BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore Jack Harvey scored the first two goals of his Terrier career just 27 seconds apart as part of a four-goal second period to help lead the No. 3 Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 6-1 victory over Merrimack on Friday night at Agganis Arena.
BU (19-7-1, 13-4-1 HE) never trailed en route to its third straight win and a sweep of the regular-season series with Merrimack (10-17-1, 3-14-1 HE). Five different Terriers lit the lamp, as freshman Macklin Celebrini, sophomores Jeremy Wilmer and Quinn Hutson, senior Dylan Peterson and graduate captain Case McCarthy all found the back of the net. Harvey and Wilmer combined to score three times in a span of 1:24 to close out the second stanza and give the Terriers a 6-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Wilmer, Celebrini and McCarthy all added an assist to complete two-point nights while junior Jack Hughes and sophomore Lane Hutson each collected two assists apiece. Freshman Tom Willander, sophomores Ryan Greene and Devin Kaplan, junior Ty Gallagher and senior Devin Kaplan also had one helper each as 13 different Terriers got on the score sheet.
Junior Mathieu Caron made 15 saves in 48:48 of work before ceding the cage to freshman Max Lacroix, who stopped all six shots he faced in his collegiate debut.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was an even first period, as both BU and Merrimack generated seven shots on goal. However, the Terriers struck first with 1:24 to play in the frame when Peterson zipped a shot into the top left corner for his seventh goal of the season.
- Celebrini made it 2-0 just 4:20 into the second frame. Kaplan fought off a check and dropped the puck for Hutson, who continued into the left circle before sliding a pass to a wide-open Celebrini in the slot. The freshman phenom blasted the puck into the back of the net for his 22nd goal of the season.
- McCarthy pushed the lead to 3-0 just 2:34 later when he fired a shot from the top of the zone that got through Zachary Borgiel (35 saves).
- Mark Hillier got Merrimack on the board 10:53 into the period just as a BU penalty expired to cut the deficit to 3-1.
- Caron then made a nice save with 5:15 on the clock to keep BU ahead by two.
- Harvey's two-goal outburst began with 1:03 to play. Hughes had the puck on the right wing. Two Warriors covered Celebrini and Harvey skated past his defender, allowing Hughes to hit him with a perfect pass. Harvey secured the puck, faked Borgiel and slid it past the netminder.
- Just 27 seconds later, Celebrini deftly slipped the puck through a Merrimack player's legs and right to Harvey, who collected the pass and quickly turned and scored.
- Wilmer then made it a 6-1 lead with 6.6 seconds on the clock. Wilmer, Greene and Quinn Hutson created a 3-on-1, with Greene eventually waiting out the defender and goaltender before dishing the puck to Wilmer on the left post for the finish.
- Quinn tacked on the extra point with 5:36 remaining in regulation when he caught a terrific outlet pass from Gallagher and skated in alone on Borgiel.
- Lacroix made several nice saves during his 11:12 of action to keep Merrimack from finding a second goal.
GAME NOTES
- Harvey has recorded four points (2g, 2a) over the past three games.
- He became the 17th different Terrier to score a goal this season.
- Celebrini is the first player since at least the 2005-06 season to score 22 goals in his first 25 collegiate games.
- Lane Hutson extended his point streak to five games, totaling seven assists in that span.
- He leads all NCAA defensemen with 35 points (10g, 25a).
- BU did not earn a power-play chance and killed off all three of Merrimack's power plays.
UP NEXT
- BU will face Northeastern in the 2024 Beanpot title game at TD Garden.
- Puck drop on NESN and ESPN+ is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
