BOSTON - The Terriers garnered goals from four different players, but the No. 13 Boston University men's ice hockey team fell to Northeastern, 5-4, in the third and decisive game of their Hockey East quarterfinal series at Agganis Arena on Sunday night. With the loss, BU dropped to 19-12-8.
The game was the fifth meeting between the crosstown rivals in the last 10 days and the Huskies' win snapped BU's league record of nine straight trips to the Hockey East semifinals. Northeastern will meet top-seeded Boston College in Friday's first semifinal at TD Garden.
Sophomore Alex Chiasson, classmate Wade Megan and freshman Matt Nieto scored power-play goals, while sophomore Justin Courtnall also tallied for the Terriers. Juniors Chris Connolly and Corey Trivino contributed two assists each.
The Huskies were paced by freshman Brodie Reid, who tallied a game-high three points on two goals and an assist. Seniors Wade MacLeod and Steve Silva each tallied a goal and an assist with MacLeod's empty netter 2:14 remaining being the eventual game-winner. Freshman Cody Ferriero opened the scoring midway through the first and classmates Braden Pimm and Rob Dongara each registered two assist.
Northeastern (14-15-8) took a 2-0 first-period lead before Nieto halved the advantage later in the frame. After a scoreless second stanza, BU and Northeastern combined for six markers in the third period. The Huskies skated to a 5-2 lead with 2:14 left in the game before Courtnall and Megan scored goals in the final 1:22 to account for the 5-4 final.
The Terriers were 3-for-6 on the power play, while Northeastern was 2-for-6 with the player advantage. BU outshot the Huskies by a 35-32 margin. Junior Kieran Millan made 27 saves in the contest, while Huskies netminder Chris Rawlings turned aside 31 shots.
Ferriero's goal came on the power play with 9:30 elasped in the opening stanza, allowing Norhteastern to score first for the third straight game. Reid doubled the lead just over two minutes later on a wrister as he skated through the top of the slot.
Nieto cut BU's deficit in half before the first intermission when he redirected an offering by freshman Adam Clendening past Rawlings above the right post on a man advantage for the Terriers.
After a second period saw neither team find the back of the goal, the visitors regained a two-goal edge at 6:48 of the third when from the top the crease Silva redirected a shot by Reid over Millan and to the back of the net.
The Terriers did not back down, however, as Chiasson scored his 14th goal of the year on a backhand off a loose puck at 9:49 with his team skating on the power play to make it a 3-2 affair.
Reid capped his big night with 5:21 to play when he gave NU yet another two-goal cushion and then with Millan pulled in favor of an extra attacker, MacLeod potted a goal to create a 5-2 advantage for the Huskies.
A late surge saw Courtnall score at 18:38 before Megan tapped in a power-play goal with an extra skater just over a minute later, but it was too little, too late, and the Terriers saw their semifinal streak come to an end.
Despite the loss, the Terriers have a slight chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. There are a handful of scenarios take could take place in the remaining conference tournament games that would allow BU to claim a spot in the national bracket.