After nearly a month without a game, the Boston University men’s hockey team drew 2-2 with Harvard in a visit to crosstown rivals to open play in 2019.
Coming off of the midseason holiday break, the Terriers (6-8-3, 5-5-2 in Hockey East) received much-needed reinforcements from multiple sources. Freshman Joel Farabee and sophomores Shane Bowers and Logan Cockerill returned from the World Junior Championship, having departing for the international tournament prior to the conclusion of the first half of the season. Senior captain Bobo Carpenter also became available after missing the 2018 finale due to injury, while junior defenseman Chad Krys remained sidelined for the Terriers.
BU started strong against the Crimson (6-4-3, 3-3-2 in ECAC), tilting the ice early and getting rewarded for their efforts. Less than three minutes into the opening period, it was Matthew Quercia who knocked in a centering pass from Ryan Cloonan to score the game’s first goal. Cloonan ‘s strong move and pinpoint pass gave the senior his first assist of the season, while his freshman linemate Quercia collected his first goal as a Terrier on the tap-in.
In the second, BU gained a pair of power plays in rapid succession, but successful kills by the Crimson defense propelled Harvard forward towards BU net. After two dangerous chances were denied by junior Jake Oettinger, Crimson junior Adam Fox fired a shot by the BU netminder with three minutes to play in the second stanza. The tally boosted Fox’s team lead in points to 21, and brought the game level leading into the final 20 minutes.
Harvard’s momentum continued into the third, as senior Lewis Zerter-Gossage put the Crimson in front, slapping in a rebound on the power play less than two minutes into the third period. Harvard’s leading goal scorer did not have much time to celebrate his tenth tally of the season though, as Joel Farabee knotted things up with a power play goal of his own just minutes later, his fifth goal of the campaign.
With the game tied at two, Jake Oettinger was called into action more frequently than his goaltending counterpart senior Michael Lackey, but BU’s Dallas Stars prospect was equal to the task throughout on every occasion. After goalmouth tussles on both ends, the third period buzzer sounded, and the game headed to an additional frame.
In overtime, the Terriers dominated zone time, but Lackey came up with his best saves of the night for the Crimson to ensure that BU would not find a winner. 65 minutes would not be enough to separate the two sides, and the game would finish tied 2-2.
Continuing the quest for their first win of the new year, the Terriers will move on to two crucial Hockey East matchups later this week. First, BU will return to Agganis Arena on Friday to take on the University of New Hampshire (6-7-6, 2-4-3 in Hockey East), and then the Terriers head to Providence to face the Friars (12-4-4, 6-2-1 in Hockey East) on Saturday.
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