Chris Higgins notched a goal and an assist Sunday night against Merrimack College. Dominick ReuterTime may not heal all wounds, but it appears the Boston University men’s hockey team used its three-week hiatus to gear up for the stretch run in an unclaimed Hockey East.
Thanks largely to the return of leading scorer Bryan Ewing – who was suspended Dec. 5 along with seniors Brian McGuirk and Dan McGoff and junior Brandon Yip for a violation of team rules – BU’s “second season” got off to a rousing start Sunday night with a 5-2 victory over Merrimack College (6-8-2, 3-8-1 Hockey East) at Agganis Arena.
Ewing led the offensive charge with two goals and an assist, including a power-play tally 10:03 into the first to cap a five-minute, three-goal surge. Linemates Chris Higgins (goal, assist) and Pete MacArthur (two assists) also chipped in for the Terriers (5-10-2, 4-6-1), who avoided their first four-game losing streak since February 2004.
“I’m glad to be back,” Ewing said. “We all worked really hard tonight and playing with MacArthur and Higgins makes things a lot easier.”
Junior forward Jason Lawrence (shoulder) and freshman defenseman Colby Cohen (finger) returned to the lineup after recent injuries, each notching an assist to back BU’s 10th straight win over Hockey East’s dead-last Merrimack squad.
“Getting Lawrence and Colby Cohen back was helpful,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “When we had the suspensions they were also out, so we had six regulars out of the lineup. Now we get [the suspended] four and the two who were injured back. We looked like a different lineup out there tonight.”
The timely first-period strikes from junior defenseman Matt Gilroy (5:41), Higgins (7:39) and Ewing (10:03) proved too much for the star-struck Warriors to overcome. Despite outshooting the Terriers by a 9-8 margin after 20 minutes, Merrimack entered the first intermission saddled with a 3-1 deficit.
“You can talk to teams as much as you want about what it’s like to play against Boston University in their home rink, but until they experience it, it’s just talk,” said Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy. “I thought the game was over in the first in the sense that we didn’t do things we were very capable of doing. Whether it’s nerves or the pressure BU puts on you, either way we need to be able to make those plays and we didn’t.
“Tonight it was men against boys,” he said.
BU responded with a 24-10 shot advantage over the next two frames, including second-period goals from Ewing (5:25) and freshman forward Nick Bonino (10:21).
Gilroy opened the scoring at 5:41 by flipping a loose puck just inside the right post. Higgins followed at 7:39 with a highlight-reel backhander to beat Merrimack goalie Patrick Watson, and Ewing redirected freshman defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk’s shot from the right point into the net at 10:03.
With MacArthur in the box for high sticking, Merrimack forward Matt Jones cut into the Terrier advantage at 18:19 with a blast from the right point that sailed through traffic and past a screened Karson Gillespie. The senior netminder finished with 17 saves to earn his first victory of the season.
Ewing’s second power-play goal at 5:25 and Bonino’s wrap-around tally 10:21 into the second prompted the removal of Watson, who stopped 13 shots in 30:21. Sophomore Andrew Braithwaite (14 saves) held the Terriers scoreless over the final 29:39.
Defenseman Grant Farrell beat Gillespie with a slap shot from the right point at 17:36 into the second for Merrimack’s second power-play goal of the night. The Warriors finished 2-for-4 with the man-advantage, while BU countered with a 2-for-6 effort.
Twenty-three days removed from its last Hockey East contest, the Terriers viewed Sunday’s win as the first step toward what they hope will be a memorable second half of the season.
“We had a meeting the other day and went over some things about how we can right the wrongs,” MacArthur said. “It’s nothing glaring – just the little things like focus, intensity, passion and excitement. Add all those things into our game, and we have more than enough talent to play with anybody in the league.
“This was our first game of the new season. And we’re undefeated.”
NEWS ‘ NOTES
The Terriers were without freshman forward Colin Wilson and sophomore defenseman Brian Strait, who are playing for the U.S. National Junior Team in the World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. The duo is expected back for BU’s Jan. 12 contest at the University of Maine . . . . Parker praised the international tournament’s impact on Wilson and Strait: “Those guys always come back better players. They’re more confident in how they match up against real good players.” . . . . BU scored on three of its first four shot attempts against Watson.
