BOSTON — More than two full seasons have passed since Boston University and Providence played for the national championship at TD Garden, but that April 2015 meeting has sparked something extra in the meetings between the teams since.
This season’s three-game Hockey East series was no different. After each team won in shutout fashion within the first month of play, they skated to a 2-2 tie in Saturday night’s rubber match at Agganis Arena.
“I thought it was a hard-fought game,” said Providence coach Nate Leaman, whose team earned a 4-1 win at Boston College to open the weekend and remains alone in third place in the league standings with an 8-4-2 mark. “I really like the growth of our team on the road, and to get a big point on the road.
“Our games are always tight with BU, ever since the national championship. They’re always charged. We know we get their A-game. … I thought they were, by far, one of the best teams we’ve played.”
It took more than half of regulation for either side to crack the scoreboard, but the goals came fast and furious in the latter half of the second period as the teams entered the final intermission locked in a 2-2 tie.
After a 7-7 shot count in the opening frame, the Terriers held an 11-8 advantage in that category in the second, but Providence broke the long scoring drought at the 11:32 mark as sophomore Josh Wilkins finished off a pretty give-and-go with Kasper Bjorkqvist after cutting into open space at the right crease for his ninth goal of the season.
Junior assistant captain Bobo Carpenter jumped into the BU scoring lead with two goals in less than a two-minute span. His 10th and 11th goals this season broke a personal five-game scoring drought.
“Bobo’s a money player,” BU coach David Quinn said. “He gets to the areas you need to get to to score, plays at a pace. Just a great team player, and he continues to improve. It’s great to see him get rewarded on the score sheet.”
After tipping home John MacLeod’s point shot from between the circles at 15:02, Carpenter drove through the neutral zone untouched and popped a wrister over Providence goaltender Hayden Hawkey’s shoulder from the top of the circle with 3:05 left in the second.
“It is always when the pucks finds its way in,” Carpenter said. “A couple of my guys made great plays for me and opened the ice up, and I got some shots to the net. I owe a lot to them, but everyone’s going. I think that’s what’s going to happen when everyone’s clicking.”
The Friars quickly responded, nabbing the tying goal with 1:10 left in the middle period. Erik Foley, who was camped out just outside the left circle, tipped home a point shot from Vincent Desharnais. It was the junior’s team-leading 13th of the season.
BU only needed Jake Oettinger to make 19 saves en route to following up a Friday win at New Hampshire with another Hockey East point, but several were of the point-blank variety. One of just four third-period stops came with 10:07 left as he flashed his blocker to deny Friars sophomore Shane Kavanaugh, who strode in ahead of BU defenseman Dante Fabbro to draw a hooking penalty.
Oettinger’s strong play was one of several positives on the weekend for BU, which moves to 7-7-2 in Hockey East play.
“Since the Maine game (a 3-0 loss last Saturday), we’ve gradually gotten better, and I thought tonight was our best game of the three since break ended,” Quinn said. “Our pace was good, I thought we were physical … and the biggest thing since the break is that Jake Oettinger looks like Jake Oettinger.”
BU’s power play, however, was not a positive. The Terriers generated just seven shots and finished 0-for-6 on the man advantage, including a five-minute major that stemmed from Vimal Sukumaran’s hard hit from behind on Fabbro 13:51 into the third.
BU dominated the five-minute overtime, too. Hawkey stopped six of the eight shots on goal that the teams combined for during the period and totaled 31 saves on the night.
“I loved our response (in the second period), and I loved our response with the two big kills to end the game,” Leaman said. “It’s a good test of mental toughness for our guys.”
