BOSTON, Mass. - Eighth-seeded Maine stunned the top-ranked Boston University men's ice hockey team with a 6-3 win in Game 2 of their Hockey East quarterfinal series on Saturday evening at Agganis Arena. Freshman Gustav Nyquist scored twice for the Black Bears to even the series and force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday (March 15) at 7 p.m.
The Terriers had their nation-best unbeaten streak snapped at 17 games (14-0-3) and fall to 28-6-4 on the season. Maine improves to 13-21-4 with the victory.
A shorthanded goal by senior John McCarthy gave BU a 3-1 lead just 11:41 into the game, but the Black Bears scored two goals within the next minute of play to tie the game and start a run of five unanswered goals to close the contest.
Maine's final three goals came on the power play, as it went 4-of-7 on the night with the man advantage. BU's power play came up empty on five chances.
Freshman goaltender Scott Darling stopped the final 23 shots he faced as part of a 29-save performance for the Black Bears. Fellow freshman Kieran Millan made 20 saves for the Terriers, but gave up more than three goals for the first time since Nov. 22.
A wild first period provided three goals for each team, beginning with a Maine goal by senior Chris Hahn just 42 seconds after the opening faceoff on a Terrier turnover just outside the BU goal.
BU, however, responded with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 advantage less than six minutes into the game. Senior Brandon Yip scored his 17th goal of the season at 3:40 before a redirected puck made its way to junior Luke Popko, who converted from the low slot at 5:23.
After serving a double minor along with Maine's Simon Danis-Pepin, McCarthy sprung out of the penalty box and took a pass from senior Jason Lawrence to set up a breakaway with only Darling to beat. McCarthy converted to become the ninth different Terrier to score a shorthanded goal and give the home team a 3-1 lead. Nyquist scored his first goal of the night just 26 seconds after McCarthy's tally, as he collected a rebound at the foot of the right circle and beat Millan with a backhand on a power play at the 12:07 mark of the first.
Maine made it a 3-3 contest only 31 ticks later on a play in transition. Danis-Pepin, who had two assists on the night, sent the puck up the ice to junior Kevin Swallow, who quickly found sophomore Keif Orsini in the slot. Orsini's shot was initially stopped by Millan, but the puck trickled behind him and snuck inside the right post.
The Black Bears capped their comeback with three consecutive power-play goals, including the only tally of the second period, as freshman Spencer Abbott scored the eventual game-winner at 12:38 of the middle stanza.
The Terriers came into the third looking to tie the game, but instead allowed two more goals while killing penalties. Nyquist found the back of the net at 6:16 and sophomore Robby Dee put the game out of reach with a tally at the 11:04 mark.