By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Offense: A-
The key to the BU offense Friday night was its scoring depth, which is something new for the Terriers. The last time a forward on BU’s third or fourth line scored an even-strength point was Feb. 11 against Harvard, when freshman forward Mike Moran scored.
However, the Terriers got goals from bottom-six forwards senior Jake Moscatel and freshman Matt Lane Friday night, Those, coupled with goals from usual suspects — senior Wade Megan and freshman Danny O’Regan — helped the offense to a four-goal night.
It was not just that the Terriers were scoring, but they were creating good scoring chances. BU had 37 shots on the night and seemed to carry the pace of the game through the first and third periods.
Defense: B
It was a much better night for the Terriers defensively in terms of keeping the Huskies away from the front of the goal. BU coach Jack Parker pointed to that area as a weak point in BU’s 5-6 loss to Northeastern in the first round of the Beanpot and praised his team’s effort at keeping the Huskies away from grade A scoring chances Friday night.
Senior assistant captain Ryan Ruikka was beaten cleanly by the speed of Northeastern forward Cody Ferriero on the Huskies’ first goal, but BU’s defense was overall strong for the circumstances it went through in the game. Junior assistant captain Garrett Noonan left the game early in the second period when he separated his shoulder and will likely be out for the rest of the season. Junior defenseman/forward Matt Ronan will have to step into the lineup in Saturday night’s season finale.
Goaltending: B+
With fellow freshman goaltender Matt O’Connor out for the rest of the season, Sean Maguire is in a position to step up and make a name for himself as BU’s goaltender. With his 31-save performance Friday night, he has now made 117 saves in his past three starts, which is good for a .944 save percentage.
The key to his performance Friday night was his rebound control, as he had one of his better games of the season at holding onto the puck. The Terriers will rely on Maguire to be at the top of his game in the final game of the season in search of a top-four seed in the Hockey East tournament. The Powell River, British Columbia native has performed better at Agganis Arena this season, recording a .937 save percentage at home with only a .912 save percentage on the road.
Special Teams: B-
Neither team took many penalties in the game, but neither team scored with any of their man advantages. Northeastern’s power play looked better than the Terriers’ did though, as the Huskies moved the puck well and got several scoring chances on the power play.
After a strong weekend on the power play against the University of Vermont, BU was relatively unsuccessful at creating scoring chances Friday night. However, its perfect 3-for-3 penalty kill performance helps the Terriers to a B- rating.
X-Factor: Start of the third period
The Terriers carried a slim 2-1 lead into the third period and had almost let Northeastern tie it several times to finish the second period. However, a strong start to the third period — including goals from O’Regan and Lane in the first six minutes of the frame — gave BU the insurance it needed to hold its lead.
Scoring late in games is nothing new for O’Regan, who leads the team with seven goals in the third period. Lane’s goals have tended to come late in games as well this year, as two of his three goals have come in the final frame of regulation.
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