Comeback is to little to late, Eagles take Pot

Terriers shatter in second frame

Last night BU looked like they where dead and gone, after one of their worst periods of the year. Boston College scored three goals, in the second, and that would prove to be BU's breaking point.

The Terriers struck first though, when BC defenseman Philip Samuelsson tried to make a break out pass. The puck was deflected and landed on Kevin Shattenkirk's stick. Shatt ripped a shot that beat John Muse's glove side to give BU a 1-0 lead.

At the end of the first BU to some costly penalties in which BC had a 5 on 3 advantage to start the second.

BU did manage to kill off the first penalty BU soon after BC scored a very fluky goal. Joe Whitney took a shot that never got of the ice. BU defenseman, Sean Escobedo went down to block the shot and the puck hit his stick and popped up over Millan and in.

Later in the frame Kevin Shattekirk had some real trouble getting it out of the zone. This lead to a costly turnover and Carl Sneep found it and blasted it in the far corner of the net.

With about five minutes left in the period, Chris Kreider scored a highlight real goal, for BC. As Kreider theft the penalty he got a pass from Jimmy Hays. He then made Max Nicastro and Kieran Millan both look really bad and gave BC a 3-1 lead.

The Eagles continued to carry the play, as they went up 4-1 with about 15 minutes left. The Terriers had begun to take chances and Barry Almeida took full advantage of this. He poked the puck past Shattenkirk and came down on a two on one. Almeida opted not to pass it and wristed it mast Millan, glove side. The game looked to be over at this point.

The Eagles look to really add to their lead when they had a power play with about 10 minutes left, but it was BU who shortened the lead. Zach Cohen made a great behind the back pass to David Warsofsky (photo) at the BC blue line. Warsofsky skated in on Muse and made a sweet backhand roof move to make the score 4-2. 

BC defenseman, Tommy Cross was called for cross checking late in the period. The Terrier pulled Millan to give them the 6-4 advantage. The move paid off when Colby Cohen found the puck in the crease and put it in the back of the net. 

It proved to be to little to late for BU as they fell back to below .500 with the loss. Next weekend they play a huge series with Maine which could decided the fate of both teams this season.

Even with the loss Parker was happy with the effort.

“I was real pleased with our team tonight. I was pleased with our goaltending. I was pleased with our overall team defense. I was pleased with our penalty kill. I really thought that every one of my guys kept working hard". 

This was the first loss in a tournament final since 2003, when they lost to UNH 1-0 in overtime in the Hockey East final.

In Other news 

Brandon Yip found the back of the net twice, last night against the St. Louis Blues. 

This time I am bragging!

I picked the exact score for the consolation game, 4-1 Northeastern over Harvard.

Game Day Preview: BU vs BC ---- Beanpot Final----

Tonight could be the most important game of the season for BU. They take on Boston College in the 58th Beanpot championship game. If BU could win they will most likely be back in the top 20 and more importantly will be in the top 20 in the PWR (Pair Wise Rankings), which determines the national tournament. The Terriers really helped them selves, by beating Lowell 3-2 on Friday night. With that win BU won the season series with Lowell and now are in 5th place in Hockey East.

Tonight Bu will also be looking to win their 30th Beanpot title. Thats way more then all the other schools combined.

Look for suddenly hot Kieran Millan to get the start in net for BU

The game can be seen on NESN starting at 7:30

 Bullets on BC
The Eagles are 15-8-2 on the season and have not lost since the 23rd (3-1 to Lowell). BC might have a better record this season, BU has been the better team when it comes to head to head. BU has taken the last two games, one being the Fenway game.

The Last Time They Met...
was back in January. The two teams traded goals and then in the second BU went up by two. BC came back and tied it, but in OT, Colby Cohen gave BU the win.

Uncalled For 

Beanpot Picks, Take Two
I'm not bragging, but last week I did pick the winners of both games. So he are this weeks picks
Consolation game: NU, 4-1 over Harvard
Championship Game: BU, 3-2 (ot) over BC

Lowell falls short of BU

Two short handed goals lead BU to 3-2 win


Less than half a minute in to the firs Lowell grabbed a 1-0 lead as, Ben Holmstorm fond the back of the net for Lowell. Less that a minute later BU tie the game, when red hot, Ross Gaudet scored.

Later in the period, BU grabbed their first of two short handed goals. ZachCohen had a break a way and went for-hand back-hand on Hamilton and then roofed it giving BU a 2-1 lead.

David Warsofsky notched the second shorty for the Terriers as he also deaked Hamilton and then roofed it.

Lowell would get one back in the second, when Scott Campbell scored on the power play.

The story of the third was the Terrier D. Bu held the River Hawks to just two shots the whole period.

“I thought it was a great college hockey game and I thought we were as thorough as we been in a while on the defensive end,” said Terriers’ coach Jack Parker. “The fact we gave up only two shots in the third period is a testament of how focused we were and how competitive we were.”

BU will take on BC in the Beanpot final on Monday night. Game time 8:00

Game Day Preview:BU @ Lowell

People may be looking forward to Monday's Championship game, but tonight the Terriers play just an as important game tonight against Lowell. BU is in 6th place in the Hockey East standings and Lowell is in 5th. The River Hawks have 18 points and BU has 16, If the Terriers can win tonight BU will be tie in the HE standings and will have won the season series.

Expect Kieran Millan to get the start in net for BU

Looking At Lowell
In the early goings of the season, Lowell looked like they were going to be something special when they reached the Championship game of the Icebreaker tournament. the lost that game 4-3 to hots Nebraska Omaha. Lately Lowell has not bean great. After falling in another tournament championship game, this time against Northeastern on January 3rd, Lowell has only won three games since the break.

The Last Time The Met...
was back on Halloween weekend. It was part of a home in home series, Bu took the first game in a thriller ending on just another Colby Cohen bomb in overtime to give BU a 5-4 win. The next night was not the same BU fell to Lowell 3-2, which started a 4 game losing streak for BU.

In Other news (That is my photo. I took it at a Bruins game)
Former Terrier Ryan Whitney (photo) was added to the USA olympic team. Whitney played two season with BU (2002, 2003) and was the #5 pick in the draft from the Penguins. He now plays for the Anaheim Ducks.

Millan named Hockey East Player of the Week

Millan will share the spot with Merrimack goalie, Andrew Braithwait.

Kieran Millan stopped 39 shots last friday when BU beat Umass 6-2 at home. He also turned away 26 of 27 shots in the Beanpot first round, vs Northeastern.

In other news
Former Terrier stand out, Colin Wilson was named the AHL's player of the month for January. Wilson had 7 goals and 13 assists and a +5 rating. Last night, Wilson scored his 11th goal of the season, for  Milwaukee.

Another former Terrier, Brandon Yip scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets. Click here to see goal 1, 2

Looking back on last night

By now you probably know that BU beat Northeastern 2-1 in the opening round of the Beanpot, but they would where they are with out the help from Goalie, Kieran Millan and Defenseman Eric Gryba.

Millan, stopped all but one shot last nigh and the one he did let in he never saw it do to traffic in front. In total he made 26 saves but none bigger than the one with about 30 seconds left in the third frame. A Northeastern forward had the puck in a point blank position, he tried to roof it but and Millan through his glove up and deflected it wide and out of harms way.

Eric Gryba, last night could have played his best game ever with BU. In the third the Terriers found them selves two men short on a Husky power play. With Colby Cohen and David Warsofsky in the box Gryba played a full two minute shift. When he got off NU tied the game. There were other examples of this grit and strength from the assistant captain in the game. In the third period Gryba blocked at lest three or four Northeastern shots.


In Other News
Colby Cohen was named the Hockey East player for the month of January. Cohen had 6 goals  in the past month and now leads the team with ten goal on the season. He also leads the nation in goals scored by a defenseman. In total for January, Cohen had 10 points.

Chiasson nets game winner, Terriers upend Huskies in thriller

The stage is set, BU- BC final

In a game with not a lot of scoring, it was still very exciting. Through most of the game, senior Eric Gryba was playing his hart out. It was probably his best all-round game ever in a Terrier uniform. Back stopping the deffence was Kieran Millan (26 saves), who all of a sudden looks like he did for most of last season.



Photo of Terriers celebrating after the first goal

There were no goals in the first but the crowd was really into it and it was very loud. NU looked like they would take the lead, several times but Millan stop them all.

BU looked hot in the second and got their first lead of the night. Colby Cohen had the puck on what looked like the goal line. He fired off a slapper the some how snuck through Northeastern goalie, Chris Rawlings.

The Terriers, in the second had a lot of "grade A" chances but could never expand their lead.

In the Third both teams found them selves in penalty trouble. NU's Alex Tuckerman was called for a five minute major. BU did not score and with about 30 seconds left on the power play, David Warsofsky was called for contacted to the head, high sticking. As Warsofky was coming out of the box Northeastern's Kyle Kraemer wristed a shot on net, through a screen and Millan never saw it.

Later in the third, BU would take the lead for good when they had a two on one.th Alex Chiasson and David Warsofsky broke into the zone and Chiasson looked like he was going to pass it. Instead,  Chiasson shot it and the puck again snuck through Rawlings.

Parkers Thaoughts after the game
“That,’’ said Parker, when reminded about his luncheon remarks, “was a great college hockey game.’’

"I think that we dodged a bullet tonight,’’ Parker said of last night’s triumph over the Huskies, who his team defeated in last year’s Beanpot final, 5-2, to capture its 29th overall Beanpot title. “These teams are real good hockey programs, Harvard and Northeastern. It’s not good overall [if it’s BC and BU]. People are getting tired of this _ people are tired of this. People are never tired of the BC-BU game. But you know who wants that? BC and BU. That’s who wants a BC-BU Beanpot final.’’

USCHO recap and box score
Boston Glob recap