After a scoreless first period, the Boston University Terriers buzzed out of the gate in the middle stanza and finished it with a 2-1 lead over the UMass Minutemen at Agganis Arena. The Minutemen held a 12-8 shots advantage in the period, as well as 20-14 through 40 minutes.
The Terriers jumped ahead less than one minute into the stanza as senior captain Wade Megan scored his second goal of the season, depositing the puck into a virtually open net. The Canton, N.Y. native took the nifty drop pass from sophomore linemate Cason Hohmann and did the rest, beating the UMass defense and goaltender Steve Mastalerz for the score.
At the 4:45 mark, BU doubled its lead with another even-strength goal as a pair of freshman hooked up on another nifty passing play. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk gathered the puck off the feed from junior Sahir Gill and sent the puck forward for fellow Massachusetts native Danny O'Regan to tip his first-career goal right in front of the net.
With 7:22 remaining, Minuteman senior defenseman Darren Rowe nearly cut the deficit in half with his third goal and point of the season as he beat Terrier netminder Matt O'Connor. The play was immediately whistled dead, but after replay, the puck was deemed to have not crossed the goal line.
UMass' fate changed as junior Branden Gracel made it a 2-1 game at 14:57 with his second tally of the young campaign. The Alberta native won the puck out of the corner on a turnover and set up a pretty wrist shot on the left side to beat O'Connor cleanly.
Joshua Kummins is the Hockey East beat writer and a weekend editor for SB Nation Boston. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.