BOSTON, Mass. - The Boston University men's ice hockey team had its unbeaten streak come to an end at five games on Saturday evening as No. 7/6 Quinnipiac scored with 2.5 seconds left in regulation to escape Agganis Arena with a 4-3 win.
BU erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 before giving up the late game-winner to fall to 8-9-3 on the year. The Bobcats improved to 17-5-1.
Sophomore Ty Amonte recorded a shorthanded goal and an assist for the Terriers, who also got goals from junior Patrick Curry and sophomore Shane Bowers. Quinnipiac's Brandon Fortunato tallied two goals, including the winner, and added a helper.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bobcats dominated play in the early stages and built a 2-0 lead.
- Desi Burghart backhanded a shot past BU netminder Jake Oettinger short side from the bottom of the right circle just 3:34 into the game.
- A seeing-eye wrister from the left point by Brandon Fortunato double the visitors' lead at 12:37 of the first.
- BU was able to draw even before the first intermission, however, on goals from Curry and Amonte.
- Seconds after one of its power plays expired, BU got on the board when Amonte, from the left corner, sent the puck towards the net, where it went off Curry and in at the right with 5:13 left in the opening period.
- Skating with a man advantage, Quinnipiac coughed up the puck at the top of its zone and graduate student Max Willman jumped on the loose puck before finding Amonte, who scored from the inside of the left circle at 18:07 for his first shorthanded goal as a Terrier.
- The Bobcats regained the lead at 6:22 of the third off a rush when Daniel Winslow redirected the puck off Oettinger and in at foot of the right circle following a pass Chase Priskie.
- BU's second equalizer of the evening came just 1:13 later as senior Ryan Cloonan skated along the left side before creating space for Bowers, who took a pass and fired it home for his eighth goal of the year.
- Quinnipiac had a chance to go ahead once again when Joe O'Connor earned a penalty shot on a breakaway off a hooking call on BU's Chad Krys but Oettinger saved O'Connor's attempt and the game remained tied.
- The Terriers had a faceoff in their offensive end with 22.5 seconds left in regulation but could not possess the puck and the Bobcats went down the other end to score the decisive goal.
- A shot by Wyatt Bongiovanni was tipped by Oettinger but the puck went underneath him towards the far post, where it went off Ethan De Jong's skate. Fortunato pounced on the loose puck at the post and pushed it in to send the visitors home with a victory.
GAME NOTES
- Quinnipiac held a 44-34 shot advantage and got a 31-save performance by Andrew Shortridge.
- Oettinger made 40 saves in goal for BU.
- This was BU's first-ever loss to the Bobcats after winning the first three meetings.
- Junior co-captain Dante Fabbro registered a game-best five blocked shots.
- The Terriers are now tied with RIT for the most shorthanded goals this season with six.
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Six different Terriers have scored a shorthanded goal, the most since seven in the 2011-12 campaign.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will continue their homestand on Monday (Jan. 21) when they host Merrimack.
- The game, which will be televised on NESN and TSN, will begin at 4 p.m.
