The Boston University men’s hockey team beat No.17/15 Arizona State 4-2 at home Friday night, in a game highlighted by two goals from freshman forward Joel Farabee and a milestone assist for senior captain Bobo Carpenter.
The Terriers (10-9-3, 8-5-2 Hockey East) conceded the first goal of the contest for the fourth consecutive game. Six minutes in, the Sun Devils (16-10-1) took the lead via forward Anthony Croston, who scored from close range off a pass from linemate Filips Buncis.
“We have to find a way to get the first goal,” BU head coach Albie O’Connell said. “But our response is normally pretty good.”
BU’s response to the early deficit was no different than the positive response O’Connell alluded to, as the Terriers came back with a goal of their own through Farabee at 10:46.
On a turnover deep in the Sun Devils’ end, freshman forward Jack DeBoer found Farabee alone in front of the net. The freshman did the rest, deking around keeper Joey Daccord to slide in his seventh tally of the season.
“Joel’s been really coming on,” O’Connell said. “He’s a threat.”
The initial turnover was forced by Carpenter, providing the senior with a milestone point on the second assist. With a total of 56 goals and 44 assists, Carpenter reached 100 points as a Terrier — the 83rd player in team history to hit that mark.
“It’s makes you look back [at] the players you played with that helped you get to that mark,” Carpenter said. “It’s pretty special.”
As the period came to a close, junior forward Patrick Curry gave BU the lead with 38 seconds remaining before the first intermission.
After sophomore forward Ty Amonte won the puck in the corner, junior forward Patrick Harper moved it along to classmate Curry, who lofted the puck over Daccord to pot his sixth goal of the campaign and put the Terriers on top at the break.
The teams traded punches at the start of the second period before the Terriers doubled their lead at the 7:16 mark. It was Farabee again who lit the lamp for BU, with his centering pass taking a convenient bounce off a defender and into the ASU net for his second goal of the game and eighth as a Terrier. The assists were credited to co-captains Carpenter and junior defenseman Dante Fabbro.
“I just kind of got a lucky bounce there,” Farabee said.
Just as the Terriers had in the first period, the Sun Devils came up with a quick response to bring the BU lead back to one. At 9:12, captain Brinson Pasichnuk drove in a laser from the point on the assist from forward Demetrios Koumontzis to quiet any momentum held by the Terriers after the second Farabee tally.
BU did end up with the last laugh in the middle stanza, again benefitting from a deflection to restore their two-goal lead.
After passes from senior forward Ryan Cloonan and sophomore forward Shane Bowers just under 13 minutes into the period, junior defenseman Chad Krys’ effort from distance glanced off a Sun Devil and past Daccord for the sophomore’s fourth goal of the season.
“We got some bounces,” O’Connell said. “It was nice the puck was going in the net for us.”
The focus for the Terriers shifted toward defense in the last 20 minutes.
BU’s work in their own zone was rock-solid throughout the final period, killing off two Sun Devil power plays along the way. Junior goaltender Jake Oettinger stood tall for BU, making several key stops late en route, totaling 38 saves on the game.
BU’s defensive emphasis would pay off, as the game finished 4-2.
Between Farabee’s two goals and Carpenter’s 100th assist, the two linemates had quite a night. As both players acknowledged after the game, this freshman-senior duo has developed a strong relationship on the ice that has helped the pair get the most out of their respective play.
“We’re both hard workers,” Farabee said. “That creates offense for ourselves.”
Carpenter said Farabee has a skill that he does better than other players.
“I’ve never seen a player see the ice so well,” Carpenter said. “The chemistry is there for sure.”
The Terriers will look to take the series sweep over the Sun Devils when the teams return to Agganis Arena for a rematch at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
