AMHERST, Mass. - Junior Case McCarthy scored with 1:31 remaining in overtime to lift the Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 4-3 victory at No. 8/9 UMass on Saturday night at Mullins Center.
BU (4-7-1, 3-4-1 HE) trailed UMass (6-3-1, 4-1-1 HE) early in the third period, but freshman Ty Gallagher tied the game to force overtime before McCarthy rocketed a pass from junior Domenick Fensore into the back of the net to extend the Terriers' unbeaten streak against the Minutemen to 3-0-1.
Juniors Jay O'Brien and Wilmer Skoog both found the back of the net, with O'Brien assisting on Skoog's strike. Fensore and junior Robert Mastrosimone chipped in two assists each while sophomore Dylan Peterson completed a three-point weekend with the primary assist on Gallagher's goal.
Sophomore Drew Commesso made 20 saves, including two sensational stops in overtime to set up McCarthy's heroics.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- BU dominated the opening 20 minutes and was rewarded with a goal at the 18:01 mark. Fensore gathered the puck in his own end and raced through the neutral zone. After he gained the blue line, he dropped the puck for O'Brien, who fired home his first goal of the campaign.
- The Terriers extended their lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal at 9:49 of the second stanza. Matt Murray (25 saves) blocked aside Mastrosimone's attempt, but O'Brien collected the rebound, turned towards the left circle and uncorked a writer that Skoog redirected at the right post for his fifth goal of the season.
- UMass closed the period with a pair of goals to even the score at 2-2 entering the final frame, and then scored a shorthanded breakaway goal at 5:14 of the third to take a 3-2 lead.
- Gallagher answered just 1:18 later. A Peterson wrist shot bounced off the end wall and back in front of the net, where Gallagher was able to get to the puck and jam it home for his second goal of the year.
- Commesso made back-to-back stops on the doorstep in overtime to keep the game tied.
- Fensore set up the winner when he forced a turnover along the left half-wall, skated around the net and found McCarthy alone in the slot for a one-timer that whistled past Murray.
GAME NOTES
- McCarthy has scored in four of his last five games, including both tilts against UMass this weekend.
- This was Mastrosimone's second two-assist game; he also had two helpers against Merrimack on Feb. 27, 2021.
- Fensore now has two multi-point games this season; he notched two helpers against Sacred Heart on Oct. 16.
- O'Brien tallied one goal and two assists this weekend in his first action since the season-opening games against UConn.
- Peterson factored on both of the Terriers' tying goals this weekend. He scored the second goal in Friday's 2-2 tie before assisting on Gallagher's marker that made it 3-3 on Saturday night.
UP NEXT
- BU will begin a home-and-home series with Northeastern on Friday, Nov. 19, at Agganis Arena.
- Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30.
