BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Perched on the bench after scoring a game-tying goal with five minutes remaining, Boston University men’s hockey co-captain Ryan Greene addressed his teammates with a declaration.
“Boys,” he said. “We’re not gonna let this go to overtime.”
That had been the sentiment on the bench all third period and even during the second intermission, when the Terriers were reeling, down 3-1 to Notre Dame in the Friendship Four Final at SSE Arena in Belfast.
The belief grew when sophomore defenseman Gavin McCarthy made it 3-2 with a wrister at 7:00 of the third. It multiplied when the Terriers killed a penalty, then strung together a series of dominant shifts in the moments after pressing for an equalizer.
By the time Greene tied it off a slick feed from co-captain Shane Lachance, then made his declaration, head coach Jay Pandolfo could feel it, too.
“They knew,” Pandolfo said postgame. “I’m telling you.”
It took just 20 more seconds for that faith to pay off. Lachance won the puck behind the net and jammed home the go-ahead goal from the netfront, delivering the No. 13 Terriers (8-5-1, 4-2-1 Hockey East) the Belpot Trophy with a 4-3 win over the Fighting Irish (6-10-0, 1-7-1 B1G) Saturday.
“You could just tell,” Pandolfo said. “You could feel it on the bench.”
Fittingly, it was the Terriers’ captains who came through — just as they did in the tie and shootout win at Maine on Nov. 16, when Lachance scored the tying goal and Greene netted the shootout winner.
Lachance, Greene and junior assistant captain Quinn Hutson had played together on the top line through the first weeks of the season, but Pandolfo split the trio up after a shaky mid-semester stretch. All three skaters started Saturday’s game on different lines, but Pandolfo reunited them in the third period. That move paid off.
“Can’t say enough about our leadership tonight,” Pandolfo said. “They weren’t going to be denied.”
On the tying goal, Hutson won the puck below the goal line and fed it to the corner, where Lachance snapped a cross-ice pass to a cutting Greene at the top of the crease.
All three were battling below the goal line on the winning goal, too, which resulted in Lachance’s individual effort to curl around the side of the net and chop it home.
BU started the game strong, peppering Notre Dame goalie Owen Say with the game’s first six shots. The momentum continued even after grad student defenseman Brehdan Engum took a cross-checking minor at 7:32 of the first.
Sophomore Kamil Bednarik — who was impressive all tournament — took the puck from end to end, toe-dragging past a defender and deking to his backhand for a slick finish.
“Not a bad first goal,” Pandolfo quipped. “He’s playing excellent. He’s such a good two-way player. He’s very reliable. I have a lot of trust in him as a player.”
And the strong start was another positive sign for the Terriers, especially since BU also played well to begin Friday’s semifinal with Merrimack. Before this weekend, the Terriers’ had consistently struggled early in games, something Pandolfo often pinned on his team’s leadership. This weekend, the veterans flipped the script.
“Again, it’s a credit to our leadership,” Pandolfo said. “They know. They know we have to start games a certain way, and we’ve done that the last couple games and we’ve got to continue to do it.”
But the Fighting Irish snatched the momentum and the lead in a 15-second span on goals from seniors Hunter Strand and Justin Janicke — plays Pandolfo called “mental lapses” for BU.
Then, Notre Dame took a 3-1 lead on a tally from grad student forward Blake Biondi at 4:01 of the second.
The Fighting Irish had dominated puck possession and Grade-A chances from there, forcing senior netminder Mathieu Caron (28 saves) to make some key stops to keep BU within reach. He came through despite some nervy moments, setting up the dramatics in the third.
Postgame, Greene said the team did not approach the game differently than any other, but with a trophy on the line, this matchup had extra significance nonetheless.
“This was our first opportunity,” Pandolfo said. “To find a way to win a trophy, it’s important for our group.”
It wouldn’t have happened without Greene and Lachance willing the Terriers’ late rally — through their words on the bench and actions on the ice.
“Proud of this group,” Greene said in the locker room postgame after accepting the postgame ‘Player of the Game’ banana, which replaced the usual sledgehammer on this trip across the pond.
“I love you guys.”
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