BOSTON, Mass. - Paced by freshman Cole Eiserman's first collegiate hat trick, the No. 15/13 Boston University men's ice hockey team closed out a weekend sweep of Vermont with a 7-4 triumph on Saturday evening at Agganis Arena.
Eiserman scored once in each period and erased a 1-0 deficit late in the first period before the Terriers took a second-period lead they would not relinquish. The rookie added an assist for a career-best four points while Eiserman's linemates, junior Quinn Hutson and senior Jack Hughes, each tallied one goal and two assists.
BU took a 3-2 lead into the third and then reeled off three straight goals in less than two minutes to secure a four-goal cushion just 5:59 into the period. The visitors netted two late goals before junior co-captain Ryan Greene potted an empty-netter to create the 7-4 final.
Sophomore Jack Harvey added a goal and an assist while freshman Cole Hutson and sophomore Gavin McCarthy earned two helpers each. Sophomore Tom Willander, freshman Kamil Bednarik, graduate student Brehdan Engum and sophomore Shane Lachance each added one assist apiece.
Senior Mathieu Caron made 26 saves for the Terriers, who improved to 11-7-1 overall and 7-3-1 in Hockey East play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Will Zapernick gave Vermont a 1-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first period.
- Eiserman equalized at the 17:48 mark of the frame when he snapped a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Alex Mangbo inside the left post.
- Quinn Hutson gave the Terriers their first lead of the night just 1:15 into the second stanza. Hughes kept a play alive in the UVM zone, knocking the puck to Eiserman. Hutson, who had lost his stick earlier in the shift, raced to pick up the stick in the slot and was in the perfect position to receive a pass from Eiserman and one-time the puck into the back of the net.
- Eiserman then made it 3-1 at the 5:55 mark of the second. He sent a no-look pass from below the goal line back to Hutson, then skated around the net to the right post. Hutson found Eiserman, who was wide-open for the easy finish.
- Massimo Lombardi cut the deficit to 3-2 midway through the second, which is where the score stood heading into the final 20 minutes.
- The Terriers' third-period surge began at the 3:07 mark when Hughes skated through the UVM defense and shot the puck through Mangbo's pads during a BU power play.
- Eiserman then completed his hat trick with a power-play goal at the 5:15 juncture. Lachance won an offensive-zone faceoff back to McCarthy, who then slid the puck over to Eiserman at the top of the right circle. He rocketed a one-timer past Mangbo for his 12th goal of the season.
- Harvey made it 6-2 just 44 seconds later when he collected a rebound off a Cole Hutson shot, skated to the slot and ripped home his second goal of the weekend.
- Vermont tallied twice to make it a two-goal game and pulled its goalie in favor of an extra attacker to try and get the game within one.
- Bednarik and Engum were terrific as shot blockers during the 6-on-5 situation and eventually combined to get the puck to Greene for the empty-netter that sealed the victory.
GAME NOTES
- BU extended its win streak against Vermont to nine games and has averaged 6.0 goals per game in its last six wins over the Catamounts.
- The Terriers were 4-for-9 on the power play this weekend and went 6-for-6 on the penalty kill across the two wins.
- Eiserman recorded the first Terrier hat trick since Quinn Hutson scored three goals in a 6-1 win over UMass Lowell on Nov. 11, 2023.
- Eiserman also posted the second four-point game of the weekend by a BU player, as Greene notched one goal and three assists in Friday night's win.
- Quinn Hutson (3g, 2a), Greene (2g, 3a) and Harvey (2g, 3a) all totaled five points in this weekend's sweep.
- Hughes lit the lamp in both games and finished with four points this weekend on two goals and two assists.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will face No. 17/16 New Hampshire in a home-and-home series that begins on Friday, Jan. 17, at Whittemore Center.
- BU will return to Agganis Arena on Saturday (Jan. 18) to host the Wildcats at 6 p.m.
