Catamounts Score 3 Times in the 3rd to Earn a 3-3 Tie with BU

By Brian Roach

With a three-goal lead and less than 15 minutes to go, the No. 15 Boston University Terriers (16-9-8, 13-5-6 HE) looked poised to inch within one point of securing home-ice advantage for the Hockey East Quarterfinals. But, as this young BU team has come to learn over the course of the 2010-2011 campaign, it’s not over until it’s over – especially when the University of Vermont Catamounts (7-17-7, 5-13-6 HE) are in town.

“It’s pretty disappointing,” senior co-captain Joe Periera said after his team skated to a 3-3 tie with the Catamounts. “We went up 3-0 – playoff hockey – we’ve got to win those games, and we let it slip away. It’s sad to say, and we keep saying we have to learn these lessons, but it keeps happening, and that’s something – we need to get over the hump…we need to learn.”

BU scored once in each period of regulation play, starting with Sahir Gill’s fifth tally of the season at the 16:40 mark of the first. Gill intercepted a wayward Jack Downing pass and used a nifty move to sneak the puck past UVM junior netminder Rob Madore (43 saves). The marker was Gill’s first in 20 games (his last goal came against the University of New Hampshire on November 20).

Fellow freshman Adam Clendening, whose efforts made an impression on BU head coach Jack Parker, also posted his fifth goal of the 2010-2011 campaign – gathering his own blocked shot and slipping it past Madore with under 8 minutes to play in the second period, giving the Terriers a 2-0 lead. The goal – swept out of the net by a Catamount defenseman – was the subject of a lengthy review (but ultimately allowed).

“I thought Adam Clendening had his best game in a BU uniform,” Parker said during his post-game comments. “I thought he played great tonight,” he added, noting that Clendening moved the puck well and played excellent defense.

The Terriers’ final tally came with 5:33 gone by in the third period, when sophomore forward Ben Rosen jammed home a failed Justin Courtnall wrap-around bid. The goal was Rosen’s second of the season.

Then, the Catamounts, who haven’t lost at Agganis in more than three years, managed to turn three BU mistakes into three quick goals. Sophomore defenseman Anders Franzon opened the scoring for UVM during a four-on-four with 6:37 gone by in the final stanza – flipping a rebound past BU goaltender Kieran Millan (38 saves). Junior defenseman Drew MacKenzie and junior blue-liner Lance Herrington got in on the action six minutes later, potting goals just 32 seconds apart. The goal was Herrington’s first as a Catamount.

The blown lead (BU’s third this month), however, was not the product of poor effort down the stretch (as has been the case in other games), Parker said after the contest.

“Without those mistakes – even in the last 13 minutes of the third period – I thought we played pretty well. We got a bunch of good opportunities, a bunch of good grade A’s; but, it’s tough to give away that point. A real well-earned point [for] Vermont that doesn’t feel quite as good for us.”

Despite being outshot by the Terriers in the game’s extra frame, Madore – who stopped a number of quality BU scoring chances – and the Catamounts of Vermont came within inches of walking out of Agganis with a ‘W’ when a shot by freshman forward H.T. Lenz rang off the post and out of the net. Millan and Madore held their own for the remainder of the overtime to preserve the 3-3 tie.

“I hope [the players] don’t get down,” Parker said during a post-game press conference. “As I said, I’m not aggravated with my team tonight. I hope they don’t get down, they’ve got to get even – they’ve got to come back and play better tomorrow. It’s important that we get points tomorrow.”

BU will face off against UVM tonight at 6:30 at Agganis Arena.

Notes –

The Terriers are undefeated in their last 8 regular-season conference games (6-0-2)…Clendening’s tally Friday night gives him a four-game points streak…BU came in to Friday night’s tilt boasting four of the top 10 freshman scorers in Hockey East…The Terriers need just two points to secure home-ice advantage for the Hockey East Quarterfinals.