In a game highlighted by two goals from freshman Joel Farabee and a milestone assist for senior captain Bobo Carpenter, the BU men’s hockey team skated to a 4-2 victory over #17/15 Arizona State on Friday night at Agganis Arena.
The Terriers (10-9-3, 8-5-2 HE) conceded first for the fourth consecutive game, lasting just about six minutes at a scoreless deadlock before the Sun Devils (16-10-1) took the lead. It was senior Anthony Croston who netted the opener, scoring from close range off the pass from sophomore Filips Buncis.
“We have to find a way to get the first goal,” remarked BU head coach Albie O’Connell. “But our response is normally pretty good.”
BU’s response to this early deficit was no different than the positive response Coach O’Connell alluded to, as the Terriers came storming back with a goal of their own through Joel Farabee at 10:46. On a turnover deep in the Arizona State end, freshman Jack DeBoer found Farabee alone in front of the net, and the standout freshman did the rest, deking around junior keeper Joey Daccord to slide in his seventh goal of the season.
“Joel’s been really coming on,” said O’Connell. “He’s a threat.”
The initial turnover was forced by captain Bobo Carpenter, providing the senior with a milestone point on the second assist. With a total of 56 goals and 44 assists, Carpenter reached 100 points as the Terrier – the 83rd player in team history to hit that mark.
“It’s makes you look back [at] the players you played with that helped you get to that mark,” reflected the captain. “It’s pretty special.”
“I love Bobo,” commended Coach O’Connell. “Everything he gets, he deserves.”
As the period came to a close, junior Patrick Curry gave BU the lead with 38 seconds remaining before the first intermission. After sophomore Ty Amonte won the puck in the corner, junior Patrick Harper moved it along to classmate Patrick Curry, who lofted the puck over Daccord to pot his sixth goal of the campaign and put the Terriers on top at the break.
The teams traded punches at the start of the second period before the Terriers doubled their lead at the 7:16 mark. It was Farabee again who lit the lamp for BU, with his centering pass taking a convenient bounce off a defender and into the ASU net for his second goal of the game, and eighth as a Terrier. The assists were credited to co-captains Carpenter and junior Dante Fabbro.
“I just kind of got a lucky bounce there,” admitted Farabee.
Just as the Terriers had in the first period, the Sun Devils came up with a quick response to bring the BU lead back to one. At 9:12, junior captain Brinson Pasichnuk drove in a laser from the point on the assist from freshman Demetrios Koumontzis to quiet any momentum held by the Terriers after the second Farabee tally.
BU did end up with the last laugh in the middle stanza, again benefitting from a fortunate deflection to restore their two-goal lead. After passes from senior Ryan Cloonan and sophomore Shane Bowers just under 13 minutes into the period, Chad Krys’ effort from distance glanced off a Sun Devil and past Daccord for the sophomore’s fourth goal of the season.
“We got some bounces,” acknowledged O’Connell. “It was nice the puck was going in the net for us.”
The focus for the Terriers shifted towards defense in the last 20 minutes, and BU’s work in their own zone was rock-solid throughout the final period, killing off two Sun Devil power plays along the way. Jake Oettinger stood tall for BU, making several key stops late en route to totaling 38 saves on the game. BU’s defensive emphasis would pay off, as the game finished 4-2.
Between Farabee’s two goals and Carpenter’s 100th assist, the two linemates had quite a night. As both players acknowledged after the game, this freshman-senior duo has developed a strong relationship on the ice that has helped the pair get the most out of their respective play.
“We’re both hard workers,” said Farabee. “that creates offense for ourselves.”
“I’ve never seen a player see the ice so well,” responded Carpenter. “The chemistry is there for sure.”
The Terriers will look to take the series sweep over the Sun Devils when the teams return to Agganis Arena for a rematch at 7pm on Saturday, January 25.