By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff
Led by short-handed goals from senior Zach Cohen and sophomore David Warsofsky, the Boston University men’s hockey team topped the No. 18 University of Massachusetts-Lowell, 3-2, Friday night, at Tsongas Center.
The win was BU’s (11-11-3, 8-9-2 Hockey East) third in a row, the first such win streak of the season. The River Hawks dropped to 14-11-2 (8-8-2) on the season.
Sophomore Ross Gaudet added BU’s other tally, while senior Ben Holmstrom and junior Scott Campbell netted UML’s two goals.
The teams didn’t wait long to get the scoring going.
Just 22 seconds in, junior defenseman Ryan Blair passed from the top of the right circle to Holmstrom at the opposite faceoff dot. Holmstrom lifted a laser from there and beat Millan top-shelf for his sixth goal of the year.
Forty seconds later, BU responded. Gaudet found a loose puck as he was driving to the UML cage, and poked it by River Hawk netminder Nevin Hamilton for the equalizer. Gaudet’s linemates, juniors Joe Pereira and Nick Bonino, picked up assists on the goal, which was Gaudet’s eighth.
BU’s first shorthanded strike came midway through the first period. Working from his own blue line, junior Kevin Shattenkirk threaded a pass between a pair of UML defenders to streaking Cohen. Cohen slowly undressed Hamilton with a series of dekes, then went in for the kill with a backhand-to-forehand shimmy and finished with a shot over Hamilton’s sprawled leg pads.
About two minutes later, the BU penalty kill again went on the offensive, this time led by Warsofsky. The sophomore forced a turnover along the halfwall of the BU zone, then streaked all alone down the left wing at the UML cage. From just inside the left faceoff dot, Warsofsky fired on Hamilton and sniped the senior top-shelf for his fifth goal of the year.
UML responded with a goal midway through the second period. Working on the power play, senior defenseman Nick Schaus took a pass in the high slot, and with nobody between he and junior Scott Campbell, slid a pass to the forward on the BU doorstep. Campbell went to the backhand and beat Millan with a rising shot to bring UML back within one. It was Campbell’s eighth goal of the season.
Aided by a sturdy defensive effort, the Terriers held off the River Hawks in the third, allowing UML just two shots on net.
Game notes:
BU defenseman Colby Cohen was scratched with a lower-body injury. He is questionable for Monday’s Beanpot finale. . . . BU overcame an early faceoff deficit to win 14-of-17 third period draws to preserve the win. . . . The Terriers outshot UML, 33-18, for the game. . . . The River Hawks went 1-for-7 on the power play. The Terriers were 0-for-5. . . . Shattenkirk led all players with a plus-2 rating. . . . Pereira and Bonino tied for the game-high in shots with five each.
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