Northeastern current players and alumni pose for a photo. The team honored the end of the 115 year old arena with a postgame ceremony.

In a disappointing 4-3 loss, No. 11 Northeastern men’s hockey (10-6, 5-4 HE) conceded its final game in the historic Matthews Arena against the No. 20 Boston University Terriers (9-8-1, 6-5-0 HE).

This was the third game between the rivals this season but the first time the Terriers faced junior goaltender Lawton Zacher. The goaltender was out in the last two matchups due to injury and was replaced by sophomore goaltender Quentin Sigurdson.

In the first period, freshman defenseman Carter Amico was sent to the sin bin for tripping, giving Northeastern the advantage and a goal.

With less than a minute left of the power play, senior defenseman and captain Vinny Borgesi passed the puck to freshman forward Giacomo Martino. Martino hit a shot from the left faceoff circle, which deflected off freshman forward Jacob Mathieu’s foot into the goal.

The Huskies’ doubled their lead two minutes later.

Martino brought the puck up the left side of the ice as junior forward Tyler Fukakusa raced up to complete the 2-on-1 against a BU defenseman. Above the left faceoff circle, Martino passed to Fukakusa, who collected the puck and slapped a shot into the net.

Sophomore forward Joe Connor (far right) flicks the puck into the net. Connor scored the third and final goal for Northeastern Dec. 13. (Evelynn Lin)

With four minutes left in the period, sophomore forward Griffin Erdman was sent to the penalty box for boarding. The Huskies proved why their penalty kill is ranked sixth in the country as they only allowed three shots in the two minutes.

The Terriers cut the lead with two minutes left in the period. Sophomore forward Brandon Svoboda scored off of a BU faceoff at the left circle.

Just over seven minutes into the second period, sophomore forward Kamil Bednarik was sent to the sin bin for tripping, but Northeastern could not extend its lead with the advantage.

BU found the equalizer six minutes later, courtesy of sophomore forward Sacha Boisvert, who knocked the puck in from the far post after a pass from freshman defender Malte Vass.

As the game tied, tensions grew between the teams. With two minutes left in the period, junior forward Andy Moore was called for hitting from behind, giving BU the advantage after controlling the period. The Huskies managed to keep the Terriers out of the net for the two minutes, and by the end of the second period, Northeastern had collected 15 blocks to BU’s five.

Junior forward Dylan Hryckowian intercepted the puck on BU’s side of the ice. Hryckowian was slightly out of reach of the loose puck, but sophomore forward Joe Connor grabbed it and backhanded it in with a second left in the second period.

The final period of hockey ever played in Matthews Arena saw more penalties on both sides, but while BU was able to capitalize on opportunities, Northeastern couldn’t.

With nine minutes remaining in the final period, junior defenseman and captain Gavin McCarthy was called for slashing, but instead of choosing a power play, the Huskies went for the penalty shot. However, Connor missed the shot, keeping Northeastern’s lead only one goal.

With two minutes remaining, the Terriers pulled sophomore goaltender Mikhail Yegorov for an extra attacker. This move was successful as, four seconds later, Bednarik tied the game at three.

Twenty seconds later, BU took the lead for the first time of the game with a goal from Svoboda, who managed to tap in the puck as he was falling from a trip.

Brandon Svoboda taps the puck past Lawton Zacher. Northeasten fell to BU 4-3 in the final game in Matthews Arena Dec. 13. (Evelynn Lin)

The Huskies were hungry to avenge their lead for the final game at their home barn, but the final 90 seconds were filled with empty shots.

Despite the loss, Northeastern celebrated the history and the community that was founded in Matthews, including bringing alumni back from as early as the 1950s.

The Huskies will have different rinks serve as their home base for the rest of the season.

The team will have four consecutive away games before their first “home” game against the University of New Hampshire Jan. 18 at the Walter Brown Arena.

After the holiday hiatus, Northeastern will travel to New York to play Army West Point (6-9-4, 2-8-3 AHA) Jan. 2. The team lost to Army Oct. 10 2-1 in its first loss of the season.

About the Contributors

Elli Einset is a third-year journalism and media and screen studies combined major and The Huntington News sports editor. She has reported on all sports as well as breaking news and campus-related stories. You can follow her on Twitter @ellieinset.

Evelynn Lin is a first-year journalism and media & screen studies major and a member of The News staff. She has reported on various Boston life stories and photographed many events. You can follow her on Instagram at @eves._.fotos.