LOWELL, Mass. - Sophomore Max Lacroix made 17 saves in his first career start and the No. 9 Boston University men's ice hockey team scored five second-period goals en route to a 5-2 victory over No. 17/16 UMass Lowell on Saturday night at Tsongas Center.
BU (5-4-0, 2-1-0 HE) never trailed on Saturday as the Terriers scored twice in a span of 43 seconds to take a 2-0 lead just 1:44 into the second stanza and snap UMass Lowell's six-game win streak.
Senior Matt Copponi matched a career high with three points on one goal and two assists. Junior Quinn Hutson scored two goals while freshman Cole Hutson and sophomore Jack Harvey also lit the lamp. Harvey added an assist to complete a two-point night, with sophomore Aiden Celebrini, freshman Kamil Bednarik and sophomore Tom Willander also securing one assist apiece.
Lacroix shined in his first official start, making sure the Terriers never relinquished their lead by stopping all eight shots he faced in the third period. Lacroix, whose best save came during a second-period breakaway chance, only allowed two power-play goals to earn his first collegiate win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After killing the remaining 20 seconds of a penalty that carried over from the first period, Q. Hutson struck first at the 1:01 mark of the middle frame. Copponi blocked a shot and both he and Hutson used their speed to create a 2-on-1. Copponi fed Hutson, whose nifty backhander went under the crossbar.
- Copponi doubled the Terriers' lead just 43 seconds later. After Lacroix kicked aside a River Hawk chance, Copponi collected the rebound and rushed up the right side. He dangled past one defender at the right circle before feeding the puck to Harvey at the left post. Henry Welsch stopped Harvey's shot but Copponi knocked home the rebound for his second goal of the season.
- UML got a goal back during a 5:00 power play at the 6:05 mark and nearly tied the game minutes later, but Lacroix denied Pierson Brandon's breakaway bid.
- Harvey put the Terriers back in front by two at 11:05 of the second when Copponi and Willander combined to find a wide-open Harvey at the left post for the easy finish.
- C. Hutson extended the lead to 4-1 just 2:40 later when Bednarik won an offensive-zone draw back to his classmate, who fired home a shot past Welsch.
- Libor Nemec got Lowell back within two at 17:11, but Q. Hutson responded with his second strike of the stanza just 54 seconds later on a breakaway chance set up by a nice feed from Celebrini.
- After combining for seven goals in the second period, neither team broke through in the final 20 minutes.
GAME NOTES
- Lacroix, who has started two exhibitions during his BU career, is the third straight Terrier goaltender to win his first official start at BU.
- Mathieu Caron won his Terrier debut in last season's opening-night win at Bentley and Vinny Duplessis defeated then-No. 1 Boston College in his collegiate debut during the 2020-21 season.
- This was Copponi's third three-point game of his career and first since he recorded three assists against UConn on Nov. 10, 2023 while with Merrimack.
- Quinn Hutson has recorded five points (3g, 2a) in the last three games.
- He became the first Terrier to reach 10 points this year.
- This was Harvey's third one-goal, one-assist effort of the season.
UP NEXT
BU will travel to No. 5 Maine for a weekend series at Alfond Arena that begins on Friday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m.
