Three Takeaways from Friday’s BU win over Vermont

The Terriers survived a trip to Vermont with a 4-2 win on Friday night, and here are my three takeaways from the game. All opinions are my own.

Special teams made the difference

I’m basically quoting Albie O’Connell with this takeaway, but he was exactly right. The Terriers killed a trio of third-period penalties, including 1:31 of four-on-three time, and when a Catamount went to the box, BU took the upper hand with a well-worked power play that Trevor Zegras finished off with his eighth goal of the season. It wasn’t a pretty final 20 minutes, but BU weathered the storm and found a late winner.

BU almost fell into the trap – again

If I’m going to highlight the good at the end of the game, I have to highlight the bad at the start of the game. The Terriers let UVM jump out to an early lead thanks to Derek Lodermeier’s breakaway chance, and it could’ve easily been 2-0 or 3-0 UVM after 20 minutes. BU has had a habit of playing down to poor opponents, especially with big games ahead, and through one period it looked like the trend was going to continue.

Abel outdueled the veteran Lekkas

Ashton Abel took the crease on Friday night with four career appearances, while Stefanos Lekkas skated to the opposite end with 122. The experience gap proved irrelevant, though, as Abel stood tall after conceding a breakaway and a shot through traffic, and Lekkas let two iffy shots squeak by in McCarthy’s bad-angle wrister and Zegras’s near-post shot that never left the ice. Once again, Ashton Abel met the challenge, and looks to be the clear starter for the Beanpot semifinals on Monday.