Terriers Tackle Toronto

This afternoon's exhibition match between BU and the University of Toronto was far from a clean tune-up game for the regular season, but what do you expect it's Toronto. Last time the two teams met in October of 2010, several scrums broke out and it was a very chippy game. Today was a completely different ball of wax. BU and U of T racked up a combined 58 penalties and from what I heard, a fight broke out in the third. (I left after the Second period to go to the Patriots game).

Matt Nieto gets a tip on a shot from the point. Brett Willows
did make the save on this shot.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

BU opened the scoring on a power play with a little over five minutes into the first. BU was able to set up an umbrella in the Toronto zone. Alexx Privitera found Freshman defenseman Matt Grzelcyk at the center point. Grzelcyk then teed up Matt Nieto, who was stationed in the far circle for a one-timer. The seeing-eye bullet rang off the inside of the far post past Blues' goalie Brett Willows. The goal was BU's first of five power play goals on the afternoon.

With the period winding down, BU was back on the power play, this time thanks to a Charlie McDonald tripping infraction. Grzelcyk was again in on the goal, as he found Ahti Oksanen at the point. Oksanen let go a bomb that found the blade of Evan Rodrigues' stick deflecting it past Willows and giving BU a 2-0 lead.

BU took the 2-0 lead into the dressing room.

Penalties were the story of this game.
Here, Toronto has five men in the
box at the end of the second.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

The second period was (you guessed it) full of penalties. BU took advantage of a five minute major, in which they scored twice, just 13 seconds apart. Cason Hohmann set up Alexx Privitera at the near side faceoff circle. Willows made a great save on Privitera's one touch bid, but the rebound snuck behind him, where Yasin Cisse slammed home the loose puck.

Before anyone sat back down, Freshman Mike Moran slipped one through Willow's pads to make it 4-0 Terriers with just 3:13 left in the second.

At this point, I was walking out the door and driving back to Foxboro to catch the Pats game. From reading the box score and watching the highlights on the BU Athletics web site, I'll do my best to explain BU's 5th goal: Oksanen set up Hohmann in the high slot who appeared to get off a quick shot beating Willows low.

Freshman Goalies Matt O'Conner and Sean Maguire combined to shut out Toronto, making 17 total saves. O'Conner looked solid in the time he played, granted he only faced five shots. Maguire also looked good in the short amount of time I saw him play (9:45) and he finished with 12 saves on the afternoon.