Boston University
Merrimack
Terriers Earn 6-4 Victory at Merrimack
January 18, 2008 | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 18, 2008
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The Boston University men's ice hockey team scored five unanswered goals spanning the first two periods en route to a 6-4 road victory against Merrimack on Friday evening at Lawler Arena. The Terriers got goals from six different players, including a career-high four-point effort from freshman Colin Wilson (1g, 3a), to even their Hockey East record at 6-6-2 and improve to 7-11-3 overall.
BU's top line of Wilson and seniors Pete MacArthur (1g, 2a) and Bryan Ewing (1g, 2a) combined for 10 points on the night. Freshman Nick Bonino, junior Matt Gilroy and senior Brian McGuirk also found the back of the net for the Terriers, who earned their 11th straight win over Merrimack.
Freshman Chris Barton scored twice for the Warriors, while senior Rob Ricci recorded a trio of assists.
The Terriers gave up a goal 9 minutes 51 seconds into the game before knotting the score less than two minutes later to kick off the five-goal run. BU dominated the middle stanza, outshooting the home team 20-5 and scoring four straight times to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
Merrimack did its best to inch back in the game, scoring the final goal of the second period, tacking on an early third-period marker and adding an extra-attacker goal with under two minutes in regulation, but the Terriers notched an empty netter to stay undefeated in their past four league games (3-0-1).
Despite giving up four goals, sophomore goaltender Brett Bennett was impressive in his 20-save performance for the Terriers. Sophomore Andrew Brathwaite made 26 saves for the Warriors.
BU went 2-of-6 on the power play on the night and used the man advantage to even the score in the first. Bonino sent a shot from the right dot that went off a Merrimack defender before finding the back of the net at 11:41. Gilroy and junior Chris Higgins assisted on the play.
Just 10 seconds into the second period, the Terriers took a lead they would never relinquish. Following a faceoff win by Wilson, Gilroy took a pass from sophomore Brian Strait roofed a wrister from the right side for his fifth goal of the season.
It quickly became a multi-goal lead for the visitors, as Merrimack was whistled for a penalty a minute later and BU converted on the ensuing power play. From just outside the left post, Ewing tapped in a perfectly placed pass from Wilson at the 1:26 mark. MacArthur also was credited with an assist on the tally.
Just past the midpoint of the second, McGuirk took full advantage of a Merrimack turnover in the neutral zone and turned in BU's fourth goal of the night. The senior pushed the puck through a defender's legs, corralled it, and with only Brathwaite to beat, he snuck the puck underneath the goaltender's left leg for his third tally of the season.
BU completed its five-goal spurt at 14:17 when Wilson recorded the eventual game winner on assists from linemates MacArthur and Ewing.
Down 5-1, Merrimack got back to within three goals before the second intermission, as sophomore Mike Vaskivuo stole the puck deep in the BU zone and found freshman Francois Ouimet, who beat a helpless Bennett at 15:50.
The Warriors made it 5-3 on the opening shift of the third, as sophomore Joe Loprieno blasted home a slapshot from the right point at the 28-second mark. That score stood until the closing minutes, when Merrimack pulled Brathwaite and ended up getting an extra-attacker tally from Barton with 1:54 left in regulation.
Hanging onto the 5-4 lead, BU sealed the game when Ewing won a battle for a puck along the left boards in the BU zone and sent it across the ice to Wilson. The freshman completed his four-point night when his pass to MacArthur set up the senior's empty netter from just inside the blue line with 1:26 left on the clock.
The Terriers will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 19), when they make the short trip down Commonwealth Ave. to face archrival Boston College at 7 p.m.
