The No. 3 Boston University men’s hockey team left Alfond Arena on Saturday night in esteemed territory: the owner of an eight-game winning streak, the nation’s longest.
In wrapping up the second tilt of a home-and-home series, BU dispatched the University of Maine, 3-1. One night prior, the sides met at Agganis Arena, with the Terriers earning a 4-1 win over the Black Bears.
After a back-and-forth first period, freshman Clayton Keller gave BU (16-5-2, 9-2-2 Hockey East) a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded bid, pushing his point streak to 10 games.
The forward picked off a cross-ice pass from Maine’s (8-13-2, 2-9-1 Hockey East) Rob Michel, deked past Rob McGovern in net and deposited on the backhand. Keller’s goal was his third “shorty” of the 2016-17 season.
BU’s early lead held until 4:28 remained in the second frame, when freshman forward Patrick Harper pushed the scoreline to 2-0. Harper, who hadn’t scored since Dec. 9 against No. 12 University of Vermont, fired home a one-timer on the power play.
Come the third frame, head coach David Quinn’s side was enjoying relatively smooth sailing, and then Maine’s Blaine Byron found net on the power play 6:18 into the third period. The senior forward rounded into the slot, only for his shot to bounce over freshman goaltender Jake Oettinger and in.
With a 2-1 scoreline, the Terriers bounced right back, this time through junior defenseman Brandon Hickey. Keller, acting as a playmaker all night, drove up the right side and into the zone. Hickey, trailing the play late, had the puck bounce in his direction, and he blasted a one-timer past McGovern with 10:37 left in the contest.
Red Gendron, Maine’s head coach, pulled McGovern for about the last minute and a half, but the 3-1 result stood tall.
As has become customary, Oettinger was stellar on the night, posting 26 saves. He also benefited from the post on several occasions, as Maine couldn’t finish off golden opportunities or odd-man rushes.
Also of note, BU outshot Maine, 37-27, and maintains a hold on second place in the conference standings.
Looking down the road, the Terriers will have hardly any time to rest on their laurels. They take to the ice on Tuesday evening, as a game at Merrimack College awaits.
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
