Lowell Cruises In Game 2, Sweeps Series

From the drop of the puck, it was easy to see this wasn't going to be BU's night. 

Lowell scored on their first shot of the game and took the Terriers to the woodshed from there on out. Jake Kamrass wristed in a long shot from just inside the blue line 3:07 into the game. The shot cleanly beat Sean Maguire and the only thing that could have thrown him off was that the shot went through a Terrier defender legs. It was an awfully weak goal to allow.

Ryan Cloonan was one of just a few Terriers who had any
sort of jump at all tonight.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

That was the lone goal of the opening period and the shots were not hugely in Lowell's favor (12-8), but the River Hawks were all over BU. 

More of the same followed in period two. Lowell scored another soft goal as Joe Gambardella stuffed one home five hole on Maguire from out if the near corner. That ended the night for Maguire. He allowed two goals on 13 shots in 26:26 of game time. 

Connor LaCouvee didn't fare much better. He allowed three goals on 14 shots in 34:34. 

CJ Smith gave Lowell a 3-0 lead midway through the second when he slipped in a shot shot five hole after a hard net drive. 

BU had no push back. They never showed up. The second period was a the absolute worst period of the year and it is not even close. None of their seven shots on net had any realistic chance of going in and the goaltending was terrible. That kind of effort in a playoff game is just unfathomable. 

They even had a power play late in the frame. A goal there would have at least gave some sort of hope for a come back in the third. Nope. Nothing. 

Even when BU had some decent pressure in the opening minutes of the third and the game was somewhat still in hand (at least on the score board) they fired their chances high off the glass. 

After pouring on their only real pressure of the night, it took just one Lowell rush the other way and it was 4-0. Smith picked up his second goal of the night off a rebound. LaCouvee was all sprawled out and on his stomach after a a few prior chances were denied. All smith had to do was elevate his shot.

John Edwardh closed out the scoring after he roofed a backhand shot at the 8:30 marker of the third. 

BU's ineptitude shouldn't underscore how well Lowell played. They did everything right. The River Hawks never allowed BU to set up in the attacking zone and they broke up rushes through the neutral zone. Defensively Lowell was perfect. Every puck that needed to get out got out and Boyle stopped everything that came his way. Still, a better effort from BU was needed. They made Lowell's job a lot easier that in should have been.

Tonight was worst defeat for BU in the Hockey East Tournament since since 2002 when they lost 8-2 to Providence in game one. This also marks the first time BU has been swept in the Quarterfinals since 1988.

Luckily, the Terriers are still in great standing to make the NCAA tournament. They currently sit in a tie with Lowell for 8th in the PWR. 

Maybe a break is what this team needs. They came out of winter break and played their best hockey of the year. The year isn't over. Here's to hoping we don't get shipped to Cincinnati.