BOSTON - The No. 4/5 Boston University men's ice hockey team scored four unanswered goals in the third period to erase a 2-1 deficit and defeat Merrimack, 5-2, on Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
In completing the weekend sweep of Merrimack (6-8-1, 2-6-1 HE), BU (11-4-1, 7-1-1 HE) won its sixth straight league game and enters the semester break atop the Hockey East standings. Sophomore Quinn Hutson scored just 23 seconds into the contest to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead, but two Warrior goals seven minutes apart gave Merrimack a 2-1 edge after the first period. Following a scoreless second stanza, sophomore Jeremy Wilmer and senior Nick Zabaneh each tallied unassisted goals early in the third to regain the lead. Freshman Tom Willander added an insurance goal with 3:30 remaining before graduate student Sam Stevens secured an empty-netter with two seconds to play.
Freshman Macklin Celebrini tallied two assists while senior Luke Tuch, sophomore Lane Hutson and graduate student Case McCarthy each collected one assist. Junior Mathieu Caron made 23 saves to preserve the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Quinn Hutson gave BU a dream start just 23 seconds into the proceedings. Celebrini gained the blue line and dished the puck to Tuch, whose shot went wide. The rebound caromed off the end-wall and right to Hutson at the right post, and the sophomore cashed in for his eighth goal of the season.
- Ethan Bono tied the score at 7:46 before Alex Jefferies converted on a 5-on-3 power play to give Merrimack its first lead of the weekend.
- BU outshot Merrimack, 14-3, in the second stanza but was unable to beat Zachary Borgiel (33 saves).
- The Terriers finally found an equalizer 2:13 into the third when Wilmer picked off a pass in the defensive zone and raced in alone on Borgiel, getting him to drop low before lifting a backhander under the crossbar for his second goal of the season.
- Zabaneh's winner at 7:27 came thanks to a terrific individual effort on the penalty kill. He broke up a potential one-timer and then won a race to the puck in the neutral zone. A Merrimack defender was able to get back, but Zabaneh had all the momentum as the defender lost his balance, which allowed the speedy forward to get off a terrific shot that zipped into the top right corner.
- Willander pushed the Terriers' advantage to 4-2 when he gathered the puck behind his own net and skated into the neutral zone as his teammates went off for a line change. Willander gained speed into the offensive zone and dished it to Zabaneh on the left wing. Borgiel stopped Zabaneh's initial shot, but Willander never stopped skating and knocked home the rebound at the left post for his third goal of the campaign.
- Borgiel went to the bench for an extra attacker with 2:41 remaining in regulation, but graduate student Cade Webber blocked four shots and Caron made two clutch saves as part of a staunch defensive effort to keep the Warriors from getting back within one.
- Stevens closed the scoring with a last-second empty-netter thanks to assists from Celebrini and McCarthy.
GAME NOTES
- This is the second straight season that BU has won 11 games before the semester break.
- Zabaneh's shorthanded goal was the Terriers' first since Sam Stevens' tallied a shorthanded empty-netter against Air Force on Jan. 6, 2023.
- He became the 16th different Terrier to light the lamp this season.
- Celebrini leads Hockey East and is third in the nation with 25 points (10g, 15a) after recording his ninth multi-point game of the season on Saturday.
- Lane Hutson ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 20 points (8g, 12a) while Quinn Hutson (8g, 8a) and sophomore Ryan Greene (6g, 10a) are tied for seventh in the league with 16 points apiece.
- Webber is tied for first in the country with 42 blocked shots.
- Caron has allowed just one even-strength goal in each of his last three starts.
UP NEXT
BU will be off until Friday, Dec. 29 when the Terriers trek to Yale for their final non-conference game until the Beanpot.
