AMHERST, Mass. - Freshman Cole Hutson scored the game-tying and game-winning goals as part of a four-point night to help lead the No. 13/12 Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 4-2 win at UMass on Wednesday night at Mullins Center.
After junior Devin Kaplan cut the UMass lead to 2-1 late in the second period, Hutson equalized with 11:11 remaining in regulation before notching the winner with 9:53 to go. Junior Quinn Hutson assisted on the tying goal and scored an insurance goal with 7:12 to play. Kaplan assisted on the go-ahead goal to complete a two-point effort while freshman Cole Eiserman secured a career-best two assists. Senior Jack Hughes and sophomore Jack Harvey added one assist apiece.
Senior goaltender Mathieu Caron was sharp all night, making several big stops as part of a 20-save performance.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UMass opened the scoring just 1:41 into the proceedings.
- Senior Matt Copponi and Q. Hutson had back-to-back bids to tie the game, but Michael Hrabal (29 saves) came up with two nice stops to keep the Minutemen in front.
- Caron made a nice stop on a point-blank chance during UMass' lone power play of the opening frame.
- BU controlled much of the play in the second period, but UMass scored in transition to take a 2-0 lead with 6:51 on the clock.
- Kaplan got BU on the board with a power-play strike at 17:53 of the second stanza when he knocked home a rebound off an Eiserman shot from the right circle.
- The Terriers killed off two penalties early in the third period to keep the deficit at only one.
- C. Hutson evened the score when he collected a pass from Hughes and skated into the slot before wristing a shot past Hrabal.
- He then gave BU the lead just 1:18 later, this time on the power play, after skating into the left circle and uncorking a wrist shot that beat Hrabal.
- Q. Hutson gave the Terriers some insurance just 2:41 after BU took the lead. C. Hutson intercepted a UMass pass along the wall in the BU zone. He quickly turned up ice and created a 3-on-2 with his brother and Eiserman. Hutson backhanded the puck to Eiserman, who gained the blue line and dangled by a defender before dishing it to Q. Hutson on the right wing. Hutson collected the puck and swiftly moved it to his backhand before slipping a shot past Hrabal.
- UMass pushed for another goal in the final minutes, but Caron and the Terrier defense stood tall to maintain their two-goal lead.
GAME NOTES
- The Terriers improved to 5-0-1 at Mullins Center over their last six trips to Amherst.
- This was the second multi-point game of C. Hutson's career; he previously had two assists in a 6-2 win over Merrimack on Nov. 29.
- The Hutson family (Cole, Quinn, Lane) is responsible for four of the last seven four-point games by a Terrier skater.
- The Terrier penalty kill went 3-for-3 against a UMass power play that entered Wednesday third in the NCAA at 29.4%.
- BU also went 2-for-5 on the power play.
UP NEXT
- BU will close out the first semester with an exhibition contest against the U.S. National Under-18 Team on Friday night (Dec. 13) at Agganis Arena.
- Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
