Terriers ran out to a 4-0 lead against # 9/8 UMass and then persevered for a hard-fought 6-4 victory at Mullins Center. The win gives BU a 2-1 lead in the season series, with both wins coming on the Minutemen’s home ice. Captain
Logan Cockerill scored a few goals, including the match winner. The other goal scorers were juniors Matt Brown, Robert Mastrosimone and Ethan Phillips
and postgraduate student Max Kaufman, whose empty netter sealed the victory after UMass reduced the margin to one.
BU had a 5-3 lead after two periods, but was taken out 15-4 in the third. Drew salesman, who made his last start in goal before leaving to join the U.S. Olympic team, stopped 14 of 15 shots in the period and 32 shots overall.
Terriers had possession and territorial advantage early in the game, creating four Grade A chances that UMass goalkeeper
Matt Murray turned aside. But eleven minutes later, the captain and assistant captain combined to put BU on the board. Cockerill skated behind the UMass net, slid the shooter to Kaufman below the left circle and then made the return pass from the right circle once.
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It was a smooth puck move between Kauf and Coxy to set up the opening goal. pic.twitter.com/LsmSDIjVDb
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
BU doubled its lead six minutes later just as a short UMass showdown ended. Sam Stevens grabbed a puck along the left wall and fired it at Brown who was chasing on the right. Lowell’s transfer made a shot that hit Murray low to the stick for a short-handed goal.
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Brownie extended his points series to six games and our lead to 2-0. pic.twitter.com/YXNuaDS3jc
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
In the last half minute, Wilmer Skoog won an offensive zone draw against 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.
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For the third consecutive game, Skoog and Brownie set a Mastro goal. pic.twitter.com/E89w09qK0D
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
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 planks to keep the shooter in the zone. Phillips collected the shooter at the top of the circle, spun it and passed it past Murray’s glove for a 4-0 lead. At that point, Murray was replaced by freshmen. Luke Pavicich, made his first college appearance.
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This release of Philly was a thing of beauty. pic.twitter.com/Fiu4jPPMtK
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
That lead shrank rapidly with the Minutemen scoring twice in less than a minute. First, Anthony Del Gaizo beat Commesso from the left circle on power play, which ended BU’s penalty series at 28. Ryan Ufko chief mann a passed to Bobby Trivigno behind the BU defense. He beat Commesso to the stick and cut the lead to 4-2.
Halfway through the period on an offensive zone draw, Ty Amonte pushed the shooter forward and Cockerill mustered a defender to control it. He skated to the fold and made a rugby player to make the score 5-2.
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Here’s a look at Coxy’s second goal of the match. pic.twitter.com/Gm0WXuaUwS
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
The defending national champions responded quickly again. A terrier cleaning attempt did not leave the zone and
Scott Morrow fired a 10-foot shot inside the blue line that sailed past a shielded Commesso. 5-3.
UMass had a 15-4 shot advantage in the final period when they pressed to narrow the gap. Five minutes later, they had a two-on-one in the BU zone, but Gallagher made a slip-up to set up Trivigno’s attempt to set up Josh Lopina at the net.
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As requested, here’s Gally sliding into your timelines with a great defensive game. pic.twitter.com/0HwfrFaW1N
– BU Men’s Hockey (@TerrierHockey) 26 January 2022
At 9:28 Matthew Kessel‘s shot from about 40 feet from an UMass player occasionally struck off Gallagher’s skate before slipping past Commesso and reducing the lead to 5-4.
UMass would not come any closer, with Commesso making some big savings in the final minutes before Kaufman’s empty net player settled matters.
BU, who improved their record to 12-10-3 after scoring 8-1-1 in the last ten games, are now level with Northeastern for third place in Hockey East, but the Huskies have three games in hand .
“For the first two periods I thought we controlled the game, especially the first,” said a very satisfied coach. Albie O’Connell. “We had several odd-man rushes.”
“In the third period, they kind of took it from us,” he added. “We bowed. We did not break. But overall (it’s a) tough league to win in, hard to win up here.”
O’Connell pointed out that the game was the first time UMass lost a conference game in regulation this season. BU’s previous win at Mullins came in overtime.
Mastrosimone has goals in each of the last three games and leads the team with nine scores. His 18 points is one more than his first-year total of 17. Brown stretched his points series to six games and has yielded 10 points (5G, 5A) in the last nine games.
Terriers blocked 16 shots, with three from John Copeland, Jay O’Brien and Cade Webber.
● GoTerriers.com repetition
and comprehensive box count
● Post-game comments O’Connell (sound)
● Video highlights (UMass goals only)
To look back
Clayton Keller she scored 16ste
purpose and added help in the Coyotes Lost 6-3 in Pittsburgh. Evan Rodrigues assisted with some goals for the Penguins.
