Photo credit Kaeli Talora
#3 Terriers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie Harvard in the third period and then won in a shootout, 3-2, on "Magic" Jack Harvey's deciding goal. The exhibition game at Agganis Arena was played in front of a crowd of 5,750.
"Overall, I think it was a good night," Head Coach Jay Pandolfo stated after the game. "I think for us, too, being down going into the third period, we're gonna have that happen to us this year. And to be able to come back, that was great."
Quinn Hutson and Jack Hughes had the Terrier goals, while sophomore Max Lacroix went the distance in goal, stopping 25 of 27 Crimson shots, including all 11 in the opening period, several on Grade A chances. The closest BU came to scoring was having an apparent Ryan Greene goal disallowed because of a high stick earlier in the play.
Harvard broke through in the opening minutes of the second period with a neutral-zone turnover leading to a 2-on-1 rush. Justin Solvey finished the play for a 1-0 Crimson lead.
However, about six minutes into the period, Terriers reversed the momentum, pouring 13 shots on sophomore netminder Aku Koskenvuo, who stopped the first 12, including a tester from Quinn Hutsonon an odd-man rush.
Harvard doubled its lead on a power-play goal at 19:13. Lucas St. Louis' shot hit a skate in the crease and slid behind Lacroix. (Video)
Then Solovey's roughing penalty gave BU its first man-advantage with just eight seconds left in the period and the Terriers made those seconds count. Harvard pulled the draw back to the corner but Shane Lachance outmuscled two defenders and got the puck to Matt Copponi. The senior center found Quinn Hutson in the slot for a one-timer that beat Koskenvuo to the blocker side with less than a second left in the period.
tw-align-centerFinished the period on a high note!
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 20, 2024
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/lLTEW9uKw6@hockey_east | @espnpic.twitter.com/1mOPhCgGBb
Terriers carried that momentum into the third period, pressing for an equalizer and outshooting the Crimson, 12-7. Midway through the period, BU defended a shot from the point and the puck came out to Cole Hutson, who took two strides and sent a headman pass to Hughes breaking in the Harvard zone. Hughes closed to the crease, went forehand-backhand and slid the puck under the netminder's left pad to knot the score a two apiece.
tw-align-centerHutty's perfect pass leads to Jacko's fantastic finish as we tie things up in the third!
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 20, 2024
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/lLTEW9uKw6@hockey_east | @espn pic.twitter.com/brNPBeX7pL
After a scoreless five-minute overtime, the game went to a shootout. Solovey scored on Harvard's first attempt. After two BU misses, the Terriers needed Quinn Hutson to keep things alive. Skating directly at the goalie, he lasered a shot home off the left post, sending the shootout to extra innings.
After Harvard failed to connect in the fifth round, Harvey ended the contest. A few fakes got Koskenvuo to open up and the sophomore from Minnesota flipped the puck through the five-hole.
tw-align-centerHarvo sends the crowd home happy! pic.twitter.com/PgCpM7Mgfp
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 20, 2024
Photo credit Anikka Morris, Boston Hockey Blog
The contest was Lacroix's second start as a Terrier; his first start, an exhibition against Simon Fraser last Jan. 5, was also a shootout win. Pandolfo applauded Lacroix's performance: "I thought he was excellent. It’s good to see him in live action.”
Hughes, who on Friday made a strong play to set up Tom Willander's goal, also earned praise for his efforts. “He was excellent tonight,” Pandolfo said. “He’s a very intelligent player when he’s skating and making the simple plays. He can be really effective.”
After four straight home games to open the season, BU next will travel to Grand Forks to take on #5 North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks split a road series with Minnesota State, winning 3-2 and then losing 3-0.
● GoTerriers.com recap and box score
● Video Highlights and Post-game comments: Jay Pandolfo, Hughes, Lacroix
● Boston Hockey Blog On to bigger things, BU men’s hockey escapes exhibition against Harvard with shootout win
Looking ahead
2025 recruit Mikhail Yegorov followed up Friday night's 34-save shutout by stopping 23 of 24 shots as Omaha defeated Cedar Rapids, 4-1. The 6'5" St. Petersberg, Russia, native lowered his GAA to 1.95 and improved his save percentage to .928. A second round draft pick by the Devil last June, he's yielded three goals on 79 shots in his past three starts.
2025 recruit Jack Murtagh scored a goal and added an assist in the NTDP U18s' 8-4 loss to Boston College. Murtagh returned to Team USA's lineup after missing nine games with an injury. He has three goals in three games.
2026 recruit Tynan Lawrence scored his fourth goal in Muskegon's 4-0 win against the NTDP U17s. The Fredricton, New Brunswick, native leads the Lumberjacks in scoring with eight points in nine games.
Looking back
"I think I'm more confident. As a goalie you want to be aggressive but when you're 6-foot-6, you can be deeper and that helps you get to plays easier, especially when [the Oilers] can snap it around like [that]. If you're six inches outside the crease, they're going to make you look pretty silly. So just the confidence and the reads that I've worked on. I can make a lot of saves from the goal line, so if I can just be patient and stay back a little bit more, it kind of slows things down for me."
Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk scored his second goal in the Senators' 5-4 win over Tampa Bay.
Women's Team
1 comment:
What an exciting game! The shootout win against Harvard was just thrilling. It’s great to see the team continue to perform at such a high level. Dazzle in Red: 7 Stunning Dresses You Need in Your Close
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