Maine tied the game at two midway through the second period but quickly fell behind 4-2 by the time the buzzer sounded. After climbing back to within one goal six minutes into the third period, the Terriers laid it on: Zach Cohen and Colby Cohen scored 22 seconds apart and David Warsofsky added a seventh goal for good measure three minutes later.
Thirteen different members of the Terriers registered a point against the Black Bears. Nick Bonino extended his scoring streak to eight games, and Ross Gaudet scored twice, giving him five goals in his last five games.
Maine goaltender Scott Darling lost for the first time since Nov. 20, and though he was pulled to begin the third, he returned to action with eight minutes remaining after Shawn Sirman took a skate to the mask.
Maine won’t have much time to lick its wounds, as these two face off again on Saturday night.
Third period, 1:43, BU 7-4: Adam Kraus makes a big save on a one-timer with 10 seconds left in the power play.
Third period, 3:48, BU 7-4: Maine will get one more chance on the power play, as David Warsofsky is in the box for slashing.
Third period, 4:08, BU 7-4: The Black Bears strike again. Max Nicastro coughs up the puck in the slot and Robby Dee promptly whips it past Kieran Millan before he has time to react.
Adam Kraus is now in goal for the Terriers.
Third period, 8:53, BU 7-3: This is becoming a slaughter. David Warsofsky steps into a shot coming off the bench, tees it up and rockets it right over Shawn Sirman’s shoulder.
And Sirman takes a hard hit to the mask from a BU player’s skate after the play. He’s being helped off the ice. We could be looking at a concussion.
Scott Darling is back in goal.
Third period, 12:06, BU 6-3: And BU quickly erases that goal, as Kevin Shattenkirk snags a loose puck coming off a faceoff and sends it across the crease to Zach Cohen, who taps it past Shawn Sirman for his 10th of the year.
Colby Cohen buries the Black Bears further less than a minute later, teeing up a one-timer just inside the blue line coming off another faceoff. It’s his 12th of the year.
Maine keeps fighting back, but after BU keeps laying it on, you have to figure that this is just about as much as the Black Bears can take.
Third period, 14:01, BU 4-3: The Black Bears have narrowed the deficit to 1, after Jeff Dimmen gets a turnover in the right circle following a barrage of Maine shots and backhanding past Kieran Millan.
It’s his sixth goal of the season and the 40th point of of his career at Maine.
Third period, 19:08, BU 4-2: BU has pulled Scott Darling in favor of freshman Shawn Sirman, making his fifth appearance of the season. He is 0-4 thus far.
Darling is in line to lose for the first time since Nov. 20. So long to that 13-game winning streak.
The Terriers are 8-1 when leading after two periods.
End of second period, BU 4-2: What a crazy second period.
BU registered a 2-0 lead early in the frame on Ross Gaudet’s second goal of the game, and after killing off a 5-on-3 power play against the nation’s top PP unit, the Terriers looked golden.
Then, for the third straight game, the Black Bears roared back, tying the game at 2 after goals from Joey Diamond and David deKastrozza (power play) in the span of 2:17.
But the Terriers, somehow, didn’t panic, coming back to score twice more with less than four minutes left in the frame.
So the Terriers, after blowing a lead, put themselves right back up by two with 20 minutes left to play — and yes, the Black Bears have come back from two-goal holes before, but can they do it twice in one game?
Second period, 1:21, BU 4-2: Chris Connolly tees up a one-timer from the left circle and sends it wide right. That could’ve been dangerous.
On the next shift, however, Nick Bonino snaps it over Scott Darling’s shoulder on a quick 2-on-1.
That’s Bonino’s 13th point in his last eight games.
Second period, 3:46, BU 3-2: Vinny Saponari quickly makes good use of the penalty, planting himself in front of the net and backhands a rebound of a Chris Connolly shot up and over Scott Darling.
Crazy, crazy second period.
Second period, 4:21, 2-2: Tanner House trips up Vinny Saponari and is promptly sent into the box.
BU is 0-for-2 on the power play and has gotten off just one shot.
Second period, 5:56, 2-2: There’s the nation’s best power play. After Josh Van Dyk tees up a one timer which is deflected by Kieran Millan, the Black Bears crash the net and finally, after Millan lands on his back, David deKastrozza registers his fifth of the season.
Second period, 6:33, BU 2-1: David Warsofsky will give the Black Bears yet another shot, as he’s flagged for cross-checking Josh Van Dyk.
Maine is 0-for-3 on the power play this evening.
Second period, 8:32, BU 2-1: And the Black Bears are on the board. Fourth-liner Joey Diamond drives a Kevin Swallow rebound past Kieran Millan, putting some jump back into the Black Bears after they got just one shot off during the 5-on-3.
Ryan Hegarty also had an assist on the play.
Second period, 9:09, BU 2-0: Captain Tanner House gets a shot off from the slot with 25 seconds left in the two-man advantage, but he can’t quite get a handle on the puck and Kieran Millan is ready to make the stop.
Josh Van Dyk tees up a one-timer with about 10 seconds left but it goes wide, and that’s the end of the two-man advantage.
BU clears with 10 seconds left in the power play, ending the threat, and that has to be another huge momentum boost for the Terriers.
Second period, 11:03, BU 2-0: Vinny Saponari gives the nation’s best power play another shot, as he heads into the box for cross-checking.
And 21 seconds into it, Luke Popko adds insult to injury, joining Saponari for hooking.
Maine will have the 5-on-3 for 1:39.
Second period, 13:34, BU 2-0: Josh Van Dyk tries a wraparound on the other end but he can’t quite get it around the post and BU comes away with the puck.
Remember — this one isn’t completely out of reach yet, as Maine rebounded from 2-0 deficits in each of its last two wins.
Second period, 15:00, BU 2-0: Ross Gaudet tallies his second of the night, effectively deflating any momentum the Black Bears had going. Gaudet takes a long cross-ice pass and takes it down the left side before somehow sneaking it past Scott Darling from a nearly impossible angle from the circle, nearly parallel with the net.
Gaudet now has five goals in his last five games.
Second period, 16:54, BU 1-0: Adam Shemansky gets a good opportunity, snagging a turnover against the boards near the left circle and coming in on a 2-on-1 but Kieran Millan makes another quality save. And then Shemansky’s stick breaks.
Second period, 19:31, BU 1-0: We’re underway in the second period.
BU outshot Maine 11-8 in the first frame.
End of first period, BU 1-0: It didn’t take long for BU to establish its momentum in this one, as Ross Gaudet got on the board 1:18 into the action. That has to feel good, as the Terriers were anxious to erase any of the lingering bitterness from a tough loss on Monday.
It also has to feel good to have a first-period lead against the second-best team in the league, and against a goaltender who hasn’t lost since Nov. 20.
Another momentum boost? BU killed off a penalty midway through the period against the nation’s top power-play unit.
The Black Bears registered a series sweep of UNH last weekend, and in both games, they were down 2-0 before crawling back, so BU must stay aggressive and alert if it hopes to extend this lead.
First period, 1:29, BU 1-0: David Warsofsky tees up a one-timer from inside the blue line and it’s off the mark. The Terriers don’t get a whole lot of great chances on that PP; credit Maine’s PK for that.
First period, 3:46, BU 1-0: Nick Bonino draws another penalty, this time victimizing Jeff Dimmen, who is in the box for holding.
BU is 0-for-1 on the PP tonight.
First period, 5:21, BU 1-0: Theo Anderson flips one at Kieran Millan from the left circle but it hits Millan right in the chest.
Maine is getting its opportunities, but unfortunately, the Black Bears are shooting everything right at the red and white target between the pipes.
First period, 7:25, BU 1-0: Maine’s Will O’Neill gets a good shot off coming in on a 3-on-2 but Kieran Millan makes a quality save.
BU has looked more aggressive on the last couple of shifts than it has all night thus far.
First period, 10:09, BU 1-0: BU is aggressive on the PK, preventing the Black Bears from being able to get in their sets and successfully killing off that one.
Maine’s best shot came in the first 20 seconds, when Gustav Nyquist teed one up from right inside the blue line.
First period, 12:19, BU 1-0: The nation’s No. 1 power play gets a shot now, as BU’s Eric Gryba is whistled for hooking.
Jack Parker certainly wanted his squad to stay out of the box against Maine, which scores on 30 percent of PP’s.
First period, 12:49, BU 1-0: Early in the power play, Kevin Shattenkirk tees up and sends the puck off the post, and with about 40 seconds left in the PP, Maine’s Josh Van Dyk registers a key clear to burn some time.
David Warsofsky sends in a one-timer with five seconds left but Scott Darling deflects it.
First period, 14:47, BU 1-0: BU will get the first shot on the power play, as Jeff Dimmen is in the box for roughing Nick Bonino on a wraparound that very closely resembled Monday’s almost-goal against BC.
First period, 16:45, BU 1-0: Gustav Nyquist gets flips a wrister at the net but Kieran Millan makes the glove save.
The Terriers have to be confident right now as they’re proving that they’re not letting the lingering emotions of Monday’s loss effect them.
First period, 18:42, BU 1-0: Ross Gaudet puts BU on the board 1:18 into the action. He and Joe Pereira charge the net in a 2-on-1 and Gaudet takes the feed across the crease and eludes Scott Darling.
First period, 19:58: And we’re underway at Agganis Arena.
Maine goaltender Scott Darling is 14-3-3 this season with a 2.68 GAA and is riding a 13-game unbeaten streak. We’ll see if BU can do something about that.
At Agganis, the Terriers are 7-1-1 in the lifetime series between these two teams.
4:12 p.m.: The Terriers will try to rebound from Monday’s crushing Beanpot defeat to Boston College as they welcome the Black Bears to Agganis Arena at 7:30 p.m. for the first of a two-game series.
Monday’s loss snapped a two-game win streak for BU, which has been in the midst of its usual second-half push toward the postseason. After falling behind 4-1 against the Eagles, the Terriers managed to score two third-period goals to make it game and almost tallied the tying score with less than a minute left on a Nick Bonino wraparound, but they fell painfully short.
The Terriers are in a three-way tie for fifth place in Hockey East with 18 points.
Maine is on an upswing of its own, registering a 5-0-1 record in its last six games and landing in a second-place tie in Hockey East standings. The last time the Black Bears lost was on Jan. 16 at Providence.
In the first meeting between the two on Nov. 8, Maine won 3-2 at home. We’ll see if the Terriers can even the series on their home ice.
