Cats bite back, take 5-2 win

Vermont scored a pair of early goals and another pair late for a 5-2 win, ending BU’s modest two-game winning streak. The loss drops BU into fifth place, two points behind Lowell, BC and Providence and three points behind new leader New Hampshire.

After Matt White’s shorthander and a goal by Brett Bruneteau gave the visitors a 2-0 lead just six-and-a-half minutes in, UVM goalie Brady Hoffman made a pair of game-changing saves. He stoned Matt Nieto on a breakaway and then somehow stopped Evan Rodrigues who appeared to have a half-open net on a two-on-one. Nieto’s power play goal, his 15^th of the season and sixth in three games, assisted by Danny O’Regan and Ahti Oksanen, cut the lead in half.

Vermont scored in the first minute of the second period to regain the two-goal margin  before a Garrett Noonan (photo) shorthander, assisted by Sahir Gill and Rodrigues, brought BU to within a goal again at &;29 of the third. But BU couldn’t produce the equalizer, with Hoffman (26 saves) making several key stops. An even-strength goal and an empty netter in the final two minutes closed the scoring.

Sean Maguire, playing a second consecutive game due to Matt O’Connor’s illness, turned aside 37 of 41 shots.

After dominating the face-off battle Friday night, roles reversed and Vermont won 44 of 60 draws.

BU scored on one of five power play chances, but yielded one shorthander. Terriers killied all four Vermont power plays—and all seven in the two-game series—while also notching a shortie.

►Terrier Coach Jack Parker was recognized for his 40 seasons behind the BU bench in a brief ceremony between the periods and fans in attendance received a commemorative puck

● GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score

● Video highlights

● Boston Hockey Blog recap, slideshow and Three Up, three down

● Post-game comments: Jack Parker

● College Hockey News’ Takeaway

● WTBU Sports recap, O’Connor respiratory issues

● USCHO recap

Looking ahead

2013 recruit Jarrid Privitera score his 9^th goal of the season, a shorthander, but Dubuque gave up two late goals and lost to Sioux Falls in a shootout, 5-4.

Looking back

Feature on former BU goalie Grant Rollheiser, now with the Wichita Thunders.

Women’s team

#4 Terriers advanced to the Hockey East semifinals with a dominating 5-1 win against Connecticut at Walter Brown Arena, led by Jenelle Kohanchuk’s 19^th and 20^th goals and a stifling defense that limited the Huskies to 17 shots.

After a scoreless opening period, BU scored two second-period goals in a minute with Marie-Philip Poulin notching her 15^th and Kayla Tutino her 14^th. UConn cut the lead in half late in the period, but Kohanchuk scored twice in the third period before Caroline Campbell’s empty-netter closed the scoring.

Poulin’s goal was the 50^th of her BU career, making her the fastest to reach that milestone (74 games) in program history.

Terrier will meet Providence next Saturday afternoon in Hyannis, Mass., in a game that will match two coaches—BU’s Brian Durocher and the Friars’ Bob Deraney—who were Terrier goalies as undergrads. BU won all three regular-season games against Providence, which reached the semifinals with a 5-4 OT win over New Hampshire. BC plays Northeastern in the other seminfinal.

● GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score

● Video highlights

● UConn recap