By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Junior forward Matt Nieto did all of the heavy lifting for the No. 19 Boston University men’s hockey team Friday night, as he scored a hat trick and led the Terriers to a 3-1 win over the University of Vermont at Agganis Arena.
With the win, BU moved into a tie for fourth place in Hockey East with No. 20 Providence College.
BU knew coming into the game that Vermont’s first line was its main scoring threat, and it showed that ability early. With 1:33 remaining in the first period, junior forward Chris McCarthy finished off a pass from linemate Kyle Reynolds to give the Catamounts the 1-0 lead.
The goal was the 10th of the season for McCarthy, who leads Vermont with 25 points on the season.
However, when defenseman Nick Luukko was called for a hitting from behind penalty less than 30 seconds after McCarthy’s goal, BU capitalized on the opportunity. Senior forward Ryan Santana snapped a pass over to junior forward Matt Nieto, who finished off a one-timer for his 12th goal of the season. The goal broke a streak that left BU goalless in its last 18 power plays.
“I thought it was the biggest goal of the game,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “When you don’t score on the power play it’s demoralizing. When you do it really jacks you up and to get one right after they score at the end of the period was great. It got us feeling pretty good going into the dressing room.”
Nieto continued to find success with a man advantage, as he finished off a nice pass from freshman forward Danny O’Regan four minutes into the second period for his second goal of the game. It was his fifth power-play goal on the season.
Freshman goaltender Sean Maguire held the Catamounts at bay through the second and third periods, as stopping all 39 shots that came his way. Maguire earned his second win against the Catamounts on the season, and stopped a career-high 49 shots in the process.
Less than five minutes into the third period, Nieto finished what he failed to complete Tuesday night against Merrimack College as he scored his third goal of the game. Sophomore forward Evan Rodrigues started a 2-on-1 from his own defensive zone and set up Nieto for a one-timer into an empty left side of the net.
With the goal, Nieto had scored five consecutive goals for the Terriers extending back to Tuesday and he is now tied with senior captain Wade Megan for the team lead in goals with 14. It was the first hat trick by a BU player since Mar. 6, 2009, when Brandon Yip tallied three goals against Providence College. It is also BU’s first natural hat trick since Jason Lawrence accomplished the feat at UMass on Feb. 27, 2009.
Nieto’s linemates, O’Regan and Rodrigues, each recorded two assists on the night. Rodrigues now has points in seven of his eight games, and points in 11 of the last 13 games he has played. O’Regan’s two assists moved him into a tie for the team lead in points with 29.
The Catamounts peppered Maguire with shots in the final two minutes of the game, but Maguire and his defense kept the puck out of the back of the net. Senior defenseman Sean Escobedo made one of his four blocked shots in the game to save a goal during that barrage. Vermont outshot the Terriers 50-32 on the game, which is something that Parker wants his team to improve on for Saturday’s game.
“We gotta play harder in front of our net than they do,” Parker said. “We had too many times when they were banging away and we weren’t clearing them out, so we’ll take a look at that.”
Glory Glory Matt Nieto