By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff
Get your tickets now. The Hockey East playoffs are coming to Agganis Arena.
The Boston University men’s hockey team locked up home ice for next weekend’s first-round action with a 3-2 win over Northeastern University Friday night at Matthews Arena.
Freshman Matt Nieto set up classmate Sahir Gill for the game-winner with 3:15 to play. Sophomore Sean Escobedo started the play, lifting an arcing pass to Nieto, who was waiting behind the NU defense at the Husky blue line.
The rookie caught the pass and charged the NU cage with Gill to his left. Two Husky defenders trailed closely, but couldn’t catch the pair before Nieto slid a centering pass in the low slot to Gill, who one-touched the puck under NU goaltender Chris Rawlings’ arm.
“It was a great pass from [Escobedo],” Nieto said. “It seemed like it took a bounce off their defender and got a lucky bounce, landed right on my stick. Sahir was driving the net hard, and I got the pass to him and it went in.”
The goal capped off a frenetic third period. The squads entered the frame deadlocked at one –– a tie which BU sophomore Max Nicastro broke with 7:02 to play. The defenseman netted the goal on a power-play chance –– the Terriers only conversion in eight chances –– by sniping a one-time look from centerpoint past Rawlings.
Three minutes later, the Huskies re-knotted the score short-handed on a delayed BU penalty. Senior Steve Silva netted the equalizer by deflecting a centering pass from classmate Wade MacLeod in from atop the BU goal crease.
NU got a golden chance to equalize after Nieto’s goal when Nieto took a hooking penalty with 1:04 to play. The Huskies pulled Rawlings, and just missed on a scoring chance when freshman Anthony Bitetto skated in all alone in the game’s final minute.
Millan made the save, but a scrum ensued in front. The puck nearly crossed the goal line, leading NU’s Doghouse to call for a video review, but the officials decided the play didn’t warrant a second look.
All this came amidst a flurry of penalties, misconducts, shoving matches and trash talk. Thirteen penalties were called in the third period, including game misconducts for NU’s Randy Guzior and BU’s Adam Clendening.
Clendening earned his with a hitting from behind major on NU’s Tyler McNeely, while Guzior was given the boot for tackling Nicastro after Nicastro clotheslined a Husky player for boarding Terrier Ryan Ruikka.
The third period sets an ominous precedent for tomorrow night’s rematch at Agganis Arena, especially when a shoving match between Nicastro and a small handful of Huskies broke out during the postgame handshake.
“There were a lot of penalties, but I’m not sure it was because it was overly rough,” BU coach Jack Parker said. “[The Nicastro and Guzior] penalties were real uncalled for penalties. Max shouldn’t have done what he did, and Guzior shouldn’t have done what he did.”
The Terriers jumped to a 1-0 lead late in the first when junior Corey Trivino netted his eighth goal of the season, giving the New York Islanders’ draft pick 10 points in his last 11 games.
Sophomore Alex Chiasson started the play, sneaking a wraparound chance at the NU cage, but Rawlings was ready with the leg pads. The rebound trickled to the far post, where Trivino grabbed it and swooped back behind the cage.
With Rawlings still stuck on the far post, Trivino tried to wrap one around at the same spot Rawlings had just denied Chiasson. The junior didn’t quite wrap the puck all the way around the post, but managed to clank it off the legs of an NU defender and in for the go-ahead tally.
Trivino went from hero to goat early in the second, committing a turnover in the neutral zone that lead to an NU goal. Freshman Cody Ferreiro took the honors, toe-dragging around a BU defender before sniping one upper-90 by BU goaltender Kieran Millan from the right faceoff dot.
The Terriers earned their first excellent scoring chance midway through the first after senior Joe Pereira’s short-handed breakaway was cut short by NU freshman Brodie Reid’s diving trip from behind.
The officials gave Parker the option to send Reid to the penalty box or let Pereira take a penalty shot, and Parker decided to let the West Haven, Conn. native skate mano-y-mano with Rawlings.
“I said to Joey, ‘Joey, what do you want to do?’” Parker said. “He said, ‘Well, our power play hasn’t been going that well. Give me a shot at it.’ I think it’s hard not to give the guy the penalty shot.”
Pereira put two short dekes on Rawlings before trying to sneak the puck five-hole, but Rawlings shut the door on him.
“I really don’t get too many penalty shots,” Pereira said. “I was taking some advice from the skill players on the team. They told me to go five-hole. Maybe next time, I’ll go my own way.”
The win was the 60th of BU goaltender Kieran Millan’s (39 saves) career, leaping him past John Curry (’07) into a tie for second all-time among Terrier Netminders with Scott Cashman (’93). Sean Fields (’04) holds the all-time mark with 62.
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