Boston College Hockey Falls In Disappointing Loss To Terriers

First thing's first. For the most part, BC looked really good for the vast majority of Friday night's game against the Terriers. But a third period lead gave way to three late unanswered goals on the way to a crushing 5-3 loss at home to BU.

Both teams game out guns blazing, and the first period was electric. Both teams combined for only one shot several minutes into the period, but you wouldn't know it with how much up and down play there was. But by the end of the first period, both teams skated into the locker room amped up with a 0-0 tie on the scoreboard.

BC started to control the game in the second period and was rewarded with an early goal, but it wasn't easy. Adam Gilmour took a shot from the boards that was saved by O'Connor but the rebound found the stick of Calnan. Calnan took three (yes, three) shots before finally beating O'Connor and giving BC it's first goal in nearly 6 full periods of hockey.

But BU answered with the first of three game tying goals. Evan Rodrigues came in with a tremendous individual effort, patiently skating around three Eagles before flipping a backhand over Thatcher Demko to tie the score.

It was BC who would take the lead into the locker room thanks to Ryan Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald led the way on a 3 on 1 and took the puck all the way in before sniping a wrist shot past O'Connor.

The third period started well enough, but BU tied the game right up just two minutes in on a goal where Mike Moran threw the puck at Demko from behind the net. Demko, getting back up from making a save just prior, didn't even know the shot was coming in. It deflected off the back of his leg and into the net.

Once again, BC re-took the lead, this time on a shorthanded tally from Ryan Fitzgerald, who stood up a BU breakout on the blue line and skated in all alone on O'Connor. A slick deke and BC took a 3-2 lead.

The Terriers again knotted the score, this time courtesy of His Holiness Jack Eichel himself, who positioned himself for a deflection from Brandon Hickey midway through the third. Just a short minute later, BC came in on a 2 on 1 where Austin Cangelosi whiffed on what would have been a sure one-timer goal, and it would come back to haunt them.

Just 1:59 after Eichel scored to tie the game, Evan Rodrigues scored BU's second ugly goal of the night. Rodrigues skated the puck around behind the net and three the puck in front. The puck deflected off Demko, took a bounce off Matheson's skate, and took a sickeningly slow roll just past the leg of a sprawling Demko.

It was an absolutely brual game-winning goal, as BC couldn't answer. The Terriers finished the game off with an empty netter to complete their 5-3 triple-comeback victory.

It was a crushing, hugely disappointing loss, but there were a lot of positives to take away. It was possibly the best game BC has played all year and they looked particularly threatening on offense all night. There was jump in their stride (certainly helped by playing BU, but still), and they looked quick and, well, exciting.

Overall, the Eagles looked much, much more like an NCAA tournament team tonight. Play along the boards was incredible and was some of the best I can remember seeing. They had several chances and really lost the game on puck luck. BU's 2nd and 4th goals were incredibly unlucky. Some sloppy play allowed BU to have the opportunity to score, and they did, but they were nonetheless two of the kind of unfortunate goals that you'll see maybe twice a year.

That's three losses in a row now for BC, which is starting to dig a bit of a Pairwise hole. The Eagles will look to get back on track Tuesday against Harvard before heading west next Friday to take on Michigan State.