BOSTON - The Boston University men's ice hockey team ended a three-game homestand on Tuesday evening with a 4-0 loss to Sacred Heart at Agganis Arena.
The Terriers put up 19 shots in the opening period, during which they had two power plays where they kept the puck in the Pioneer zone nearly the entire time, but could not convert.
The visitors got a power-play tally midway through the first and that was all the scoring they would need as Josh Benson turned in a 36-save shutout for the Pioneers.
BU moves to 4-5-5 on the year while Sacred Heart improves to 8-6-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After BU came up empty on an early man-up chance, Sacred Heart's Austin McIlmurray opened the scoring with his eighth power-play goal of the season, tying BU's David Farrance for the nation lead.
- Benson was strong in the opening period, turning aside all 19 shots, including six on the power play, to allow the visitors to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
- Neither team threatened in the second period outside of a power play on each end.
- The Pioneers broke open the game with two goals just over a minute apart with the teams skating 4-on-4 following matching minors.
- Jason Cotton corralled a puck off the half wall before converting from the right circle to double the lead at 9:40.
- Moments later, the Pioneers kept the puck from leaving the zone along the right boards before getting the puck to Ryan Steele in the high slot, where he beat BU netminder Sam Tucker at the 10:50 mark.
- A power-play goal in the closing seconds by Vito Bavaro created the 4-0 final.
GAME NOTES
- Each team finished with 36 shots in the game as Tucker recorded 32 saves for the Terriers.
- This was the first time this season that the Terriers were shut out.
- Sacred Heart went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed off all three of BU's chances with the extra man.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers head to New York City for the seventh edition of Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden.
- BU takes on second-ranked and undefeated Cornell (8-0-0) at 8 p.m.
