UVM played in full playoff mode on Friday, dominating throughout and tying UMass for eighth place in conference standings with 22 points. (UMass owns the tiebreaker.)
BU goaltender Kieran Millan was off-kilter from the get-go, allowing six goals. Scoring for UVM were Josh Burrows (2), Brayden Irwin, Tobias Nilsson-Roos, Brett Leonard, Brian Roloff and Drew MacKenzie (empty net).
BU got power-play goals from David Warsofsky and Vinny Saponari, and Zach Cohen scored even strength.
Will BU exact revenge on Sunday, or will the Catamounts continue their push? We'll soon find out.
Third period, 2:00, UVM 7-3: The penalty ends, and now it's just a plan 6-on-5 for BU.
Sebastian Stalberg comes up with the puck in the offensive zone, and with the net empty, David Warsofsky does a nice job moonlighting as a goaltender. He makes the save, but a minute later, UVM puts it away as Drew MacKenzie ices it and nestles it into the empty net.
Third period, 2:55, UVM 6-3: Rob Madore makes three big saves with two seconds left in the 5-on-3.
It's still a 6-on-4, as BU has pulled Millan.
Third period, 4:03, UVM 6-3: Uh oh. Another penalty on the Catamounts, as Brett Leonard shoves Chris Connolly into the boards and is sent into the box.
With the goaltender pulled, it becomes a 5-on-3 for BU.
P.S. Merrimack beat Maine, so the best UVM can do is keep pace.
Third period, 4:24, UVM 6-3: Jack Parker is all-in. He already pulled Kieran Millan.
Rob Madore has 16 saves on 19 shots tonight.
Third period, 4:52, UVM 6-3: Justin Courtnall goes into the box, but just seven seconds into the power play, Josh Burrows is whistled for tripping.
BU thrives on 4-on-4 play, but it may be safe to say it's too little, too late.
Third period, 6:51, UVM 6-3: The power play is over, and UVM is about six minutes way from a huge win to keep itself in contention for a playoff berth with three games left.
Third period, 8:57, UVM 6-3: The Terriers are whistled for too many men on the ice. Ryan Santana is in the box.
UVM is 1-for-4 with six shots on the man advantage.
Third period, 11:42, UVM 6-3: Clarification — though Josh Burrows is a defenseman, he's playing forward this evening.
Third period, 13:47, UVM 6-3: That was way, way too easy. Defenseman Josh Burrows tallies his second of the night, after grabbing a rebound which deflected off Kieran Millan's puck and just dumping it into the empty net.
And UVM still has over a minute left on the power play. That should be the dagger for BU.
Third period, 14:30, UVM 5-3: Vermont will get 45 seconds of a 5-on-3. Eric Gryba joins Escobedo in the box for cross-checking.
It was a delayed penalty, and Brayden Irwin came on as the extra attacker for about 20 seconds.
Third period, 15:45, UVM 5-3: And now UVM gets the golden opportunity, as Sean Escobedo is whistled for cross-checking.
UVM is 0-for-2 on the power play with four shots.
Third period, 17:06, UVM 5-3: And BU does capitalize, as Vinny Saponari takes a cross-ice pass from Chris Connolly and rockets it past Rob Madore for his eighth of the season. Just like that, this is a game again.
Colby Cohen deserves credit for setting up the play, sticking out an arm and knocking down the puck on the blue line to keep it in the offensive zone.
Third period, 19:09, UVM 5-2: Big chance for BU, here, as Brayden Irwin is sent to the box for slashing.
BU is 1-for-3 on the power play with four shots.
End of second period, UVM 5-2: UVM is 20 minutes away from snagging a very, very much-needed win — and kudos to the Catamounts for holding off BU's pressure early in the period.
UVM led off the period with a Brett Leonard goal but then fell flat a little as David Warsofsky netted a power-play goal. But after killing off a second BU penalty, the Catamounts capitalized on the momentum, sealing the period with their fifth goal of the night, courtesy of captain Brian Roloff.
BU got off just two shots on goal during that period.
Merrimack is on top of Maine tonight, and UVM needs a win to keep pace in the Hockey East standings. Should Merrimack lose, UVM will jump into eighth place and into the playoff picture.
Second period, 30 seconds, UVM 5-2: Brayden Irwin should've had his second goal with a minute left in the power play after taking a centering pass from Kevan Miller, but his stick shatters in two as he tees up the puck.
Second period, 1:53, UVM 5-2: Nick Bonino is headed into the box after finishing Kevan Miller against the boards and elbowing him in the face. That'll do it.
Second period, 3:38, UVM 5-2: The Fieldhouse is going insane as captain Brian Roloff wins a one-on-one battle along the boards and takes the puck to the net, where Kieran Millan looks like he almost makes the stop but loses the handle and lets it sneak past him on the far post.
Second period, 7:57, UVM 4-2: Big sigh of relief for Vermont. The penalty is killed off, and David Pacan celebrates with a wristshot, which Kieran Millan awkwardly gets a glovve save on. He looks kind of a like a shortstop stabbing the ball after a bad hop.
Second period, 9:48, UVM 4-2: BU will go on the power-play again, as Chris Connolly is cross-checked by Brayden Irwin trying to drive home a feed from Alex Chiasson on the left post.
BU is 1-for-1 on the man advantage.
Second period, 14:15, UVM 4-2: Immediately after the penalty expires, David Warsofsky rifles the puck past Rob Madore after being left alone in the slot for his 10th of the year.
It counts as a power-play goal for the Terriers, and it's Warsofsky's fourth in his last seven games.
Just as it looked like UVM was going to be in the clear, it allowed BU to seize a huge momentum swing. We'll see if the Terriers can really capitalize.
Second period, 15:44, UVM 4-1: After some "after the whistle nonsense," as Craig Janney put it, Joe Pereira is in the box, allowing UVM its second power play.
Forty-four seconds in, Brian Roloff is whistled for a hit from behind. He heavily protests the call but is headed into the box anyway.
Second period, 16:48, UVM 4-1: Another golden opportunity for UVM, as Colin Vock gets a breakaway — and after briefly losing sight of the puck, Kieran Millan manages to squeeze the puck between the pads. Nice break for him on a tough night.
Second period, 17:14, UVM 4-1: Kieran Millan is really falling apart here. Facing UVM's fourth line, he initially stops a wraparound bid by Brett Leonard but can't quite corral the puck, allowing it to trickle past him and over the line.
It's Leonard's third of the year.
Bad news for the Terriers: When they are down after one period, they are 0-6-2.
Second period, 19:55, UVM 3-1: The Catamounts begin the second with a little over a minute remaining on the power play.
UVM is on cloud nine tonight after USA's win over Finland, considering alum Tim Thomas got in the game. Unfortunately, he allowed the lone Finn goal late in the third period.
End of first period, UVM 3-1: Desperation looks good on the Catamounts, at least tonight. UVM is currently in ninth place in Hockey East and desperately needs any two points it can get to put itself back in the playoff conversation, and right now, it's in good position.
UVM got goals from Josh Burrows, Brayden Irwin and Tobias Nilsson-Roos to head into the first break with a 3-1 lead. The Terriers, meanwhile, looked completely out of sorts for 90 percent of the period, save from Zach Cohen's 12th goal of the season, which narrowed the deficit to 2-1 with about six minutes left in the frame.
First period, 46.4 seconds, UVM 3-1: Chris Connolly is in the box for slashing — another great opportunity for the Catamounts heading into the break.
First period, 1:53, UVM 3-1: This has to be Vermont's best period in a long, long time. The Catamounts put their third goal of the frame on the board, as UVM capitalizes on a 3-on-2 and Tobias Nilsson-Roos taps a rebound past Kieran Millan. It's his fourth of the season.
Millan is leaving his rebounds in front of the net and it's really burning him.
First period, 3:56, UVM 2-1: Justin Courtnall gets the assist on the Zach Cohen goal.
First period, 6:15, UVM 2-1: And BU is right back in this one after looking very out-of-sync for the first 15 minutes. Zach Cohen tallies his 12th of the season, firing once from the slot then driving the rebound in.
First period, 9:00, UVM 2-0: Coming off a faceoff, 6-foot-5 Brayden Irwin is left wide open in front of the net and takes a perfect feed from freshman phenom Sebastian Stalberg, tucking the puck around Kieran Millan for his 13th of the season. It's the 36th of his career.
First period, 9:41, UVM 1-0: Kieran Millan's had to make some big stops this period, and at least a couple of them have come as a result of Josh Burrows shots. He and linemate Chris McCarthy came to play.
First period, 10:50, UVM 1-0: Coming off a faceoff, Nick Bonino's wraparound bid almost gets through but Rob Madore makes another big save.
We're only 10 minutes in, but already, Madore is coming up huge for the Catamounts.
First period, 14:11, UVM 1-0: Correction. It appears that Chris McCarthy's bid didn't quite get over the line, and junior Josh Burrows swept in while Millan was caught out of position and tapped the puck in. McCarthy's shot was maybe a fraction of an inch away from being a goal.
It's burrows third of the season.
First period, 15:15, UVM 1-0: UVM gets on the board first, as freshman Chris McCarthy (the Catamounts' top freshman scorer) snags a turnover after BU wins a faceoff, brings it up the right side and buries the puck past Kieran Millan from the slot.
First period, 15:59: Early in the power play, Nick Bonino tries to find Colby Cohen in front for the one-timer but can't connect. Later, Chris Connolly and Max Nicastro go back and forth a few times but can't get a good shot off and the penalty is over.
First period, 17:36: BU gets an early power-play opportunity, as Zach Cohen drives to the net and gets shoved in the back as Rob Madore makes the save.
7:33 p.m.: We've got Kieran Millan in net for the Terriers and Rob Madore between the pipes for UVM.
7:30 p.m.: This is why Jack Parker is a legend. During a pregame sit-down, he compared his team's first-half persona to "an egomaniac with a superiority complex." Now that they've gotten over themselves, the Terriers have been able to string some wins together.
4:17 p.m.: Boston University and Vermont meet on Friday evening at Gutterson Fieldhouse for the first game of a two-game set, and at this point in the season, every win is a must win.
The Terriers, who have climbed into fourth place in Hockey East standings (11-10-2, 14-13-3 overall), have been on a roll as of late, winning five of their last seven games and averaging 4.50 goals per game over their last four.
Getting past UVM, however, will be no easy task: The Catamounts have posted a 7-7-4 record against BU since joining Hockey East. Of those 18 meetings, 12 have been decided by one goal or have gone into OT. The Catamounts are led by rookie Sebastian Stalberg, who boasts 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his last 14 games.
Unfortunately for the Catamounts, though, things haven't been going well for them lately, as they've fallen into ninth place in league standings (7-10-6, 13-11-6 overall) and haven't won in regulation since Feb. 5 at Providence.
The two teams met on Dec. 4 at Agganis Arena, and that one ended in a 3-3 tie.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m., so check back for updates.
