BOSTON, Mass. - Freshman Shane Lachance scored two goals and senior Nick Zabaneh potted his second goal of the weekend to help lead the No. 3 Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 5-2 win over Providence on Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
BU (20-8-2, 14-4-2 HE) improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight games against Providence (16-10-3, 9-7-3 HE) and earned four points from the weekend series with the Friars. Freshman Tom Willander and sophomore Lane Hutson both lit the lamp while junior Jack Hughes and sophomore Jeremy Wilmer each recorded two assists. Freshmen Macklin Celebrini and Gavin McCarthy both contributed an assist, as did junior Ty Gallagher. Junior Mathieu Caron was excellent all weekend for BU, finishing Saturday with 32 saves after a 35-save performance on Friday.
The Terriers were 1-for-1 on the power play and killed off all six power-play chance the Friars received. BU also blocked 19 shots on Saturday, with graduate student Cade Webber, the NCAA's leader in blocked shots, securing six blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- BU outshot Providence, 16-5, in the opening 20 minutes but the Friars struck first just 2:35 into the proceedings.
- Zabaneh evened the score at 13:00 mark of the first frame. McCarthy zipped an outlet pass to Wilmer in the neutral zone and the sophomore deftly redirected it in the path of Zabaneh, who then raced into the zone with speed and with no defender in front of him. Zabaneh got to the hash marks before ripping a wrister over Philip Svedebäck (28 saves).
- Willander gave BU the lead for good with 1:42 remaining in regulation with a power play goal off a shot from the top of the zone.
- Hutson extended the lead to 3-1 at 15:26 of the second stanza thanks to an incredible individual effort. He kept the puck in along the wall, skated across the top of the zone while holding off a defender and then centered the puck to Hughes between the circles. The puck caromed back to Hutson, who deposited it home for his 12th goal of the season.
- Lachance pushed the lead to 4-1 just 2:51 into the third. Gallagher sent the puck down the length of the ice and Celebrini was first on the scene. He took one look back as he pursued the puck and saw Lachance skating for the net. As soon as Celebrini reached the puck below the goal line he backhanded it out front to the tape of Lachance, who finished the play.
- Craig Needham got a goal back for Providence just as a BU penalty expired with 5:38 remaining in regulation, but Lachance iced the game with 3:53 on the clock when stole the puck in the PC zone and quickly snapped the puck past Svedebäck.
GAME NOTES
- This was the second time this season BU went 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, as the Terriers achieved the same feat in a 3-0 win over New Hampshire on Jan. 13.
- Both of Zabaneh's goals this weekend were breakaway goals that tied the game at 1-1 in the first period.
- This was Lachance's fourth two-goal game of the season.
- Despite playing only 67 career games, Hutson is tied for third among active defensemen with 27 goals and is tied for fourth among those same peers with 85 career points.
- Celebrini is tied for third nationally with 43 points and has recorded at least one point in seven of his last eight and 13 of his last 15 appearances.
- Hughes finished the weekend with three assists.
- Head coach Jay Pandolfo joins Jack Parker as the only Terrier head coaches to win 20 games in each of their first two full seasons in charge.
GAME NOTESUP NEXT
- BU will begin a home-and-home series with UConn on Friday, Feb. 23, in Storrs, Connecticut, before returning to Agganis Arena the following night.
