A two-goal lead in tow, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell was sitting pretty 8:03 into last night’s game at Agganis Arena. The seventh-seeded River Hawks were seemingly on their way to a victory of historic proportions.
What UML didn’t anticipate, however, was the gritty team on the other side of the ice flipping on the proverbial switch.
The No. 14/13 Boston University men’s hockey team finished second in Hockey East for a reason. Lowell found out why in a hurry.
With its season on life support, BU sidestepped an early deficit in dominant fashion, answering Lowell’s two strikes with three first-period goals of its own to close out the River Hawks, 4-2, in Game Three of the Hockey East quarterfinal series.
“BU’s back was against the wall, especially being down 2-0, and they fought back,” said UML coach Blaise MacDonald. “Their program plays with a lot of integrity and a lot of grit. They deserve to move on.”
The Terriers (19-16-4), who move into the semifinal round of the conference tournament for the seventh straight season, will meet the third-seeded University of Vermont Friday at TD Banknorth Garden.
The setback was particularly heartbreaking for Lowell (16-17-4), which was attempting to become the first No. 7 seed in tournament history to knock off a No. 2.
Senior co-captain Pete MacArthur starred in his final appearance at Agganis, netting the equalizer 11:44 into the first before tacking on an insurance goal 7:56 into the second.
“Coach did a great job settling us down by taking a timeout, and the game was over from that point on,” MacArthur said.
Freshman Nick Bonino and junior Jason Lawrence also scored for the Terriers, who bombed Lowell goalie Carter Hutton with 17 first-period shots before playing lockdown defense down the stretch (17 UML shots over the final 40:00).
After a goal by MacArthur was waved off 3:56 into regulation for coming after the whistle, Lowell cashed in at 7:43 with its fifth power-play tally of the series, a wrist shot from sophomore Kory Falite that zipped through traffic and between the pads of BU goalie Brett Bennett (24 saves).
Rookie Scott Campbell followed suit at 8:03, sneaking a rebound past the stick side of a slow-to-react Bennett, prompting Parker to call a timeout.
“I said, ‘Boys we gotta relax. There’s plenty of time to go here. Let’s just play hockey,'” Parker said. “Once Lowell got the second goal we were panicky. I think [the timeout] quieted us down a little bit.”
Minutes later, a different Terrier team emerged from the bench, one brimming with the grit and determination needed to save its season.
At 9:04, Bonino nabbed an errant pass by Steve Capraro from behind the net at the right point, waded into the UML zone and powered a wrist shot past Hutton’s stick side.
The goal revitalized the Terriers, a calming reminder that their offense has carried them all season. Why would last night be any different?
Thirteen seconds into a BU 5-on-3, MacArthur beat Hutton (23 saves) with a booming slap shot from the top of the right circle at 11:44, and Bonino found a streaking Lawrence 2:50 later for a wrister that eluded Hutton’s glove side.
MacArthur stretched BU’s lead to 4-2 at 7:56 of the second, flinging a shot into the slot from the right circle that kicked off the skate of UML’s Chris Auger and into the back of the net.
Game Notes: Rookie center Colin Wilson returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s loss with a hip flexor strain. . . . Senior defenseman Kevin Kielt, who played in place of injured sophomore Eric Gryba (sprained MCL), picked up his first assist of the season on Lawrence’s tally.
