BURLINGTON, Vt. - Defenseman Sean Escobedo scored two of Boston University's three goals in the second period and the fifth-ranked Terriers skated past Vermont 5-0 in Hockey East action on Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. The Catamounts drop to 6-24-1 (3-20-1 HEA), while the Terriers improve to 19-11-1 (15-8-1 HEA) with their sixth consecutive road win.
After a tight first period, BU went ahead at the 2:21 mark of the middle frame. Escobedo picked up the puck at the door step after a miscommunication in front of the UVM net and put it toward goal. The puck deflected off the left post and floated across the goal line, as the goal light came on but no goal was signaled by the referee. After a lengthy video review, the call on the ice was overturned and the Terriers were handed the lead.
Vermont nearly equalized on a brief 5-on-3 power play for 11 seconds, but Grant Rollheiser made a key save to keep it 1-0. Halfway through the second, Cason Hohmann's individual effort put the Terriers on top by two as he took a feed from Ryan Ruikka. Hohmann entered the Vermont zone, skated through the slot to out-wait the UVM defense, and wristed a shot through Rob Madore's five hole to double the lead.
Just seconds after the second BU tally, Anders Franzon was issued a five-minute major and game misconduct for hitting from behind at the 10:35 mark. On the ensuing major power play, Sahir Gill directed a point shot toward goal that was deflected in front. Madore appeared to have the shot covered in his blocker, but it squirted loose and Escobedo was waiting at the left door step to poke it into the empty net for his second tally of the period.
"We were frustrated, we didn't think a lot of those calls were warranted and we spent the whole night on the kill. 5-on-3's, killing off a five-minute power play, that takes the wind out of your sails," said head coach Kevin Sneddon. "I thought it was a good hockey game up until that point, but unfortunately it went the other way in a hurry."
The Catamounts attempted to battle back into the game in the final frame but they failed to clear their zone early in the third. Wade Megan took a bouncing puck in the slot and whacked it past Madore for a 4-0 advantage as BU added an insurance goal at the 1:13 mark. Just 29 seconds later, Justin Courtnall deked onto his forehand to bury a shot on a 3-on-1 break to push the lead to five and seal the victory for the Terriers.
Madore finished the night with 29 saves in a losing effort, while Rollheiser picked up his second career shutout in just his third start of the season. The Catamounts finished the night 7-8 on the penalty kill, including a BU two-man advantage in the third period for 1:54. Vermont was 0-5 on the power play, generating seven shots on those opportunities.
The Catamounts and Terriers conclude their weekend series tomorrow night at Gutterson Fieldhouse with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff. The second game of the series is Senior Night as Vermont plays its final home game of the season and honors its five seniors. All the action can be heard live on WVMT 620-AM and online at SportsJuice.com with Alastair Ingram calling the play-by-play. Live video of the contest is also available online for free via CatamounTV at UVMathletics.com.
NOTES: Madore has now made 97 saves in his last three games ... Vermont and Boston University entered the weekend 4-4-2 in the previous 10 meetings ... 7 of the last 11 games between the schools have been decided by a goal or less ... The Terriers entered Friday night as the most heavily penalized team in college hockey ... 14 of the last 19 Vermont goals have been scored by underclassmen ... Brett Leonard, Rob Madore, Drew MacKenzie, Matt Marshall, and Lance Herrington will make their final appearances as Catamounts at Gutterson Fieldhouse tomorrow night ... The senior class has won 53 games in its four years, and has been to two NCAA Tournaments and the 2009 Frozen Four.