In the latest chapter of the Boston College vs. Boston University hockey rivalry, Eagles forward Johnny Gaudreau recorded three points to help BC crush the Terriers 5-1 on Friday night at Agganis Arena.
No. 7 BC (6-2-1, 3-0 Hockey East) struck first nine minutes into the game, when freshman Austin Gangelosi beat BU (4-5, 2-2 HEA) goalie Matt O’Connor from close range to put the Eagles up 1-0.
Gaudreau continued the scoring for BC two minutes later when he gathered a stray puck in front of the Terriers’ net and slid it past O’Connor.
With the Terriers down 2-0 after 20 minutes, Nick Roberto got them on the board early in the second period with a power play goal to cut the Eagles’ lead in half. That was all BU could manage offensively, though, as Gaudreau added another goal and an assist as BC pulled away from the Terriers late to secure the victory.
Eagles freshman goalie Thatcher Demko picked up the win for BC, remaining undefeated to start his college career.
UML winning streak comes to an end
Northeastern earned its first Hockey East victory of the season Saturday night, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to defeat UMass Lowell on the road 4-2 at Tsongas Center.
The No. 16 River Hawks (6-4, 2-1 HEA) had all the energy at the start and capitalized six minutes, 54 seconds into the game when a shot on goal ricocheted off the post and went right to Adam Chapie, who put it in the open net for an early 1-0 lead.
The No. 18 Huskies (6-3, 1-2 HEA) took the lead late in the first period on back-to-back goals by Kevin Roy and Mike Szmatula, giving them a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Down 2-1, UML’s Derek Roy tied the game up by scoring a power play goal midway through the second period. It didn’t take long for Northeastern to right the ship and regain its lead, as Dalen Hedges scored one minute, 25 seconds after the tying goal to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
Torin Snyderman added an empty-net goal for Northeastern late in the third period to earn the team its first conference win of the season.
No. 5 PC sneaks by Merrimack
Providence goalie Jon Gillies made 23 saves en route to his second shutout of the season on Friday night, as the No. 5 Friars earned a tough, 1-0 road win at Merrimack.
The only goal of the game came late in second period with the Friars shorthanded. PC (7-1-1, 3-1 HEA) forward Steven McPharland hit Noel Acciari with a centering pass and he beat goalie Sam Marotta on the goal to put his team up 1-0.
The game stayed that way late into the third period, when the Warriors (3-5, 0-2 HEA) received a power play and then pulled Marotta to make it a 6-on-4 advantage. With the two-man advantage, Merrimack pressured PC and Gillies, but the sophomore goalie stood tall and helped preserve the 1-0 win for the Friars.
Marotta made 23 saves in the losing effort, suffering his third one-goal loss of the season.
Jackson Goddard can be reached at [email protected].
