Oettinger blanks SHU; seven Terriers score goals

Freshman goalie Jake Oettinger’s first career shutout was supported by goals from seven of his teammates as the Terriers whitewashed Sacred Heart in their home opener.  BU, which had a 14-2-2 record on Agganis Arena ice last season, carried a tenuous 2-0 lead after two periods and then lit the lamp five times in the third. Three Terrier goals came on power plays, while another was scored shorthanded.

Coach David Quinn noted that, beyond the score, BU's performance was markedly improved in several key area: more offensive zone presence, getting more pucks on net from in close, playing with more grit and being a difficult team to play against. 

After a slow start in the game’s first few minutes until a thunderous Charlie McAvoy mid-ice hit provided a wake-up call, BU scored twice in a 20-second span. Jordan Greenway beat goalie Brett Magnus at 7:48 for a power-play goal. Then, he controlled a puck behind the goal line extended and found Clayton Keller at the bottom of the left circle for a one-timer. BU outshot the visitors 14-3 in the first period..

Oettinger kept the margin at 2-0 late in the first when he foiled SHU’s Evan Jasper’s penalty shot. Jasper’s shot hit the left post, then went off Oettinger’s skate. But the 6’4” goalie reacted quickly to keep the rebound out of the net.

During a scoreless second period with BU taking 14 shots to SHU’s 13, the Terriers were forced to kill a 5-on-3 power play for the second time. BU was perfect killing all nine penalties, leading  Quinn to comment:

“We structurally were good, we didn’t get overextended, we had good sticks, we moved when the puck moved. And you need puck luck and you need great goaltending, and we got all of that."

BU began to pull away six minutes into the third when Kieffer Bellows wired a shot from the right circle past Magnus for a power play tally, with assists to McAvoy and Chad Krys. Four minutes later, Krys notched his first collegiate goal on a slapshot. At 15:03, Dante Fabbro’s slapper for his own first collegiate goal was BU’s third power play goal. Less than a minute later, Nick Roberto converted the rebound of John MacLeod’s blueline blast. Bobo Carpenter completed the scoring with a shorthander as he and Roberto perfectly executed a two-on-one break.

With BU outshooting SHU in the third, 13-8, Oettinger turned aside all 24 Pioneer shots. Greenway and Roberto both finished with career-best 3-point efforts, while Krys, MacLeod, Harper and Keller each had two points. The game’s three stars were: #1 Greenway, #2 Oettinger and #3 Roberto.

Harper, who leads the team in scoring with seven points (2G, 5A) has points in each of BU’s four games. 

Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Keller combined to win 25 of 41 face offs.

Four freshmen found the back of the net, marking the first time that feat has been accomplished by a BU team since Jan. 28, 1992, when Steve Thornton, Rich Brennan, Mike Prendergast and Mike Pomichter (hat trick) each scored in an 8-2 win over Brown.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video Highlights

● Post-game comments (video): Quinn, Greenway, Oettinger

● Daily Free Press: recap

● Daily Free Press: Defense impresses in comprehensive win

● USCHO recap

Paying tribute to a legend. pic.twitter.com/6PwIjbyDGW

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 21, 2016

   
Looking ahead

2017 recruits Brady Tkachuk and Logan Cockerill each assisted on a goal for the NTDP U18s, who dropped a 4-3 decision to the University of Wisconsin.

● USA Hockey recap

2018 recruit Hank Crone scored his fourth goal of the season in Fargo’s 4-1 loss to Sioux City. With ten points in nine games, Crone is the Force’s second leading scorer.