Alex Jefferies leads Merrimack with 41 points. (Jim Stankiewicz/Merrimack Athletics)
BOSTON — It wasn’t the best hockey ever played on the TD Garden ice, but all four teams in Friday night’s Hockey East semifinals treated the fans in attendance to close, nail-biting playoff hockey.
Top-seeded Boston University scored with just over two minutes to play in regulation to force overtime against Providence. In the extra session, Quinn Hutson buried the game-winning goal to send the Terriers to the final.
Meeting BU on Saturday night is Merrimack, winners by an identical 2-1 score, but it took the Warriors double overtime. Matt Copponi’s (Mansfield, Mass.) clincher sent Merrimack past UMass Lowell and onto the championship for just the second time in program history.
Here are full recaps of both games plus nine takeaways.
