BURLINGTON, Vt. - Five different Terriers found the back of the net as the No. 1 Boston University men's ice hockey team defeated Vermont, 5-2, on Saturday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
BU (16-4-1, 11-1-1 HE) completed a weekend sweep of Vermont (10-11-1, 4-7-1 HE) by outscoring the Catamounts, 10-3, over the two games. The Terriers have now won seven straight games and have not trailed over the last 319:05 of play dating back to Dec. 2.
Sophomore Devin Kaplan tallied one goal and one assist while freshman Tom Willander and sophomore Jeremy Wilmer recorded two assists apiece. Sophomore Lane Hutson, junior Jack Hughes, graduate student Sam Stevens and freshman Macklin Celebrini also lit the lamp on Saturday. Graduate student Cade Webber, senior Luke Tuch, sophomore Ryan Greene and senior Dylan Peterson added one assist apiece. Junior Mathieu Caron made 24 saves in another terrific performance between the pipes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hutson gave BU a 1-0 lead midway through the opening frame. He dropped the puck for Greene at the left point and then went to the net. Greene went across the zone to Willander, who placed a perfect pass to Hutson at the left post. Hutson redirected the puck past Gabe Carriere (23 saves) for his 10th goal of the season.
- Hughes doubled the Terriers' advantage with 2:42 remaining in the first frame. He attempted to skate the puck around the UVM net but was met by a Catamount defender. Hughes stopped on a dime, turned the other way and the next defender was late in picking him up. That allowed Hughes to get to the right circle and uncork a wrister that sailed into the top right corner for his third goal of the campaign.
- Kaplan extended the lead to 3-0 with a power-play marker just 2:40 into the second stanza. Willander dished the puck to Wilmer at the right circle, who then fed Kaplan in the slot. Kaplan's shot went through Tuch's screen and into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the year.
- UVM got on the board with 4:07 left in the period to make it 3-1 after 40 minutes.
- Stevens restored the Terriers' three-goal lead just 57 seconds into the final frame when he knocked home the rebound off a perfectly placed shot by Kaplan.
- Senior Nick Zabaneh thought he made it 5-1 with 13:16 remaining in regulation, but after video review the play was deemed offside.
- Celebrini did indeed push the lead to 5-1 with 12:09 on the clock. After winning an offensive-zone faceoff, he won the puck along the half-wall and ditched two defenders before cutting to the slot and backhanding the puck into the top right corner.
- Zach Dubinsky scored at 13:42 of the third to close the scoring.
GAME NOTES
- Wilmer now leads the Terriers with 19 assists while Celebrini leads BU in both goals (16) and points (32).
- Celebrini, who also leads all NCAA rookies in goals, has secured 10 points (7g, 3a) during his six-game point streak.
- Tuch has tallied one goal and six assists for seven points during his six-game point streak.
- He has already matched his career high in points (20) thanks to a career-best 14 assists.
- Hutson paces all Hockey East defensemen with 10 goals and 28 points.
- Stevens has scored a goal in four of the last six games and has notched a point in six of the last seven contests.
- BU is 19 for its last 19 on the penalty kill after Saturday's 3-for-3 performance.
- Greene, Wilmer and Willander all had three assists apiece during the weekend.
UP NEXT
- The Battle of Comm. Ave. takes center stage on NESN next weekend as the top-ranked Terriers face No. 2 Boston College in a home-and-home series that begins Friday night in Chestnut Hill.
