The Terriers travelled further than they had all season to find it coming to an end.
Boston University fell in the NCAA tournament on Saturday, 7-2, to the University of Denver. The Pioneers lost to BU earlier this season, but a high powered offense was too much for BU to handle in the playoffs.
All season long, the Terriers have had moments where they have struggled against strong offenses, even at times allowing high scoring games against teams that often struggle to put the puck in the net. Denver, a fast team that uses a lot of offense from the blueline, was too overpowering.
BU trailed 2-0 after the first period, and once it became 3-0 in the second period, Terriers goaltender Sean Maguire was pulled, ending his collegiate career. Connor LaCouvee entered the game, but that would not change BU’s fortune.
It was a 6-0 advantage for the Pioneers until Danny O’Regan scored what would be the last goal of his BU career to slice into the shutout. Denver tallied once more before fellow BU senior Mike Moran buried his last goal for a 7-2 final.
The loss shuts the door on the season for the Terriers, who end the year with three straight post season losses after being swept by UMass Lowell in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
The BU career comes to an end for O’Regan, Moran, Maguire, Ahti Oksanen, Matt Grzelyck, and Matt Lane.
O’Regan completes his career with 154 points in 154 games and will be able to sign with the NHL team that drafted him, the San Jose Sharks. Maguire is the property of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Grzelyck the Boston Bruins. In the coming weeks, all three will have the opportunities to sign with their teams, while the other three remain NHL free agents.
The Terriers have been streaky all season, and the team struggled away from Agganis Arena. BU now moves towards the 2016-2017 season, where the Terriers will bring in one of the strongest recruiting classes in the nation.
