Looking back on BU hockey this decade

The decade started with a bang, when the Terriers saw rookie Rick Dipietro emerge as one of the best goalies, not only BU has seen but the NCAA has seen The '99-00 Terriers won the Hockey East regular season title but than lost to Maine 4-2 in the semi final of the Hockey East tournament. The season ended in a game that will go down as one of the longest game in NCAA hockey history. The Terriers lost to St. Lawrence in the fourth overtime of the Northeast Regional final.
Photo of Rick Dipietro after the loss to St. Lawrence


'00-2001: The Terriers lose a lot of players from the year before including Rick Dipietro as the first over all pick in the draft. The record showed as BU went 14-20-3. The two best games of the season came in tournament play when Terriers upset number three North Dakota 4-3 in the Badger Showdown and beat Northeastern in the first round of the Beanpot. Once again the Terriers lost a thrilling long game to end their season when Providence College downed BU 4-3 in double overtime in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East play-offs.


'01-2002: BU turns things around and goes 25-10-3. During the season the Terriers had a nine game win streak starting with a win over Merrimack and ennding with a lost to Maine. Maine proved to be a problem for the Terriers the entire season when they beat BU 4-3 in consecutive game. One comming in the Hockey East semi finals and the other in the NCAA tournament. On the season the Terriers went 1-3-1 against Maine.


'02-2003: The Terriers started the season off on the right foot, when they won the Icebreaker tournament in October. Rookie Brad Zancanaro won the first game in a shootout over Northern Michigan. In the Icebreaker final the Terriers beat RPI 5-1. BU would win another in season tournament, this time coming in the Great Lakes Invitational. BU downed Michigan state in the opening round and then beat Michigan in the final. The Terriers would win their third in season tournament when they beat Boston College 3-2 in the Beanpot final. Even with all the tournament success BU finished in 5th place in Hockey East. With that BU had to go to #4 Providence and there the Terriers won two games and moved on to the semi finals in the Boston Garden. There, BU won a thriller over Boston College in two overtimes. Second year man, Justin Maiser scored a hat trick, including the game tieing (video) and game winning (video) goals. The Terriers would lose the Hockey East Championship game in  overtime to New Hampshire 1-0. Terrier goalie Sean Fields stopped 40 of 41 shots that he faced and was named tournament MVP. The season ended in the NCAA playoffs when the Terriers fell to New Hampshire 3-o. 


'03-2004: BU had their worst season of the decade, when they went just 12-17-9 and finished 8th (the final spot to get in the playoffs) in the Hockey East regular season standings. To finish 8th BU had to beat New Hampshire in their rink, in the last game of the regular season. BU won the game 4-3 in overtime when David Van Der Gulik scored (video of the goal) off a rebound. In the Hockey East playoffs BU beat #1 Boston College three games to two. Once BU reached the Garden they face Maine and lost 1-0 and the Terriers season was over.


'04-2005: Terrier head coach Jack Parker locked up his 700th win on December 3rd 2004, when the Terriers beat arch rival Boston College 3-2 (video highlights). The '04-'05 season saw the closing of Walter Brown Arena and the opening of Agganis Arena, when the Terriers took on the #1 Minnesota. BU lost the final game at Walter Brown 2-1 (video highlights) but then won the opener at Agganis 2-1 as well (video highlights). Brad Zancanaro scored the last goal at Walter Brown and the first goal at Agganis. Later in the season the Terriers would win the Beanpot in yet and other thrilling game. BU beat Northeastern in overtime of the championship game when Chris Bourque dove across the crees and nocked home a rebound (video highlights). The season ended after a 5-2 lose to New Hampshire in the Hockey East semi final and a 4-0 lost to North Dakota in the NCAA playoffs. 
Photo of the opening night at Agganis arena


'05-2006: The season stared slow, but did it ever pick up. After the winter break the Terriers rolled and went on a 14-2 run. In that came the beanpot championship when the Terrier downed Boston College 3-2 in the final. In the Hockey East playoffs BU faced Umass in the quarterfinals and won the series two games to none. In the Garden BU destroyed New Hampshire 9-2 to move on to the final. There, they once again met arch rival Boston College, and the game lived up to is hype. BU won their first Hockey East Championship sine 1997 when Brandon Yip scored on a pass from Chris Higgins with about six minutes left in overtime (video highlights). After winning the that game BU had locked up the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. There the Terriers played Nebraska-Omaha in the first round. BU fell down 1-0 but after that it was all Terriers. BU would go on to score nine goals including three from Chris Higgins. The BU season would end  the next night, when they met Boston College for the sixth time. BC blanked the Terriers 5-0 in the North East Regional Final.
photo of the Terriers celebrating Brandon Yips overtime winner to beat BC 


'06-2007: BU started the season as the number 4 ranked team in the country. They did not stay that way for long thought, when they failed to win a game in five straight games. The season was not a total loss thought, BU did win the Beanpot, yet again over Boston College in overtime, when Brain McGuirk picked a conner on Boston College goalie Corey Schneider (video highlight). In the Hockey East playoffs BU beat Vermont 3 games to 2 and the third came in over time when Brandon Yip wristed home the game winner to send BU to the Garden. In the semis the Terriers faced Boston College and got waxed 6-2. The season ended the week later in the NCAA tournament as Michigan State rolled past the Terrier on their way to the National Title.
Photo of the Terrier celebrating the Beanpot championship  

'07-2008: BU started slow once again, not winning their first game till the first of November when they beat Providence 5-3 at home. The Terriers did turn things around and claimed the second seed in the Hockey East playoffs. To get the number two seed, BU had to go on 9-1 streak, starting on the 8th of February and ending on the 7th of March with a win over Providence (video highlight of the PC game). The next week was the first round of the Hockey East playoffs, where the Terriers faced the River Hawks of Umass Lowell. BU beat Lowell 3-2 in three game to move on to the semis (video highlight of the third game vs Lowell). In the Garden the Terrier fell to Vermont 3-1 ending any hope of going to the NCAA tournament and also ending the Terrier 2008 season. 

'08-2009: This season did not start slowly  for the Terriers, it started with a bang. Week one saw the Terriers win the Ice Breaker Invitational with a 2-1 win over Michigan State. Two weeks later BU waxed then #3 Michigan 7-2 at home. The Terriers went on a impressive unbeaten streak starting with a win over Merrimack on January 16. With that win over Merrimack BU head coach Jack Parker claimed his 800th win, all coming at BU. The unbeaten streak ended when the Terrier fell to Maine in quarterfinal, game two of the Hockey East playoffs. The Terrier rebounded and beat Maine (video highlight) the next night to move on the semi final round, where they once again faced Boston College. BU found them selves down a goal in the third but it only took 44 seconds for the Terrier to have a two goal lead (video highlight). BU went on to win the game 3-2 and move on to the Hockey East Championship game. There BU Beat Lowell 1-0 (video highlights part 1/part 2) on the back of goalie Keiran Millan who stopped every shot the River Hawks through his way. BU was the number one overall seed in the NCAA playoffs, where they faced Ohio State in the first round. BU rolled past the Buckeyes beating them 8-3. The next night the Terriers played Hockey East foe New Hampshire. BU won the game with 14 seconds left when Jason Lawrence tried to pass the puck over to an open Colin Wilson.
Instead of the puck getting to Wilson it deflected UNH forward Jerry Pollastrone and in to the back of the net. With the win the Terriers moved on to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1997. There, they faced Vermont in the first round on the Final Four. BU beat Vermont 5-4 in one of the best game I have ever seen. To days later Bu played Miami University for the National Title. BU was down two goals with less than a minute left when Zach Cohen scored off his one rebound to cut the Red Hawk lead to one. Just over 30 seconds later Hobey Backer winner, Matt Gilroy made a perfect pass to a wide open Nick Bonino who found the back of the net with 17.4 seconds left in regulation. In overtime it was Coly Cohen,, who took a slap shot that was deflected and then floated over the shoulder of Miami goalie Cody Reichard and into the back of the net, giving BU their 5th National Title in school history.     

First photo is of John McCarthy (15) and Matt Gilroy (97) hoisting the NCAA Championship Trophy.

Second photo is of the puck sliding in to the UNH goal off of Jerry Pollastrone  

The top 5 games from the last decade


2/27/09 The Terriers found them selves down 3-0 to unranked Umass going into the second period. Once the second period began it was all Terriers, scoring six unanswered goals and sending home once a loud Umass crowed, very disappointed. 


#4: 3/6/04 BU avoids not making the Hockey East Playoffs when David Van Der Gulik scored off his rebound in overtime to beat New Hampshire. (video highlights)


#3: 3/18/06 BU claims the Hockey East Championship in overtime when an all freshman line of Chris Higgins, Brandon Yip, and Jason Lawrence, has a 3 on 2 and Yip scores the game winner. (video highlight)


#2 3/14/03 Terrier forward Justin Maiser posts a hat trick, including the game tieing goal and game winning goal in double overtime to beat Boston College, to move on to the final against UNH. (video highlight Tieing goal, winning goal


#1 4/11/09 BU wins its 5th National title in school history when, Colby Cohen took a slap shot that went in the net with 8:54 left in the first overtime. (video highlights) 


BU Hockey All Decade Team
Defense: Matt Gilroy (AM '08 '09) (career stats)
                    Freedy Meyer (AM '03) (career stats)
              
Offense: Peter MacArthur (career stats)
                    Brandon Yip (career stats)
                    Chris Higgins (career stats)
                    Colin Wilson (career stats)
                    David Van Der Gulik (career stats)
                    Brad Zancanaro (career stats)  


Goalies:John Curry (career stats)
               Sean Fields (career stats)