PROVIDENCE, R.I. – At the end of the 1990-91 Boston University hockey season, three Terriers had combined to nearly hit triple digits in goals: David Tomlinson (30), Tony Amonte (31) and Shawn McEachern (34).

That’s 95 goals – not to mention McEachern’s 48 assists – from three players.

This year’s total is 76 goals. For the entire 25-man roster.

In a trend that has become all too familiar for Terrier Nation, the ‘Dogs again could not score and fell 2-1 to Providence College Saturday night at Schneider Arena.

It’s not as if the Terriers (8-14-6, 4-12-2 Hockey East) didn’t try to at least postpone the campaign for futility, as they tallied twice as many shots as the Friars (14-9-6, 6-8-5), throwing 34 pucks at Providence goalie Bobby Goepfert. After giving up two quick power play goals in the first period, BU controlled the tempo of the game, taking the offense into the Providence end.

But only one Terrier shot, a third period deflection by junior Matt Radoslovich, lit the lamp. The Terriers have now scored fewer than two goals in four straight games and six of the last seven.

“I’ve never been involved with a team with a record like this that is playing so well,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “They are so down, ’cause they’re not getting any individual rewards. And ’cause they’re not getting any goals, they’re not helping their team and we’re losing. It isn’t for lack of effort and it certainly isn’t for lack of time spent in the offensive zone.

“But it is for inability to put it by goaltenders.”

Especially this goaltender. Just eight days after pitching a 36-save shutout at Walter Brown Arena, Goepfert turned away 33 BU shots and put the Terriers in a not-so-familiar situation, just one point ahead of Northeastern University for the final playoff spot.

“Bobby’s playing with a lot of confidence,” said Providence coach Paul Pooley, “and we’re giving up some shots but we’re not giving up a lot of shots that are right in.”

Other than the Radoslovich deflection and one or two spotty chances, Pooley was exactly right. The Terriers were unable to get too many quality chances and had to settle for slappers from the point and weak wristers through traffic, many of which failed to even reach the net.

Goepfert was in great position for almost every BU chance, especially the 15-shot barrage he endured in the third period as Providence sat on the lead and played a prevent defense – something they might have learned from BU’s strategy in last Monday’s Beanpot final.

“It did cross my mind that hey, ‘we’ll just grind this thing out for the last six minutes,’ and that’s what we did,” Pooley said.

Many opponents have found it easy to “grind this thing out” against the Terriers this season, when a two-goal hole feels deeper than George Steinbrenner’s pockets.

While McEachern ran away from his teammates in ’90-91 for the team lead in goals, this year’s crew has two Terriers – sophomore Dave Van der Gulik and senior Kenny Magowan – tied for the lead.

They each have eight.

With just six games left, there is a very real possibility that not one Terrier will reach double digits in goals. And unless the ‘Dogs average four goals a game down the stretch, they will fall short of the century mark in total goals for only the sixth time since 1946 (when they played just three total games) and the first time since 1963-64, when they played 10 fewer games (24) than they will this season (34).

Think McEachern has any eligibility left?