By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
A pair of Hockey East teams with near-polar-opposite seasons clashed at Matthews Arena on Friday night. Boston University entered the year with lofty expectations, but came into the game reeling with a below-.500 record (5-6-1) as its potent offence has struggled to outscore a leaky defence. Northeastern, meanwhile, was tabbed to finish near the bottom of the conference, but sat within striking distance of the lead and had the highest point percentage, leaning heavily on defence and the excellent goaltending of Brown transfer Lawton Zacher.
Surprisingly, Zacher was not the Huskies’ starting goaltender for the night, making way for backup Quentin Sigurdson’s first appearance of the season. BU wasted no time seizing the momentum at the start, pouncing on the cold goaltender and scoring just over a minute into the game. Strong possession play by Jonathan Morello down low led to a point shot by Mick Frechette, giving the Terriers an early lead. Northeastern would challenge for an offside, but the goal was confirmed.
The Huskies wouldn’t take much time to answer, tying the game on their first shot since BU broke the ice. Andy Moore deflected Dylan Finlay’s point shot through Mikhail Yegorov’s legs to put the game back on level terms. The tying goal broke the game wide open with a flurry of action at both ends, with the teams combining for 10 shot attempts before the next stoppage of play.
Just as soon as it looked like Northeastern had wrestled control of the game, the Terriers retook the lead. A slick passing combination by Owen McLaughlin and Jack Harvey sprung Nick Roukounakis all alone in front to beat Sigurdson up high for the third goal inside the first ten minutes of play. The score would hold throughout the rest of an action-packed first period that saw 36 combined shot attempts.
The second period had a drastically different personality than the first. Northeastern struck back with a seeing-eye bullet wrister inside the first three minutes to tie the game again, but the period quickly became a collective parade to the penalty box. The ramped-up physicality led to the two teams committing eight combined penalties in the second, each having three power plays, and coming up empty on every one. BU had the chance to retake the lead on a penalty shot awarded from a shorthanded breakaway, but Sigurdson stonewalled John McNelis to hold the score.
The third period brought a mix of the prior two periods, with more penalties, more free-flowing open play, and goal reviews. Cole Hutson looked to have given BU a lead midway through the frame with a wrap-around goal, but the officials ruled no goal on the ice and upheld the ruling through review. The game remained knotted at two into the dying minutes, until Joe Connor wired a one-timer past Yegorov to give the Huskies their first lead of the game with just over a minute to play.
Northeastern would hold the fort for the final minute, and the powder keg finally exploded as soon as the horn went off. Both teams’ frustrations boiled over after a chippy and physical game that tallied 12 combined penalties, and left the ice without going through the handshake line.
Takeaways: Morello’s puck possession and attention to detail were on full display in this game. He was constantly the first man to a loose puck, won battles along the boards, maintained possession for teammates to make plays, and held his position defensively. The Terriers’ first goal came off a puck he worked free from behind the net to set up Frechette at the point. He also finished the game 8-7 at the faceoff dot, leading his team in wins on the night.
For a young Terriers team that has collectively lacked the details in their game to this point (evident by their 4.0 Goals Against Per Game, the third worst figure in the nation), Morello’s ability to win the puck and keep it away from their net will be vital to BU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
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