BU exacted a measure of revenge Saturday night by soundly thrashing UNH 7-2.
After a thoroughly exhilirating and emotional college hockey game Friday
night, won by UNH 6-5 in overtime, BU came storming out of the box quickly,
dominating play over the first few minutes. They took a 2-0 lead on
back-to-back goals by Jay Pandolfo at 9:21 and 9:34 of the 1st period. After
Eric Nickulas scored for UNH at 13:29, the Terriers scored 2 more, one by Bob
Lachance (15:35) and another by Chris Drury (19:02).
The 2nd period seemed to be somewhat lifeless, at least for Wildcat fans, as
BU continued to control the tempo, preventing UNH from mounting any
sustained pressure on BU freshman goalie Michel Laroque. John Hynes scored
the only goal of the 2nd period at 10:12 to give BU a 5-1 lead.
UNH showed some life in the third period, scoring at 2:22 on a power play
goal by defenseman Tim Murray. Immediately following, the Wildcats played
their best hockey of the night, pressing in the BU end. UNH's Greg Dumont
clanged one off the far post and a minute later a tip-in attempt (player
unidentified) slid passed a down-and-out Laroque. Midway thru the period, BU
took a penalty and the Wildcats exhibited probably their best power play of
the season, keeping the puck in the zone for almost the entire 2 minutes.
However, fortunes turned as Pandolfo scored again at 11:38 for his 6th (?)
shorthanded goal and third hat trick of the season. Shawn Bates scored 2
minutes later to cap off a very good night for the Terriers.
From the UNH perspective it appeared from the start that it would be an
uphill battle for the Wildcats to sweep the weekend. For starters, there is
the dismal history of UNH-BU games at Walter Brown. Secondly, the Wildcats
had just come off an emotional victory over BU the night before in the
inaugural game at the new Whittemore Center. Finally, the team learned
Saturday morning of a tragic auto accident in Connecticut involving
defenseman Todd Hall's family, where his younger sister was killed and his
parents were severely injured. On the best of nights, the Wildcat struggle
to win at Walter Brown Arena. Saturday night was clearly not one of those.
The encouraging sign in the game for UNH is that they did not quit in the 3rd
period despite being clearly outplayed in the first two. For the Hockey East
early season they can take heart in the knowledge that they have split the 20
possible points with the two teams ahead of them in pre-season rankings (BU
and Maine), despite the fact that 3 of the 4 games were played away from
home. In addition, it appears that their first two lines will be solid
offensive forces throughout the season. If the goaltending holds up, they
should be an NCAA contender.
BU has exhibited, to date, explosive scoring punch over their first 3 lines
and has been given tremendous senior leadership (as they always seem to get)
from Jay Pandolfo. My observation, having seen all 4 of their HE games, is
that their defense is a bit leaky . Perhaps they have found the answer to
that problem in last night's game. My only query is what has happened to
Grier and O'Sullivan? They appeared to be non-factors in both games this
weekend. Any response from Terrier fans?
Mark Mowers for Hobey Baker!
Greg Ambrose
GO BLUE!!!
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