By Scott McLaughlin/DFP Staff
With 2:14 remaining in Game 3 of the Hockey East quarterfinals, Northeastern University’s Wade MacLeod took a pass on the left wing and wristed a shot into an empty net to give the Huskies a 5-2 lead. Boston University sophomore forward Alex Chiasson promptly smashed his stick over the crossbar of the vacant cage, knowing that the Terriers’ season was likely over.
Sure, BU managed to score two goals in the final 1:22 to make things at least somewhat interesting. And sure, there were still scenarios that could’ve unfolded the following weekend that would’ve moved the Terriers up in the PairWise Rankings and gotten them into the NCAA tournament. But for all intents and purposes, MacLeod’s empty-netter was the death knell for BU’s season.
The 2010-11 campaign was full of first-time-sinces, and none of them were good. The Terriers finished last in the Beanpot for the first time since 1980. They failed to reach the Hockey East semifinals for the first time since 2001, ending the longest streak of semifinal appearances in conference history.
Most importantly, BU failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the second straight season, marking the first time that’s happened since it missed the big dance three years in a row from 1987 to 1989.
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