Providence spoils Terriers' opener; 70-71 Flashback--BU thumps BC

In the long-delayed season-opener of the program’s 99^th campaign,Terriers dropped a 7-3 decision to Providence at Walter Brown Arena. BU had taken a 3-1 lead five minutes into the second period, but the Friars would respond with six unanswered goals to secure their fourth win of the season.

The teams meet again tonight at Schneider Arena with puck drop at 7 p.m. The game will air live on NESN and be live-streamed on CollegeSportsLive.com

The visitors got on the board just two minutes into the game when Chase Yoder slid a loose puck in the crease under freshman goalie Drew Commesso. BU matched that tally at 9:16 on a power play when sophomore transfer—from Providence—Jay O’Brien converted the rebound of a Jake Wise shot with Dave Farrance also assisting. Just a minute and half later, BU took the lead. Farrance took a return pass from senior transfer—from Vermont—Max Kaufman as he skated to the right circle.  Channeling Trevor Zegras, the senior defenseman did a 180-spin and fired a cross-ice pass to freshman Luke Tuch for a one-timer from the left circle that beat goalie Jaxon Stauber.

Early in the second period, Tuch controlled the puck behind the PC goal line and classmate Dylan Peterson sent it to the point. Sean Driscoll’s hard wrist shot beat Stauber to extend the BU lead.

The rest of the period belonged to Providence. Top scorer Tyce Thompson and Yoder scored in a 51-second span to knot the score at three apiece before Max Crozier’s tally, the eventual game-winner, made it 4-3.

After a power-play goal and an even-strength tally early in the third, Coach Albie O’Connell replaced Commesso with sophomore Ashton Abel who gave up a final goal, making the score 7-3.

Five players, including Case McCarthy, Robert Mastrosimone and Wilmer Skoog, were unavailable due to unspecified reason, but O’Connell indicated several would be back in the line-up tonight.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video highlights

● Post-game comments: O’Connell, Logan Cockerill

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

 

1970-71 flashback 1-9-71 BU 8 BC 3

Sophomore Ron Anderson's first career hat trick led BU to an 8-3 win against archrival BC at McHugh Forum as the Terriers improved to 10-0-1. The contest was the 100^th in the BU-BC rivalry. Anderson, who scored once in each period, was coming off a six-point effort against Princeton. BU scored on three of four power plays and poured 51 shots on the BC goal.

BU took a 4-2 lead after one on tallies from Captain Steve Stirling, Bob Brown, John Danby and Anderson, who also had the only score in the middle period, assisted by Guy Burrowes and Peter Yetten.

The Eagles closed the margin to 5-3 early in the third period and it remained that way until the final three minutes when Brown, Danby and Anderson all found the BC net.

Goalie Tim Regan stopped 33 BC shots and improved his record to 8-0-1.

● Boston Hockey Blog recap

Looking ahead

2022 recruit Devin Kaplan (#39) scored a pair of goals and assisted on two others to lead the NTDP U17s to a 7-5 win against Chicago Steel. His coast-to-coast rush with a wraparound tally early in the third period to give the U.S. a two-goal lead for the first time in the game. The power forward from Bridgewater, N.J., earned the game’s first star and now has 22 points (8G, 14A) in 18 games. Fellow U17 recruit Lane Hutson added an assist while Chicago’s Jack Harvey, a 2022 recruit, also had a helper.

● USA Hockey recap

2021 recruit Quinn Hutson scored a goal and added an assist in Muskegon’s 5-4 shootout win against Green Bay.

Finally….Game Day: Terriers host Providence at WBA

Terriers begin their season tonight hosting Providence in the first of a home-and-home series. For BU, it’s the first game since March 7 and the first regular-season contest played at Walter Brown Arena in just over 17 years. The game will air on NESN+ and for those outside New England, it will be live-streamed on College Sports Live. Puck drop is at 6 p.m.

BU returns 19 players from last season, plus assistant captain Ty Amonte who sat out 2019-20 with an injury. Top returning scorers are assistant captain David Farrance (43 points), Robert Mastrosimone (17) and Domenick Fensore (16). Ten newcomers—seven freshmen and three transfers—include forwards Luke Tuch and Jay O’Brien, defenseman Cade Weber and goalies Drew Commesso and Vinny Duplessis.

Two of the newcomers have come aboard just this week. 6'3" right-shot defenseman Thomas Jarman, who  had committed to BU for 2021-22 in October, has now made the move from the NAHL Maryland Black Bears, where he was a teammate of Wilmer Skoog during the Fall of 2019. Joseph Campolieto, a 6'0" left-shot defenseman is a transfer from Union College, which has cancelled its season. He played 81 games for the Dutchmen over three seasons and had a pair of assists in Union's loss to BU last season. (GoTerriers.com announcement)

In a media call on Wednesday, Head Coach Albie O’Connell said: “There’s been a lot of pause and restart. Nothing is going to be ideal this year. We hit the ice the first time as a team this Monday. That was the first time in 36 days. So that’s a long time off. There was a players-only meeting and they just wanted to focus on: make sure they stay in shape, try to stay healthy.” He noted that not everyone on the roster is available for tonight’s game.

Providence has played eight games with a 3-3-2 record. Brett Berard and Patrick Moynihan, who played for Team USA in the World Juniors, will be available for the Friars, while head coach Nate Leaman will not.

The Boston Herald reports: "BU administration policy requires face coverings at all times, meaning the Terriers will be wearing them even on the ice. So will Providence because the policy covers campus visitors. The Terriers also will have to wear face coverings on the ice during road games, even though the host team won't."

Tonight's BU Lineup

Cockerill O’Brien Phillips

Tuck Wise Peterson

Armstrong Quercia DeBoer

Zabaneh Amonte Kaufman

Vlasic Fensore

Farrence Campolieto

Witkowski Jarman

Driscoll

Commesso

 

● GoTerriers.com preview, Game Notes, Live Stats, Terrier Sports Radio Network, CBS College Sports Live

 ● Media Call: Albie O’Connell, Farrance, Cockerill (video)

● Boston Hockey Blog: game preview

 

Looking ahead 

2021 recruit Quinn Hutson has been named USHL Forward of the Week after his five-point performance (3G,2A) in three games. Hutson, a right-shot forward joined the Muskegon Lumberjack in mid-December after departing from the Penticton Vees whose BCHL regular season has been delayed. During a a 14-game pre-season tournament, he scored 17 points, second best for the Vees.

● USHL report