BOSTON, Mass. - Thanks to a four-goal flurry in the second period, the No. 4 Boston University men's ice hockey team earned a 5-2 victory over Northeastern on Senior Night at Agganis Arena on Friday evening. The Terriers improve to 21-11-1 overall and 17-8-1 in Hockey East play.
Northeastern (12-16-5, 8-14-4 HEA) scored just 38 seconds into the game, but BU responded in the second period with four goals to take a lead in would not relinquish.
Junior Wade Megan and sophomores Matt Nieto and Garrett Noonan each recorded a goal and an assist in the game while junior Ryan Santana and senior Chris Connolly both found the back of the net.
Making his final regular-season start at home, senior Kieran Millan made 25 saves to help the Terriers remain in the hunt for Hockey East regular-season crown.
BU trails first-place Boston College by two points with one game left and would share the regular-season title with a win at Northeastern and a Vermont victory over BC on Saturday.
Faced with a 1-0 deficit following the early tally by NU junior Garrett Vermeersch, BU evened up the game and took the lead within a 19-second span in the second period.
Nieto scored at 5:30 of the middle stanza when his power-play shot from the left circle deflected off a Northeastern stick and in. Moments later, Megan took a feed from senior Ryan Ruikka and skated in from the left side and beat Husky goaltender Chris Rawlings with a nifty shot to the far side.
The Terriers made it three goals in a span of 3:02 when Noonan successfully converted a give-and-go with Megan on a play in transition at 8:32 of the second. Millan earned his first career assist on the play, as his save kickstarted the rush.
BU capped its four-goal frame when Santana redirected an offering from junior Ross Gaudet past Rawlings with 2:44 left in the period.
Northeastern made it a 4-2 affair at 7:22 of the third when freshman Ludwig Karlsson wristed a shot high glove-side on Millan with the visitors skating with a 5-on-3 advantage.
Sophomore Clay Witt took over for Rawlings in the third and was pulled in favor of an extra attacker with over five minutes left in regulation, as it became apparent that the Huskies needed a win to keep their hopes alive of earning a spot in the league playoffs.
Connolly created the 5-2 final when he scored on the empty net with 4:18 left in regulation.
Each team recorded 27 shots on goal with Rawlings making 16 saves and Witt adding six. BU went 1-for-6 on the power play while the Huskies scored on one of their five chances with the man advantage.
The two teams will wrap up the regular season on Saturday (March 3) at Matthews Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m.