Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Former Viper Noonan Scores Overtime Winner:

Former Vernon Vipers defenceman, Garrett Noonan scored at 1:44 of overtime Friday night (February 11th 2011) to give Boston University a 4-3 overtime win over Massachusetts. Noonan played one season in Vernon (2009-10) and is in his first season with the Terriers.

This is posted on the Terriers website:

No. 14 Men's Ice Hockey Earns 4-3 Overtime Victory at UMass

Noonan provides overtime heroics

Feb. 11, 2011

AMHERST, Mass. - Freshman Garrett Noonan scored with 3:16 left in overtime to lift the 14th-ranked Boston University men's ice hockey team to a 4-3 road victory against Massachusetts on Friday evening at the Mullins Center.

After helping to keep the puck in the UMass zone, Noonan took a pass from sophomore Alex Chiasson above the right post and got just enough of a stick on the puck to knock it off the pad of goaltender Paul Dainton and in.

The goal extended the Terriers' conference unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1) and sealed a season series victory over the Minutemen (2-0-1). It was BU's first overtime triumph since a 5-4 win at Boston College on Jan. 22, 2010.

The Terriers (14-8-7, 11-5-5 Hockey East) opened the scoring just 1:09 into the contest when junior Corey Trivino scored for the second time in as many games. UMass, however, had a quick answer from the stick of Branden Gracel just 13 seconds later.

BU would take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to a goal from Chiasson with just five ticks left in the opening stanza.

UMass (6-15-5, 5-10-5 HE) scored a pair of early goals in the second period to take its lone lead at 3-2. Sophomore Wade Megan made it a 3-3 affair at 11:39 of the middle period.

Chiasson had game-high three points (1g, 2a), as he also assisted on Trivino's early tally. Trivino picked up an assist for a two-point night and freshmen Sahir Gill and Matt Nieto both earned two assists.

Junior Kieran Millan picked up the win in goal with a 23-save performance. Dainton made 24 saves in a losing effort for the Minutemen.

Both squads went 0-for-6 on the power play and half of BU's man-advantage opportunities came from the 14:07 mark of the third on.

On the second shift of the game, the Terriers' second forward line came through with a quick strike. While skating towards the rear boards, Chiasson passed to Nieto, who found Trivino positioned in inside of the right circle. The junior buried his shot for his seventh tally of the season.

Gracel knotted it on the ensuing shift when he poked in a loose puck at the right post following a shot by Marc Concannon. Adam Phillips also assisted on the play.

BU's second line came through again, ensuring that the Terriers would take a lead into the second period. After gathering a pass from Trivino, Nieto once again set up from behind the goal before finding Chiasson at the top of the crease at the 19:55 mark.

Trailing 2-1, the Minutemen stormed out the gates in the second and got goals from Conor Sheary and Danny Hobbs at 1:28 and 3:59, respectively, to take a 3-2 advantage.

Megan erased the BU deficit at 11:59 of the second when he used some impressive stick skills to corral and knock in the puck at the right post following a rebound off a shot by sophomore Ryan Ruikka.

Neither team scored in the third, but the Terriers had a dominating 13-3 shot advantage in the period thanks to a trio of power-play chances, including a 39-second 5-on-3 advantage.

The Terriers will return to action on Monday (Feb. 14) when they face Harvard in the consolation game of the Beanpot Tournament at TD Garden. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.

Here are the highlight's from the Boston University-Massachusetts game,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPY02oihsd8

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