Last Updated 9:56 PM, November 12, 2022
Patrick Donnelly

No. 14 Boston University sweeps No. 11 UMass men's hockey with 5-1 win in Game 2

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2:30 am, November 13, 2022

FINAL: Terriers sweep UMass with 5-1 win 🐾

BOSTON –– Senior assistant captains Jay O’Brien and Case McCarthy each had a goal and an assist for No. 14 Boston University in their 5-1 win to sweep No. 11 UMass at Agganis Arena on Saturday.

Forwards Ryan Greene, Nick Zabaneh and Jamie Armstrong each scored as well for the Terriers (6-3-0, 4-2-0 HEA). Junior goaltender Drew Commesso made 29 saves.

Senior captain Eric Faith scored for the Minutemen (5-5-1, 1-5-0 HEA). Junior goaltenders Cole Brady and Henry Graham combined for 40 saves.

BU earned its first sweep of the season, stringing wins together for the first time this season as well. Meanwhile, UMass has now lost three games in a row, and five of their last six.

Greene made it 1-0 just before the halfway point of the first, picking up his third goal and sixth point of the weekend. Brady made the save on the shot from the point, but Luke Tuch tapped it to Greene, who fired a one-timer from the slot.

Armstrong doubled the lead late in the period, finishing a loose puck in front of the crease.

McCarthy tacked on another with about seven minutes to go in the second just after a power play expired, unleashing a one-timer from the right circle off a feed from Wilmer Skoog.

Faith got the Minutemen on the board just 38 seconds into the third when a rebound fell right on his stick in front of the net with Commesso down and out.

Zabaneh made it 4-1 8:59 into the third period, and O’Brien extended it to 5-1 just 39 seconds later with a wrist shot to the top right corner on the power play.

BU faces another tough test next week when they battle cross-town rival No. 15 Northeastern, while the Minutemen will face No. 16 UMass Lowell.

2:08 am, November 13, 2022

GOALS! 🚨 Terriers tack on two more | 3rd period

Nick Zabaneh and Jay O'Brien extend BU's lead to 5-1 less than a minute apart from each other.

Zabaneh picked up his first of the season with a shot from the top of the left circle that caught Brady off guard.

O'Brien walked down the wing and roofed a wrist shot to the top right corner just 39 seconds later on the power play. 

1:50 am, November 13, 2022

GOAL! 🚨 UMass is on the board | 3rd – 19:22

UMass captain Eric Faith cuts it to 3-1 just 38 seconds into the third. 

The Minutemen had attacking pressure to open the period before the puck found its way to Faith through traffic, and he had all day to put it home.

1:49 am, November 13, 2022

The third period is underway 👀

The final period of regulation is on at Agganis. BU leads 3-0. 

1:18 am, November 13, 2022

GOAL! 🚨 BU extends their lead | 2nd – 7:37

The Terriers tack on another goal, to make it 3-0.

Wilmer Skoog fed Case McCarthy for a one-timer from the right face-off circle just after as time ran out on the power play. 

The second period is underway 👀

The middle frame is on at Agganis. BU leads UMass 2-0 after the first.

12:42 am, November 13, 2022

END 1st: BU has a 2️⃣ goal lead

Through 20 minutes at Agganis, BU leads UMass, 2-0.

Ryan Greene and Jamie Armstrong each scored for the Terriers. 

The Minutemen outshot BU, 14-12.

12:36 am, November 13, 2022

GOAL! 🚨 Terriers double their lead | 1st – 2:35

Jamie Armstrong makes it 2-0 for the Terriers late in the third period. 

BU kept the play alive with good forechecking pressure before Ty Gallagher sent a shot in from the point. Armstrong found the rebound and put it home for his second of the season.

12:22 am, November 13, 2022

GOAL! 🚨 BU takes the lead | 1st – 10:42

Ryan Greene stays hot to put the Terriers up 1-0 just before the halfway point of the first period.

The freshman picked up his sixth point of the weekend, finishing a wrist shot form the slot for his fifth goal of the year.

12:05 am, November 13, 2022

The game is on! 👀

The puck is down and we're underway at Agganis Arena for Game 2 between UMass and BU.

11:30 pm, November 12, 2022

Puck-drop is about 30 minutes away ⏳

Puck-drop at Agganis Arena is just around the corner between No. 11 UMass and No. 14 BU.

Cole Brady will start for the Minutemen, while Drew Commesso goes in net for the Terriers.

Below are tonight's lines:

Line sheets for BU and UMass
11:15 pm, November 12, 2022

How the Terriers and Minutemen stack up historically 📋

This is the 91st all-time meeting between UMass and BU, who is 68-14-8 in the series.

The Terriers are 5-0-1 against the Minutemen in the last six games, including last night's win and last season's series (2-0-1). At Agganis Arena, BU is 18-3-4.
 

 

5:47 pm, November 12, 2022

How to watch tonight's Game 2

Saturday's rematch between No. 11 UMass and No. 14 BU is among the top games on the men's college hockey docket tonight. Here's how to follow along

5:25 pm, November 12, 2022

Comparing UMass and BU 📊

Both the No. 11 Minutemen and No. 14 Terriers have been marred by inconsistency this season after coming into the year as two of the favorites in Hockey East.

BU took Friday's Game 1 in dominant fashion with a 7-2 win, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before UMass finally found an answer. Freshmen forwards Ryan Greene (2g, 3a) and Quinn Hutson (2g, 1a) led the way for the Terriers, and senior forward Wilmer Skoog scored a highlight-reel lacrosse goal, the fourth time he's done it in his NCAA career. Junior goaltender Drew Commesso made 21 saves for BU, while UMass' Luke Pavicich and Cole Brady combined for 38. Sophomore blue-liner Ryan Ufko led the Minutemen with a goal and an assist.

UMass cruised to a 4-0-1 start before beginning conference play, including a sweep of then-No. 1 Denver, but have since stumbled, losing four straight and going 1-0-4 in five league games. They've been lethal on the power play, and freshman forward Kenny Connors has really taken off through the first month of his NCAA career. Not to mention key returners like Reed Lebster, Ryan Ufko or Scott Morrow getting it done as well. Greg Carvel's team has struggled to keep the puck out of the net lately, and that was no different in Friday's Game 1.

Meanwhile, the Terriers are yet to string wins together this season. They've had shown some strong backbone to earn splits with Michigan (after getting blown out 9-2) as well as UConn and UMass Lowell. Their difficult schedule continues this weekend and beyond with more ranked opponents in Northeastern and Notre Dame also on the horizon. Veteran Matt Brown has been the go-to guy, but a pair of freshman in Green and Lane Hutson have stepped in nicely with 10 points each. Commesso struggled in the loss at Michigan before missing time with injury. 

Here's how the teams stack up, statistically: 

UMass STAT Boston University
(5-4-1, 1-4-0 HEA) Record (5-3-0, 3-2-0 HEA)
No. 11 Current Ranking No. 14
First round 2022 NCAA tournament Did not make tournament
36 Goals scored 24
3.6 Goals per game 3.4
27 Goals against 20
2.7 Goals against per game 3.1
46.2% Power play 21.1%
81.2% Penalty kill 81.1%
Kenny Connors, 11 points
(four goals, seven assists)		 Top scorer Matt Brown, 11 points
(five goals, six assists)
Luke Pavicich, 6-3-0 (two shutouts)
(.920 save percentage, 2.65 GAA)		 Top goaltender Drew Commesso, 3-1-0 
(.885 save percentage, 3.18 GAA)