By Tim Healey/DFP Staff
The No. 13 Boston University men’s ice hockey team fell to Harvard University, 7-4, to finish last in the Beanpot for the second time in three years.
The Terriers (13-12-1, 10-7-1 Hockey East) jumped out to a 2-0 start before Harvard went on a 6-1 run over the course of about 40 minutes. Here’s a look at what went right — not a whole lot — and what went wrong for BU.
Three up
Power play
The man-advantage was a focus for the Terriers during their week between Beanpot Mondays, and it seems to have paid off, albeit in a loss.
BU had failed on 13 consecutive power plays chances but came through twice vs. Harvard. First sophomore forward Evan Rodrigues found the back of the net just 1:38 into the second to put BU up 3-2.
Then in the third, with the game well out of hand, sophomore forward Cason Hohmann did the same thanks to assists from linemates Wade Megan and Sahir Gill.
Senior captain Megan even tallied a shorthanded goal in the first period to make it a good day for BU special teams.
Ryan Santana
The senior forward got some time on the power play vs. Harvard, manning the crease and trying to screen Crimson goalie Peter Traber.
BU coach Jack Parker’s lineup tweaks paid off again when Santana collected a pair of assists to double his total on the year. He set up freshman forward Mike Moran’s tally to open the scoring before assisting on Rodrigues’ goal.
With BU’s forward depth essentially nonexistent — defenseman Ryan Ruikka has been playing forward and senior forward Jake Moscatel has a separated shoulder — Santana could become an increasingly important role player for the Terriers down the stretch.
Mike Moran
Yes, it is hard to find positives in BU’s loss — but it’s easy to tip your cap to a freshman finally scoring his first goal of the season.
The Marshfield native found the rebound off Santana’s original shot and one-timed it into a wide open net at 3:12 in the first to give the Terriers their first goal of the game.
Moran had to fight for a lineup spot earlier this season, but with this season’s pair of mid-year departures that is no longer a problem. He, just like Santana, might play a bigger role in BU’s final nine games.
Three down
Sean Maguire
Maguire had looked like he was starting to separate himself from fellow freshman netminder Matt O’Connor, and Parker said Maguire may have started Monday vs. Harvard even if he played vs. Merrimack Friday (a game postponed due to weather).
But the 6-foot-2 goalie gave up six goals on just 30 shots, giving him an ugly .800 save percentage on the night. He allowed a few big rebounds and at times looked lost when trying to find the puck, chances even the 6-15-2 Crimson jumped on.
Maguire appeared to have taken a whack in the head at the hands of a Harvard stick toward the end of the first, and after the buzzer he was hunched over with a trainer before leaving the ice.
“He seemed fine,” Parker said of the goalie and his head. “He wasn’t fine at the time, but he was fine after that.”
Penalties, early and often
If you had to summarize BU’s season in one word, “undisciplined” might be it.
Penalties marred the Terriers again Monday night, just as they have so often have this season in general and the last month and a half in particular.
Freshman forward Sam Kurker took a pair of interference penalties less than five minutes apart in the first to get the parade started.
Sophomore defenseman Alexx Privitera opened the floodgates with his five-minute kneeing penalty and the game misconduct partnered with it — his third ejection of the season — late in the second.
In all, BU committed nine penalties for 29 minutes.
Parker had no answers when it came to why his team spends so much time in the box. He has said in the past he punishes players for “dumb” penalties with 20-mile bike rides, but that does not seem to be working.
“Most of our stupid penalties are at the end of the game when we don’t like what is happening and we let our emotions go the wrong way,” Parker said. “We have to just remove guys from ice time. That is the only thing you can do … If you don’t get on the ice, it is hard to take a penalty.”
Motivation
Clearly there is a lot wrong with the Terriers right now, and “motivation” is far from the only way to label it.
Parker said one of his team’s problems is that they can’t get up for games, Monday included. He said even when his team went up 2-0 about halfway through the first period it wasn’t playing particularly well, and that lack of enthusiasm indeed came back to bite them.
BU is now 3-7-1 since Christmas and on the bubble for home-ice advantage during the Hockey East playoffs and a national tournament bid. All that comes after first semester that left them looking like one of the best teams in the country.
“The major problem is the lack of compete and the lack of coming to the game and putting it on the line,” Parker said. “They are almost waiting for something bad to happen.”
What else do they need?
The biggest problem right now is the defense. They seem incapable of coping with any kind of pressure in their own end. The breakout is broken. And it just keeps getting worse. Yes, the players bear a lot of the responsibility, but so do the coaches. What are they doing to fix the defense? Are they changing drills or modifying their system? Are they trying something new, or is the same-old, same-old. Are they working effectively with the players?
When the Patriots lose, I hear Belichek say the coaches didn’t coach well and the players didn’t play well. He understands everyone is in it together. Based on his public pronouncements, our coach doesn’t seem to think that way. I think our coach and his assistants need to share some of the responsibility and figure out what they can do to right the ship.
It’s not “they.” It’s “us.”
Great post. If something is broken, its up to both the players and coaches to identify what’s wrong, how to fix it, then execute. Right now they seem to know what’s wrong on-ice, but where are the corrective actions (both physically and mentally) to make adjustments to rectify things?
The Harvard loss was a complete embarrassment. Where were the so called BU fans? The BU section was empty and silent. Pathetic.
How did Moscatel get hurt? He never plays.
This is disgusting.
I am a senior and my class is the biggest bunch of losers – no Beanpots, no Hockey East championships, no national titles.
PATHETIC!
Parker must go or be shown the door. It was time after last season’s off-ice debacle. He’s lost the team and program. No discipline is a reflection of the coach. Do the right thing before he further decimates what he built. Everything must come to an end. Do it now.
I agree. BU use to be the best college hockey team in the state and now they are not even close and are watching BC get all the accolades. As an alum this is extemely frustrating. It is time for Jack to step aside and for the Mike Sullivan era to begin. The former captain would be able to bring the program back to where it should be.
Anonymous “Pathetic”. While it is sad that this senior class has no Beanpot titles, Hockey East Championships (as of now), etc. This class is the one that of all the classes, has always given everything at each game. Think of who’s in this class… Megan, one of the top offensive players over the years, Escobedo, the top defenseman who plays hard game in and out Ruikka, hard worker who does the best job he can, Rosen, a former defenseman converted to defensive center who is an effective PK as well as leading the team the past 2 seasons on FO win %, Santana, who fills the role of 4 line high energy player and has nothing but hustle every shift.
You’re frustration with the team is not out of place, but it is with the wrong class. The problems are NOT with the seniors, but with the classes below them. I feel bad for the team after these hard working, effective seniors leave. Think about THAT!
Agree 110% that this Senior class has matured over the past 4 years, even if they haven’t produced as many wins nor titles as their predecessors. It’s a group of hard-working guys who are not stars by any means, but put the team first. Megan has improved tremendously on the ice the past 2 seasons and matured greatly off the ice during that time.
The Junior and Sophomore classes are more of a concern. Hohmann strikes me as the only one who has leadership potential; I used to think Privitera was of that mold, but he’s embarrassing himself and the BU Hockey program w/ his on-ice goonery.
I’m not confident if any of the expected returning players can step up as a captain next season. The Junior class is very close-knit and seem likable (off the ice), but also seem to get way too content way too easily. They lack the x-factor, the intangibles (desire, determination, will to win) that many of their predecessors had.
What observations lead you to make those judgments about the three classes you speak of. Because you’re dead wrong on all three. So one has to wonder what it is you see that makes you believe what you’re saying.
To the above. I agree. Megan, Santana, and Rosen are marginal players at best. To see BC fly about the rink and want to win makes me sick. That used o be us. As a fan from 65-66 I am disguted in the extreme. How old is Jack Kelly, anyway?
Jack’s as old as Jerry York.
What’s worse is that York could take our bunch of entitled slackers and mold them into a championship team.
York would win a national championship with the players we have.
Parker, on the other hand, couldn’t even win a single Beanpot game with these players.
PATHETIC!
I think this senior class has worked hard and acquitted itself with integrity. Megan is a very good college player who has earned everything he has achieved. If you had a team full of Wade Megans, you’d go far. Sean Escobedo has been a reliable defenseman who has improved over time. Given the number of blocked shots, you’d have to say he gives it his all night-in and night-out. Ben Rosen made the switch from defense to offense and has been a good performer on the third/fourth lines. I still think with all the struggles we’ve had on the power play two of the last three seasons, he should have gotten a shot at playing the point on the power play. In his short time on defense, you could see how well he saw the ice from that vantage point. Ryan Santana is a limited hockey player, but he’ll surprise you every once in a while, and never failed to give it his all. There are far worse things you could say about an athlete. Or a class, for that matter.
The one thing about this senior class that stands out is that they lose when the games are most meaningful. No Beanpot titles to go along with 2 4th place finishes. No Hockey East regular season titles. No Hockey East tournament titles. No NCAA titles. This class is the biggest bunch of losers we’ve had in 50 years, maybe ever. Good luck to all of them in their post-hockey careers.