BOSTON — Jay Pandolfo had never lost back-to-back home games as the head coach of the Boston University men’s hockey team — until Saturday night.
The University of Michigan’s 5-4 overtime win over the No. 5 Terriers (4-3-0) Saturday night also marked the first time in 1,114 days that BU has lost consecutive games at Agganis Arena.
Michigan junior forward Jackson Hallum made sure the No. 11 Wolverines (5-2-1) left the Northeast with the sweep. The Terrier faithful left disappointed after Hallum netted the overtime winner, his third goal of the game.
“He’s had a long road to get to this spot,” Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato said of Hallum. “He deserves it.”
The Terriers, in need of another response after Friday’s third-period collapse, came out of the gates with a point to prove. The game’s first 10 minutes were back and forth. Both teams played with speed, but it was the visitors who got on the board first.
After senior goaltender Mathieu Caron made the initial save on a shot by sophomore forward Nick Moldenhauer, sophomore forward Evan Werner continued his productive weekend by burying the rebound at 11:43 to give Michigan a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore co-captain Shane Lachance knotted the game at 1-1 with a wrister off an offensive zone faceoff. The forward’s second goal of the season careened off the left post at 14:36 to give the Terriers a much-needed response.
“I thought both those guys were good tonight,” Pandolfo said of Lachance and junior alternate captain Devin Kaplan. “Those two guys have a lot of pride.”
BU took its first lead of the night at 19:54 of the first period, courtesy of senior forward Matt Copponi’s first goal as a Terrier.
He met a loose puck in the offensive zone with a full head of steam. After using a nifty toe drag to evade graduate defender Jacob Truscott, Copponi beat freshman goaltender Cameron Korpi with his backhand.
“That was his best game,” Pandolfo said of Copponi. “He was all over the ice, creating chances. He was very good for us tonight.”
Opening periods haven’t been kind to the Terriers thus far this season, but tonight’s first 20 minutes were a breath of fresh air. BU held a 15-5 advantage in shots on goal after one.
“We were good tonight in the first period,” Pandolfo said. “[Michigan] got a nice bounce on that first goal, but it didn’t affect our group on the bench.”
The good times didn’t last, however, as the Wolverines equalized 24 seconds into the second frame. Junior forward T.J. Hughes found Hallum in front of the net from behind the crease, who beat Caron to knot the game at 2-2.
For the first time this season, BU failed to score a power play goal. It was a rough night for the Terriers on the man advantage. When Michigan senior forward Mark Estapa was called for a trip at 1:04 of the second period, the Terriers failed to record a shot.
The Terriers regained the lead at 4:47 when Quinn Hutson forced a defensive zone turnover and Alex Zetterberg collected the puck in the slot. The Swedish forward went through his own legs to corral the puck and flung one past Korpi to give BU a 3-2 lead.
After surrendering the lead for a second time, the Wolverines buckled down and closed out the middle frame strong, sustaining extended periods of possession in the offensive zone. However, the home team remained in front after 40 minutes.
“I thought we were okay in the first half of the game,” Naurato said. “And then we found our game with a little bit of urgency and desperation.”
Michigan picked up right where they left off to start the third period: on the attack in search of the game-tying goal.
It came at 10:12. Junior forward Kienan Draper rifled the puck through traffic from the slot, beating Caron. BU’s netminder didn’t see the shot coming, never leaving his feet.
Unfazed, the Terriers punched right back at 11:48 of the third, as sophomore defenseman Tom Willander found Kaplan across the crease from below the faceoff dot. Kaplan controlled the pass and fired the puck into a wide-open net to give BU a 4-3 lead.
“It was a good response,” Pandolfo said of his leadership group, Kaplan included, after an uninspiring effort on Friday. “If you ask them, they’d tell you they weren’t at their best last night.”
Sophomore defenseman Gavin McCarthy was called for boarding at 12:29. On its first power play of the game, Michigan once again found the equalizer — this time 11 seconds into the man advantage. Hallum found himself all alone in the slot, and found the back of the net to even the score at 4-4.
It’s the second game in a row where BU squandered a third-period lead. It’s cause for concern, said Pandolfo.
“It’s finding ways to do little things that make a difference to win hockey games,” Pandolfo said of his team’s third-period struggles. “If a team’s down in the third, they’re always going to push, especially by one goal. You’ve got to find a way to withstand that push.”
Both sides failed to find the game-winner in regulation. After a contentious first two minutes of overtime, sophomore forward Garrett Schifsky found Hallum, who buried the dagger at 3:13 to notch a hat trick.
The loss stings, but Pandolfo was pleased to see his team up their effort after Friday night’s implosion.
“It was a step in the right direction,” he said.
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