This Day in BU Hockey: April 9

2015: Twelve days after claiming the NCAA Northeast Regional title with a pair of 3-2 wins over Yale (in OT) and Minnesota Duluth, #2 BU took on top-ranked North Dakota in the Frozen Four semifinal at TD Garden and came away with a hard-fought 5-3 win that was in doubt until the final half minute. The Fighting Hawks had narrowed a 4-1 BU lead after two periods to just one goal and were pressing for an equalizer when Jack Eichel’s empty-netter, his second tally of the game, sealed the win.

BU had taken a 2-0 first-period lead on power-play goals from Eichel and fellow freshman Brandon Hickey. UND got one back on a man-advantage less than a minute into the second period, but BU responded with two goals—from AJ Greer and Doyle Somerby—in a two-minute span. Matt O’Connor stopped 15 of 16 shots in the period.

The 4-1 lead was maintained until 12:10 of final period when O’Connor’s miscue allowed an easy shorthanded score. Another power-play goal cut the margin to one with less than four minutes left in regulation. With the UND goalie pulled, Cason Hohmann freed the puck from scrum along the boards and Eichel fired it home from just inside the BU blueline.

● THFB report

● USCHO recap

● College Hockey News recap

● HockeyEastOnline recap

● Full game on Sean Pickett’s google drive

2009: In the NCAA semifinal in Washington, D.C., #1 ranked BU rallied late in the third period to defeat conference rival Vermont, 5-4.  The Catamounts had pinned a pair of 4-3 defeats on the Terriers early in the season and were the only team to beat BU (35-6-4) twice. It looked like history might repeat itself when UVM took a 4-3 on a power play midway through the third period. But Chris Higgins knotted the scored at 13:06 and just a minute later, Colin Wilson won an O-zone faceoff, drove to the net and buried the rebound of Higgins shot for the game-winner.

BU had led, 2-0, after one period on goals by Wilson and Jason Lawrence. Vermont scored three times in the first nine minutes of the second period to take the lead before Vinny Saponari converted a slick Nick Bonino pass on a power play to tie the game at 3-3 after two.

The win put BU in the NCAA championship game for the first time in twelve seasons.

● THFB report

● HockeyEastOnline recap

● ESPN recap

● Full game on Sean Pickett’s google drive  

Looking back at 2019-2020 

A look back at the 98th season of @TerrierHockey...

The first day on the ice for Team #99 can't come soon enough. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/d9YbBgO4Cd

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) April 8, 2020

Join host Bernie Corbett and guests- Adam Wodon Managing Editor College Hockey News, Nate Ewell Deputy Executive Director College Hockey Inc., Jess Myers Rink Live, Brad Scholsman Grand Forks Herald, and Dave Starman CBS Sports Network for a special Frozen Four virtual Detroit Hockey Town USA edition of his weekly SiriusXM Radio program Hockey On Campus. It airs on the Sirius XM’s NHL Network (CH.91) on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. ET and Sunday at 7:00 a.m. ET.