Jay O'Brien skating
Matt Woolverton
1
Boston U. BOS 20-9-0, 14-5-0
4
Winner Merrimack MER 17-12-1, 12-8-0
Boston U. BOS
20-9-0, 14-5-0
1
Final
4
Merrimack MER
17-12-1, 12-8-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Boston U. BOS 0 0 1 1
Merrimack MER 1 1 2 4

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

No. 5 Terriers Defeated at No. 20 Merrimack, 4-1

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The No. 5 Boston University men's ice hockey team suffered a 4-1 setback at No. 20 Merrimack on Friday night at Lawler Rink.

Senior Jay O'Brien's sixth goal of the season got BU (20-9-0, 14-5-0 HE) within two midway through the third period, but Merrimack (17-12-1, 12-8-0 HE) added an empty-netter in the final minute to seal the victory.

Seniors Matt Brown and Wilmer Skoog assisted on O'Brien's power-play strike. The Terriers outshot the Warriors, 39-21, including 17-4 in the third period.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Warriors opened the scoring at 5:30 of the first period and doubled their lead at 14:35 of the second stanza.
  • Junior Dylan Peterson generated a great scoring chance during a Merrimack power play late in the second when he drove to the net, but Zachary Borgiel (38 saves) denied both Peterson's original bid and the follow-up attempt by O'Brien.
  • Junior Nick Zabaneh then had a great opportunity of his own to get BU on the board after he exited the penalty box. He raced past a Warrior defender to reach a loose puck first at the Merrimack blue line. Zabaneh skated in on Borgiel, but the netminder made a great save to keep the score at 2-0 through 40 minutes.
  • The Warriors took advantage of a defensive breakdown to add to their lead at 3:10 of the third period.
  • O'Brien got BU on the board with a power-play strike at the 10;37 mark. Skoog kept the play alive by poking the puck to O'Brien at the top of the zone. O'Brien then dished to Brown, who fired a shot on target. Borgiel kicked away Brown's bid, but O'Brien crashed the net and pounced on the rebound.
  • The Terriers continued to pressure the Merrimack cage in search of another goal, but Borgiel and the Warrior defense were up to the task.

GAME NOTES

  • This was the Terriers' first Hockey East loss since Dec. 9 at Boston College.
  • Brown now leads Hockey East with 39 points thanks to his 26th assist of the season.
  • O'Brien has lit the lamp in two straight games and has registered a point in nine of his last 11 contests.
  • Junior Drew Commesso made 17 saves on Friday.
  • The Terriers killed off all four Merrimack power plays.
UP NEXT
  • BU and Merrimack will conclude this weekend's series on Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
  • Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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