Men’s hockey Terriers blast Nebraska-Omaha, 9-2
Winner of BU-BC grudge game will advance to the Frozen Four
The men’s hockey Terriers, with a blizzard of six period goals in the second period, buried Nebraska-Omaha 9-2 in the NCAA tournament on March 24, earning them a matchup with Boston College in the Northeast Regional final March 25 at the DCU Center in Worcester at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on CN8 and ESPNU.
Nebraska-Omaha took 1-0 lead early in the first period, and Mavericks freshman goaltender Jerad Kaufman was red hot, turning back scoring chances by Brad Zancanaro (MET’06), Kevin Schaeffer (CAS’07), and Brian Ewing (CAS’08). But Nebraska-Omaha couldn’t clear the puck after Ewing’s last bid, and he found the upper right corner of the net to tie the game.
In the second period, it was all BU, with freshman Chris Higgins (CAS’09) scoring a hat trick. Also lighting the lamp were Dan Spang (CAS’06), Kenny Roche (CAS’07), and Ewing putting another one past Kafuman on a power play. Maverick Thomas Klempa scored after Spang’s goal, keeping his team in the hunt, shrinking BU’s lead to 3-2. But the Terriers jumped on defensive lapses, skating off the ice with a five goal advantage and their fans making plans for tomorrow night’s game in Worcester.
In the third period, Tom Morrow (CGS’06) and Brian McGirk (CAS’08) added more insurance tallies, and it became clear that Nebraska-Omaha’s much-feared high-octane offense wouldn’t be able to close the large deficit.
Higgins was quick to downplay his performance, praising linemate and fellow freshman Brandon Yip (CAS’09). “Yip is our quarterback on the power play. He’s just phenomenal,” he says.
BU’s freshmen have scored 18 goals in the last 22 games. The victory marked the Terriers’ second nine-goal game in their last three contests, and goaltender John Curry (CAS’08) has allowed just five goals in that span. Curry gave up one goal in the Terriers’ 2-1 victory over BC in the Hockey East championship March 18, their fourth victory in five games against the Eagles this year.