It took a while, but the Boston University men’s hockey team is back to its winning ways.
After securing two victories in Vermont last weekend, the Terriers have won three consecutive contests heading into their final matchup against a ranked opponent.
“It was a good sweep,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said. “It’s huge. We battled hard.”
Playing on a Thursday for the first time this season, BU will head down to Rhode Island to take on eighth-ranked Providence College.
BU has experience going down to Schneider Rink and emerging victorious, handling the Friars 4-3 during a five-game stretch without a loss last month. In order to win their second straight against Providence, the Terriers will need to bring the intensity they have sported over their most recent streak.
After shutting out UConn on February 16 behind a perfect night from junior goaltender Jake Oettinger and goals from sophomore forward Ty Amonte and freshman forward Joel Farabee, BU rolled over the cellar-dwelling Catamounts to leap into a tie for fifth place in the Hockey East standings
The Vermont students brought the ruckus both nights, with over 3,500 fans piling into Gutterson Fieldhouse each game. However, the Terriers handled the situation with ease. The first night, Oettinger was impeccable yet again, stopping 12 shots in the third period to preserve a scoreless tie and send the tilt to overtime.
It took 64:44 and a empty net to get a goal tonight but we'll take it.
Just two points out of the final home ice spot in the @hockey_east standings. #GoBUhttps://t.co/B4kfezwUDo
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) February 23, 2019
“Our defense played hard,” O’Connell said. “We gave up one goal on the weekend so it was positive. [Oettinger] was dynamite. He didn’t make a mistake all weekend so that is a great sign for BU hockey.”
The Dallas Stars draftee finished with 29 saves and junior defenseman Chad Krys finished off the Catamounts with an unassisted game-winner 4:44 into the extra frame. The following night, Vermont got on the board first with a power play score in the opening eight minutes.
The Terriers are used to playing from behind and they were not fazed by this one-goal deficit. BU garnered the equalizer at the end of the second period as junior forward Patrick Harper scored his fourth goal of the season off assists from classmate Patrick Curry and sophomore defenseman Cam Crotty.
Harper ▶️ Curry ▶️ Harper ▶️ Curry ▶️ Harper = Equalizer pic.twitter.com/FFFmN0ewVX
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) February 24, 2019
Oettinger was able to keep the Catamounts at bay throughout the third period, opening the door for Farabee’s game-winner with 57 seconds remaining off helpers from sophomore forward Logan Cockerill and sophomore defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo.
“The guys battled hard,” O’Connell said. “It was a really good showing. Just to get a sweep on the road, it’s not easy. We made two really nice plays that ended up winning us the game.”
It was one of the Terriers most successful weekends of the year, a nice breath of fresh air in which the team realized its potential against an inferior opponent.
You certainly can’t say the same about Providence, a team with a freshman defenseman, Jay O’Brien, who will be playing alongside Farabee on the Philadelphia Flyers one day.
The Friars have won three consecutive games against ranked opponents. 14th-ranked UMass Lowell was no match for them two weekends ago, as Providence swept the home-and-home series by a combined score of 7-1.
Last Saturday, the Friars hosted the hottest team on the East Coast, UMass Amherst. After falling behind the nation’s second-ranked team in the first period, Providence outscored the Minutemen 3-1 over the final two periods to garner its best win of season.
Senior forward Scott Conway scored the go-ahead goal for the victors in the third period, and he has produced plenty of tallies this year. The England native is tied for the team lead with 13 goals.
We are down to 1:25 left. Conway's 13th of the season from Thompson and Duhaime gives us a 3-2 lead late! UMass uses its timeout.#GoFriars pic.twitter.com/0Z9dnDY7uX
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) February 24, 2019
The other scorer on the team with 13 goals this year is junior forward Kasper Bjorkqvist, whose hometown of Espoo, Finland is shared by Kotkansalo. Bjorkqvist registered two goals in Providence’s 6-1 win over UMass Lowell on February 15.
Notes: No need to pull out your computer for this one. This game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Boston at 7 PM on Thursday…Do you think BU can win the season series against the Friars? Let us know below!
vinnie • Mar 1, 2019 at 6:29 am
Shhh, Frozen Out, you are ruining Kolin Drink the Koolaid’s fantasy. BU will not make the ncaa’s BUT Mr. Koolaid will maintain they make the Frozen Four
Frozen Out • Feb 28, 2019 at 2:53 pm
Colin,
Why let the facts destroy your fantasy world . The teams record is 13 -15 -3. I believe it finished last in the Beanpot and beat one ranked team the entire year. It could not even defeat the team up the street
who have a worst record than the Terriers!
I gave them credit for three straight wins against the sister of the poor.
If you do not believe the program is in total disarray so be it. There is a lot of individual talent that does not play well as a team.
See how fast the exodus is after the season ends. Wouldn’t be surprised to see four to six undergrads leave sooner than later.
Colin Doherty • Feb 28, 2019 at 1:11 pm
Of course Brady your coverage is great as well as everyone else who covers the team. I was just calling out the haters . The playoffs are around the corner and I decided to call out the negative posters who never have anything good to say. I can’t say enough good things about your coverage.
Glenn Staub • Feb 28, 2019 at 8:12 pm
Yes Brady, your coverage has been outstanding! You have brought this site back from ghost-site status to thriving status.
Brady Gardner • Feb 28, 2019 at 11:54 am
Woah there Colin! This piece by Liam and all of our works for that matter always attempt to stay on the optimistic side, like you. What is said in the comments cannot be controlled, but Paige, Liam and I always contribute to this site with a positive mind. I hope your feedback was intended towards the other followers of the blog, and not the staff and I that manage it.
Vinnie • Feb 28, 2019 at 9:24 am
Very convenient to ignore factual stats when they don’t line up with your opinion
Section9RowA • Feb 27, 2019 at 10:46 pm
I genuinely think everyone on this blog wants BU to succeed. They just approach it in different ways. The blog is a nice outlet for some when they need to blow off steam – lots of that this season. It’s also a place to bring a positive vibe which doesn’t hurt. Much like politics, the answer is somewhere in the middle. Jake is not the best goalie in hockey. He’s Colin’s favorite and he speaks of him like a son. Nothing wrong with that. Jake is very good and is great on his day. But his inconsistencies are an issue. And there’s nothing wrong with pointing that out. The team struggles to score goals, that is obvious. But it’s all about timing. When Jake is on fire, we don’t score. When we do score, he lets in a softy or plays a little too jumpy. A consistent goalie is what you’re looking for. I believe he’ll find it. I just think it won’t be until he’s playing more games a week at a higher level. The talent is there. The problem on the blog is the extremes. When Colin says the coaching staff is the greatest in the country and Jake is the best goalie in the country it sounds like Trump hyperbole (not a personal comparison – just making a point). It’s ok to have faith and feel that way but it’s also ok to point out that there isn’t enough evidence to support that claim. Either way, as always, winning brings people together. We haven’t had enough of that this season so the extremes are more pronounced.
Me? If I overestimated our talent, it’s on me to acknowledge reality and reasonably adjust my expectations but it’s still ok to be disappointed. It’s also ok to point out that our individual and team progression has been very slow or stagnant for many stretches of the season.
Albie deserves time to learn from his growing pains and put his stamp on the program from a recruiting and playing style standpoint. I just think most of us didn’t expect such a step back this season. We’re not the greatest and we’re not the worst. We’re in the middle. Let’s hope we’re closer to great next season.
Tom Brady ain’t walking through that door. We can catch lightning in a bottle and make a run to the Frozen Four but we probably have the same chance as me winning tonight’s Powerball. It would take us scoring significantly more than our season average and/or Jake standing in his head for 10 straight games (and his historic inconsistency makes that extremely unlikely to happen). Stranger things have happened (and that’s what Colin/Rui will promote – and it’s great to be positive. Healthier than being negative). But it’s also ok to be realistic. And be pleasantly surprised if the seemingly impossible comes true.
vinnie • Feb 27, 2019 at 8:01 pm
what playoffs are you talking about? certainly not the ncaa playoffs. the ones that really count. top 16 in the country. dream on.
Rui Estrela • Feb 27, 2019 at 7:26 pm
I have and will always call it when I see it Jake for sure is a top 10 goalie in NCAA… U can put any other goalie in his place while BU was going thru that real rough time the results would be the same …prove me wrong… Joe woll up the street is same top 10 .. Playoffs is a different game then we see what these other goalies are made of… Go BU playoffs almost here but some of u counted them out of the payoffs last month ..
vinnie • Feb 27, 2019 at 5:53 pm
and BTW, you never heard me say a negative word about the coach. all for giving him a chance
vinnie • Feb 27, 2019 at 5:49 pm
yes it is true, i have not been a fan of jake’s inconsistency the first two years. i wanted purpura to play more so we don’t go into next year completely raw at that position
“Jake is the best goalie in college hockey ” are you kidding me? look up USCHO college stat on goalies. Ott is ranked # 37. sorry, dude, that does not make him the best, but i am sure you and your sidekick rui will come up with some BS HOMER logic to say that even though that sats say he is #37, he is really the best because i love my team no matter what blah blah blah. snore!
vinnie • Feb 27, 2019 at 3:12 pm
it is the age old argument on this blog. some associate criticism with TRASHING. i don’t, so there you have it. they play well, i always acknowledge, but if they don’t, then i point it out. nothing wrong with that. last year i pointed how ottenger was extremely inconsistent. this year he has been great. THAT IS NOT TRASHING.i assume and hope the coaches are doing the same honest self-critiquing. if not, expect more sub par 500 seasons
Colin Doherty • Feb 27, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Liam both you and Brady have done a great job with this blog all year. I know I enjoy going on here and writing about my team. Bu Hockey means so much to me and I love battling the folks that come on here trying to trash it. For example the backhanded compliment frozen out just gave in the above comments. I know he will deny this but I believe it to be true he is about as big a bu fan as I am a Yankees fan. He positions himself in ways that if the team wins he’s a fan and they did it right if they loose then it’s because of the inept AD or coach or even the former coach .Also his mo is players don’t care. He throws out that he was a team manager as if that makes him a hockey god. Don’t get me wrong I’m 43 years old and would sell my right leg to be a manager for this great program. He consistently throws politics into the equation under the guise of loyalty yet to me it just shows his lack of interest in the success of this program. I’m not cryptic in my posts I am what I am a die hard bu fan who will travel far and wide to watch the team I have loved since I was a boy. I will challenge anyone who knocks this great program and the men and women who serve in it. As staff or players I have never met anyone involved in bu hockey who I have not liked or admired. Frozen out you always knock the friends lounge I can tell you this the folks running it now are fantastic I think the best thing they probably did was boot your negative ass out. Every time you speak and your followers chime in I want to puke. I’m done buying the notion your a bu fan with a differing view that’s a bunch of garbage your so full of it . There is a lot to process here for you but the days of debate are over I’m calling like I see it. I’m looking forward to your counter attack but remember one thing win or loose as small a part as I am to this program I’m still a part your just a guy with a few followers who don’t have a team so there is nothing you can say to effect me and my love for this team. Go terriers
Frozen Out • Feb 27, 2019 at 1:13 pm
Vinnie,
I agree with your assessment. I will give credit to the team on the current three game winning streak. However I have to be honest beating two non playoffs teams is a lot different then defeating Providence. I know they beat them once in Providence which is probably, to date, the highlight of the year. The probability of it happening again , possible but not likely.
vinnie • Feb 27, 2019 at 11:25 am
i know it is hard to win on the road in HE so hats off to the sweep, but it was still vermont which won’t qualify for the playoffs. and i know they beat PC down there earlier in the season. that said, their chances of beating them are slim to none