BOSTON - Junior Chris Connolly sent home the game-winning goal with just 27.5 seconds left in regulation after sophomore Alex Chiasson tied the contest just over three minutes earlier as the No. 5/6 Boston University men's ice hockey team pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory over UMass Lowell on Saturday evening at Agganis Arena.
The Terriers completed a weekend home-and-home sweep of the River Hawks following Friday's 5-1 win at Tsongas Center and continued their undefeated start to the season, improving to 6-0-1 overall and 4-0-1 in Hockey East play. Since 1978, just one other BU squad went undefeated in its first seven games, as the 2001-02 team posted an identical 6-0-1 mark before dropping its eighth contest.
UMass Lowell (1-4-2, 1-4-0) opened the scoring midway through the third period on a tally by freshman Joseph Pendenza and got a 28-save performance from fellow freshman Doug Carr.
In his second start of the season, junior Grant Rollheiser recorded 24 saves for the Terriers to improve to 2-0-0 on the year.
Trailing 1-0, the Terriers drew a penalty on Lowell's Colin Wright and were able to get an extra attacker out with under four minutes left in regulation. Following a pass by freshman Charlie Coyle from the left corner, Chiasson roofed a shot from above the crease at 16:17 to make it a 1-1 affair.
Junior David Warsofsky, who also assisted on the Chiasson tally, set up the game-winner after taking a pass from freshman Adam Clendening in transition. Warsofsky skated up the left side of the ice before curling at the foot of the left circle and sending a pass to the low slot, where Connolly just barely got enough of his stick on the puck to slide it past Carr and send the Agganis crowd into a frenzy.
BU returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 6) when it plays host to a key early-season contest with No. 6/7 Maine. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The River Hawks will visit Boston College on Tuesday (Nov. 2) at 7 p.m.