By Tim Healey/DFP Staff
Saturday night at Agganis Arena, it was “different road, same destination” story for the No. 16 Boston University men’s hockey team against University of New Hampshire.
The Terriers (6-4-1, 5-3-1 Hockey East) topped the Wildcats (5-5-2, 4-4-1 Hockey East) by a score of 4-1, a far cry from BU’s dominant season-opening 5-0 win back on Oct. 8.
But a win is a win, and, thanks to a trio of third-period goals, it’s the third straight for the suddenly streaking Terriers.
Much of the first period was a defensive stalemate, with the Terriers and Wildcats both failing to capitalize on their one power-play opportunity. BU led in shots on goal, 9-4, but didn’t have anything to show for it.
That changed less than half way through the second period, as junior forward Wade Megan put BU up, 1-0, at 8:25 with his sixth goal of the season. Almost even with the red line to the left of the net, Megan tossed a shot on goal from a difficult angle that took an odd bounce off of UNH goaltender Matt Di Girolamo and into the goal. Freshman forward Evan Rodrigues was credited with an assist.
UNH knotted things up at 5:05 in the third thanks to defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. The blue liner took a shot from near the right circle that snuck by BU goaltender Kieran Millan’s stick side, tying the game at one apiece.
Defensemen Max Nicastro didn’t waste much time waiting to get BU the lead back, though, as he blasted a shot from the blue line at 7:29 for the first goal of his junior campaign.
Seconds later, senior forward Corey Trivino struck again, as he has so often this season, with a goal of his own at 8:05 to give the Terriers a 3-1 lead. He went in on a 2-on-1 with senior captain Chris Connolly, who collected his ninth assist of the year on the play, and Trivino tapped his fellow forward’s pass past Di Girolamo’s left side.
That 36-second period proved to be a huge momentum shift for BU, which had been struggling for much of the third before retaking the lead.
Sophomore forward Matt Nieto extended the lead to 4-1 at 18:53 on an empty-netter, a play where he was just trying to clear the puck.
BU’s defense continued to impress as it held on for the win.
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