The No. 17 Boston University men’s hockey team got off to a torrid start Saturday night at Agganis Arena, assaulting the goal en route to a 4-0 first period lead over Merrimack College.
But for the Terriers (3-6, 2-5 Hockey East), penalties and turnovers crept into the fold, giving Merrimack (6-4, 3-2) the rest of the game to claw back. Sophomore goalie Grant Rollheiser was forced to save six third-period shots from the slot or closer just to hang on to a 5-4 lead, and thanks to a late empty-net goal, a 6-4 win.
The win was aided by the return of Rollheiser and junior forward Nick Bonino from injuries, and ended the Terriers’ four-game losing skid.
Rollheiser made 25 saves total, and gave up one even-strength goal, as Merrimack went 3-for-9 on the power play.
‘We needed a win and he got it for us,’ Parker said of Rollheiser’s performance. ‘He stood tall in the third period especially. I thought despite the fact that we gave up three power-play goals, we did a pretty good job killing penalties. We had so many to kill.’
Although BU was just 1-for-6 on its own power play, the Terriers were able to pour on all four first-period goals at even strength. The first broke a 215:31 drought spanning three-and-a-half games without a 5-on-5 goal.
Sophomore forward Joe Pereira got it all started 44 seconds into the game after ducking a hit at center ice to track down a loose puck. He dodged one more hit before working the puck to sophomore forward Chris Connolly, who snagged it and sent the puck back to junior Kevin Shattenkirk in the slot with a single swoop of the stick.
The captain beat Merrimack goalie Andrew Braithwaite stick side, the first straw on a back that broke when he was pulled at the end of the first.
Pereira was a catalyst on the reshuffled first line all night. Connolly, Bonino and Pereira were on the ice for four of BU’s six goals, and Pereira’s steal led to the sealing sixth on an empty net.
‘That line had a lot of jump for us, and a lot of opportunities,’ Parker said. ‘And I thought Pereira was the guy that gave it that jump.’
Sophomore forward Ross Gaudet and freshman forward Max Nicastro each scored their first collegiate goals, sandwiching Connolly’s first of two on the evening.
Connolly, a Duluth, Minn. native, capitalized after forcing a turnover during a one-on-one moment inside Merrimack’s blue line. He snaked the puck over to Bonino and streaked to the doorstep.
‘I knew the pass was coming from Nick ‘-‘- just had to wait the defenseman out, ‘ Connolly said. ‘So, I was getting ready to shoot the puck and I had an open net. I told myself, ‘If I miss that, I may as well just leave the ice and go get undressed.’
Connolly cashed in on the give-and-go, and added his second goal of the night on an empty net with seven seconds left in the third.
‘We were on a high,’ Bonino said. ‘We try to stay even keel, not too high, not too low, but I think we were pretty excited after struggling to score all year, and it kind of came together in the first period.’
Kibbles and Bits
Freshman forward Stephane Da Costa scored his eighth goal and added two assists to lead Merrimack’s comeback. . . . BU trailed in shots during the second and third periods but led overall, 34-29, after a 17-6 whitewashing in the first. . . . Merrimack goalie Joe Canata made 15 saves after taking over for Braithwaite to start the second.
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