Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Terriers outlast UMass, 6-4 UPDATED

Terriers sprinted out to a 4-0 lead against #9/8 UMass and then held on for a hard-fought 6-4 win at the Mullins Center. The victory gives BU a 2-1 advantage in the season series, with both wins coming on the Minutemen’s home ice.  Captain Logan Cockerill scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner. The other goal scorers were juniors Matt Brown, Robert Mastrosimone and Ethan Phillips and graduate student Max Kaufman, whose empty-netter sealed the win after UMass had narrowed the margin to one.

BU had a 5-3 lead after two periods, but was outshot 15-4 in the third. Drew Commesso, making his final start in goal before departing to join the U.S. Olympic team, stopped 14 of 15 shots in the period and 32 shots overall.

Terriers held a possession and territorial advantage early in the game, generating four grade-A chances that UMass goalie Matt Murray turned aside. But eleven minutes in, the captain and assistant captain combined to put BU on the board. Cockerill skated behind the UMass net, slid the puck to Kaufman below the left circle and then one-timed the return pass from the right circle.

BU doubled its lead six minutes later just as a brief UMass power play was ending. Sam Stevens corralled a puck along the left wall and fired it to Brown racing up the right side. The transfer from Lowell wired a shot that beat Murray low to the stick side for a shorthanded goal.

In the final half-minute, Wilmer Skoog won an offensive zone draw to Brown who wheeled and skated below the goal line and around the cage. His backhander hit a charging Mastrosimone in the chest and went into the net for a 3-0 margin with seven seconds left.

Early in the second period, Phillips scored his third goal in two games. After Brian Carrabes’s shot missed the net high and wide, Ty Gallagher pinched along the right boards to keep the puck in the zone. Phillips collected the puck at the top of circle, turned and rifled it past Murray’s glove for a 4-0 lead. At that point, Murray was replaced by freshman Luke Pavicich, making his first college appearance.

That lead shrunk quickly with the Minutemen scoring twice in less than a minute. First, Anthony Del Gaizo beat Commesso from the left circle on a power play, ending BU’s penalty-kill streak at 28. Then Ryan Ufko head-manned a passed to Bobby Trivigno behind the BU defense. He deked and beat Commesso to the stick side, cutting the lead to 4-2.

Midway through the period on an offensive zone draw, Ty Amonte pushed the puck forward and Cockerill outmuscled a defender to control it. He skated to the crease and roofed a backhander to make the score 5-2.

The defending national champions responded quickly again. A Terrier clearing attempt didn’t leave the zone and Scott Morrow fired a shot from 10 feet inside the blueline that sailed past a screened Commesso. 5-3.

UMass held a 15-4 shot advantage in the final period as they pressed to close the gap. Five minutes in, they had a two-on-one in the BU zone, but Gallagher made a sliding play to break up Trivigno’s attempt to set up Josh Lopina at the net.

At 9:28 Matthew Kessel’s shot from about 40 feet pinballed off a UMass player and then off Gallagher’s skate before sneaking past Commesso, cutting the lead to 5-4.

UMass would get no closer, with Commesso making some big saves in the final minutes before Kaufman’s empty-netter settled matters.

BU, which improved its record to 12-10-3 after going 8-1-1 in the last ten games, is now tied with Northeastern for third place in Hockey East, however, the Huskies have three games in hand.

"For the first two periods, I thought we controlled the play, especially the first," said a very pleased Coach Albie O'Connell. "We had multiple odd-man rushes." 

"In the third period, they kind of took it to us," he added. "We bent. We didn't break. But all in all, (it's a) hard league to win in, hard to win up here."

O'Connell pointed out that the game marked the first time UMass had lost a conference game in regulation this season. BU's prior win at Mullins came in overtime.

Mastrosimone has goals in each of the last three games and leads the team with nine tallies. His 18 points is one more than his freshman year total of 17. Brown stretched his point streak to six games and has produced 10 points (5G,5A) in the last nine games. 

Terriers blocked 16 shots, paced by three apiece from John Copeland, Jay O'Brien and Cade Webber.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Post-game comments O’Connell (audio)

● Video highlights (UMass goals only)

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

● WTBU Sports recap

● Daily Hampshire Gazette recap 

 

Looking back

Clayton Keller scored his 16th goal and added an assist in the Coyotes’ 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh. Evan Rodrigues assisted on a pair of goals for the Penguins.

 

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