Fabbro Hat Trick Leads Boston University Past Merrimack, 4-3
Sophomore defenseman Dante Fabbro nets hat trick for Terriers

Sophomore defenseman Dante Fabbro scored a hat trick for the Terriers
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 4:39  MER1-0 EV Brett Seney (7)Jace Hennig/13, Craig Pantano/1
1st 17:07  BU1-1 PP Dante Fabbro (5)Jordan Greenway/11, Brady Tkachuk/13
1st 17:54  BU2-1 EV Shane Bowers (10)Drew Melanson/6, Cam Crotty/4
1st 18:17  BU3-1 EV Dante Fabbro (6)Ty Amonte/1, Patrick Curry/4
2nd 17:34  MER2-3 PP Marc Biega (4)Cole McBride/5, Johnathan Kovacevic/11
3rd 4:48  MER3-3 PP Brett Seney (8)Jared Kolquist/13, Sami Tavernier/7
3rd 15:33  BU4-3 EV GW Dante Fabbro (7)Logan Cockerill/5, Shane Bowers/7
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Boston University  3014
Merrimack  1113
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Boston University  1114429
Merrimack  168731
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Boston University (10-11-2)  1/2 5/10 0
Merrimack (7-12-4)  2/3 4/8 0
Boston University Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Jake Oettinger (W, 9-10-2)60:003 157628
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Craig Pantano (L, 7-7-2)59:054 814325
Empty Net0:550     

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Senior forward Brett Seney lit the lamp twice for the sixth time in his career and helped the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team rally from two down, but visiting Boston University scored late to hand the Warriors a 4-3 setback on Friday night at Lawler Rink. The two sides conclude the weekend home-and-home series tomorrow at Agganis Arena.

The Basics

Score: Boston U. 4, Merrimack 3
Records: Merrimack (7-12-4, 4-8-2 HEA) | #RV/-- Boston U. (10-11-2, 8-7-2 HEA)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Lawler Rink
Attendance: 2549
Game Duration: 2:10

Rapid Recap

- Merrimack controlled the pace throughout most of the first period, and that helped the home side take a 1-0 lead off the stick of Seney. The Terriers, however, would strike for three goals in the span of 1:10, giving BU a 3-1 edge after 20 minutes.

- Merrimack weathered an early storm from BU at the start of the second to keep the deficit at two. Midway through the frame, it appeared the Warriors had gotten one back on a wraparound attempt from Derek Petti, but the officials deemed the goal to have been dislodged before the puck went in. The home side would eventually get to within one late in the frame while on the power play, with senior Marc Biega lighting the lamp to make it a 3-2 game heading to the third.

- Merrimack had an early power play in the third and promptly capitalized with Seney netting his second of the night to tie the game at 3-3 and bring the home crowd to life. But BU would get the game-winner with 4:27 to play and held on from there on out to take the series opener.

Scoring Summaries

Goal #1 (MC, 1-0): Seney put the Warriors on top early with his seventh goal of the year - and fifth career goal against BU - just 4:39 into the contest. Junior goaltender Craig Pantano sent the puck around the boards in the defensive zone to senior Jace Hennig, who banked it up to Seney. The latter gained the line and snuck a snap shot by BU goaltender Jake Oettinger's blocker side.

Goal #2 (BU, 1-1): Dante Fabbro leveled the ledger at 17:07 of the first, tying the game on his fifth of the season. With the Terriers on the power play, Brady Tkachuk cycled from the right half wall down to the near post to Jordan Greenway, who found Fabbro open at the back post for a one-timer equalizer.

Goal #3 (BU, 1-2): Shane Bowers gave BU the lead less than a minute later after finishing off an odd-man rush sequence for his 10th goal of the year. Cam Crotty started the play in the defensive zone by banking the puck out to Drew Mellanson; the latter kicked the puck out to the neutral zone and managed to get around a defender to create a 2-on-1, and he found Bowers for the one-timer to finish it off.

Goal #4 (BU, 1-3): Fabbro scored again with less than two minutes to go in the first to cap off BU's three-goal spurt, as his sixth marker gave the Terriers a 3-1 edge. Patrick Curry poked the puck loose in the far corner up to Ty Amonte, who headed toward the slot before dishing to Fabbro. He would score from the high slot with a wrister through traffic.

Goal #5 (MC, 2-3): Biega brought the Warriors to within one at the 17:34 mark of the second while on the power play, as his fourth of the year made it a 3-2 game. Sophomore Johnathan Kovacevic passed to classmate Cole McBride, who let one rip from the right circle. The shot was stopped but went right to the stick of Biega at the far circle, whose one-timer found the twine to even things up.

Goal #6 (MC, 3-3): Seney's second of the game and eighth of the year came 4:48 into the third with the home side on the power play, drawing the contest level at 3-3. Sophomore Sami Tavernier and senior Jared Kolquist handed the puck off at the point before Seney took over at the left wing boards, getting some space in the circle beating Oettinger on the short side again with a quick snap shot to tie the game.

Goal #7 (BU, 3-4): Fabbro secured a hat trick with his seventh goal of the year late in regulation, scoring on a broken play. Bowers poked the puck loose at the far corner out to Logan Cockerill, who went hard to the net where the puck eventually found Fabbro at the right slot, and his shot found the twine in the low-right corner.

Notes and Notables

- Seney recorded his sixth career two-goal game and fourth this year, tying a career-high; his last such performance came in a 3-2 win at Denver on Dec. 29, 2017.

- BU won at Lawler Rink for the first time since Jan. 11, 2013, snapping a four-game winless stretch (0-3-1). Merrimack moved to 19-85-8 all-time against BU with an 11-28-5 mark at Lawler Rink.

- Merrimack lost for the first time this year when scoring three or more goals (7-1-2); their last loss when scoring three-plus goals was at Boston College on Feb. 12, 2016 (6-3). Merrimack is 0-11-2 when being held to fewer than three goals this year.

- Merrimack fell to 3-3-4 when scoring first in games this year.

- Goaltenders: Craig Pantano (25 saves, 7-7-2) // Jake Oettinger (28 saves, 9-10-2)

- Power Plays: Merrimack (2-3) | BU (1-2)

- Shots on Goal (MC-BU): 11-6 // 8-14 // 7-4 -- 31-29

Merrimack Lineup

Hennig | Seney | Irvine
Petti | L. Larsson | McBride
Babcock | Kramer | Tavernier
A. Larsson | Drevitch | McKay
Kolquist | Titcomb
Biega | Carle
Dockery | Kovacevic
Pantano
Vogler
Halladay

Up Next

Merrimack and BU round out the weekend series tomorrow night at Agganis Arena in Boston. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.