Category: Student Media

PLUS/MINUS: FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM BU VS. UCONN

By: Dan Shulman

• Jittery, Shaky Starts

For the fourth game in a row, including exhibition games, the Boston University Terriers experienced jitters in the early stages of the first period on Saturday. It certainly wasn’t a slow start, as the teams raced up and down the ice. However, UConn gave the Terriers an early scare, as Evan Richardson rung the crossbar in the opening seconds. Despite the shaky start, the Terriers were able to get the game’s opening goal for the first time in this regular season.

• Net front presence in defensive zone

Both UConn goals on Saturday night came as a result of poor coverage in front of the net. The defense was unable to clear loose pucks away from the crease, resulting in two goals from former Terrier commit Max Letunov. Regardless of whether the issue is poor coverage or failure to clean up the garbage in the net-front area, the Terriers need to work on better protecting their own cage to keep opponents off the scoreboard. However, the defense has looked much improved overall since the exhibition mishap against the US Under-18 Team.

• Potent Special Teams

Last season, the Terriers special team units both thrived, as they were among the leaders in power play and penalty kill percentage in the nation. With a different look this season, BU doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. Scoring two power play goals on Saturday, the Terriers not only showed the ability to draw penalties, but also to capitalize on the man-advantage, converting at 21.4% on the young season. On the flip side, the BU penalty kill has been stellar this year, killing at a rate of 92.3% while allowing just 16 shots on 13 opportunities.

• Life after Eichel

The Terriers found themselves in a mode last season where if things went wrong, Jack Eichel would save the day. As Eichel has moved on to the greener pastures of the NHL, the Terriers have reacted well to the loss of such of prolific player. With an entirely different offensive approach, where all four lines are balanced and either one could be the best on any given night. BU has shown good poise without such a top player, taking a more team oriented approach that, in due time, will be tough to stop.

BU MEN’ ICE HOCKEY LOOKS TO OPEN HOCKEY EAST PLAY ON HIGH NOTE VS. UCONN

By: Dan Shulman

BU Men’s Ice Hockey vs. University of Connecticut (Hockey East) October 24^th & 27^th

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Location – Storrs, Connecticut; Mascot – Huskies; Last Year’s Record – 10-19-7 (7-11-4 HE); 3-11-3 on the road, 5-6-3 at home; Fun Fact – This is UConn’s second season in Hockey East…BU holds a 2-0-1 record vs. the Huskies

PREVIEW

The Boston University Terriers Men’s Ice Hockey Team will open up Hockey East play this weekend as they host University of Connecticut on Saturday.

The Terriers will play a disjointed home-and-home series with the Huskies, travelling to Connecticut, Tuesday, to wrap up the season series.

The Terriers have faced UConn three times, winning twice. The lone tie came last season at Agganis Arena, as BU battled back to take a late lead before UConn tied the game with just under four minutes to go in regulation leading to a 4-4 score line.

Connor LaCouvee got the nod in net for the Terriers in that game, making 22 saves. For the Huskies, Shawn Pauly and Trevor Gerling scored twice and had two assists each. Goaltender Rob Nichols recorded 30 saves.

Two weeks later, the teams met again at XL Center in Hartford as the Terriers shutdown UConn in a 5-2 rout. BU forward Ahti Oksanen had three points in the game and fired nine shots on goal.

This season, the Huskies enter the contest at 2-1-0. Following a split on the road against Alabama-Huntsville, a series where both teams earned a 5-2 victory, the Huskies hosted Arizona State last Friday, winning 5-1.

UConn is led by freshman Max Letunov and sophomore Spencer Naas. Letunov, originally a BU recruited, committed to UConn in the summer and has been the star so far for the Huskies, registering three goals and three assists. Naas, who was third a season ago with 17 points, has two goals and two assists so far in 2015-16.

BU is fresh off their first win of the season over Wisconsin last Saturday. The victory saw ten different Terriers record a point, including freshman Bobo Carpenter’s first career goal.

The Terriers will look to stick to their winning ways as they start Hockey East competition.

PREDICTION

The Terriers will struggle in the opening period Saturday, as the speed of UConn will be difficult to slow down. However, the Terriers are definitely more physical and the Huskies prolific offense has yet to be given a real test. With BU’s improving defense, the teams should play a close game on Saturday before the Terriers take home a big win on Tuesday.

BU’s THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Shut down the Huskies offense
   • so far, the Huskies have played a weak schedule. The Terriers must keep a confident UConn team off the scoreboard in order to bring the Huskies back to earth
2. Play Physical, Yet Disciplined
   • UConn is a small but fast team. The only way to slow them down is to play physically. Still, the Terriers must remain disciplined as last year’s draw came as a result of a UConn equalizer on the power-play.
3. Test the Huskies goaltender
   • regardless of who starts in net (likely Rob Nichols), the Terriers need to fire pucks on goal to test the goaltending, which currently has a combined 2.67 GAA and a 0.884 SV%.

PLUS/MINUS: FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM BU VS. NTDP AND WISCONSIN

By: Daniel Shulman

• Sloppy Passing

The Terriers were handily beaten at the hands of the NTDP on Friday night. Head Coach David Quinn described his teams play as “immature”. One of the biggest issues, prevalent in both games last weekend, was passing. Distribution of the puck was either poor, too casual, or led to an icing. The Terriers experienced a lot of indecisiveness when passing, and a lack of communication as well.

• Getting Shots on Net

BU certainly had its chances to score plenty of goals last weekend, firing 89 shots on goal. However, not many of those shots were considered to be quality. Again, there was an issue of being too casual in possession of the puck, choosing to skate deeper into the zone rather than shoot, which led to turnovers in the offensive zone. When the Terriers did shoot, most of the time they were just bland wrist-shots right at the goalie. BU has done well this season to put pucks on net, but the quality of their shots must improve.

• Special Teams

Despite going 1-for-7 on the power play Saturday, the Terriers displayed a potent power play, firing 21 shots while on the man advantage. The physical play improved tremendously from Friday to Saturday, as BU frustrated the Badgers to draw eight penalties. The Terriers also remained more disciplined Saturday, even with an increased physicality. The penalty kill held Wisconsin to just three shots on the Badgers three power plays.

• Defensive Zone Breakdowns

Both nights saw BU allow goals off defensive zone breakdowns. More apparent on Friday night, the Terriers turned the puck over inside their defensive numerous times, three of which led to goals. There were also lapses in coverage on both nights, as often times opposing forwards would have the puck without a defender. Even with a defender, they opposition was easily skating around the protective defensemen. Finally, there was little to no defensive presence in front of the BU net. When Terrier goalies gave up a rebound, or a puck became loose in the crease, the BU defense was reluctant to scrap for the puck and when they did, it was lackadaisical at best.

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: PLAYER RATINGS VS. NTDP, WISCONSIN

By: Dan Shulman

TOP – Ahti Oksanen

GRADE – B+

WEEKEND STATS – 13 shots on goal, 2 goals, 1 assist, +1 for the weekend, 0 PIM

Oksanen was a huge factor for the Terrier offense last weekend. He was always looking to get pucks on net, and was rewarded with a pair of goals. The Finnish forward also stayed disciplined, and led to positive play from the rest of his team. Oksanen, along with his top line partners Jordan Greenway and Danny O’Regan, were prolific on Friday night and the NTDP had no answer. Saturday, the trio held a more reserved role, but still combined for 12 shots thanks to the efforts of Ahti Oksanen.

TOP – Brandon Fortunato

GRADE – A-

WEEKEND STATS – 3 shots on goal, 1 goal, 1 assist, -2 for the weekend, 0 PIM

Fortunato saw his first action of the season Friday against the NTDP. Despite going -4 on the night, no goals were directly from any mistake by Fortunato. He played with three different defense partners on Friday, and saw action on the first power play unit. His speed and ability to take the puck up the ice quickly led to him scoring his second career goal on Saturday. His more confident play led to another goal Saturday when Fortunato had his shot deflected by Chase Phelps, into the back of the net. Paired on the second defensive line with Doyle Somerby, look for the tandem to kick start the blue-liners with a balance of speed and physicality.

BOTTOM – A.J. Greer

GRADE: C-

WEEKEND STATS: 4 shots on goal, 0 points, -3 for the weekend, 2 PIM

Greer has had a difficult start to the season. The highly touted sophomore was poised to be one of the top players on a very talented team. Instead, he has yet to record a point this season and was demoted to the third line. In the game on Friday against the NTDP, Greer had three giveaways in the Terrier defensive zone, two of which led to goals for the other team. He was sloppy when in possession of the puck and chose to hit the opposing players rather than go for loose pucks. Saturday, his play improved slightly as his physical presence was felt. However, his play still lacked urgency and he effectively ended a Terrier power play with a crease violation.

BOTTOM – John MacLeod

GRADE – D+

WEEKEND STATS – 3 shots on goal, 0 goals, 1 assist, Even for the weekend, 4 PIM

MacLeod is a draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and featured on the top defensive pairing a year ago. This season, MacLeod has found himself on the third defensive line, and likely the first defenseman out when Matt Grzelcyk returns. On Friday night, he looked in awe of the speed the NTDP forwards displayed as they easily skated around MacLeod. The second goal was a direct result of that. He ruined power play momentum by failing to keep a puck in the offensive zone. Both games saw MacLeod take boarding penalties, showing his frustration. His clearance passes were sloppy both nights as well, leading to odd-man rushes for the opposition.

SURPRISE – Chase Phelps

GRADE – B-

WEEKEND STATS – 2 shots on net, 1 goal, 0 assists, +1 for the weekend, 0 PIM

The physical, fourth-line sophomore was one of the biggest surprises coming out of preseason camp. His improved play was on display this weekend. Taking a reserved role on Friday with two extra-forwards dressing, Saturday, Phelps and the fourth line were the top unit on the ice. Along with senior center Mike Moran and freshman winger Bobo Carpenter, the trio contributed to a pair of Terrier goals, with Phelps scoring one, then delivering a hit to give the Terriers the puck in the build-up to the team’s fourth goal of the night. The sophomore’s continued improvement makes Phelps a denizen on the fourth line.

SURPRISE – Ryan Cloonan

GRADE – B

WEEKEND STATS – 1 shot on net, 0 goals, 2 assists, Even for the weekend, 0 PIM

If you look at the Terrier’s team leaders in offense, Cloonan, who some slated to be on the bench at the start of the season, is currently the team leader in points. With a goal and two assists thus far, Ryan Cloonan has been a pleasant surprise to say the least. Promoted to the second line for Saturday’s game, his speed was too much for Wisconsin to handle. Assisting on two Terrier goals, the freshman resembled the style of linemate Matt Lane. Along with Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, the second unit looks to be one of the fastest in the nation. As Cloonan matures, his play will only improve.

TERRIERS HOPE TO BOUNCE BACK FROM OPENING LOSS, HOST NTDP AND WISCONSIN

By: Dan Shulman

BU Men’s Ice Hockey vs. U.S. Under 18 Team (exhibition), Friday, October 16, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Location – Plymouth, Michigan; Fun Fact – The NTDP has faced three NCAA opponents this season, going 1-1-1 thus far…BU is 5-0-1 vs. NTDP all time

BU Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Wisconsin (non-conference), Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Location – Madison, Wisconsin; Mascot – Badgers; Last Year’s Record – 4-26-5 (1-11-1 in first half of last season) 0-1-1 vs. BU last season; Fun Fact – Terriers are 11-6-1 vs. Wisconsin all time

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PREVIEW

The Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey Team will look to put its dismal season opening loss to Union behind them as they host the U.S. Under 18 Team in their final exhibition on Friday before returning to regular season play on Saturday against Wisconsin.

The Terriers played both opponents last season. They defeated the NTDP on October 18^th, 2014 by a score of 6-4. BU then took three points out of four from Wisconsin in January, tying 3-3 the first game and winning 6-1 the following night.

The NTDP fell behind 4-1 to BU at Agganis before Auston Matthews and Jeremy Bracco woke up, recording three points each to cut the deficit to one. But the Terriers were too much and held the duo in check for the remainder of the night.

This season, the U.S. Under 18 Team is extremely talented, highlighted by current 3 Terrier commits: forward Clayton Keller (4G, 9A), forward Kieffer Bellows (7G, 2A), and defenseman Chad Krys (0G, 5A). Their starting goaltender Jake Oettinger is also a Boston University commit, and he’ll get to see what life in Agganis is like when he stares down the Terrier attack.

After falling to Northern Michigan 4-0 on October 3rd, the NTDP rallied to beat Lake Superior State 2-1 in overtime the following night. The Under 18 Team most recently played to a 2-2 tie at Notre Dame on Sunday, the 11th.

The Terriers had a difficult bout with Wisconsin on January 9 in Madison last season. Ahti Oksanen scored two goals for BU with their own net empty in the third period to force a tie with the Badgers.

The next night, Wisconsin took an early second period lead before the wheels fell off. Behind Jack Eichel, BU netted six unanswered goals to down the Badgers.

Wisconsin has just three seniors on an extremely young roster this season. Junior Grant Besse, last season’s leading point-getter for the Badgers, returns from his eleven goal campaign. Both goaltenders from last year’s squad have graduated, and a void at goaltending remains.

Wisconsin battled Northern Michigan last weekend to a pair of ties. Besse scored with 42 seconds remaining in the first game and the Badgers scored three unanswered third period goals in the second contest to fend off the Wildcats.

The Terriers will try to right the ship against two young opponents before opening Hockey East play next weekend vs. UConn.

PREDICTION

BU defeats NTDP 3-2…this will be a test for the Terriers, but the experience and talent of BU should be enough to down the Under 18 Team

BU defeats Wisconsin 5-1…this game should be a confidence booster for the Terriers, who should easily outplay the Badgers who will be coming off a tough game vs. BC the previous night

BU’s THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Energy – the Terriers are going to need to stay energized against the youthful NTDP and Wisconsin as both are dangerous third period teams
2. Defend, Defend, Defend – the defense suffered several lapses vs. Union, and will have to remain focused and solid to keep both opponents off the scoresheet
3. Get Pucks in the Net – without last season’s leading scorers, the Terriers need to find new ways to score using a more physical and balanced approach

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM BU vs. UNION

By: Dan Shulman

This past Saturday, the BU Men’s Ice Hockey Team lost its season opening game to Union, 5-3. It marked the first time since the start of the 2009-10 season that the Terriers dropped the season opener. Despite first career goals from Ryan Cloonan and Charlie McAvoy, the effort was not enough.

Here are three major takeaways from the game.

• Defensive/Conditioning Letdown

The Terrier defense was one of the supposed bright spots for BU this season. However, allowing five goals against Union, albeit an offensive team, is not any way to open the season. The main problem was a shakeup of defensive pairings. Without Grzelcyk in the lineup for a while, the blue liners are going to have to find some way to pick up the slack.

Another big letdown was conditioning. The very method to BU’s success last season, the Terriers were hard to beat, especially in the third period. However, Union scored three times in the final twenty minutes on a very lackadaisical BU squad. It was difficult for BU to get the puck up ice at points in the third. Two strong points for the Terriers last year turned out to be haunting in the 2015-16 opener

• Radically different offense without Eichel

The offense is missing its top scorers from last season. Until a new ace emerges, life without Jack Eichel will be tough. The team is much more balanced, however, with all four lines seeming dangerous as opposed to just the top two lines. The team has transformed from a speed team to a physical one. While goals will be harder to come by this year, the physical presence looks good enough to propel this team. One downside is that games will be a lot closer and the adapting period will be tough, but the fruits in the end should be promising.

• Goaltending doubts still linger

Connor LaCouvee started the exhibition game against Acadia and was shaky at best. While Sean Maguire looked good in net against the Canadian powerhouse, he struggled immensely against Union. The first goal conceded was on the power play, but the rest were even strength goals. Whether it’s the defense or the goalie, opposing offenses must be shut down. And with no frontrunner for starting goalie emerging, the doubt over who is number one will linger for quite some time.

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: PLAYER RATINGS VS. UNION

By: Dan Shulman

TOP – Doyle Somerby

GRADE: A-

STATS: +2, two assists

Somerby was seemingly the only positive for the blue liners on the night. He assisted on two goals, created numerous more scoring chances, got pucks to the net, and was solid defensively. He and fellow third line defender Shane Switzer held the Union offense in check, something the rest of the defense struggled with. Somerby also created a physical presence. Despite drawing a penalty, he was one of the only positives on an otherwise negative night.

BOTTOM – Brandon Hickey

GRADE: D

STATS: -3 on the night, no points, two shots

One of the most anticipated sophomores on the roster, Hickey was an opening night letdown. One of last year’s team leaders in shots, the Alberta-native mustered just two attempts on target for the night. He was held to zero points, a rarity for Hickey last season. And worst of all, his defensive line was on the ice for three Union goals, namely the game tying and go-ahead scores. It might be some rustiness, but the sophomore needs to shake it immediately.

SURPRISE – Bobo Carpenter

GRADE: B

STATS: +1, no penalties, first assist

Carpenter shined in his first collegiate game. Normally a goal scorer, the local product is adapting to his roll on the wing, and immediately made an impact by creating scoring chances. He assisted on the Matt Lane goal, stayed disciplined, moved the puck well, and had a plus rating. His impact on the ice was felt as Union were pressed every time Carpenter had the puck. The freshman is only going to get better, and it should be fun to watch him mature into a solid player.