Lowell Powers Past BU

Photos from tonight's 3-2 loss at Lowell

Weekend With The Riverhawks, A Look at World Juniors

BU looks to wrap up the semester on a high note as they play a home and home with the Lowell Riverhawks this weekend. The two teams will be at Tsongas Center tonight, while the series concludes back on Comm Ave Saturday night at Agganis. 

From The Vault
Former Terrier goalie Sean Maguire stops Lowell's CJ Smith
on a breakaway in the 2016 Hockey East Quarterfinals. Lowell
won the game 3-2 and the series 2-0.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Lowell’s 0-3-0 start to the season surprised a lot of folks. For the last five years, Lowell has been in the conference championship game, winning three times (2013, 2014 and 2017) and have been at the top of the league standings year in and year out. 

The Riverhawks currently sit in sole position of sixth place in Hockey East with a 5-5-0 league record. All five of those league wins came in the month of November, where Lowell went 5-1-0. Last weekend, the strong run came to a screeching halt as Bentley bucked the Riverhawks 3-2 (OT), despite getting outshot 27-13.  

A year ago, BU and Lowell split their season series. BU won the first game 4-2 at home at the end of January and Lowell rebound for a 3-2 win at Tsongas in mid-February. 

Scouting the Riverhawks

Sophomore Ryan Lohin has paced the Lowell offensive attack thus far. In 15 games played, the Tampa Bay draft pick has registered five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Kenny Hausinger is second with 12 points by way of five goals and seven assists. Senior John Edwardh is arguable Lowell’s most potent scorer and has five goals and nine assists this year. Last season, Edwardh notched 39 points and is Lowell’s top returning scorer from a year ago. 

In goal, Christoffer Hernberg has stolen the starting job from Tyler Wall. Hernberg is 8-2-0 on the year and holds a .939 save percentage and a 1.64 goals against average. He was recently named Hockey East goalie of the month for November. 

World Junior Prelim Rosters Announced

Over the course of last week, several countries started releasing their preliminary World Junior rosters invitations. All in all, BU had five players selected from three different countries. Patrick Harper, Jake Oettinger, and Brady Tkachuk all received invites from USA Hockey. Dante Fabbro was selected by team Canada and Kasper Kotkansalo for Finland. 

One surprising name left off the US roster was Chad Krys, who played in the tournament as 17-year-old in 2016 and was on the preliminary roster last year. Krys is arguably playing the best hockey of his career right now, with four goals and ten assists thus far. 

“You feel like its one of your children,” mentioned coach Quinn. “Obviously you’re always hopeful and you always think very highly of them. Its disappointing for Chad, but one thing that him and I have talked about is you just move past it, and he gets to spend Christmas at home. There's always a silver lining there.” 

The final rosters will be released in the coming weeks after each team holds their evaluation camp prior to the tournament in Buffalo, starting on December 26th.

Woll, BC Force Series Split

BC's Joe Woll made 36 saves in a 4-1 win at Agganis Arena in front of 6115 to push the Eagles past the Terriers in game two of the Battle of Comm Ave.

BC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on goals from Connor Moore and David Cotten. Shane Bowers added the lone  BU goal midway through the second frame off a tip from a Kasper Kotkansalo point shot.



Ron Greco added some insurance with less than five minutes to play and Graham McPhee notched an empty net goal to round out the scoring.

Jake Oettinger made 23 saves in the loss.

BU Takes Round One

In a back and forth, high scoring affair, BU walked out of Conte Forum with a 7-4 win over the Eagles.



After seeing BC strike twice in the first 2:16, BU rallied back on goals from Brandon Hickey, Logan Cockerill and a shorthanded tally from Brady Tkachuk to take a 3-2 lead after one.

BC's Ron Greco scored 2:41 into the second to tie things up, but BU countered with three goals in less than three minutes to blow the game open. First, Chad Krys put home a power-play goal from Bobo Carpenter and Pat Harper. Roughly two minutes later, Brandon Hickey scored the eventual game-winner and minute after. Fifty seconds later, Carpenter notched his ninth of the year.

BC would cut it to a two-goal game off a Julius Mattila power-play goal with 50 seconds left, but that would be the closest the Eagles would get.

Shane Bowers added an empty-netter to round out the scoring.

Jake Oettinger was fabulous in the third period, making nine saves, including one to rob JD Dudek on a breakaway. All in all, Oettinger turned aside 29 shots for his sixth win of the season.

While Pat Harper didn't find the back of the net, he did add four assists tonight.

The two teams will go at it again tomorrow night at Agganis.

Weekend With The Eagles

*Article first published on WTBU*

BOSTON PROPER — This weekend, Boston University and No. 15 Boston College will renew the Greenline Rivalry, a clash between the two Boston based schools that dates back to the 1917-18 season. The Terriers and the Eagles will rehash the rivalry in back-to-back games, starting on Friday at 7 p.m. in Chestnut Hill before returning to Agganis Arena on Saturday night.

From The Vault
Brandon Hickey snows BC Goalie Joe Woll in a 3-0 win at Conte
last January.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

“There’s always a little extra buzz when you’re playing BC,” said Terrier Head Coach David Quinn, who squared off with the Eagles (8-5-2, 8-1-0 Hockey East) 16 times during his playing days at BU (6-8-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) in the mid-1980s.

Sophomore Dante Fabbro, whose four goals paces all Terrier defenseman, echoed Quinn’s thoughts.

“Obviously with us being big rivals and there’s lots of history there, I think we’re definitely pretty excited coming into this one,” Fabbro said.”It’s going to be a pretty crazy atmosphere both nights and this week you could definitely feel the excitement with our team.”

A year ago, BU took three of four games from the Eagles, including the opening round of the Beanpot. But, it was Boston College who won the series’ biggest matchup of 2017, taking the Hockey East Semifinal, 3-2.

Since starting 1-5-2, BC has turned things around considerably. Starting on November 5th, the Eagles ran off seven wins in a row, and are 7-0-1 in that stretch after their most recent draw with Harvard. The most impressive win for the Eagles came on November 18 at Northeastern, a 4-1 win. BC picked up 14 of their league-leading 16 Hockey East points in the month of November.

The Eagles have been a strong defensive team in conference, allowing just 1.67 goals-per-game. A huge reason for this is their penalty kill, which is currently running at conference-best 91.4 percent (32-for-35). By contrast, BU is eighth in Hockey East at 78.4 percent (29-of-37).

Traditionally, Jerry York’s BC team run a very aggressive penalty kill. Last weekend, BU had a glimpse of that aggressive style against Cornell, and cashed in not once, but twice on the man advantage.

“When your power play matches the penalty kill’s effort and work ethic, you’re going to have a chance to have a good power play,” mentioned Quinn. “I thought there was a lot more pace to our power play against Cornell. We are trying a few different things, but I thought it was pretty good against Cornell after a sluggish stretch.”

A lot of BU’s success on the man-advantage this season has come from the defense. Fabbro and Chad Krys both netted power-play goals over the weekend, and have been a main source of special teams production all season.

“I think before when we weren’t really clicking we were hanging on to pucks too long and not moving it quick enough,” Fabbro added. “In practice, we addressed a few things and have tried to get pucks to the net as much as possible and retrieve them. It seems to be working so far and we are trying to build off that.”

Scouting the Eagles
Unlike years past, Boston College doesn’t have one dominant line or player like Johny Gaudreau. Instead, the 2017-18 Eagles are scoring by committee. Ten skaters have at least eight points, but no one has more than eleven.

Sitting atop the charts is Julius Mattila, a sophomore who was on the Finnish World Junior team last winter. Mattila, whose fellow sophomore brother is also on the roster, has amassed eleven points via four goals and seven assists. Freshman Chris Grando leads the team in goals scored with five and has also added five assists. Other players to watch include Cassy Fitzgerald, David Cotton, JD Dudek and Graham McPhee.

“You can be good in different ways,” Quinn remarked. “Sometimes you have a horse and a top line, sometimes you got a bunch of good lines; and they have a bunch of good lines. That’s not easy to prepare for either. There are all different ways to win, and they have done a good job digging themselves out of a hole they were in early from playing a very difficult schedule.”

Between the pipes, Joe Woll holds a 6-4-2 record with a .905 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against-average. A year ago, Woll posted a 9.19 save percentage against BU in four games, with a 1-3-0 record.

History
This weekend’s clash with cross-town rival Boston College marks the 100th anniversary that the two Comm Ave based schools have done battle. In fact, BU’s first ever game was against Boston College on February 6, 1918. The Eagles skated away with a 3-1 win at Boston Arena – now known as Matthews Arena – in what was BU’s lone game of their inaugural 1917-18 campaign.

The Terriers did not play a single game in 1919, lost both their games in 1920 (one to BC, 9-0) and didn’t field a team for the 1921 and 1922 seasons. Finally, the program stabilized itself under head coach George Gaw in 1925 after going 1-8-0 in 1924. The ’25 season was the first winning season in BU hockey history and it also marked the first time the Terriers beat the Eagles, a 1-0 win at Boston Arena on December 23, 1924.

Overall coming into this weekend, BU holds a 133-123-18 record in the series, thanks in large part to a 16 game unbeaten streak from December 9, 1992 to February 5, 1996 when the Terriers went 14-0-2 against BC. In 2017, the teams squared off four times, with BU emerging victorious three times; however, the Eagles have won the most recent contest.

Red Hot Hockey Recap

This was originally a project done for class, but I'll share it here too.

Photos From Red Hot Hockey

For the first time in six attempts, Cornell came away victorious against BU at Madison Square Garden in Red Hot Hockey.



Cornell struck once in the first and twice in the second to take a 3-0 lead into the third. Dante Fabbro scored a power-play goal 4:48 into the third to cut the Big Red lead to 3-1.

Tristan Mullin scored the eventual winner at 11:51, but BU battled to the bitter end. First, Chad Krys scored a 6 on 4 goal with less than seven minutes to play and Patrick Harper made it a one-goal game with 4:58 left, but that was as close as BU would get.

Let's Play Six

*Originally published on WTBU Sports*

NEW YORK — For the sixth time since 2007, BU and Cornell will square off at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the bi-annual Red Hot Hockey series.

The No. 19 Terriers have won the event three times (2007, 2011 and 2013), tied in a thrilling fashion in 2009 and won a dramatic shootout in 2015 to stay undefeated against the Big Red in the Big Apple.

Here's a little project I worked on for Terrier Hockey, a look back at the previous 

five Red Hot Hockey games.

“Its a pretty good experience,” mentioned junior forward Jordan Greenway, who scored a late goal in the 2015 meeting to force overtime and a shootout. “The atmosphere is unbelievable. I didn’t think there was going to be as many people as there were and it was really loud. All the history in that building, its an honor to be able to play there.”

“It’s such a special night for both schools,” said BU Coach Dave Quinn. “The fact that we do it every other year makes it a bit more special. We’re playing one of the top teams in the country right now, a team that’s 8-1-0 and fourth in the country [PairWise] right now. It’s gonna be a test for us.”

No. 7 Cornell started the season on October 27th and rolled off seven straight wins to open their schedule. A 3-2 victory at home to ranked Harvard and a 2-1 win at Quinnipiac are the most notable. The Big Red’s only loss thus far came at the hands of Clarkson last weekend in Ithaca, 4-0.

Last weekend, BU’s offense finally exploded, posted seven goals against Maine in a 7-0 blanking of the Black Bears to salvage a weekend split.

“It was good for a lot of the freshman to get their first goal[s],” said Greenway. “Its a confidence booster, but we are really focused on just going to the net hard and playing harder defense because we think that leads to more offense, and that’s kind of how it worked out for us in that second game [at Maine].

BU Notes
It sounds a lot like Brandon Hickey is close to making a return to the Terrier lineup. Quinn simply said earlier this week, “He should be ready to go.”

There is no update on Nikolas Olsson, who has been out since the beginning of November with an undisclosed injury.

Scouting the Big Red
Senior Trevor Yates, who scored Cornell’s second goal in the last RHH game, currently leads the team in scoring with 10 points. Those tallies come by way of six goals and four assists. Jeff Malott is second with eight points off of three goals and five assists.

Overall, the offense is running at a 3.56 goals-per-game pace, while the Big Red have only allowed an average of 1.89 goals a game.

Between the pipes, freshman Matthew Galajda has posted an impressive 7-1-0 record in nine appearances. In that time, the Aurora, Ontario native has a .913 save percentage and a 1.92 goals against average.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden between the Terriers and the Big Red.

Photos From Maine

Opportunistic Black Bears Stymie BU

ORONO - In a frustrating battle with the Maine Black Bears, BU fell 5-2, despite outshooting Maine 42-28 in front of 4,532 at Alfond Arena and having two skaters pick up their first collegiate goals.

Jordan Greenway dives for a loose puck at the edge of the
crease in the second period.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Maine took advantage of the power play and was strong on the kill, but BU just could not find the back of the net.

Coach Quinn put it pretty simply, stating, "We are just not capitalizing on our opportunities."

Not once, but twice BU had Maine hemmed in, pouring on the pressure, only to have the Black Bears turn around and score at the other end.

First, in the second period with the game tied at one, BU controlled the play in their offensive zone for an extended period of time, thanks in large part to a power play that had expired. Maine’s Canon Pieper gained control of the puck off an errant pass at the blue line and blew by the Terrier defense, before streaking in alone on Max Prawdzik (23 saves). From the bottom of the slot, Pieper beat Prawdzik five-hole for his first goal of the year.

“We go 0-6 on the power play and not even that, we give up a goal at the end of our power play for not knowing the situation and they go down and score,” added Coach Quinn.

While the power play struggled, Maine’s goalie Jeremy Swayman was fabulous between the pipes. He stopped 40 shots and got a little luck from the post as BU rang the iron three times on shots that cleanly beat the Maine netminder.

Less than three minutes after Pieper’s goal, he was back on the scoresheet again. This time as he attempted a wraparound and banked the puck off of Brendan Robbin’s skate in the crease an in. It was his second goal of the year.

The game really took a turn after Logan Cockerill scored his first collegiate goal. The play was set up nicely Patrick Harper and Shane Bowers with Cockerill crashing the back post for the loose rebound. Following the goal, BU had complete control of the game and the momentum carried into the third period.

With 12:15 left in the third, BU was pumping chance after chance towards the net, looking for the equalizer. Then, Kasper Kotkansalo rang the post, Maine broke it out and eventually set Patrick Hollowly up with a point shot that found twine.

“I thought we had so many chances to make it 3-3,” said Coach Quinn. “They come down and their first chance is in the back of the net. It’s really what’s been happening for a while here. We have to just continue to preserve.”

That would be as close as BU would get. Maine ran out the clock and eventually, Patrick Shea added an empty-net tally with 1:52 left to round out the scoring.

Back in the first, BU opened the scoring on Kasper Kotkansalo’s first goal as a Terrier. Logan Cockerill and Patrick Harper added the assists.

Maine stuck back less than three minutes later on the power play as Brady Keeper beat Prawdzik on a high wrister from the point.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow night in Portland for game two.

Weekend In Maine

A weekend ago, BU had an interesting pair of games. First, they were shelled by NU 6-1 on Friday, before blanking UNH 4-0 at home behind a 29 save shutout by Max Prawdzik in his first collegiate start. This weekend, BU will make the long trek to Maine, where they will play one game against the Black Bears in Orono, before heading south to Portland for game two.

From The Vault
Nik Olsson scores a late goal against Maine last January in a
4-1 Terrier win at Agganis.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Maine has been a bit of a surprise this year and has the ability to play teams tight. It's just another example of how wide open Hockey East is this year. The Black Bears are currently 2-2-0 in league play with wins over UConn and Lowell, including a 6-2 drubbing of the River Hawks last weekend in Lowell.

Overall, Maine comes into this weekend with a  3-5-0 record, but as stated before, they play teams very close. Earlier this year, Maine was swept by Minnesota Duluth at home by scores of 2-1 and 2-0. While they only managed one goal against the Bulldogs, Maine has the ability to find the back of the net. In a weekend series with Miami, the Black Bears pumped home 11 goals in a two-game split with the RedHawks.

A year ago, BU swept Maine in January with a 4-1 win at home, followed by a 3-1 win at the Alfond the next night.

Scouting the Black Bears
Gone are the days where Joey Diamond, Gus Nyquist, and Brian Flynn carried the entire Maine offense. This year, Maine has one of the most balanced attacks in the country. They have scored 25 goals and yet no one has more than seven points on the roster. All but three skaters have registered a point and among those three, only Keith Muehlbaurer has played in all eight games.

Nine of the 25 goals come from Eduards Tralmaks and Mitchell Fossier. Tralmaks, a freshman from Riga, Latvia (same hometown as former Terrier defenseman Jekabs Redlihs) has a team-high five goals and has added two assists. Fossier, on the other hand, comes into the weekend with four goals and three assists. Other players to watch include Nolan Vesey, Chase Pearson, and Tim Doherty.

In goal, Jeremy Swagman is 2-2-0 in five appearances with a 2.86 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. Junior Rob McGovern has posted a .891 SV% and to go along with a 3.87 GAA.

Weekend Preview: Cats and Dogs

From The Vault
Jordan Greenway celebrates after scoring
at Northeastern last November in a 4-4 tie
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Article originally posted on WTBU Sports

For the third weekend in a row, No. 15 Boston University will face two different opponents, as they travel to Matthews Arena on Friday night to wrap up an extended home and home with Northeastern before hosting New Hampshire at the Greek on Saturday.

In last Saturday’s clash with the Huskies, Nolan Steven paced the NU victory with a hat trick, while Bobby Hampton added a goal with Ryan Ruck and Cayden Primeau combining to make 33 saves. Ruck left the game midway through the second frame after Patrick Harper crashed into him, leaving the senior netminder dazed.

Jordan Greenway was the only Terrier to find the back of the net on the night. That strike came on a power play from Harper and Shane Bowers in the second period.

“I liked what we did this week,” said Head Coach David Quinn. “I thought we were much more focused and we went over a bunch of things structurally that I think we have slipped in. We just have to stay at it and stick together. We have a big challenge this weekend.”

BU will be without a main piece of their lineup Friday night. Assistant Captain Nik Olsson was suspended for one game by Hockey East “stemming from an incident at 4:38 of the third period on Saturday,” according to the league press release.

NU, on the other hand, keeps one of its most prolific scorers, Dylan Sikura. The team leader in goals was supposed to be with Team Canada in a pre-Olympic tournament in Finland this weekend, however, an upper-body injury sustained in last week's game against BU puts his status up in the air.

With or without Sikura, Quinn mentioned that BU's preparation does not change.

“They’ve got other good forwards that we are certainly aware of," said the coach. "We just have to make sure that whatever line’s out there for us, we’re doing the things we're trying to focus on regardless of the opponent.”

Scouting the Huskies
If Sikura is absent, Adam Gaudette will likely be the Husky with the most points on the stat sheet this weekend. The junior from Braintree has notched six goals and seven assists for 13 points thus far on the year. Zach Solow, who had a pair of assists in Saturday’s trouncing of the Terriers, comes in with nine points on the year by way of three goals and six assists. Other players to watch include Nolan Stevens, Matt Filipe, and Ryan Shea.

“We have seen them so much the last few years that there are really no surprises,” added Quinn.

Cayden Primeau will most likely get the start in net. In five appearances, the Montreal Canadians prospect is 1-1-1 with a .886 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against-average.

From The Vault
Dante Fabbro scored a power play goal in
BU's 8-4 win at the Whittemore Center.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Shifting gears to the Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire, UNH is without a doubt the
biggest surprise in Hockey East and possibly all of college hockey this season. The Wildcats were slated to finish 8th in the conference after going 15-20-5 a year ago, but, currently, sit in sole position of second place at 3-0-1 in Hockey East, and hold an impressive 6-1-1 overall record.

UNH is certainly trying to send Head Coach Dick Umile out on a high note in his 27th and final season behind the Wildcat bench. Its been a rough go at UNH the last few seasons, as the Wildcats have finished higher than fourth just once since winning the regular season title in 2010.

This year, they swept Lowell in surprising fashion on opening weekend and swept Colgate the following weekend. Colorado College is the only blemish on the UNH schedule, a 2-1 overtime loss at home on October 21st. Last weekend, the 'Cats picked up a 3-0 shutout at UMass and have climbed into the top 10 in the USCHO poll.

UNH will play Friday night at home against Lowell, so both BU and UNH will be in the second game of back-to-backs when they face off on Saturday.

A year ago, BU took three points from UNH in a weekend series in February. On their Friday night contest, the Terriers battled back from a 4-2 deficit entering the third on goals from Charlie McAvoy and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson to scratch out a tie. The next day saw the BU offense erupt for eight goals from seven different players in an 8-4 win at the Whittemore Center.

Scouting the Wildcats
Pacing the UNH offense is senior Michael McNicholas, who has 10 points off of a pair of goals and eight assists. Coming in with an identical point total is defenseman Benton Maass, who has notched a goal and nine helpers in eight games. Fellow defenseman Max Gildon has found twine six times to lead the team in goals scored. Other players to watch include Ara Nazarian, Liam Blackburn, and Jason Salvaggio.

In goal, Danny Tirone has been outstanding. The left-handed netminder holds a .936 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against-average.

Pair of Krys Goals Pushes BU Past Providence

It took two periods of absolute struggle, but Chad Krys finally broke through for a pair of goals in the third period to lift the Terriers to a 2-0 win over Providence in front of 3,293 at Agganis Arena.



The first period saw BU get outshot 15-9, but Jake Oettinger was there to shut the door. He finished the game with 31 saves and his first shutout of the year.

“I didn’t care how we did it, what the score was, how it looked, we needed a win tonight,” said coach Quinn. “We needed to feel good about ourselves. Obviously our start tonight wasn’t what we wanted [outshot 11-1 to start the game]. I thought we were a step slow and after we killed some penalties and in the last five minutes we started playing better and spent some time in the offensive zone. I thought the next two periods we played much better and the third was our best period of the night. Obviously, Chad makes two great plays and our goalie looked like a big-time goalie.”

BU is back at it tomorrow as they face Northeastern at home.

Weekend Preview: Terriers Host Providence, Northeastern

Article first published on WTBU

BOSTON — After dropping a pair of games last weekend against Denver and Providence, the No. 12 Boston University Terriers will get another crack at the Friars on Friday night at home. They'll then welcome Northeastern back to Agganis for the first time since the Hockey East Quarterfinals last March as the Huskies visit on Saturday night.

No. 6 Providence (5-2-0) scored three times in the second period on goals from Vimal Sukumaran, Erik Foley and Brandon Duhime, while Hayden Hawkey made 22 saves for a 3-0 shutout win.

"Its obviously a big motivation," said senior assistant Captain Nik Olsson. "They have become a conference rival with us. We need to come back and we can't drop two straight to these guys. We need to come out hard and respond."

After BU (3-4-1) was swept by Mankato State, the team rebounded to pick up three points against UConn the following weekend. Head Coach David Quinn was very impressed with this week's practices, which is a good sign of resilience, saying, "If we can match our game efforts with our performance in practice we'll be in pretty good shape."

The Friars limited BU to just 22 shots last Saturday; that suffocation can be credited to PC's strong defense. One of the main focus areas this week was to create more offense with better puck support and puck management.

"We worked on changing the angle on shots this week and we can't be denied at the net front," Olsson added. "We worked on catching and releasing shots before they could get out in front of it."

Scouting the Friars
PC is now 5-2-0 on the year, as they not only beat BU last weekend, but topped Boston College, 2-1, on Friday night. After the strong showing against their Comm Ave foes, Providence was named Team of the Week by College Hockey News.

John Wilkins continues to pace the Friar scoring attack with six points by way of two goals and four assists. Fellow sophomore Kasper Björkqvist has a team-high four goals, while Jacob Bryson leads the assists column with five helpers in seven games played.

Now we look at Northeastern (4-2-1). The No. 15 Huskies come into this weekend with league's best offensive attack, with a strong 4.43 goals per game, netting 31 goals in seven games. By comparison, BU is working a pedestrian 2.62 G/GM with 21 strikes in eight contests.

"Your defense doesn't change," said Quinn. "It's pretty simplistic in the way you have to defend. The fact that we prepared to defend against Denver I think will bode well for the fact we are playing Northeastern."

NU started the year with two blowout wins against Sacred Heart, before hitting a three-game winless skid with a 3-3 tie at RIT and a sweep by Quinnipiac at home. The Huskies rebounded last weekend, sweeping Lowell in a home and home by scores of 3-1 and 5-4 in OT.

Scouting the Huskies
At the forefront of NU's high flying offense is Canadian Olympic hopeful Dylan Sikura. In seven games, the senior from Aurora, Ontario has six goals and eight assists for fourteen points. Next weekend, he will participate in a pre-Olympic tournament for Team Canada in Finland, thus missing the back end of this extended home and home with BU.

"You have to take away time and space and be physical with him" mentioned Quinn about defending Sikura. "We can't be fishing for the puck. You have to have your head up and your stick down and have to be committed to playing the body…in a controlled manner."

Adam Gaudette does not trail far behind in the point's race, coming into the weekend with thirteen off of six goals and seven assists. Other players to watch include Garret Cockerill, Matt Filipe and Nolan Stevens.

Ryan Ruck and Cayden Primeau have split time in net. Ruck is 3-1-0 on the year and has a .908 save percentage to go along with a 2.68 goals against average. Primeau, a Montreal draft pick, is the owner of a tough .850 save percentage and a 2.97 goals against average. He has allowed nine goals on 60 shots.

Terry's Late Tally Pushes Denver Past BU

In one of the most exciting games in recent memory, Denver’s Troy Terry scored with just 16 seconds left to put the Pioneers up 4-3. 

BU came back from 0-2 down in the first period on goals from Ty Amonte and Bobo Carpenter. Denver took a 3-2 at the end of the first on a power-play goal by Colin Staub.

After pouring shot after shot at Tanner Jaillet, and ringing the post four times, Dante Fabbro finally broke through to tie the game 3-3 with 7:49 left. 

Jake Oettinger was fantastic, especially in the second period to keep it a one-goal contest. 

"I thought we had a great third period to tie it up, obviously disappointing the way it ended. We are work in progress. I love how hard we competed. We just have to learn how to win and finish games like this off, that's the bottom line," said CoachQuinn"

BU will head to Providence tomorrow night to wrap up this weekend’s action

Tough Tests Against Pioneers, Providence

Article first published on WTBU Sports

For the first time this season, BU will square off against two different opponents in the same weekend, as Denver comes to town Friday night before the Terriers visit the Friars of Providence College on Saturday night.

From The Vault
Former Terrier Matt Lane fires off a shot in the 2016 West
Reginal in St. Paul against Denver.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

This weekend will be a real measuring stick for the young Terriers when they go head-to-head with two of the last three national champions. Denver took the title last year in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 win over Minnesota Duluth in the championship game. Providence won in 2015 against BU and we all know what happened then.

The Pioneers come into this weekend’s game with a 2-0-2 record and ranked number one in the nation. On opening night, Denver and Notre Dame skated to a 2-2 draw before the Pioneers doubled up the Irish 4-2 the next night. Last week, Denver took three points from Lake Superior State at home.

For coach David Quinn, the preparation didn’t change just because Denver is the number one ranked team. He took this week and treated it like any other game.

“We try to do that no matter who we play,” Quinn said. “It’s pretty much come to work every day and try to become a better team. Obviously, we make some tweaks with every team we face because every team plays a little bit differently. This isn’t a game you have to get a team excited to play.”

A year ago, BU traveled to Denver and was swept by the Pioneers by scores of 4-2 and 3-1 respectively. In 2016, Denver ended BU’s season with a 7-2 beatdown in the West Regional in St. Paul. Earlier in the 2015-16 season, BU beat the Pioneers 5-4 in overtime at Agganis Arena.

“I think there’s a familiarity from both ends,” Quinn said. “There’s certainly a lot of respect too. They’ve been one of the top programs in the country for a long time and we’ve always had great games with them and we’re looking forward to this one.”

“They keep it simple and fast,” said junior forward Bobo Carpenter, who has faced DU four times in his career. “They really want attack hard and get their offense going. Their transition is a key their success. We want to be that team too, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Scouting the Pioneers
To no one’s surprise, Denver is led in scoring by Henrik Borgström, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell. The electrifying Borgström and US World Junior shootout hero Troy Terry have identical stat lines of three goals and three assists for five points. Borgström had a pair of goals against BU last year in the second game. Gambrell has posted five points by way of two goals and three assists.

Other players to watch include Liam Finlay, Tyson McLellan and Jarid Lukosevicius, who scored all three of Denver’s goals in the national championship game last year.

In goal, Tanner Jaillet is 1-0-2 to start his senior season and owns a 2.21 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

From The Vault
Jake Oettinger makes one of 38 saves in
 a 2-1 win at Providence last December.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Switching the focus to Providence, the Friars are 3-2-0 this season and are coming off a weekend trip to the North Country where they scored a 6-5 overtime win at St. Lawrence and were shutout 4-0 at Clarkson.

Both teams will be in the same situation facing a back-to-back on Saturday. On Friday, the Friars are home against Boston College, a team they lost to 4-3 in overtime two weekends ago.

“We’ve played two games for three weekends in a row now,” mentioned Quinn. “Its nothing new to us. We focus on the game Friday night and don’t even think about the game Saturday. They’re in the same situation. We’ll talk about Providence Saturday morning.”

Scouting the Friars
Josh Wilkins leads the team in scoring with a pair of goals and three assists for five points in five games. Fellow sophomore Kasper Björkqvist has a team-high four goals, while Jacob Bryson leads the assists column with four helpers. Other players to watch include Brian Pinho, Vincent Desharnais and Ryan Tait.

PC got a huge boost last weekend when junior defenseman Erik Foley, a former member of the team USA World Junior Championship team came back from injury.

In goal, Hayden Hawkey holds an .871 save percentage and a 3.33 goals against average.

Curry, Carpenter Find Scoring Touch

Coming into the weekend, Bobo Carpenter and Patrick Curry had combined to score zero goals in the first four games of the year. After this weekend, the two had seven between them.

Bobo Carpenter was named Hockey East Player of the week.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

For Carpenter, it was about being opportunistic. Friday, he scored a pair of shorthanded goals in the second period. He was the first player since Cason Hohmann in the 2015 Hockey East Playoffs against Merrimack to score two shorthanded goals in the same game. Then, on Saturday, Carpenter notched a hat trick with all three of his goals coming on the power-play.

“Bobo’s obviously been a little snakebitten early and it's nice to see guys get off the schneid and get goals,” said coach Quinn on Saturday.

Curry, on the other hand, started the weekend out on the fourth line Friday night. Midway through the game, Head Coach David Quinn moved the sophomore forward up with Jordan Greenway and Shane Bowers.

“I just thought Curry was playing well,” said Quinn after Friday’s game. “We bumped him up there, though he had a lot of energy. He did some things we are going to need him to do. He’s got quick hands and can shoot a puck. I thought he would be a good complement to them.”

Saturday, Quinn took it a step farther, putting Curry on the first line with Brady Tkachuk and Bobo Carpenter. The move paid off just 1:29 into the game when Curry tipped home a John McLeod point shot to give BU a 2-0 lead. Later in the period, Curry scored again, this time off a rebound.

“He’s earned that opportunity,” said Quinn on Saturday. “Pat’s come a long way in a month and a half. From a guy who’s not been in the lineup, he’s claimed a spot for himself. As long as he plays physical and plays with a pace, he’s going to contribute for us.”

Humbly Curry said, “I was fortunate to be near the net and have some pucks bounce off of me.”

Even strength Struggle
Friday night, BU again struggled to find offense in five-on-five situations. In fact, Pat Curry’s first goal on Saturday was the Terriers first even-strength goal since the second period of the first Minnesota State game. That’s 1:23.59 between Shane Bowers’ goals on October 13th and Curry’s goal Saturday night for those scoring at home.

At the Polls
BU was up one slot in the USCHO poll from 7th to 6th. Denver was again the top team in the land with 33 first-place votes. St. Cloud jumped up one peg from 3rd to second, while Harvard, North Dakota and Wisconsin rounded out the top five.

Hockey East Scoreboard
Friday
Lowell 3, at Clarkson 1
Miami 7, at Maine 5
Quinnipiac 6, at Northeastern 4
Providence 6, at St. Lawrence 5 (OT)
Ohio State 3, at UMass 1
Colorado College 3, at New Hampshire 6
Vermont 1, at Michigan 4
Boston College 2, at St. Cloud 5
Merrimack 5, at Duluth 5
UConn 2, at Boston University 2 (OT)

Saturday
Vermont 2, at Michigan 3
Miami 3, at Maine 6
Quinnipiac 3, at Northeastern 2 (OT)
Lowell 5, at St. Lawrence 0
Colorado College 2, at New Hampshire 1 (OT)
Providence 0, at Clarkson 4
Ohio State 3, at UMass 0
Boston College 1, at St Cloud 3
Merrimack 2, at Duluth 7
Boston University 6, at UConn 3

Carpenter Hat Trick Paces Terrier Win Over UConn

Behind a hat trick from Bobo Carpenter, a pair of goals from Patrick Curry and a tally from Brandon Hickey, BU doubled up UConn 6-3 in Hartford to earn their first league win of the season.



Carpenter scored a total of five goals on the weekend, after notching two shorthanded strikes last night.

Jake Oettinger made 27 saves for his third win of the year.

BU will face Denver at home on Friday night and then head to Providence on Saturday.

All Tangled Up

In a back and forth game, BU and Uconn battled to a 2-2 draw in front of 3,397 at Agganis Arena as the Terriers play their first Hockey East league contest of the 2018 campaign.



“That was Hockey East at its finest. There wasn’t a lot of room out there and guys competed. I thought we had a really good first period, thought we defended a lot harder. It's frustrating because we just haven’t been able to score goals.”

Both of BU's goals came shorthanded, both scored by Bobo Carpenter. Johny Austin and Alexander Payusov both scored on the power play for UConn. 

“Our penalty kill let us down tonight,” added Head Coach David Quinn. “You can’t be giving up two goals after you get two shorthand goals. We just don’t have a lot of experience with guys killing right now. That’s going to take some time.”

Jake Oettinger made 31 saves on the night, while UConn goalie Adam Huska turned aside 33. 

Weekend With The Huskies

From The Vault
Former Terrier Ahti Oksanen
battles for a puck down low
against UConn in an October
2015 meeting that BU won 4-2.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

After getting embarrassed by Mankato State last weekend, BU is back in action this weekend as they square off with UConn in a home and home series to open Hockey East play. Friday night, BU will be the host, while Saturday’s game will be played at the XL Center in Hartford.

The Huskies are 2-2-0 on the year with wins over Maine and America International. UConn surprisingly lost to Sacred Heart last weekend 3-1, despite outshooting the Pioneers 45-22.

One of the keys for BU will be putting last weekend’s results in the rearview mirror.

“Obviously last weekend was incredibly disappointing and surprising, but we have to move past it,” said Coach Quinn. “We had a good week of practice and I’m very confident we will see the team we saw in the first two games instead of the last two.”

A season ago, BU and UConn split a pair of games in November. BU won the first matchup 2-1 at the XL Center behind goals from Jordan Greenway and Gabe Chabot. The next night was a different story. UConn blew out the Terriers 4-0, with Huskie goalie Adam Huska making 37 saves in the shutout.

“We just have to get shots on net,” mentioned senior captain Brandon Hickey. “You can’t score unless you’re shooting. UConn likes to block a lot of shots and they have a really good goalie. We have to direct pucks at him and tire him out, get a bunch of traffic and things are going to start going in.”

Scouting the Huskies.
Sophomore Alexander Payusov is off to a hot start to lead the Huskies in goals scored with four. The Montreal native notched a hat trick on Friday night against AIC in a 6-4 win for UConn. Last year, Payusov registered just two points in 15 games played. Karl El-Mir has five points by way of a pair of goals and three assists. Former Terrier commit Max Letunov has posted a goal and three assists.  

Other players to watch include Spenser Nass, Derek Pratt, and Kasperi Ojantakanen.

In goal, Huska is the owner of a .920 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average.

Mankato Massacre

Over the weekend, BU was swept at home by Minnesota State in back to back nights at Agganis Arena. It was the first time in the arena’s 12 year history that BU was swept by an out of conference opponent on back to back nights.

The Terriers were, however, swept by Maine on January 27th and 28th in 2012 and again by Vermont in November 2008.

Ty Amonte barrels over Mankato goalie Jason Pawloski on
Saturday night.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Mankato’s experience and BU’s youth showed in this series. There were plenty of examples when the older Mavericks outworked and far outplayed the young Terriers.

“They played men's hockey and we played boy’s hockey,” said Head Coach Dave Quinn after Friday night’s 6-3 loss. “We just weren’t physical at all. Overtime they shot a puck and  we would turn and watch for it. We didn’t defend with our feet in the D-zone. It looked like we had never played D-zone coverage before.”

A constant issue for BU over the weekend was passing and decision-making with the puck. The best example of this was on a power play late in the third period of game two. Chad Krys was able to toe-drag around one defender at the top of the circle, but rather than let go a shot from a quality angle, he dished to the middle and the pass was broken up.

“Instead of five foot passes, we were trying to make 50 foot passes,” added Quinn. “we slowed the game down and started giving up odd man rushes and making bad decisions.”

“We have to shoot the puck when we have chances,” mentioned senior captain Brandon Hickey. “There were a couple times that guys had it in the slot and they looked off the shot to make a pass backdoor when the right play would have been to throw it at the goalie.”  

Between the Pipes
Despite being swept and outscored 9-3, Jake Oettinger still had a strong weekend. Friday night, the sophomore netminder sticked aside 39 shots, including 19 in the third period.  Saturday, he allowed two goals, neither of which was his fault, on 25 shots.

“We gave up 45 shots at home, six goals and our goalie played well. You can’t say that a lot,” said Quinn after game one.

Red Light District
Shane Bowers started the scoring just 2:03 into game one on Friday on the power play, he would later score again in the third period on rebound… Jordan Greenway notched his first of the year on a slick play to bat the puck out of mid-air midway through the first period, Friday on the power play.

At the Polls
The Terriers dropped from second to seventh in the USCHO poll. Denver was again Top Dog, receiving all but one first-place votes. Harvard, who has still yet to play a game, continues to move up and are now slated second. St Cloud picked up the one other first-place vote and come in ranked third, with North Dakota and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.

Hockey East Scoreboard
Friday:
Wisconsin 5, at Boston College 2
UMass 5, at Union 4
Colgate 0, at New Hampshire 5
UConn 6, at American International 4
Nebraska Omaha 6, at Lowell 3
Mankato State 6, Boston University 3

Saturday
Vermont 2, at Quinnipiac 3 (OT)
Wisconsin 4, at Merrimack 1
America International 1, at UMass 3
Nebraska Omaha 2, at Lowell 5
Colgate 3, at New Hampshire 5
Northeastern 3, at RIT 3 (OT)
UConn 1, at Sacred Heart 3
Mankato State 3, Boston University 0

Sunday
Boston College 4, at Providence 3 (OT)
Vermont 3, at Union 2

Mankato Completes The Sweep -Photos-

It was another tough night for the Terriers, as they fell 3-0 to Minnesota State.

After a scoreless first period,  Mankato's Nicolas Rivera scored at 7:15 to get the Mavericks on the board on the power play. CJ Suess doubled the lead at 13:56 of the second and Marc Michaelis added an empty-netter to wrap up the scoring.



Jake Oettinger made 25 saves, while MSU netminder Jason Pawloski turned aside 26 shots for the shutout.

The Terriers went 0-4 on the power play, including three man advantages in the first period

"Tonight it was more disappointing because we lost. I thought that we did a lot of things that we didn't do last night. I thought we competed. I thought we were physical. I thought we had a good first period, couldn't get a power-play goal. Second period they started coming at us a bit more. We get a too many men on the ice penalty and they capitalize on it on the power play and make it 1-0. One thing we are right now, when we face adversity in the middle of the game, we tend to feel sorry for ourselves. That's kinda what was going on tonight," said Coach Quinn.

Next up, BU has a home and home with UConn.

Mankato Game 1 Slide Show

Weekend With Mankato

- Article originally published on WTBU Sports -

After a thrilling come-from-behind overtime win Sunday afternoon at Quinnipiac, BU is back in action this weekend with a pair of games at Agganis Arena against Minnesota State – Mankato, a school the Terriers have never played in their 96-year history.

From The Vault
Former Terrier Connor LaCouvee makes his return to BU
this weekend as a member of the Mavericks.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

The two teams enter this weekend going in opposite directions. BU is a perfect 2-0-0 on the year, while the Mavericks lost their season opener a week ago, 4-0, at St. Cloud State.

Mankato is projected to have a strong season, as they were selected first in the WCHA preseason coaches’ poll. They return five of their top six scorers from a season ago when they finished third in the WCHA.

With Mankato being a team BU has never faced, Head Coach David Quinn wanted to focus more on improving his own team in practice rather than game-planning for the Mavericks.

“I think at this point in the season everyone is just working their own thing,” Quinn said. “There’s not a lot of pre-scouting and tailoring your practices, you just want to be good at what you’re good at. You’re trying to implement what you’re trying to do and do it well.”

Playing at an up-tempo pace has been a huge emphasis for Quinn so far. For a player like Patrick Harper, who has been on fire to start the year, posting four goals and two assists, this is exactly the type of system that best fits his game.

“I think with the forward group and D we have, we all want to play a fast, skillful and effective game,” Harper mentioned. “We want to control the pace out there, and dictate the offense and play a fast transition game. The plan doesn’t really change week to week. We are approaching Minnesota-Mankato the same way we have the last two games.”

The players may be approaching the games similarly, but the lineup will look a bit different this weekend.

Coach Quinn declared that junior goalie Max Prawdzik will be in the lineup on Friday, saying simply, “you’ll see him tomorrow night.” Whether that means he will play the entire game remains unclear. Prawdzik allowed five goals on 27 shots to PEI in BU’s exhibition contest two weeks ago.

Scouting The Mavericks
Through one game this year, no one has scored for Mankato after they were shutout by St. Cloud. That being said, the Mavericks do have some firepower. Brad McClure, Marc Michaelis and CJ Suess combined to score 40 points as a line last year. As a freshman, Michaelis lead the team in scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points. Suess was right behind Michaelis with 31 points by way of 12 goals and 19 assists. The team also returns their leading goal-scorer from a year ago in Zeb Knutson, who found the back of the net 15 times in 2017.

In goal, Jason Pawloski allowed three goals on 25 shots to St. Cloud last weekend. A year ago, he split time with Cole Huggins, who has since graduated.

Another Familiar Face
For the second consecutive weekend, another former Terrier will do battle against his old team. Last week, it was Kevin Duane and Brandon Fortunato, this week Connor LaCouvee makes his return to Agganis Arena. The graduate transfer finished up school at BU last spring in just three years, and now, as a Maverick, he could very well see time in goal this weekend.

In three season with the Terriers, LaCouvee saw time in 32 games, posting an 11-5-4 record with a .903 save percentage and a 2.88 goals against average.

Close Encounter
While BU and Minnesota State haven’t actually faced off against one another, the two schools did both participate in the 2011 Shillelagh Tournament hosted by Notre Dame. BU lost to Brown in the first round and Mankato beat Notre Dame to advance to the championship game, where the Mavericks cruised to a 7-3 victory to win the holiday tournament over Brown.

Harper Continues Hot Start

(Photo by Matt Dresens)

BU won their lone game of the weekend in dramatic fashion, dropping Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime Sunday afternoon.

Unfortunately, I could not make the trip because I was playing hockey at another Connecticut based college, but did listen to some of the game.

Patrick Harper continued his torrid pace to the start of the season, notching two goals and an assist. Freshman Shane Bowers scored the game-winner with less than a minute left off a shot from Harper in the slot.

Coach Quinn put it simply, saying, “I’m glad he was on our team tonight, I'll tell you that.”

Harper now has four of the team’s eight total goals, and currently leads the nation in scoring with four goals and two assists.

A season ago, Harper started off on a tear, too. He posted two goals on opening night at Colgate and then two assists in game two at Denver. In fact, the New Canaan, Connecticut native found the scoresheet in his first seven games as a Terrier and wasn’t held pointless in back to back games until the first weekend of December.

“I think he’s playing at a better pace,” mentioned coach Quinn. “We’ve talked a lot about playing with a pace without the puck. He’s really good with it and plays quick with it, but when the other team gets it there’s a little bit of a lull. So far, I think he’s elevated the pace of play without the puck.”

Next weekend, BU squares off against an unfamiliar foe in Minnesota State (Mankato). The two games at Agganis will be the first time the Terriers battle the Mavericks. Mankato elevated their program from Division III to DII in 1994, before climbing to the Division I ranks in 1997.

There will be one familiar face on the ice, though. Former Terrier goalie and graduate transfer Connor LaCouvee is now a Maverick and will more than likely see time in one of the two games. The complete weekend preview will be up Thursday.

At the Polls
BU stayed put at number two, picking up five first-place votes in the process. Denver was again number one, despite not playing a game yet. Harvard, who also have not kicked their season off yet, moved up from fourth to third, while Notre Dame and Minnesota Duluth rounded out the top five.

Hockey East Scoreboard

Friday:
New Hampshire 4, at Lowell 3
UConn 3, at Maine 4 (OT)
Quinnipiac 1, at Boston College 1 (OT)
Sacred Heart 3, at Northeastern 7
UMass 3, at Arizona State 5
Colorado College 0, at Vermont 3
Merrimack 1, at Colgate 2
Providence 3, at Miami 1

Saturday 
UConn 5, at Maine 1
Lowell 1, New Hampshire 3
Sacred Heart 0, at Northeastern 7
UMass 4, at Arizona State 2
Colorado College 4, at Vermont 3
Merrimack 2, at Colgate 2 (OT)
Providence 3, at Miami 2

Sunday:
BU 3, at Quinnipiac 2 (OT)

Battle With The Bobcats

Ex-Terrier Kevin Duane will skate
against his former team for the first time
tonight as a member of the Bobcats.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Article first published on WTBU 

In a rare Sunday matinée, BU travels to Hamden, Connecticut to take on Quinnipiac in the Bobcats home opener at High Point Solutions Arena.

This last week, BU finally had some real practice time to prepare for this weekend’s game. Last week’s win against Union was the earliest scheduled game in the 96-year history of the Terrier hockey program.

“This is the first week we had enough time to work on the things we want to work on,” mentioned sophomore defenseman Chad Krys. “Five-on-five, PK, PP, pretty much all aspects of the game is what we’ve been doing this week.”

A net-front presence was a key to BU’s success last weekend, most notably from Jordan Greenway and Brady Tkachuk, who found themselves in the thick a number of scrums in front of the net. Patrick Harper’s power-play goal was also a direct result of a battle being won at the net.

“We got guys who will go there [the front of the net] and need to go there,” added Coach Quinn. “I love when there’s big scrums in front of the opposing team’s net. That means we’re pissing people off, and that’s what we need to do.”

Friday night, Quinnipiac opened their season at Boston College. The two teams skated to a 1-1 draw at Conte Forum as BC tied things up late in the third period on the power play.

A year ago, BU blanked the Bobcats, 3-0, at home. Jordan Greenway, Bobo Carpenter and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson registered the goals, while Jake Oettinger turned aside 22 shots for the shutout.

In December 2015, BU toppled the then-unbeaten Bobcats, 4-1, in Hamden, handing QU their first loss of the season.

“Every year is different,” said Quinn. “Every team’s different, but their identity will be the same. They have good skill, they are big and strong, well coached and they’ll have a good goalie. It certainly will be a challenge, especially going into our first road game. It will be interesting to see how we react in a hostile environment.”

Scouting the Bobcats
Quinnipiac lost a lot of firepower off of last year’s roster with the departure of Sam Anas, Devon Towes, and brothers Tim and Connor Clifton. The Bobcats do return their top three scorers from last year in Landon Smith, Craig Martin and Chase Priskie.

Smith notched 11 goals and 18 assists in 40 games played to lead QU with 29 points. Bo Pieper is the top returning goal scorer for Quinnipiac. The senior forward amassed 13 goals a season ago and also added 12 assists.

In goal, Andrew Shortridge made 25 saves against Boston College last night. A season ago, the sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska saw time in 26 games and recorded a .920 save percentage to go along with a 2.08 goals against average. The Terriers faced Shortbridge last season, scoring twice on the then-freshman netminder, who was making just his second collegiate start.

BU will also face two familiar faces this weekend. Although the two never played together at BU, Kevin Duane and Brandon Fortunato both transferred from Comm. Ave. to Quinnipiac.

Duane has been at QU since the Fall of 2015, but due to transfer rules, could not play until the Fall of 2016. Last year he played in 29 games, scoring 4 goals and adding 9 assists.

Fortunato, on the other hand, sat out all of last year. The now senior defenseman departed BU after the 2016 season and played in his first game as a Bobcat Friday night against BC.

Power Surge

Patrick Harper and Dante Fabbro celebrate
after Harper's first period power play tally.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

If there was anything to take away from this weekend, it was the power play. A season ago, despite having a wealth of talent on the man advantage, BU struggled to find the net. The Terriers had the fourth-ranked power play in Hockey East at just a 16.9% conversation rate. By contrast, Northeastern scored 30.1% of the time.

In two games this weekend (yes, one was an exhibition game), BU went 6 for 15 (40%) on the man advantage. That included both non-empty net goals on Saturday against Union and four against PEI on Sunday.

This early in the season those numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt. Usually, the power play is ahead of the penalty kill early in the year. It takes time for defensive units to gel and for players to learn their defensive role.

“I thought we did a better job in the offensive zone, using the points, using the back of the net,” said Coach Quinn about his team’s power play on Saturday night. “We didn’t do that early on. The fact that they seem coachable and are actually listening is an encouraging sign. And again… it's September 30th.”

Dante Fabbro and Patrick Harper were two key components of the man advantage on Saturday. Early on, both Harper and Fabbro were on their forehand side, essentially taking away the one-time option.

“We had a little powwow between the second and third periods about getting on their offsides,” mentioned Quinn. “Those two guys are so good at making passes and shooting the puck. It creates much more of a scoring threat [when they are on their offsides].”

The powwow paid off immensely as Harper made a cross-ice pass through a tight seam to Fabbro at the near side dot, where the sophomore d-man one-timed home the eventual game-winner.

“I know last year we struggled [on the power play] a lot because we held on to the puck too long,” added Fabbro. “I think our mentality this year is to shoot the puck, find those seams and attack the rebounds. I think so far so good.”  

Attacking a loose rebound is exactly what Harper did to score his first of two on Saturday. From the side of the net with Union goalie Jake Kupski down and out, Harper chipped in the loose change to tie the game 1-1 in the first period.

Red Light District (Goals scored on the weekend)
Two goals:
    Pat Harper
    Brady Tkachuk
One goal
    Dante Fabbro
    Shane Bowers
    Patrick Curry
    Chad Krys
    Brandon Hickey
Totals: 10 goals for, 7 goals against. 

At the Polls 
There was no USCHO poll this week. BU is still ranked second in the nation behind Denver. Minnesota is third, Harvard is slotted fourth and Lowell rounds out the top five. Currently, there are five Hockey East schools in the top 20.

Hockey East Scoreboard 
Saturday (all exhibition games except BU)
St. Francis Xavier 1, at UConn 2
New Brunswick 2, at Boston College 4
Acadia 2, at Lowell 4
PEI 1, at Northeastern 9
Queen’s 0, at Umass 1
Union 1, at BU 4

Sunday
Acadia 1, at Maine 3
St. Francis Xavier 3 at New Hampshire 3 (OT)
Waterloo 1, at Vermont 6
PEI 5, at BU 5 (OT)

Photos From Union

It Starts With Union

Finally, it's time to drop the puck on a new season. Tonight, BU takes on Union in game one of the 2018 season at Agganis Arena in one of the earliest starts in program history.

From The Vault
Brandon Hickey blocks a passing lane forcing Spencer Foo
to shoot on a two on one in the October 2015 meeting
at Union.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

Last year, BU topped Union 5-4 in overtime thanks in large part to a Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson hat trick. The Terriers were without six regular skaters that night as Jake Oettinger, Clayton Keller, Kieffer Bellows, Charlie McAvoy, Patrick Harper and Dante Fabbro were all playing in the World Junior gold medal game.
 
Recently, Union was tabbed to finish sixth in the ECAC coaches poll. Last year, the Dutchman finished tied with Harvard for the league title with 34 points. BU, on the other hand, was slatted first in Hockey East. Union opens the season as the 16th ranked team in the USCHO Poll.

Scouting the Dutchman 
Major losses to Union are Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo, their top two leading scores and starting goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos from a season ago. A few top returners are Junior Sebastian Vidmar, who registered 41 points in 35 games as a sophomore last season. In addition, Jeff Taylor and Cole Maier both topped the 30 point mark.

In goal, Union returns Jake Kupsky and Joe Young. The two combined for just nine appearances last year. Kupsky posted a 3-4-1 record with a 3.97 goals against average and a .878 save percentage. Young never started a game.

History
BU opened the 2015-16 season at Union, falling 5-3. Charlie McAvoy scored his first colligate goal that night and Sean Maguire made 26 saves.

2018 Season Preview

We are a less than a week away from hockey. Yes, five days from tonight, BU will play a real hockey game that actually counts against Union. It is the earliest non-exhibition game I can remember ever being on the schedule.

BU celebrates after a Jordan Greenway overtime winner
in Game1 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals last season.
(Photo by Matt Dresens)

BU once again has a top-notch recruiting class, ranked second in the nation by Neutral Zone. Like last year, the highly skilled freshmen will be thrown right into the fire and asked to play key roles, but that is one of the main reasons kids choose to come to BU.

Losing Charlie McAvoy, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Clayton Keller, all of whom have already played NHL games, off the roster is going to be hard to replace no matter what kind of recruiting class is coming in.

Kieffer Bellows is a sneaky big loss. Bellows, though only notching 14 points in 34 games last year, was coming into his own at the end of the year. He scored a huge goal against Notre Dame at the end of the season and was one of BU’s best players against North Dakota at regionals. Bellows bolted for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks over the summer. It was long rumored that he was frustrated with playing time last year, seeing a lot of third line time and even getting benched for a game in Vermont.

Simply, Coach Quinn said after the Vermont game, “Sometimes guys just need to sit a watch from above.”

Personally, I thought Bellows was going to be a bigger part of the picture last year and certainly a huge part of the team this upcoming year. I thought he could have been a Colin Wilson type player this season. Wilson had a strong year his freshman campaign, playing much better down the stretch before exploding for 50+ points his sophomore year and neons named a Hoby Hatrick finalist.

All that said, the Terriers still have the makeup of a strong squad in 2017-18. There will have to be a feeling out process. With ten freshmen and a new assistant coach in Len Quesnelle, guys are going to have to get used to playing with each other. Come December, I think things will be running much more smoothly. There is simply too much talent on the roster for it not to work.

Defense is going play a strong role at the beginning of the year. Jake Oettinger, Brandon Hickey, and John MacLoud will be the backbone. It’s fair to expect big things from guys like Dante Fabbro and Chad Krys. Both should be huge contributors on the power play and I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them make a considerable jump from a year ago.

Upfront, filling the holes left by JFK and Keller certainly will not be easy. Bobo Carpenter, who has constantly produced high energy and effort game in and game out will be looked upon to bring that spark to one of the top two lines. Pat Curry, Chase Phelps, and Ryan Cloonan could all very well see increased rolls.

One of the unknowns (again) is the health and effectiveness of Nik Olsson. The senior captain has missed extensive time in all three of his prior seasons. When he’s in the lineup, Olsson is a very effective power-forward who can really contribute on the scoresheet. Olsson seems to be his own worst enemy at times when it comes to taking the body. I’m all for a good body check, but there is no reason to Scott Steven’s everyone on the ice. His overly physical play has lead to more than one injury over his career.

Getting To Know The New Guys

The incoming forward class is highlighted by Shane Bowers and Brady Tkachuk. Bowers, a 6-2 forward from Halifax, Nova Scotia went 28th overall to Ottawa in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. In two seasons, he posted 37 goals and 47 assists with Waterloo (USHL).  Tkachuk (son of Terrier standout Keith) on the other hand, was recently projected as the third pick in next year’s draft. If that comes to fruition, Brady would be the highest BU pick since Jack Eichel. He was also named ‘player of the game’ in Thursday night’s CCM All-American Prospect Game.

Logan Cockerill, another high-end forward and NHL draft pick, racked up 14 goals and 13 assists for the USA U18 team, last season. Ty Amonte, son of former Terrier Tony (who played on a line with Keith Tkachuk in 1991) tallied 37 points in the BCHL for Penticton. The 5-11, Norwell, Mass native played four years for his father at Thayer Academy.

Hank Crone, a 5-9, 165lb Cedar Hill Texas native recorded impressive numbers (24g, 38a, 62pts) with the Fargo Force (USHL). The stats were third highest in the USHL last year, behind only Blake Lizotte (St. Cloud) and Zach Solow (Northeastern). Ex-Catholic Memorial star Jake Witkowski played two seasons with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) and put up a 23-17-40 line, good for second on the team a year ago.

Rounding out the forward class is Drew Melanson, a graduate transfer from RPI. In 36 games played, Melanson posted four goals and eight assists for the Engineers. In his freshman season, Melanson was named to the ECAC Rookie team with a team-leading 9-11-20 line in 36 games.

On the back end, BU picked up some very highly touted names. The 6-2, 190lb Kasper Kotkansalo could potentially be the captain of the Finnish World Junior team this upcoming season. Kotkansalo, born in Espoo, Finland, played for the Fins in last year’s WJC tournament and their 2016 U18 championship team. He was selected 82nd overall by Detroit in the NHL draft.

David Farrance skated for the NTDP last year, winning a gold medal in U18 World Championships. The offensive defensemen is best known for his puck movement and his assist total (30) on the NTDP is evident of that. Farrance was the 92nd overall pick in the draft by Nashville.

Finally, Cam Crotty finishes up the defenseman. Crotty played two seasons with Brockville in the CCHL, a league not generally known for producing top-end NHL talent. Last summer, Crotty was taken 82nd overall by Arizona, making him one of the highest selections ever out of the CCHL.

According to NHL Central Scouting, Crotty is a “Mobile defenseman … a factor at both ends of the ice … quick and accurate point shot … dictates pace of play … decisive puck-mover … takes away time and space effectively”

Housekeeping, Format Changes

Annnnd we’re back.

Football has returned, baseball is narrowing into the October pennant push and that means hockey is slowly coming into focus. In fact, hockey returns a bit quicker than usual this year, as BU hosts Union in a rare September, nonexhibition tilt, in just over two weeks.

This year’s coverage is going to look a little different than in years past. The big shift will be the reduction of game recap articles with the addition of a more in-depth midweek piece that looks back at the games of the prior weekend.

The thinking behind this is two-fold. One, I figure most people who follow the site already know what happened in the game and I will continue to do twitter updates throughout the course of play. Reason two is that I will not be at every game due to my own hockey schedule (woo, go club hockey!).

For big games, i.e. Beanpot, Playoffs, BC games, I will have something postgame. In the place of the recaps, I will be posting more pictures than in prior years, although there is a twist to that, too.

At the end of last year, I joined the student radio and will hopefully be on some of the radio calls this year. Obviously, for games that I’m on the radio, I will not be taking photos.

I still plan on having previews for all games, those will not change.

In the next week or so I will have a season preview out. I’m also currently working on a new header for the blog to go along with the semi reconstructed content format.

The countdown is on for the Union game. September 30th is right around the corner.

Season Highlights

Per usual this time of year, here is my season highlight video.

48 Hours in Fargo, One Goal Short of Chicago

Charlie McAvoy and Clayton Keller celebrate
the game winning goal in double overtime vs
North Dakota.
(Photo by Matt Dresens

The first number on the alarm clock started with a four when it abruptly went off Friday morning signaling the start of another trip west to the regionals, my third trek to the midwest in five years for such an occasion. 

After landing in Fargo just two hours before puck drop against North Dakota, I knew I didn’t have time to check into the hotel or otherwise I would have been late. So I changed in the bathroom, booked it down the escalator and out onto the concourse where, to my surprise, there actually was a taxi service. 

I had to instruct the nice driver man three times that I was not trying to go to the Fargo Dome, but instead Scheels Arena. He then said he would take me to Scheels (a Bass Pro Shop type store) and I was again trying to explain to him to him that I was in fact not looking to buy a firearm or hunting gear and I would really like to get to the arena sometime before the opening face-off. Eventually, he got it…

As I walk into the area concourse with a red duffle bag and a shirt and tie on, three to four separate North Dakota fans jokingly asked me “you miss the bus?” After swimming through a sea of Sioux Hawks fans in the lobby, I found a nice spread of deli meats in the press room, fixed myself a pair of turkey sandwiches and double fisted my way with two subs to the press box just in time catch warmups. The timing was perfect and thankfully nothing was delayed. 

The emotions of the first game (ok maybe both games) are why we watch sports. The ebbs, the flows the back and forth of that game was unparalleled. It instantly vaulted onto the short list of most exciting BU’s games I have attended.

You know the story about the game. BU was up 3-1, Kieffer Bellows was slammed through the glass, North Dakota turned that into momentum, scored two tying goals and looked to have won it, but was offsides all before Charlie McAvoy actually won the game in double overtime. 

North Dakota’s Rehtt Gardener, who scored the game’s first goal way back in the first period said, “It was a whirlwind of emotion for sure, we did a really good job of sticking to it, we knew there was a chance, it was close call, I thought we settled ourselves down and played a really good game after that. It's a tough bounce but I thought we answered the only way we could and played as hard as we could."

Jake Oettinger added, “When you thought they ended it, you’re obviously upset, but you see them go look at it and obviously, it took a long time so we knew that we might get another shot at it. I think we took advantage of the opportunity we were given. I can’t say enough about the effort the guys gave. I know a lot of people were counting us out in this game. It was grit, heart and determination we showed tonight and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and I couldn’t be prouder to be a BU Terrier right now.”

The roller coaster that game turned into is almost unparalleled to any BU game I have ever attended. I have never experienced a team full on lose in overtime, have a goal be reversed on a review and then go on to win. The only game that comes to mind is the 2003 Fiesta Bowl between Miami and Ohio State, where the Hurricanes seemed to have won the national title; fireworks were being shot off and confetti was pouring onto the field, but out of all the chaos, a flag was thrown for pass interference in overtime. The field was cleared and on the next position, Ohio State won the game. Even that wasn’t reviewed, though. It was just a flag no one saw. 

Burnt Boats on twitter summed it up perfectly saying, “I have experienced the thrill of victory and agony of defeat and the game isn’t even over yet.”  

The glory and jubilation lasted for a while before I was sitting at Applebee’s in West Fargo with two kids from WTBU Student Radio when we all look at each other and remember, “shit, we have another game to prep for.” We waited until Duluth scored the overtime winner against Ohio State before leaving. At this point, I had been up for close to 17 hours. Anything for hockey I guess. 

Downtown Fargo and all its's glory. Yes,
that's a multi-colored Bison

Prior to the game on Saturday, I traveled into “downtown” Fargo to check out the town. It was underwhelming, to say the least, but I wasn’t expecting much. It reminded me a lot of the center of Natick, to be honest. I did, however, get a fabulous Bison steak at the Hotel Donaldson at the corner of 1st and Broadway. 

From the HoDo as it was referred to, I made my way back to the arena, where it was once again time for hockey. 

Much like the North Dakota game, you know how this one ended. BU struck first for the first time in 10 games, Duluth tied it in the closing minute of the first, took the lead late in the third, Patrick Harper tied it with roughly three minutes left, and Duluth won in overtime on the power play. 

"They get the power play in overtime which was the right call,” said coach Quinn. “It's a penalty and our penalty kill's been great all year, and we just weren't able to kill the last one. What a great play by them, they make an unbelievable play to keep the puck in, we win the draw and Doyle does a great job firing around, and [UMD defenseman Neal Pionk] made an unbelievable play to keep the puck in and Doyle makes a great block and was a little bit staggered and they smelled blood and they took advantage of it. That's what great teams do and that's why they're going to the Frozen Four, they've been doing that all year long and you have to give them a lot of credit." 

Doyle Somerby, who played his last game as a Terrier on Saturday added, “We've come a long way my four years, the first four years with Coach Quinn and you get 10 wins your first year, you don't really know what to expect after that. To make the tournament three times in a row is pretty special and obviously I wish it ended better and you always want to write the right end of the script, but it was just a tough game."

It was certainly disappointing. I think I can speak for everyone who followed the team this year in saying they were looking forward to Chicago. I for one love the city. I was lucky to attend game two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at the United Center and saw the Bruins win 2-1 overtime and always thought the city would be a fun spot for the Frozen Four. I had it circled on my calendar and thought it was a real possibility, but somethings are not meant to be. Sometimes you come up one goal short.