Boston, MA — After an emotionally turbulent week, the Boston University Terriers finally had some rest before taking the ice again. They had almost a full week between their 4-2 victory over UMass Lowell and their Friday night game against the UMass Amherst Minutemen. When they hit the rink, they were the third rink and were taking on the last place Minutemen. As Terrier Coach David Quinn pointed out, “There are no easy games in this league. It’s easy to look at records and make assumptions, but they’re well-coached and play hard.”
That didn’t appear to be the case in the first period, as BU peppered UMass Goaltender Ryan Wischow with 20 shots in the first period from all parts of the rink. Wischow made many difficult saves but was not invulnerable. Clayton Keller and Dante Fabbro each netted a goal in the first period, with both of their shots coming from the right side of the offensive zone. Keller’s shot was from the front of the circle while Fabbro’s shot was from the blue line.
BU had plenty more chances to score, with three power plays in the period, including one that came on Niko Hildenbrand’s slashing penalty in the first four seconds of the game. Unfortunately, BU would go scoreless on the power play for both the period and the game, taking 19 shots over seven power plays.
UMass turned around momentum in the second period. They outshot the Terriers 10-7 and made BU sweat for every minute of the period. The Minutemen drew six power plays of their own in the game and unlike the Terriers, they capitalized on their chances. Ray Pigozzi got a backhanded goal by Jake Oettinger to cut BU’s lead in half and prove Quinn’s point about every team being a worthy opponent.
The third period started off with excellent skating and good speed from both sides. UMass continued their strong shooting and tested Oettinger. Unfortunately for them, BU found their offensive rhythm and pulled away. Bobo Carpenter, who had many point blank shots on Wischow in the first period, finally got his goal with a shot from the slot and made the score 3-1. UMass had a few more chances to score, but Oettinger made the needed saves and closed out BU’s 3-1 victory over the Minutemen.
After the game, UMass Head Coach Greg Carvul credited his goaltender for a well-played game and praised his team’s second-period effort against one of the best teams in the nation on their rink. Terrier Coach David Quinn praised his team’s efforts in the first period and their power play, despite the lack of scoring. Dante Fabbro and Clayton Keller were both asked about their performances. They credited their roommate connection for their passing and play that powered the Terriers to victory. They praised the effort of the Minutemen and explained their desire to improve for the tournaments that begin soon.
UMass will continue their three-game road trip with a game at Matthews Arena against the Northeastern Huskies on February 10th. Puck drops at 7:00 pm. Boston University begins their tournament play with the first round of the Beanpot on Monday night. They play their archrivals, the Boston College Eagles, at the TD Garden at 8:00 pm in the second game of the opening round of the tournament.
