease. It hit a defender and Eiserman knocked it out of the air past Heaney, stretching the lead to 3-1.   

Less than a minute later, however, the Terriers mishandled the puck--twice--at their own blue line, leading to a 2-on-1 for UConn with Jake Percival putting a shorthander past Caron and cutting the BU lead in half. 

Another UConn penalty gave BU a 5-on-3 for two minutes. Terriers failed to score although two shots went off iron, one by Eiserman.

With UConn pressing for an equalizer, BU's second line provided some insurance. With under three minutes remaining, Devin Kaplan sent the puck into the right corner, where Jack Hughes outdueled a defender and slid the puck to Willander skating into the right circle. The Swedish defenseman wired a one-timer past Heaney to restore the two-goal margin.

Terriers killed off a UConn power play in the final minutes, allowing just one shot. BU has allowed just one man-advantage goal in 12 opportunities this season. BU also won 33 of 65 face offs, although UConn was able to recover lost draws on several occasions. 

Final shots were 29-26 BU

Despite the win Pandolfo was less than pleased with the opening period effort: "“We are complicating our game. We got away with it again, so that’s the disappointing part. I don’t know why we’re making it so hard on ourselves, because you see it, when we simplify, play direct, it looks pretty good. But we just can’t stick to that script.”

He was heartened by the fourth line's performance: "They play a simple game. They play north. They get pucks behind. If they have time and space, they skate. That line's been really good."

Eiserman, the NTDP's all-time goals leader, explained his approaach to scoring: "I'm always looking for the next [goal]. You get one, you always want two, you get two, you always wants three. It's one of those things where you're trying to score as many goals as you can to win hockey games."

More comments follow the video highlights.

defkit's Terrier Takeaway

- Kudos to UConn - I was impressed with their play. After a tough year and losing some key guys to the portal, they put up a better fight than expected.

- BU's balance showed - the 11 points were spread across 10 players. Only Eiserman had multiple points.
- Speaking of Eiserman, I was pleased to see him score goals from in close, not just relying on the one-timer on the power play. When he hit the cross-bar during the major penalty, the ricochet went over the protective netting. Neven seen that before.
- Caron, once again, was very good. With a team that lost so many reliable upperclassmen at both forward and defense, his play is the primary reason this team is 3-0 this year, not 1-2 like last season. Winning the games that you "should" win is critical to finishing in a good spot on the Pairwise, another reason his strong play is so critical.
- Boumedienne is playing as I expected - he is showing his excellent physical tools, but his decision-making is still adjusting to the higher caliber of play. He has had several failed clearing attempts in these first three games when he wasn't necessarily under intense pressure. I'm sure those decisions will improve as the season goes on.
- I don't know if Zetterberg and Svobodoa will stay on the 4th line all season, but they are showing they have the skill to play on a scoring line. A good problem for Coach Pandolfo to have!

- Two tough weekends coming up against North Dakota and Michigan - I'd be happy with a 2-2 split. 

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Highlights/Post-game: Pandolfo, Eiserman, Svoboda

● Boston Hockey Blog Men's Hockey wins third straight with 4-2 win over UConn.

BU will play Harvard in an exhibition game Saturday night at Agganis Arena. Game links are in the GoTerriers recap.  Pandolfo, who indicated the full roster will be dressed, added:

“It’s going to be a great crowd, and I know the game doesn’t count, but we’ve got to come out and have a really good performance, because next weekend we’re going out to a pretty hostile environment, which is going to be new for a lot of these guys.”

Looking ahead 


2025 recruit Mikhail Yegorov stopped all 34 shots he faced in Omaha's 5-0 shutout of Dubuque. Four of the shots came from recruit Jonathan Morello. For the NJ Devils draft pick (2025, 2nd round), it was his first USHL shutout. He's allowed just two goals in his last two starts.

2025 recruit John McNelis scored his fifth goal as Sioux Falls defeated Tri City, 7-5.

2026 recruit Tynan Lawrence assisted on a pair of goals in Muskegon's 7-2 win against the NTDP U17s.


Looking back

Dylan Peterson scored twice in 69 seconds in AHL Springfield's 6-5 loss to Hartford. The were the first two professional tallies for the St. Louis Blues' 2020, 3rd round draft pick. Video of first goal.


Women's Team

#15 Terriers edged Maine, 2-1, in the first-game of a two-game series at Agganis Arena.

All the scoring came within a 1:12 span in the first period. Freshman Lola Reid gave BU a 1-0 lead with her third goal at 12:16. Fifty-five seconds later. Junior Lilli Welke doubled the lead with her second goal, but Maine responded quickly. At 13:26, the Black Bears' Sam Morrison cut the lead in half. 

Senior Callie Shanahan followed her shut out of Northeastern last Saturday by turning aside 14 of 15 shots.

The teams meet again Saturday with puck drop at 3 p.m.

● GoTerriers.com recap and box score

● Video highlights and post-game comments

● Boston Hockey Blog recap


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