Grading the Terriers: 11/27 vs. Brown

By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff

Offense: B+
The Terriers attempted a total of 85 shots to Brown’s 41. Only half of BU’s shots (42) were on net, but 42 shots on goal is still nothing to be ashamed of – in fact, the shot total was a season high for BU. The Terriers started early with 17 shots in the first period – which was another season high for – and they continued to outshoot Brown in every period. The Terriers also netted four goals and came from behind to tie the game after falling into a 0-2 hole early. Each line had a goal as Alex Chiasson, Joe Pereira, Wade Megan and Ben Rosen all scored on the evening. The Terriers at times made the ice look like a shooting gallery, but they also had plenty of good chances where they could have/should have capitalized.

Defense: C+
The defense could have been better, but it also could have been worse. A team certainly does not want to allow four goals, but they also only gave up 23 shots. Freshman Patrick MacGregor made his debut on Saturday with sophomore Sean Escobedo serving as a healthy scratch, and he did not shine, but only looked out of place on one goal all night. Kieran Millan did not play his best game, and the defense did not pick him up. As Parker said, if you’re winning a game 3-2 at home, you don’t want to end in a tie.

Goaltending: C
Kieran Millan has been very good all season for the Terriers, but even the best have off nights. That was what Saturday night looked like for Millan, who seemed to be battling the puck from the very beginning of the game. Brown came out and scored two quick goals in the first three minutes to shock the Terriers, and while neither goal was a real softy, Millan typically would have made the save on at least one of them. Millan was hanging his head after the third goal and seemed to get really down on himself during any stoppage of play. To his credit, however, the fourth goal was one that Millan really could not do much about. He made a great save on a one-timer, but BU failed to clear the puck for him and the Bears capitalized on the defensive breakdown. It wasn’t Millan’s best night, but BU definitely could have stepped it up a bit for him.

Special Teams: B-
The Terriers gave up another goal on the penalty kill, but Brown does have the fourth-best power play in the nation and is currently running at a 27.59% success rate. BU only went 1-for-7 on the power play, but the fact that they scored at all was a bright spot for them. BU garnered 15 shots on the power play all evening and passed the puck well, but they still did not make many moves toward the net with the advantage. That said . . .

X-Factor: Power Play
The Terriers continue to move the puck well on power plays, but they don’t make teams pay on the scoreboard for taking penalties. In a tie game, those power plays can make a huge difference. The Terriers had an abundance of quality chances, such as in the second period when they found themselves on a 6-on-3 for an extended period of time but failed to find the back of the net. BU scored on the resulting 5-on-3 for its third goal in its last 45 power plays. In the third period, Brown captain Harry Zolnierczyk was called for a five-minute major and a game disqualification for a vicious knee-to-knee hit on Adam Clendening. The Terriers failed to score on that power play and in fact helped Brown kill two minutes of it when Charlie Coyle went to the box for elbowing. Parker did note that, while he was pleased with the evening’s power play, it would be interesting to see what the team’s record would be like if it were able to really get going with the man advantages.