BOSTON - Junior co-captain Ryan Greene scored two goals and assisted on a third while freshmen Cole Eiserman, Cole Hutson and Alex Zetterberg all collected their first collegiate goals as the No. 3 Boston University men's ice hockey team defeated Holy Cross, 5-2, on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Agganis Arena.
BU (1-0-0) and Holy Cross (0-1-0) were scoreless after 20 minutes, but Greene lit the lamp just 39 seconds into the middle stanza to get the Terriers on the board. Eiserman struck on the power play at the 3:56 mark of the period before Hutson pushed the lead to 3-0 at 8:30 of the second. Zetterberg then answered a Crusader goal with one of his own to make it 4-1 after two periods. Greene added his second goal of the night with 13:10 remaining in regulation to restore the Terriers' three-goal advantage.
Sophomore co-captain Shane Lachance and junior Quinn Hutson recorded three assists apiece, which is a career high for both skaters. Sophomore Tom Willander and senior Jack Hughes both assisted on Zetterberg's strike. Senior goaltender Mathieu Caron made several sensational stops as part of a 29-save performance.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Nine of Caron's 29 stops came in the first frame, including a terrific left-pad stop on a chance from in tight.
- Greene got the Terriers on the board during the first shift of the second period. After Thomas Gale (32 saves) stopped shots by Quinn Hutson and Lachance, Greene buried the third chance with a backhander at the left post.
- Eiserman doubled the lead with a bar-down blast from the right circle off a feed from Greene.
- Cole Hutson made it 3-0 when he took an outlet pass from Lachance and skated right past his defender before beating Gale five-hole.
- Jack Stockfish got a goal back at the 11:27 mark of the second, but Zetterberg knocked home a rebound off a Willander shot just 2:16 later to make it 4-1.
- A power-play goal by Jack Seymour made it a two-goal game just 1:11 into the third, but Greene put the game away at the 7:50 mark. Q. Hutson forced a turnover at the Holy Cross blue line, and with two defenders drawn to him, he slid the puck to a wide-open Greene in the slot.
GAME NOTES
- This is the third straight year that at least one freshman has lit the lamp in the Terriers' season opener.
- Both Cole and Quinn Hutson have now scored a goal in their collegiate debuts.
- Eight players made their Terrier debuts on Saturday night: C. Hutson, Eiserman, Zetterberg, freshman Brandon Svoboda, graduate student Brehdan Engum, freshman Kamil Bednarik, senior Matt Copponi and freshman Sascha Boumedienne.
- Greene has totaled five goals in all three regular-season home openers he's played in during his time at BU.
- He last scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Maine in the 2024 Hockey East semifinals.
- The top line of Greene, Lachance and Q. Hutson combined for nine points and a plus-9 rating on Saturday.
- The win earned BU its second Turnpike Trophy point of the weekend against Holy Cross, as the field hockey team defeated the Crusaders on Friday in the first game of the annual series between the two schools.
UP NEXT
- BU will continue its four-game homestand with a non-conference clash against Union on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Agganis Arena.
- Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., following the women's ice hockey team's game against Northeastern at 3 p.m.
