BU Axes Acadia

It was your typical exhibition style hockey game: sloppy, with many mistakes and plenty of penalties. In the end, despite being shorthanded for eight minutes including 3:57 of the final 4:00 minutes of the third, BU came from behind to beat Acadia University 4-2.

The Terriers had the game's first real scoring chance when Nick Olsson fed a pass through an Acadia defender's stick right onto the tape of freshman Bobo Carpenter. Carpenter took one stride before releasing a shot labeled for the back of the net. Only problem was Acadia goalie Brandon Glover was there to make a phenomenal save to keep the game scoreless.

Glover made another strong save on a BU power play just minutes later. That was the only decent chance the Terriers had on the man advantage. The set up was in full preseason form: sloppy.

BU eventually broke though just before the midpoint of the first period. Ahti Oksanen stripped the puck from an Axemen defender along the far wall and then shoveled it behind the net to Danny O'Regan. O'Regan was able to bank it in off a defender in the crease and pinball the puck between Glover's legs. Danny scored from practically behind the goal.

When asked whether he was trying to play the bank, he smiled and jokingly said yes. He then went onto say "I was trying to hit Ahti on a backhand, I don't know what it hit. I don't know how it went in."

Acadia struck back to level the game at the 12:06 marker of the period. Remy Giftopoulos got a tip on a Tyler Ferry point shot and deflected it pass Conor LaCouvee glove side.

Two minutes later, the Axemen jumped ahead on a Zach Franko breakaway goal. Mike Cazzola hit Franko with along stretch pass that sprung him in-behind the BU defense. Franko made a strong forehand-backhand move and and beat LaCouve up over his glove to make it 2-1.

BU answered back just two minutes into the second frame. Bobo Carpenter made a forceful rush up the far side after getting the puck from Nick Olsson in the neutral zone. At the bottom of the circle, Carpenter threaded a pass through a defender and found Shane Switzer backdoor. All Switzer had to do was get a stick on the pass because the net was wide open.

Carpenter's net drive created the whole play and the pass was perfect. It also helped that no one on Acadia picked up Switzer.

Sean Maguire entered the game at the mid point of the second. He played well and was key down the stretch on the penalty kill. In 30:36 of ice time, he made 15 saves and allowed zero goals. LaCouvee allowed two goals on 14 shots.

Acadia almost got the lead back early in the third. Charlie McAovy was burned on a play and the subsequent shot beat Maguire high, but hit off the bar and landed safely in the crowd.

BU regained the lead with just under 15 minutes left in the third. Maguire played the puck off the near side glass and it landed in the neutral zone for AJ Greer. The play turned into a three on two into the Acadia zone. Greer made a centering pass from about the top of the circle, through traffic, to Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, who redirected it through Glover's legs and into the net.

The Terriers extended their lead after killing off a Forsbacka Karlsson elbowing penalty. Right as time expired on the man advantage, Ahti Oksanen fired the puck in an attempted clear and in the process hit Forsbacka Karlsson coming out of the box at center ice. Once in the slot, JFK was hooked, but he was well in the clear and was awarded a penalty shot.

On the shot, he came in right down center, pump faked with his leg to get Glover going one way and then pulled it back to the other side and tucked it into the open net. "It was a heck of a move on a pretty good goalie" added Coach Quinn after the game.

BU killed off two late penalties to put ice on the exhibition win. Quinn said that he was almost happy they were shorthanded at the end. He wanted to get a few different looks on the PK and with limited practices so far the more reps the better.  

Next week the Terrier will open the regular season at Union College on Saturday night.