The Boston University men’s hockey team rallied from three one-goal deficits on Saturday night at Conte Forum but could not overcome No. 5 Boston College, who won 4-3 thanks to a game-winner late in the third period.
BU senior forward and captain Patrick Curry said the team stood strong against the Eagles for the majority of the game, but bad luck toppled the Terriers (8-8-5, 5-4-4 Hockey East).
“It was a fast-paced game and it’s good to see how we responded,” Curry said during a post-game press conference. “Unfortunately, we got that bad bounce at the end.”
Junior forward Logan Hutsko scored twice for the Eagles (15-5, 9-3 Hockey East), converting a breakaway for the game’s first goal nine minutes in and adding a third goal for BC from close range early in the third period.
BU head coach Albie O’Connell said the Eagles’ speed on the ice was a challenge.
“I thought BC played really well,” O’Connell said during the post-game press conference. “Their speed was a factor.”
Both of Hutsko’s goals were matched by strikes from Curry and senior forward Patrick Harper, who both fired the puck through traffic and into the back of the net for the Terriers in the first and third periods respectively.
Curry said crowding the BC net was the plan heading into the game.
“We were kind of preaching to have traffic around the net,” Curry said.
Curry also equalized after freshman forward Mike Hardman’s first-period tally, potting a cross-crease feed halfway through the second period to answer Hardman’s wraparound that trickled past BU graduate goaltender Sam Tucker.
O’Connell praised the Terrier captain’s strong plays.
“[Curry] scored two pretty nice goals,” O’Connell said. “He’s been tenacious.”
With BU having stuck with the favored hosts stride-for-stride for 54 minutes, the game was ultimately decided in BC’s favor on a shot by senior forward Julius Mattila that deflected off the leg of BU junior defenseman David Farrance and into the net.
O’Connell said sometimes luck determines the winner of games.
“That’s the way it goes,” O’Connell said. “You turn the puck over there, you get a bad bounce, and that’s the game.”
BU finished the game on the power play and threatened with the man advantage, but could not find their fourth tying goal as BC freshman netminder Spencer Knight shut the door on the 4-3 victory.
BC head coach Jerry York said third period play led the Eagles to the victory.
“I thought one of the keys to us, of course, was scoring the goal in the third period and killing two penalties,” York said during his post-game press conference. “They’ve got a very good club. I think down the stretch, they’re going to be extremely dangerous.”
On the opposite bench, the leading reason for BU’s loss was clear to Albie O’Connell.
“They scored two goals on us mismanaging the puck at critical times in the neutral zone,” O’Connell said. “90 percent of the time, we played well. We’ve gotta shave that 10 percent down.”
In their first weekend of Hockey East play in 2020, the Terriers finished with two of a possible four points from one-goal games against Merrimack College and Boston College.
O’Connell said the team did things right over the weekend, but now has to take those positives and run with them.
“I thought overall we had a good weekend. We’ve got to just move on and take the positives out of it,” O’Connell said.
The Terriers and Eagles will meet twice later this season, including the Beanpot semifinals on Feb. 3. Next weekend, BU will stay in conference play for a home-and-home series against UMass Lowell.
