Terriers fly at Fenway
Back at full strength, too much for UMass
Playing in an outdoor hockey game in a famed baseball venue is fun, and competing against a Hockey East opponent is business.
Fifth-ranked Boston University mixed business with pleasure to produce a 5-3 victory against UMass in the matinee match of a Frozen Fenway doubleheader yesterday.
The game was played at Fenway Park in a mix of sunshine and shadow under arctic conditions on an ice surface prone to unpredictable bounces. Most of those bounces went the Terriers’ way as they improved to 12-52 (5-2-2 Hockey East). UMass dropped to 5-15-2 (2-8-1).
“It was a good win for us and a valuable two league points,” BU coach David Quinn said. “The conditions weren’t bad in an outdoor game and the ice got a little choppy as you would expect, but it was a special night to play at Fenway Park which is at the edge of our campus.”
The Terriers’ formidable line chart was returned to its original form with the return of seven players that participated in last week’s 2017 world junior championships in Canada. BU knocked off No. 10 Union, 5-4, in overtime on Thursday night with six underclassmen competing for Team USA and one for Team Canada in the final won by the U.S.
“Obviously it was a hectic week for all of us get the seven guys back from the juniors and having to practice with 14 players,” Quinn said.
UMass changed the tenor of the one-sided contest with a shorthanded goal that cut BU’s lead to 3-2 at 8:21 of the third period. Center Steven Iacobellis forced a neutralzone turnover and led a rush into the BU zone. Iacobellis fed the puck across the slot to right winger Ray Pigozzi, who roofed a backhander by goalie Jake Oettinger (26 saves).
BU ended the Minutemen’s comeback bid with an odd-man rush at 14:51. Left winger Jordan Greenway fed Chad Krys who scored on a backhander from the slot. BU center Gabrial Chabot made it 5-2 at 15:39. Iacobellis added a goal in 6-on-5 play with 53 seconds remaining for the final score.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Quinn said. “We played a UMass team that I know record-wise hasn’t been a great year, but they continued to compete and made it difficult for you when you go up 3-0 and they come back to make it 3-2 and our goalie had to make some big saves to keep it 3-2.”
BU took a 1-0 lead with 28.7 seconds to play in the first period. Bruins draft pick Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson collected a loose puck along the left boards, dashed around UMass defenseman Jake Horton and poked the puck by UMass goalie Ryan Wischow on the short side.
The Terriers went up 2-0 on a nifty collaboration between freshman left winger Kieffer Bellows and Forsbacka Karlsson at 11:33 of the second period. Bellows gained control of the puck along the end boards and made a backhand pass into the low slot. Karlsson onetimed a backhander by Wischow for his fifth goal in the last two games.
The lead grew to three for BU on a busy play in front of the UMass cage at 13:52. Clayton Keller first fired a slap shot from the right point that rebounded to defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the right circle. McAvoy, another Bruins draft pick, fired in a wrister for the goal.
UMass started its comeback with 3:05 left in the second period on a Griff Jeszka tally.