By Scott Weighart, GoTerriers.com Staff Writer

BOSTON – Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before.

Boston University plays Northeastern in a high-stakes game at the TD Garden, and the game ends up 1-1 after 60 minutes. Thanks to big saves by BU goalie Jake Oettinger, we go on to overtime.

Up to this point, we could be talking about the Beanpot semifinal, where Oettinger's heroics were not enough: Tyler Madden scored in the first minute of overtime as the Huskies won 2-1 en route to their second straight Beanpot.

Tonight, though, the script wasn't quite the same, but the final scene was every bit as disappointing. BU played a much better game than they did in February, when they were outshot by a whopping 49-27 margin, including a stunning 24-8 edge for Northeastern in the third period, only to have Oettinger stop all 24 shots.

In this evening's Hockey East semifinal, the Terriers came out looking like a team destined to make history repeat. Last year, the team muddled through the first half before going on a tear and winning the league championship, simultaneously earning an automatic bid to the national tournament. In one weekend, a so-so year suddenly became a very good season indeed.

Early on in this matchup, BU looked to be on the same trajectory. After a scoreless first period, Ty Amonte roofed the rebound of a David Farrance shot on a power play, burying it from a sharp angle for the 1-0 lead at 7:39 of the second period. Five minutes later, Patrick Harper very nearly made it 2-0, as he hit the post after Logan Cockerill teed him up with a great feed. It was the first of four posts that the Terriers would hit before the night was over.

Having dodged that particular bullet, though, Northeastern evened the score early in the third period and dominated for a good while after that. Ironically, BU eventually turned the tide well into the overtime period and had the better of the play for the last several minutes—except for the fact that Northeastern intercepted a clearing pass and quickly converted the takeaway into the game-winning goal at 15:44 of the first overtime period.

"It's disappointing, for sure," first-year coach Albie Connell said outside the locker room after the game. "I think that the players felt we were going to win. It's just the way the game unfolded. We played well, outplayed them for a good stretch, hit four pipes—plenty of opportunities. It's just the bounce of the puck, and they got a bounce at the beginning of the third period."

Given that the Terriers showed so much resolve and confidence early in the game against the No. 6/8 team in the country, it was a tough pill to swallow. The players were still coming to terms with it all shortly after it ended.

"We've been saying it all year: Just keep going, and good things are going to happen," junior co-captain Dante Fabbro said. "Unfortunately, we ended up on the short end of the stick, but I'm extremely proud of how the guys battled. It's a pretty salty taste in my mouth: I wish we could've gone further."

In a way, tonight's game felt like the whole season in a microcosm. There were some great individual efforts, a few bad bounces, and some key puzzle pieces missing due to injury.  All of that added up to a competitive, hard-working club that could beat any team on a given night, only to end up on the short end too often of any number of games that could have gone either way.

Tonight the missing puzzle piece was Joel Farabee, the top freshman in Hockey East. Farabee had a solid first half, but he really turned up his game since returning from the World Junior Championship in early January. A sniper who also has remarkable vision on the ice, Farabee scored a startling 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in the 21 games from January on. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in BU's stirring quarterfinal series on the road against UMass Lowell, and he couldn't go tonight. "It's unfortunate when you lose one of your best players—arguably the most dynamic offensive guy—in the series before," O'Connell said.

It was only the latest injury in a season filled with them. "We started the season with six D," O'Connell said. "Chad Krys was out for the first month. [Promising freshman forward] Jake Wise went down in December (and missed the rest of the season). Then Krys missed more games. Bobo Carpenter was out for 11 games. So when we started to get into a rhythm, we had some major injuries.

"Then we figured out how to play with that group, and guys matured. It was a good stretch run to build on for next year."

This is indeed the case, and BU also has lined up a vast number of promising recruits for next season. This should address the issue of depth that was created when Brady Tkachuk made a relatively late decision to sign with the Ottawa Senators last summer, followed by freshman defenseman Dominic Vidoli leaving the program at midseason.

That said, the future is no consolation for those who saw their collegiate careers come to an end tonight when Zach Solow's wrist shot found the back of the net.

Carpenter—generally regarded as the hardest worker on the team—finished his four Terrier years with 56 goals and 42 assists for 102 points. Despite the tough loss, Carpenter was proud of the fact that this team came out fully expecting to win tonight, regardless of playing without one of its top forwards and a record one game below .500.

"That's the best characteristic our team has had this year," Carpenter said. "We had some mishaps and everything, but you've got to give it to the guys in that locker room. They worked their butts off every night and every shift. I'm proud of them for that, and they played a lot for the seniors. They made it special."

"I haven't really processed it yet," senior Ryan Cloonan said. "It's been a terrific four years; I've enjoyed every second of it, so it's tough to see it come to an end—especially like that."

In a way, Cloonan is a poster child for the team's perseverance. He was the team's leading scorer at one point during the first month of his freshman year. Then he didn't score a goal again until January of this season. Tonight he ended up filling in for Farabee on the top line.

"It felt good to get my confidence back," Cloonan said. "I definitely credit that to the coaching staff. It's been a great year, so that makes it even more tough to end."

Oettinger's play was another highlight, particularly over the last few months. Playing against Northeastern in the Beanpot and tonight, he made a total of 89 saves on 93 shots for a .957 save percentage… and yet ended up with two losses.

"He's the kind of guy who obviously just loves to work on his craft, and it's showed the last three years he's been here," Fabbro said. "He's one of the hardest-working guys on the team. For him, the sky's the limit, and today he played an unbelievable game. We didn't score enough goals to win."

So what's next?  Carpenter is an undrafted free agent who should attract interest from any number of NHL teams, but going pro really has not been on his radar.

"I haven't really thought about it," Carpenter said. "My focus was on doing everything I can to help the team win a championship. I loved being a Terrier, and that's what my mind was on. This next few days or week I'll definitely sit down and look over the options, being a free agent, and see what happens."

Likewise, Fabbro said that he really hasn't given any thought as to whether he definitely will go pro early, despite recording a collegiate high of 33 points in 38 games. The Nashville Predators drafted him, and soon enough he'll need to decide whether he wants to start his professional ranks or return to see if he can help the Terriers win some of the hardware that eluded them this season.

Time will tell. For now, the Terriers are left to reflect on a season characterized by perseverance that ultimately was not rewarded to the degree to which it was deserved.

"We handled adversity very well," Cloonan said. "We had plenty of ups and downs throughout the year, but I felt like we really came together, and we were pushing hard. To see it end like that is pretty tough."

For the senior class that's definitely departing, it's a dog-gone shame.