TBOSTON — In the final game played at Matthews Arena, Boston University men’s hockey beat Northeastern 4-3 after storming back late in the third period.
BU maintained the majority of possession in the first period. At the end of the frame, the Terriers had 16 shots on goal compared to Northeastern’s eight.
Even so, Northeastern generated first on a power play opportunity. At 11:23, freshman defenseman Carter Amico was called for tripping.
During the penalty kill, BU pressured Northeastern, keeping it outside of the slot. The Huskies’ goal came when BU lost coverage in front of the net. Senior defenseman Vinny Borgesi found freshman forward Giacomo Martino across the circle. With all the Terriers pressuring the Huskies to the outside, Jacob Mathieu broke in front of the net and tipped Martino’s pass past Mikhail Yegerov.
At 14:37 junior defender Gavin McCarthy could not keep a turned-over puck in the BU offensive zone. Martino capitalized, breaking past McCarthy and going on an odd-man rush, leaving sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson as the lone Terrier covering the defensive zone. Martino passed across the slot to Tyler Fukakusa, who went top shelf over Yegerov.
Northeastern was called for boarding at 15:28, but BU could not deliver on the power play. The Huskies cleared the puck on four separate occasions, and BU’s only dangerous chance came off a shot from freshman forward Jack Murtagh at the end of the man advantage.
With 2:20 left in the period, BU got on the board. Sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis gained possession off of a faceoff. Roukounakis and Brandon Svoboda crashed the net, and Svoboda swatted in an airborne puck to give BU its first goal.
At 7:13 in the second period, Kamil Bednarik was called for tripping. BU limited Northeastern’s chances by inserting sticks on the backcheck and clearing the puck on three separate occasions.
For much of the second BU maintained the majority of sustained possession. Northeastern had a few threatening chances, but all came off breakouts and in transition.
At 13:40 Malte Vass found Sacha Boisvert across the slot and Boisvert tied it for BU, netting the puck past Lawton Zacher’s gloveside.
BU went on the power play with 2:17 remaining in the second after the Huskies were called for a hit from behind. The Terriers only tallied two shots on net during the power play.
Just as it looked like the period was going to end in a tie, Northeastern pulled ahead. Dylan Hryckowian tipped away a pass intended for Boisvert. Joe Connor secured the puck past Yegerov going gloveside high.
Sophomore forward Cole Eiserman was tripped on a breakaway opportunity at 2:45 in the third period, sending BU to a power play. The advantage was short-lived, as Bednarik was called for a face violation three seconds into the power play.
Halfway through the third, McCarthy was called for slashing, and the Huskies were given a penalty shot, but Yegerov denied Connor from extending Northeastern’s lead.
At 12:58, Defenseman Austin May was called for slashing, but BU couldn’t generate.
The Terriers pulled Yegerov at 2:12 remaining, and it paid off. Bednarik tipped in a rebound off a one-timer from Eiserman.
Svoboda tallied the winning goal and his second of the night with 1:39 remaining. Svoboda gained possession from a pass through the neutral zone by Nick Roukounakis.
Northeastern pulled Zacher as a last-ditch effort, but ultimately the Terriers’ late push allowed them to secure a victory at their ancestral home.
This story will be updated.