Feb. 14, 2009
Box Score
ORONO, Maine - Sophomore Nick Bonino scored with 4:09 left in regulation to help the top-ranked Boston University men's ice hockey team complete a rally from a two-goal deficit and come away with a 2-2 overtime draw against Maine on Saturday evening at Alfond Arena. The Terriers had their nine-game win streak come to an end and now stand at 23-5-2 overall and 14-5-2 in Hockey East play.
After a period and a half of scoreless hockey, Maine got consecutive goals just 62 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead with 5:43 left in the second. Soon after the two-goal spurt by the home team, senior John McCarthy started the Terrier rally with his fourth goal of the season.
The Black Bears were bolstered by a 34-save performance by junior Dave Wilson and move to 12-14-4 on the year with a 7-11-3 conference mark.
Senior Brandon Yip assisted on both BU tallies, while freshman Grant Rollheiser made 19 saves in a strong effort between the pipes.
Coupled with Northeastern’s 4-1 home loss against UMass, the point from the tie helped the Terriers draw to within one point of the Huskies for first place in the Hockey East standings.
The tie ended up snapping BU’s string of seven consecutive victories against the Black Bears. The Terriers had earned wins in their previous five contests at Alfond Arena.
The Terriers outshot the Black Bears, 36-21, including an 11-3 advantage in the third period. Both teams went 0-for-6 on the power play. Maine was unable to take advantage of a 1:30 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second, while the Terriers came up empty on a third-period 5-on-3 that lasted for 1:36 during the stretch that they trailed 2-1.
The game-tying goal came off an offensive zone faceoff win by Yip. Bonino controlled the puck along the right side and sent the puck on net. Wilson made the initial stop, but Bonino gathered the rebound and skated behind the net before throwing it at the crease, where the puck went off a Maine defender and into the net at 15:51 of the third.
After Bonino knotted the score, each team had a late power-play chance. The Terriers killed off a boarding penalty on senior Chris Higgins that occurred at 16:09 of the third. BU had a man advantage that took up the first 1:13 of overtime, but the visitors were unable to break the tie.
A misplay at the boards in between the two benches set up the game’s first goal, as senior Jeff Marshall broke free on a breakaway and recorded an unassisted tally to open the scoring at 13:15 of the second.
Moments later, Maine senior Simon Danis-Pepin blasted a shot off the end boards and the puck ricochetted to a spot just above the left post, where freshman Gustav Nyquist elevated it over Rollheiser to make it a 2-0 contest at 14:17.
The two-goal lead did not last long. Just over a minute after Nyquist’s marker, Yip won a battle along the right boards to help the Terriers maintain possession in the Maine zone. Bonino skated to the puck and had his shot from the slot saved by Wilson. The rebound ended up outside the right crease and McCarthy beat a defender to the puck and elevated it over Wilson’s left leg to get BU on the board.
BU will return to action on Feb. 20 when it opens up a home-and-home weekend series with No. 3 Northeastern at Agganis Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
