MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Jan. 2 – Terrier fans journeying to Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis to watch the Boston University hockey team take on the two-time defending national champion University of Minnesota in a two-game set to start the new year saw their trip made worthwhile Friday.
An arena record crowd of 10,303 saw, without question, BU’s most exciting game of the year, as the Terriers (5-5-5, 2-4-2 Hockey East) came back from four different deficits to earn a hard-fought 5-5 tie with the red-hot Golden Gophers (9-8-2, 4-7-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association), who had won eight of their last nine coming in.
The game between old-time rivals conjured up some of that old-time intensity, making for a very physical game despite the large ice surface (200 feet x 100 feet). The extra ice catered to Minnesota-style hockey, featuring a back-and-forth, fast-paced game with plenty of scoring.
“It certainly was the wildest game we’ve been involved in because we haven’t scored too many goals,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “It certainly was the last man standing was gonna get the winning goal there.”
The Maroon and Gold did not greet the visitors warmly, as the Gophers immediately woke the raucous crowd with the first tally just 1:50 into the first period on a backbreaking fake by Jon Waibel to beat BU goalie Sean Fields on a breakaway.
The Terriers answered on a slapper by Kevin Schaeffer less than seven minutes later, but despite a relatively even first period, the first intermission saw BU in a 3-1 hole thanks to a scary Minnesota power play – even without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who is currently playing at the World Junior Championships – that scores nearly 30 percent of the time.
But with two goals in the first four minutes of the second period, the Terriers showed the Gopher faithful that they did not make the long trip for nothing. The first was a lucky bounce off of Mark Mullen’s skate past Minnesota goalie Kellen Briggs, while BU’s third goal came when Brian McConnell buried a rebound after defenseman-turned-forward Bryan Miller’s wrister drew iron.
The Terriers twice more fell behind by a goal, but first Mullen – who battled through knee surgery less than a month ago to be ready for the game – and then John Laliberte evened the score, making for the 5-5 final in overtime.
“We were down 3-1, we were down 4-3, we were down 5-4,” Parker said. “It was nice that we had a chance after to keep going. We didn’t get down … we just kept working.”
Both teams had chances to win it, as Fields (35 saves) stretched back across the crease to rob Minnesota of the win with a toe save halfway through overtime, sending gasps through the cavernous arena. McConnell also had a chance late in the third, but Briggs (25 saves) got enough of the backhand with his glove to send the game to overtime.
The most exciting sequence came during a wide-open, four-on-four midway through the first period, when the teams seemingly took turns on odd man rushes, draining even the electric crowd.
“This is a pretty big rivalry even though we don’t see them too much, and both teams need a win,” Parker said. “We went after each other pretty good tonight.”
For BU, sophomore defenseman Jekabs Redlihs appeared in his first game of the year after recovering from a broken collarbone, but failed to last two periods as he received a game disqualification late in the second for a hit into the boards that left Minnesota captain Grant Potulny motionless for a few moments. Redlihs will not be allowed to play Saturday, when the teams settle the tie, probably with a bit more shoving involved as well.
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