Much of the Boston University men’s hockey team’s season has been a troubling hopscotch that goes one step forward and two steps back.
The trend has never been more evident than in the past two weeks. Last week, BU seemed to gain its footing in the uphill climb in the Hockey East standings. Coming off a 6-4 win against Merrimack College and a spirited 2-2 tie at No. 8 Boston College, the Terriers jumped up to fifth in the standings, knocking on the door of the conference leaders.
This week, the Terriers are once again looking up in the standings after losing two games to the No. 7 University of New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday. The sweep dropped the Terriers into a tie for fifth with the University of Vermont, but five teams remain ahead of BU due to a tie for third between No. 11 Northeastern University and Providence College.
“We had an opportunity here to keep ourselves in the running for home ice if we could come up with an effort, but we came up with an inept effort,” said BU coach Jack Parker.
“What happened from week to week, I have no idea. We played very, very well last weekend. I thought we were on our way and we turn around and take the pipe [Saturday], and [Friday] too at times.”
With a sweep of its own over Northeastern this weekend, Providence catapulted into a tie for third with the Huskies — behind just UNH and BC. And with a win and tie against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Vermont moved into a tie with the Terriers.
With 10 league games remaining — and 20 points up for grabs — the Terriers will be climbing uphill yet again, starting this Friday against Merrimack.
Freshmen Forces
Despite dropping both games on the weekend to the Wildcats, there was one bright spot for the Terriers on Saturday night: their exciting mid-game comeback was fueled by three freshmen.
In coming back from one-and two-goal deficits, it was the Terrier rookies who took the reins. Freshmen Nick Bonino, Colin Wilson and Joe Pereira netted all three Terrier goals.
After Bonino tied the game early in the second period, Wilson and Pereira helped bring the Terriers back yet again with two dramatic goals in a matter of 40 seconds. Pereira’s breakaway from the Terrier zone ended with both he and the puck inside the UNH net. The goal, which got the Terriers and their fans the most excited they’d been all night, also left Pereira with eight stitches in his right ear as a result of the collision.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Pereira said. “I just came down and put it on my backhand. I went into the net and came out and I just felt blood leaking down.”
But that didn’t stop Pereira from flashing a triumphant fist pump after his second goal of the season.