A Successful Senior Night

Senior night a Agganis.
(All photos by Matt Dresens)

Once again, BU had to come from behind to win a hockey game. Tonight's comeback was just a little different. In games past when the Terriers have fallen behind and had to battled back to win, the games were quite close. Tonight BU fell behind 1-0 just 38 seconds into the game on Garrett Vermeersch's 9th goal of the year. After that, BU scored four straight goals, all in the second period. 

Matt Neito tied the game on the power play with little over five minutes played in the second frame. This was not your typical power play goal, but hey, they all count the same. After receiving the puck, Nieto directed a shot on net. The puck either was deflected or hit off of NU goalie Chris Rawlings's side before popping up into the top shelf. It took a second for the crowd to react to the goal and realized that the puck did in fact go in the net. The assists went to Alex Chiasson and Garrett Noonan. 

19 seconds later, the Terriers made it 2-1 on an odd man rush. Ryan Ruikka hit Wade Megan with a pass and the junior forward did the rest of the work. He beat Rawlings short side from the top of the dot, a pure goal score’s goal. It was Megan's team leading 18th tally of the season. 

At the 7:04 marker, Kevin Gilroy committed just his third penalty in his BU career, giving NU a chance to get back in the game on the power play. It was not meant to be for the Huskies. Garrett Noonan led three on two shorthanded rush, before slipping a wrister past Rawlings and into the back of the net. Rawlings appeared to be too worried about covering his short side where Megan beat him, leaving room to the glove side where Noonan torched the North Delta, British Columbia native. All three goals were scored in a 3:02 span. 

BU was not done in the second, though. At the 17:16 mark, Ryan Santana tipped Ross Gaudet's low wrist shot past Rawlings' five hole and into the bottom of the net. It was Santana's second goal of the year. 

After the second period ended, Northeastern opted to have backup goalie, Clay Witt play the third period. Witt faired much better in net, allowing no goals on 6 shots in 14:51 of time played. NU pulled Witt for the extra attacker with more than five minutes play. The gamble did not pay off for the Huskies, as Chris Connolly converted off a turnover from former Terrier Vinny Saponari. 

Prior to the Connolly empty net goal, NU's Ludwig Karlsson had made it 4-2 on five on three power play at the 7:22 mark. 

Game Notes - BU defenseman, Patrick MacGergor hit a Husky player threw the glass midway through the first period. 

- Kieran Millan made 19 saves in his last regular season game as a Terrier; Grant Rollheisr gets the start tomorrow at Matthews. 

- BU has eliminated Northeastern from playoff contention following the win. Last season NU ended BU's season in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, two games to one. The year prior to that -2010- BU ended NU season with a 4-3 at Matthews on the last day of the regular season. NU ended up finishing ninth and BU third in the final Hockey East standings.

- The win ended a four game home losing streak. No BU team has ever lost five straight home games