PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Boston University scored three times in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit and defeated the Providence College men's hockey team, 5-2, Thursday night in a Hockey East game at Schneider Arena. The win marked the first for the Terriers this season as they improved to 1-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 in the league. The Friars fell to 1-5-1 overall and 1-2-1 in Hockey East.
The Friars took a 1-0 lead at 7:46 of the first period, scoring their first short-handed goal of the season. Sophomore John Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) carried the puck down the left wing before slipping a pass in the slot to junior Matt Taormina (Washington Township, Mich.) who re-directed the puck into the empty net. Sophomore Greg Collins (Hingham, Mass.) also assisted on the goal, which was Taormina's third of the season.
The Terriers took the lead in the second period as they scored three times. BU kept the puck in the PC zone for nearly a minute, before the Friars cleared it puck down the ice and headed for a line change. However, BU goalie Brett Bennett quickly controlled the puck and played a long pass to Kevin Shattenkirk at the PC blue line. Shattenkirk found himself in a 4-on-1 rush as he kept the puck and fired it past PC netminder Chris Mannix (Hubbardston, Mass.) for his first goal of the season at 5:16. Eric Gryba gave BU the lead for good at 12:49 when his shot from just inside the blue line deflected of the stick of a PC player and into the net. Ryan Weston added the third goal of the period with 37 seconds remaining as the Terriers added to their lead.
The Friars cut the lead to 3-2 at 16:14 of the third period as they scored their second short-handed goal of the night. Senior captain Jon Rheault (Deering, N.H.) stole the puck at center ice and skated in on a breakaway before lifting the puck past Bennett. It marked the second goal of the season for Rheault. While on the same power play, the Terriers regained their two-goal edge when Peter MacArthur tallied his first goal of the season at 17:12. Chris Higgins added an empty-net goal to seal the win.
Mannix finished with 29 saves, while Bennett stopped 20 shots.