After winning seven of eight games in January, February has been less kind to the #5 Terriers who dropped their third straight game, 4-1 to Merrimack at Lawler Rink. The Warriors scored once in each period to take a 3-0 lead before Jay O’Brien got BU on the board with a power play goal. An empty-netter by the Warriors closed the scoring.
Just a few weeks ago, BU had to highest scoring offense in D1, averaging just shy of 4 goals per game. However, in their last three last three outings, the Terriers have managed just a combined four goals, as they’ve struggled to get shots on goal from the areas between the dots.
“It’s cliché, but you have to get to the net,” a perplexed Jay Pandolfo remarked, post-game. “We have to get bodies to the net; we have to work down low. We’re just not doing a good enough job. We’re not winning our battles down low. Until we start doing that, it’s going to be tougher to score.
“Teams are definitely defending us harder,” he added. “They are kind of just fronting our guys and making sure they don’t get beat. I think early in the year our D were creating a lot of offense from the blue line, now teams are starting to take that away. We have to start playing below the goal line a little bit more and attacking the net, having that mentality.”
BU had shot advantages in all three periods and face-off win advantages in the first two periods, but it was the Warriors finding the net.
Matt Copponi opened the scoring five minutes into the opening period when he took a pass from behind the goal line to an open space in the slot and one-timed a shot past Drew Commesso.
In the second period, momentum was on the Terriers side until an interference penalty snuffed it out. Merrimack doubled it’s lead when Jordan Seyford grabbed a rebound and fired home a sharp angle shot at 14:35.
Early in the third period a defensive mix-up enabled a 2-on-1 and Mick Messner scored to make it 3-0. O’Brien’s goal came on a power play midway through the period. From the slot, he converted the rebound of Matt Brown’s shot with Wilmer Skoog also picking up an assist. But that was as close as BU would get. Merrimack kept BU from getting quality chances and then iced things in the final minute on Messner’s second tally into the empty net.
Merrimack fashioned its 3-0 lead on just 20 shots, but Pandolfo wasn't fauting his goalie.
“There wasn’t one goal that was on Drew Commesso tonight,” Pandolfo said. “Our players hung Drew Commesso out to dry tonight. The way we played in front of him, it’s not acceptable.”
BU and Merrimack resume the series Saturday night at Agganis. It’ll be the Terriers first home game since the January 27 win against BC and they’ll be hoping that home cooking helps them right the ship as the season heads into its final weeks.
● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score
● Boston Hockey Blog recap
Looking ahead
2023 recruit Macklin Celebrini scored twice (#29 and #30) including the game-winner in Chicago’s 4-3 win over Cedar Rapids. The left-shot center from Vancouver leads the USHL with 56 points and in his last 11 games has 13 goals and seven assists. 2023 recruit Jack Harvey recorded his 22nd assist for the Steel.
tw-align-centerMacklin Celebrini, a Boston University commit..Leads the @USHL in goals and points..He is the likely No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. https://t.co/9ObOLLafpo
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) February 18, 2023
2023 recruit Shane Lachance scored his 26th goal and added a pair of assists as Youngstown doubled up Dubuque, 6-3.
tw-align-centerSHANE LACHANCE WILL NOT BE DENIED pic.twitter.com/WXj8VPb2Hw
— Youngstown Phantoms (@YtownPhantoms) February 18, 2023
2023 recruit Gavin McCarthy scored his fifth goal in Muskegon’s 3-2 loss to Green Bay. It was McCarthy’s first game back in uniform since being injured in the World Junior A Challenge in December.
2023 recruit Doug Grimes scored his 13th goal in Lincoln’s 3-2 loss to Fargo.
tw-align-centerDoug Grimes started things off early in the second with his third goal against Fargo this season and his 13th overall! #AllAboard🚂 pic.twitter.com/vHK1EXhPGY
— Lincoln Stars (@LincolnStars) February 18, 2023
Looking back
Brady Tkachuk scored his
23rd goal in Ottawa’s 4-3
loss to Chicago.
Jake Oettinger stopped 31 of 32 shots, but Dallas lost to Minnesota, 2-1 in a shootout.
Women’s Team
Terriers dropped a 5-1 decision to #5 Northeastern on Senior Night at Walter Brown Arena. Senior Nadia Mattivi’s six goal cut the Huskies second period lead to 2-1, but NU would score three more times.
● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score
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