Sunday, January 23, 2022

Commesso authors first shutout as BU wins, 4-0

Sophomore goalie Drew Commesso stopped 35 shots—including 15 in the third period—to post his first collegiate shutout as the Terriers blanked Vermont, 4-0, and gained a split in the weekend series at Agganis Arena. Junior Ethan Phillips scored twice—his first multi-goal game—classmates Robert Mastrosimione and Sam Stevens also had tallies.

Commesso, who departs next weekend when the U.S. Olympic team assembles in Los Angeles, has been exceptionally stingy in goal over the past two months. In eight starts, he’s allowed just 11 goals (1.375 GAA) while making 215 saves (.951 save percentage).

The win puts BU in sole possession of sixth place, a point behind Providence and Merrimack. Next up is a Tuesday road game at UMass.

Like the previous game, BU took the lead late in the opening period. Nick Zabaneh skated into the offensive zone and dropped the puck to Brian Carribes, whose wrister from the top of the left circle was redirected past Gabe Carriere by Sam Stevens for his fourth goal.

Terriers doubled the lead at 15:24 of the second period on a rush initiative by captain Logan Cockerill. Skating into the left circle, he passed back to a charging Ty Gallagher in the high slot. The freshman defenseman tried to get around Carriere to the right of the goal and held the puck just past the goal line before passing through the crease to Phillips who lifted the puck past a sprawling defender and into the net.

Just two minutes into the third period BU extended the lead on Mastrosimone's second tally of the weekend. Matt Brown sent a pass into the neutral zone that the junior speedster controlled, outworking a Catamount defender. He turned on the jets and beat Carriere in tight with a backhander to the glove side for his team-leading eighth goal.

The fourth Terrier goal also was scored on the rush. Phillips tapped the puck to Luke Tuch, who skated to center ice and hit Jay O’Brien along the left wall entering the offensive zone. O’Brien quickly found Phillips, who was behind the UVM defense in the high slot. He closed and whipped a 10-footer high to Carriere’s glove side.

Vermont threatened to put a pin in Commesso’s shutout bid with a flurry of shots in the game’s final minutes, but the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick turned them all aside.

With his assist, Brown extended his points streak to five games (3G,2A).

After killing off two UVM power plays, BU’s PK success streak has reach 25.

Eleven Terriers were on the scoresheet with eight players recording assists.

“We did a lot of things better tonight, we had a lot more urgency to our game,” Head Coach Albie O’Connell said in the post-game press conference. “Our goalie to D exchanges that we talked about last night, and the breakouts, they were really clean. That really helped us get out of our own zone.

First shift of the game, with our leaders out there, they kind of set the tone for the game from a physicality stand point,” he added.

Addressing the decision to move Phillips to the first line, O’Connell explained, “We thought he could give a little bit of a dynamic skating quality to that line. Whatever line he’s been on, he’s really helped."

Phlllips, who missed nearly all of last season with an upper-body injury as well as five games this season, has four points in five games since returning to the lineup. 

Following the game, he said: “With the time I spent out, I had a lot of time to think about the type of player I wanted to be when I came back. Playing to my strengths, using my skating––if I can bring that every night, I think that’s the biggest part of my game.”

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video highlights and post-game comments: O'Connell, Commesso, Phillips 

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

● College Hockey News recap 

● WTBU Sports recap

 

As part of the celebration of the 100th season of Terrier Hockey, two-time Olympian Dick Rodenhiser was recognized between periods. The 89-year-old Rodenhiser won silver in 1956 and gold at Squaw Valley, Calif, in 1960. He was inducted into the BU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.

Looking ahead

2022 recruit Lane Hutson scored his fifth goal and added an assist in the NTDP U18s’ 9-4 win against Madison. 

2023 recruit Jack Musa scored his 14th goal for the Capitols.

USA Hockey posted a profile of 2022 recruit Devin Kaplan. The 6'3" right shot forward, who is ranked #65 among North Americans by Central Scouting, was invited to the BioSteel All-American Prospect Game, but an injury sidelined him.

After missing much of the season with an injury, 2023 recruit Nick Roukounakis scored his second goal in West Kelowna's 7-4 win against Wenatchee. 2022 recruit Charles Alexis Legault assisted on the game-winner.

Looking back

Clayton Keller scored his 15th goal in the Coyotes’ 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

 

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