Box Score
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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Fighting an uphill battle seemingly all night, the Big Red men's hockey team finally got the break it so desperately needed to force overtime Saturday night. But Boston University found the answer in overtime on an improbable goal on a redirection to secure a 2-1 victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.

 

Senior forward Locke Jillson scored the Big Red's lone goal with 8:54 left in the third period to force the extra frame, but Boston University (7-4-1) found one last answer on a remarkable deflection by Ross Gaudet. Max Nicastro whipped a quick shot from the right point headed well wide of the far post, but Gaudet – with his back to goal – deflected the puck between his own legs, off the inside of his thigh and inside the far post to keep the Terriers unbeaten in three games with the Big Red at the World's Most Famous Arena over the last five years. The loss also ended a five-game winning streak for Cornell (6-3).
 
But for the significance that each goal carried on this night, a would-be Cornell goal that would have given the team the lead with four minutes left in regulation seemed to be even bigger. Junior forward John Esposito sent a shot wide of the cage that bounced off the dasher behind the net and high into the air. When the puck finally descended, it bounced off the back of BU goalie Kieran Millan and over the goal line – but the officiating crew ruled that it had already blown the play dead, having lost sight of the puck.

The Big Red goal that was allowed to stand came from players who have thrived at Madison Square Garden before. Freshman Cole Bardreau sent a pass from the left wing half-wall to senior defenseman Sean Whitney at the opposite point. As a BU winger approached in a crouch intended to block a shot, Whitney pulled the puck around him and skated down the slot. His shot was stopped by Millan, but the rebound caromed toward the bottom of the right circle. Jillson whirled a quick forehand from the sharp angle along the ice and into the crease, where the puck kissed off the skate blade of BU's Charlie Coyle and into the net to tie the game at 1. Both Jillson and Whitney scored in the first period of the 2009 game between BU and Cornell at MSG.
 
Sophomore goalie Andy Iles continued his stellar play with 25 saves on the night, though his historic shutout streak finally came to a close with the Terriers' first goal 11:07 into the game. After surrendering no goals in his previous three games, Iles' shutout streak ended at 213 minutes, 35 seconds, which is the second longest in program history (Ben Scrivens' mark of 267:11 still leads the way).
 
The Big Red had the game's first quality scoring chance early in the first, when a BU turnover at the offensive blue line was countered with a two-on-two up the right wing. Junior forward Greg Miller was knocked down, but freshman Brian Ferlin beat his defender before zipping a wrist shot just wide at the 4:25 mark.
 
Cornell then drew the first power play after a hitting from behind penalty on BU's Ben Rosen less than a minute later, but nothing came of the man advantage. The Big Red's best chance to open the scoring came shortly thereafter. Whitney chipped the puck up the right wing to send Bardreau away on a one-on-one. The freshman forward whistled a shot over Millan's blocker that clanked off the crossbar and bounded harmlessly wide.
 
The Big Red's fourth line kept the momentum going on the next shift. Good board work by Armand de Swardt, Keir Ross and Erik Axell allowed de Swardt to come out of the right corner, but his move toward the slot was neutralized. Sophomore defenseman Kirill Gotovets collected at the left point and sent a shot through traffic that was smothered by Millan at 8:51, giving the Big Red its first shot on goal.
 
Cornell was then quickly socked with a pair of penalties just before the midway point of the frame after a high-stick was detected on a hit along the boards, then a Big Red defender was ruled to interfere with a BU forward on the ensuing faceoff. Sean Collins, Nick D'Agostino and Ross got the extended five-on-three penalty kill off to a good start, with Ross blocking a shot in the slot before D'Agostino cleared and allowed Ross to hobble off the ice.
 
On the Terriers' next entry and set-up, Alex Chiasson drifted back to the right point and uncorked a shot that deflected off traffic in the slot. The puck bounced to the top of the left circle, where Adam Clendening was opportunistically positioned to bury a shot to the near post before Andy Iles could regain position.
 
The Big Red got its second chance on the power play a short time later, but was once again unable to produce. Iles stood tall again late in the frame with point-blank saves 30 seconds on Wade Megan and Chiasson with about four minutes remaining.
 
Cornell was the far better team in the second period, attempting nearly three times as many shots on goal as its counterpart. The pressure started early with freshman defenseman Joakim Ryan's shot from the right point that was tipped on goal by freshman forward Joel Lowry about 40 seconds in. But the puck hit Millan in the midsection, and he was able to smother the rebound before Lowry or Collins could stuff in the rebound. Two minutes later, Ryan rushed around a defender before sending a shot to the glass.
 
Lowry kept the pressure on at 4:20 with a shot that hit Millan in the arm, sending the puck high into the air over the crease. As it came to the ice, it hit the post and the play was blown dead with the Terriers knocking the goal of its moorings. A pair of four-on-four opportunities in quick succession didn't yield many chances, but Cornell persisted. A two-on-two break was broken up, but Miller regained control in the right corner and found D'Agostino cutting to the far post, but his shot from the side of the crease missed to the near side. The play started a couple of end-to-end rushes; one concluding with another Miller backhand that was turned away by Millan. A few more flurries in front of Millan as the period concluded yielded similarly frustrating results for Cornell.
 
The Big Red returns home to wrap up the first portion of its schedule against ECAC Hockey foes St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3, respectively.