Terriers Defeat Black Bears, Look To Repeat As Hockey East Champs

BOSTON -- The defending Hockey East champion BU Terriers hosted the No. 7 Maine Black Bears in the second semifinal matchup of the tournament at TD Garden on Friday night.

The Terriers punched their ticket to the Hockey East title game with a 4-1 win over the Black Bears.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Black Bears controlled the tempo of the game through the first two periods, outshooting the Terriers 18-10 but it was BU that capitalized by finding the back of the net once in each period.

BU managed just five shots in the second period to Maine's 12 but Terrier goaltender Mathieu Caron didn't let the puck get past him through the first 40 minutes.

Ryan Greene scored the opening goal for the Terriers at 8:59 of the first period. Defenseman Lane Hutson gave BU the 2-0 lead in the second period. It was the Terriers' first shot of the middle frame at almost the midway point of the period.

The Terriers thought they added the insurance goal on the power play in the third period, but the goal was waived off because the play was offside.

After Maine cut the lead in half, Greene scored his second goal of the game to make it 3-1 with less than nine minutes in regulation. The Terriers added an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal the win.

STARS OF THE GAME
-- Greene notched his 10th goal of the season to give the Terriers the 1-0 lead in the first period. He would add a second goal in the third for a multi-point night.

That's the start we were looking for!

Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/dCzHyYuaG7 @hockey_east | @NESN | @espn pic.twitter.com/2rtNLEBbqs

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) March 22, 2024

-- Lyden Breen scored the lone Black Bears goal on the power play in the third period. It was the senior's ninth goal of the season.

The Black Bears are on the board in Beantown!

💻: https://t.co/hikwb7848x
📺: @NESN pic.twitter.com/rbYr4ddwb3

— Maine Men’s Ice Hockey (@MaineIceHockey) March 23, 2024

-- Caron was outstanding between the pipes for the Terriers. The junior transfer from Browm stopped 32 Black Bear shots to earn his 26th win of the season.

UP NEXT
The Terriers will face the Eagles in the Hockey East Championship game on Saturday night. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game on NESN.