BU scores on its first three shots and buries Maine
The Terriers' 7-2 rout at Agganis leaves them alone atop Hockey East with nine points before tonight's rematch.
Boston University didn't wait for Maine to settle into its Hockey East opener. The Terriers scored on their first three shots, chased Maine's starting goaltender early, and won 7-2 at Agganis Arena on Friday. It was the most complete 60 minutes any Hockey East team has played this month, and it puts BU alone at the top of the league.
The start. Tynan Lawrence scored 29 seconds in. Xavier Villaneuve and Ben Merrill followed, and all three goals came inside the first 1:31. Viktor Norringer made it 4-0 on the power play at 4:49.
Maine's Petter Wickström Stumer saw six shots and stopped two before Albin Boija replaced him.
Tanner Klimpke answered 19 seconds after Norringer's goal, and Maine never got closer. Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Brandon Svoboda and Conrad Fondrk, on a third-period power play, finished it. Max Scott scored late on the power play for Maine.
The goalie. Mikhail Yegorov made 28 saves on 30 shots. BU outshot Maine 37-30 and went 2-for-4 on the power play to Maine's 1-for-4. Boija stopped 28 of 31 in relief, a respectable performance that will disappear inside a lopsided final.
The race. BU sits at 3-2 in league play with nine points. Vermont has seven and Providence six. The caveat matters: BU has played five league games, more than anyone else, and Providence is 5-0 overall and No. 5 in the USCHO poll. Nine points in October represents a lead, not a genuine cushion.
The Ferda number. BU entered the weekend ranked No. 14 in the USCHO poll, with Maine at No. 19. A ranked-versus-ranked league opener usually produces a tighter game than this one.
Rivalry file. Friday's win was BU's ninth straight over Maine at Agganis Arena, a home streak that dates to 2018. The Black Bears have spent eight years trying to steal one game on Commonwealth Avenue, and they get another opportunity tonight.
Kessler's call. Same teams, same barn, 6 p.m. Maine gets better goaltending and the game stays close into the third, but BU takes it by two and leaves the weekend with 12 points.
