BU rallies late, denies Merrimack's upset bid in overtime
Boston University 3, Merrimack 2 (OT)
BOSTON — The Warriors had BU on the ropes. Late in regulation, they held a one-goal lead on the road against the team picked to finish atop Hockey East. The table was set for an upset, but the Terriers pulled the rug out from under them.
Jack Murtagh tied the game with 3:30 remaining in the third period, and Cole Hutson buried the winner just 21 seconds into overtime, lifting BU to a 3-2 comeback victory at Agganis Arena.
“I didn’t think we played very well,” said Merrimack head coach Scott Borek. “We were fortunate to be in the position that we were in [leading the game late]. We didn’t finish. Those were points that we left on the table.”
For Merrimack, it spoiled what was, at times, a solid road effort against one of the nation’s most talented teams. The Warriors held BU to just 21 shots on goal — the Terriers’ second-lowest total of the season — and, in a rare bright spot, won 30 of 49 faceoffs.
But the game slipped away when Merrimack strayed from its identity — a recurring theme in losses this season. When the Warriors stick to their identity — getting pucks deep and wreaking havoc on the forecheck — they’ve proven they can beat anyone. When they deviate, they often pay for it.
“We complicated the game again,” Borek said. “We were trying to make high-ice plays in the wrong part of the rink. They’re one of the most talented teams in the country. If you’re giving them short rinks, you’re making a huge mistake, and we did that a few times. That’s how they got their second goal. We gave them a short rink and they capitalized.
“We started to play their game, and we aren’t going to beat them at their game. In the second half of the game, we stopped getting pucks deep. We stopped forechecking because of that, and it became more of a transition game.”
Merrimack still had a chance to win it late. Ty Daneault nearly sealed it with seven seconds left in regulation on a breakaway, but BU goaltender Mikhail Yegorov made a spectacular save to keep the game tied.
Despite the overtime loss, the Warriors earned one point in the Hockey East standings. They now sit alone in third place and rank sixth in point percentage.
The two teams will wrap up the home-and-home series Saturday night at Lawler Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m.
Yurchuk scores his first goal
Benny Yurchuk scored his first NCAA goal in the opening period. Inserted back into the lineup, Yurchuk buried a feed from Ty Daneault, who forced a costly turnover off the stick of Yegorov behind the BU net.
Later in the game, Yurchuk drew a penalty in the third period, giving the Warriors a key power-play opportunity.
Notebook: Flamand, Lalonde shine on the dot
Among the Warriors’ top performers in the faceoff circle were Nolan Flamand (5–0) and Parker Lalonde (10–7). Four of the five Warriors who took draws finished with a winning record.
Austin Oravetz was a force in the defensive zone. The junior transfer blocked an impressive seven shots — nearly half of Merrimack’s total of 15 in the game.
Justin Gill added his second goal of the season for the Warriors.
