BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore Jeremy Wilmer collected a career-high five points and junior Mathieu Caron stopped all 23 shots he faced to help lead the No. 2 Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 6-0 win over UConn on Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
BU (22-8-2, 16-4-2 HE) won its third straight game thanks to a strong effort in all three zones. Caron recorded his fifth career shutout and second with the Terriers thanks in part to an 11-save second period. Caron allowed just one goal all weekend, stopping 49 of the 50 shots he faced.
Wilmer's excellent play continued on Saturday, as he extended his point streak to five games with one goal and a career-high four assists. He had the primary helper on the final three goals of the game and now leads BU with 29 assists.
Senior Nick Zabaneh matched his career high with three points on two goals and one assist. Senior Luke Tuch scored what proved to be the game-winner late in the first period while freshman Macklin Celebrini and sophomore Quinn Hutson also lit the lamp. Freshman Tom Willander and sophomore Devin Kaplan each collected two assists while freshmen Shane Lachance and Mick Frechette each added one assist apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sophomore Ryan Greene thought he gave BU a 1-0 lead early in the first but UConn successfully challenged for offside and the game remained scoreless.
- Tuch officially got BU on the board with 2:07 remaining in the first frame. He collected a pass from Willander in the neutral zone, skated up the left side into the UConn end and around the Huskies' cage, wrapping the puck inside the right post for his eighth goal of the year.
- Caron made a terrific save on Jake Black when the UConn forward got behind the Terrier defense at 2:25 of the second.
- Wilmer then doubled the lead moments later at the 3:04 mark when he skated into the right circle and uncorked a shot past Ethan Haider (30 saves).
- Celebrini extended the lead to 3-0 only 3:41 into the third period. He regained control of the puck in the neutral zone and played it off the boards to Lachance, who then deftly lifted the puck over a defender at the blue line and right into the path of Celebrini. The nation's top rookie goal scorer quickly buried a shot past Haider for his 26th marker of the campaign.
- Hutson pushed the advantage to 4-0 with 11:48 on the clock. Willander dropped the puck to Wilmer, who carried it around the UConn cage and found Hutson at the bottom of the right circle for the one-timer.
- Zabaneh closed the game with his sixth and seventh goals of the season, first at 12:32 and then at 17:22, with Wilmer providing the primary assist on both strikes.
GAME NOTES
- Wilmer has collected 11 points (3g, 8a) during his five-game point streak, including two goals and four assists in the sweep of UConn.
- Celebrini totaled five points (2g, 3a) over the weekend.
- Kaplan (3a) and Hutson (2g, 1a) each notched three points over the weekend.
- This was Willander's third multi-assist effort of the season.
- BU was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill on Saturday and ended the weekend 5-for-5 against UConn's power play.
- The Terriers have gone 11-for-11 on the PK over their last three games.
UP NEXT
- BU will have next weekend off before heading to Providence on Thursday, Feb. 7.
