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BOSTON – Given that it featured the preseason No. 1 visiting the preseason 2, tonight’s Denver-Boston University game was much anticipated.
Less than four minutes in, it looked like the matchup would be anticlimactic, as the Pioneers scored two quick goals. Instead it proved to be a riveting battle that tested the resilience and character of both teams.
Denver coughed up two leads and was thwarted repeatedly in the second period by BU goalie Jake Oettinger; as well as a waved-off goal, all while getting pummeled physically by the Terriers. BU dug itself a hole, came back to tie twice, and just got better as the game wore on—only to lose when Troy Terry got a puck out of the left-wing corner, skated out, and buried a shot far side with just 16.1 seconds left in regulation to claim the victory.
“I thought that was a great game,” Denver coach Jim Montgomery said. “That’s what college hockey is all about—momentum shifts like that, we’re up 2-0, they come storming back. I thought that for the majority of the game, they were the better team. Their forecheck was incredible, and they played with great emotion and energy.
“I was really proud of our team’s resilience. When they pushed, we pushed back. And I thought that in the last four minutes, our best players took over the game.”
After two stirring wins to start the season, BU has often showed extended flashes of brilliance but still struggles to close games out. In the minutes following Dante Fabbro’s equalizer with less than seven minutes to play, the crowd of 4,369 at Agganis Arena really got into it, and it looked like the stage was set for either a hard-earned tie or a rousing victory.
“I thought we had a great third period to tie it up and just really disappointed with the way it ended” BU coach David Quinn said. “But we’re a work in progress, and I loved how hard we competed. We had some glorious chances. We’ve just got to learn how to win and finish games off. That’s the bottom line.”
Despite his team’s 3-0-2 start and No. 1 ranking, Montgomery views his defending champions as a work in progress as well.
“We’re a good college hockey team, but I think we’re going to be immensely better post-Christmas. I had to play three lines a lot tonight; our fourth line wasn’t executing and playing with enough effort. Maybe for three freshmen, it was a little overwhelming, but it won’t be past Christmas because we’ll play a lot of big games in the NCHC.
“And then our power play was great; our penalty kill wasn’t very good tonight in my opinion. Our breakouts are a strength for us usually, but I have to give BU credit, and we still need to know what we’re doing with puck support. We’re not communicating there.”
Both teams have quite a few freshmen, and the learning curve is still very much in effect. But don’t be surprised if these teams meet again in the postseason.
NCHC roundup
Colorado College 2, No. 4 North Dakota 1
Nick Halloran scored midway through the second period to stake unranked Colorado College to a 2-0 lead in an eventual 2-1 upset home win over fourth-ranked North Dakota.
“We gave a great effort tonight, especially for the first 40 minutes,” Tigers coach Mike Haviland said. “We knew they would push us towards the end, but we executed everything we talked about. It was the little things we did tonight that gave us the chance to win this game.”
UND cut the Tigers lead to 2-1 when Shane Gersich scored an unassisted goal with 30 seconds left in the second period to set up a tense third.
CC junior Mason Bergh opened the scoring, tying him with several for the NCAA lead (six goals). Friday’s win marks the fastest to five victories since Oct. 22, 2005. It is also the first time since CC (5-2, 1-0 NCHC) joined the league that it is in sole possession of first place.
No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth 2, Maine 1
Riley Tufte scored for the Bulldogs just 46 seconds into the game, and the 1-goal lead stood up until midway through the third period, when Eduards Traimaks tied it up for the host Black Bears. Just 97 seconds later, though, Jade Miller notched the game winner. Hunter Shepard made 26 saves for the win.
Miami 3, Connecticut 0
A fan arriving late to tonight’s game may well have missed all the scoring as the RedHawks stormed out of the gate with the game’s only three goals in the first 10 minutes . Sophomore Carson Meyer and senior Scott Dornbrock each scored their first goal of the season, while Ryan Larkin made 19 saves for his second career shutout.
No. 8 Notre Dame 5, Nebraska-Omaha 4
After trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period, the Irish erupted with three goals in the first five minutes of the second period, including two goals in an 11-second span. The Mavericks kept it close but never tied it again despite pulling within a goal with over seven minutes to go. Senior defenseman Jordan Gross paced Notre Dame with a goal and two assists, while fellow senior Jake Evans added three assists. He has an NCAA-best 12 assists through eight games.
