By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
Opening statement
Let’s start by saying that I thought we got beat by a really good college hockey team tonight. I thought they played extremely well. They’re very quick, they’re tenacious and they did a great job in front of their net defending. I thought we played hard tonight. I was happy with my team’s effort. We got a point last night in a game and outshot the team badly, and I don’t think we played very well because of our lack of tenacity. I thought we played pretty hard tonight. We made a couple of real bad reads to give them a couple of goals, but in general, we got good goaltending, we did a good job of killing penalties, and I thought we moved the puck real well. We got 10 shots on the power play and got some real opportunities, but the better team won tonight. I was real impressed with Boston College, very impressed with BC.
On getting outplayed on the first shift of the third period
And for a few shifts after that, too. It was just banging it into the zone. We got it out once and then they come right back and hit the pipe, and then wound up getting the rebound and it ends up just squiggling past our goaltender. They come out ready to play and we didn’t. The guys that were on for that goal were on for three out of their four goals, all five of them for the most part. So, it was not a good night defensively for those five guys because they got caught for three out of the four goals.
I thought that Bonino came back and played a real good game tonight. I thought Connolly had a real good game tonight. I thought Pereira gave us his typical great effort. I thought Gryba and Warsofsky had a real solid game. They weren’t on for any goals, they were pretty good offensively, and they were real good defensively. A couple of guys had bad nights, but in general, we were more ready to play, we were more into the game and we were more vested in the outcome, not playing as if it didn’t matter. We have a long way to go from where we are in the standings and a long way to go from where we are scoring-wise, but at least for me, this game gave me a little bit of a lift as far as our focus and our effort.
On the play of Kieran Millan
I think the third goal was a real bad read by our defenseman. It was a 3-on-2 and our defenseman just played the wrong guy and let that guy walk down Broadway and rip one, and he couldn’t come running out on him because he still had to worry about the other guys too. It’s still a 3-on-2 and that kid can really shoot the puck. That’s point blank, 25 feet, coming into it and driving it.
And the fourth goal, Gibbons made a great play. The puck was bouncing by and he just picked it up in midair almost. Shatty was trying to play the puck off, it was bouncing to Shatty, and he picked it off his stick and Shatty tried to recover, but he didn’t quite get him and then there was confusion as he got into the net.
But I still think he made some big saves. I thought he played really well the whole game. A game where he gives up four goals, you’re not really happy with, but I thought he played pretty well. He looked like Kieran tonight. Another reason why I feel really good.
On the play of the top line and the Shattenkirk-Cohen pairing
Well, when you’re minus-3, you’re not very happy, and they were minus-3. Like I said, guy beats me out wide for the 3-on-2, and then completely cover the wrong guy. Not good nights for those guys.
On whether there’s still enough time to turn things around in Hockey East
We can turn some things around for sure. Can we catch BC? Probably not. Can we catch UNH? Probably not. In order for us to get back in this, we have to win five league games in a row and start looking like we’re a hockey team again, and that can be done, maybe. But there’s no reason to think it’s going to be automatic, because we haven’t been putting the puck in the net the way we should. We haven’t been as sharp on the power play as we have to be.
I think we went 0-for-5 tonight. The 5-on-3, we kept bombing it, we had five or six times where we had it point blank and someone shot it high and wide. And then we had a couple of other ones when we weren’t on the power plays that were defensemen who shot high and wide. So, the puck’s not going into the net for us and we’re not concentrating that way.
Like I said, I liked our effort. I liked that we kept playing right until the end. That team can outshoot a lot of teams, and they didn’t do that to us tonight. That team has one of the best power plays in the nation, and they went 0-for-6 themselves. There were some good signs, but we’re a long way from being as good as they are, that’s for sure. And we’re a long way from being where they are in the standings. I’m just trying to get a W. I’m not worried about home ice.
On the penalty kill
I thought we got confused a couple of times and Kieran bailed us out, but in general, we did a good job on the penalty kill. When they go 0-for-6, like I said, I think they’re going with a 28-percent rate, so that’s pretty good.
On Colby Cohen not converting on offensive opportunities
As I say, he was on for some goals and it wasn’t his best night. He had some good opportunities. He made some nice plays on the power play. He drilled a couple that were just high and wide. They’re not going in for him. Those will go in for him. He’s not going to forget how to hit the net. Sooner or later, they will. Hopefully sooner.
On whether C. Cohen is being hampered by his hip
He’s much better off than he was last year at this time. Last year, he was really, he’s better off now. Physically, there’s nothing wrong.
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