By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
AMHERST — The Boston University men’s hockey team could hardly be called road warriors this season. After all, it entered Friday night’s contest with the University of Massachusetts 0-5 on the road, being outscored 8-22 in the process.
It has been 10 months and 23 days since BU’s last win on the road— a drought that will last at least a little longer. The Terriers let a lead slip away in the final minute before finishing in a 3-3 tie Friday night at the Mullins Center.
“Very disappointing way for the thing to end,” said BU coach David Quinn. “I thought our kids played hard. I thought we did a lot of good things, but disappointing to lose in the fashion — or tie in the fashion we did”
BU (8-14-3, 3-8-2 Hockey East) placed a heavy load on sophomore goaltender Matt O’Connor’s shoulders in the game, and he responded by making 46 saves. It is the most saves by a BU goalie since O’Connor made 55 saves against the University of North Dakota on Nov. 23, 2013.
Junior center Cason Hohmann got the scoring started for BU, as he whacked home a pass from freshman linemate Nick Roberto as a power play expired in the first period. Freshman defenseman Dalton MacAfee was credited with a secondary assist after finding Roberto open in close to the goal.
O’Connor made a few brilliant saves on an ensuing power play for UMass (7-16-4, 3-8-3 Hockey East), but senior Branden Gracel finally put one away to tie the game at one with less than a minute remaining in the first period. It was Gracel’s 11th goal of the season, and it was the only time UMass capitalized on its seven power plays in the game.
Hohmann was again part of the scoring when BU took another lead in the second period, as he assisted on sophomore defenseman Ahti Oksanen’s fifth goal of the season. Hohmann skated the puck in on a two-on-two rush before dropping the puck back to a trailing Oksanen. The Finn stepped into a rocket of a slap shot and sniped the top corner, scoring just his sixth five-on-five point of the season.
“I see him shoot the puck hard a lot,” Quinn said. “Roberto won’t get an assist on that play but boy did he go to the net… I mean he really created space on that initial rush and Hohmann never stopped moving his feet.”
BU expanded on its lead in the third period when sophomore forward Mike Moran ripped a shot over UMass goalie Steve Mastalerz for his fourth goal of the season. Freshmen forwards Brendan Collier and Kevin Duane each assisted on the goal.
The lead was almost expanded to a three-goal gap when junior forward Evan Rodrigues put the puck past Mastalerz on a breakaway opportunity before colliding with him and knocking the net off its pegs. The goal was waved off though, and Quinn was not offered an explanation as to why it was not a goal.
[Referees Jack Millea and b] never came over and told me,” Quinn said. “First time that’s ever happened. So — just disappointed. Everybody in the world, everybody in the building thought it was a goal.”
Soon after the no-goal call, senior Conor Sheary put one more on the board for UMass on a blast from the point, pulling the Minutemen within one. Quinn was upset with the officiating on this goal as well, as he saw Oksanen’s stick slashed out of his hands right before the goal was scored.
“I don’t know how… how a penalty isn’t called on the second goal,” Quinn said. “ I don’t know how many guys saw it — Oksanen’s at the net front, shot taken, he goes to play the puck, stick slashed out of his hands on the ice, goes right through their guy on the goal. Disappointing because I thought our guys deserved a better fate.”
UMass peppered O’Connor with shots in the final ten minutes before freshman Ray Pigozzi tied the game with only 50 seconds remaining in the game. Pigozzi was in front and tipped a shot from the point by forward Adam Phillips past O’Connor to send the game to overtime.
It was the first time BU had been to overtime since its 1-1 tie with Merrimack College on Dec. 7, 2013. Neither team put much offense together in the final five minutes, however, and BU earned its third tie of the season.
The Terriers now head into the first round of the Beanpot against No. 2 Boston College having only totaled four points in their last 11 games. However, BU has typically been a better Friday night team, and Quinn said the weekend break should help his team heading into Monday’s contest.
“I think without question not going back-to-back for us is going to help,” Quinn said. “If we get goaltending the way we did tonight I like give ourselves a chance. You never know what could happen especially in the Beanpot.”
I heard the stat on TV and now am reading it here, but it is wrong. The Terriers HAVE WON A GAME ON THE ROAD. They won at MSG, right before this nightmare part of the season began, against Cornell.
Now, they haven’t won in conference, which means they started the night 0-5-0 in Hockey East, but they were 1-8-0 overall.
Not that there’s consolation in it, but it is true. They have won on the road. A long, long, time ago.
Perhaps another neutral site will be the answer to these road blues. Perhaps the TD Garden?
Actually, the Cornell games counts as a neutral site not as a road game
I don’t know how anyone can think there is anything to build on from the tie with UMass. Any team that allows the oppostion to take 49 shots cannot have played well. I’m happy at getting the tie, but I have been waiting for next year since the beginning of the season.
I see your point Scott, though I still say that since it was roughly 200 miles from home, it was on the road. Still, that would make the road record 0-8-1, or 0-7-1 if you take away the Fenway game (I believe a home game for Maine, though practically on the campus of BU)