By Sam Dykstra/DFP Staff
Offense: D
You’re probably looking at the final score and thinking. “How can a team that scored five goals ever get a grade as low as a D?” Easy. The game was over by the time the Terriers scored four of their five goals – all of which came in a third period that started with BU down 6-1 – and BU coach Jack Parker acknowledged as such after the game. The real issues came early as BU attempted only 11 shots in the first 40 minutes compared to 27 for BC. The shots chart for the second period, in which the Terriers only attempted 11 shots with six of them reaching the goalie, looked more like one from a five-minute overtime period than a 20-minute second period. Freshman forward Mat Nieto’s wrist shot on a two-on-one in the second was the only thing that kept Friday night’s game from becoming even more of a laugher after two periods. After that, nothing else mattered.
Defense: F
The 9 next to BC speaks for itself. You have to go all the way back March 1, 2002 (a 9-6 loss to University of Maine at home) for the last time BU gave up that many goals in any game and about 25 years to find the last time BC tallied that many against its Comm. Ave. rival. The low point probably came when sophomore defenseman Sean Escobedo forced the puck into the BU crease. Junior goalie Grant Rollheiser let the puck escape him, and BC forward Bill Arnold took advantage, putting home BC’s eight goal of the night on what may have been the easiest goal he’ll ever score. Now, the Terriers are left to hope that the next time a team in scarlet and white allows nine goals won’t be for another eight seasons, when they’re all graduated or in the professional ranks.
Goaltending: Kieran Millan – F, Grant Rollheiser – F
You can read Jake’s sider on Friday’s goaltending situation here, but it’s easy to see how the two juniors “earned” their failing grades. Millan (10 saves) was the softest he’s ever looked in 2010 – both this semester and last – albeit in just one period of play. His worst moment came when his glove missed a lazy wrister from BC forward Paul Carey. Parker hoped that bringing in Rollheiser (18 saves) would lead to more inspired play, both in net and everywhere else on the ice, but that never transpired as the team’s second option did little to stem the BC offensive wave. That being said, it’s easy to blame the loss on the two netminders, but as Parker said, not a single Terrier played well (see above) not just the goalies.
Special Teams: D
The special teams stats were the second-most deceiving Friday night. BU’s power play, which ran at an anemic 11.1 percent entering the game, actually performed decently well as it scored on 20 percent of its chances with the man advantage. However, all of BU’s power-play tallies again came in the anomaly that was the third period. Plus, the Terriers had a grand total of 15 (!) power-play opportunities. Eight of those came in the first two periods, with BU proving to be unsuccessful on all eight power-play chances on just five shots. At one point, BC had scored more goals when BU had the extra man than the Terriers did. As for the penalty kill – once a BU strength – the Terriers allowed BC to go 3-for-5 in the opening two frames before finishing 3-for-8.
X-Factor: Puck drop
This is usually where we point to one aspect of the game that really turned the tide one way or the other. For this game, it was the second the puck hit the ice. It was then that it became increasingly obvious that the Terriers never had a chance Friday night. BC scored early – Carey and Jimmy Hayes scored 23 seconds apart in the game’s opening 2:27 – and often. The best thing BU can do is forget Friday ever happened, and enter Saturday’s rematch at Conte Forum with their minds clear. Otherwise, another start like Friday’s could lead to déjà vu all over again.
The Chestnut Hill Eagles came out of the box flying, and played like defending National Champions for the first two periods. BU played like deers caught in the headlights. For the first time this season, the Terriers played like a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores. They gripped their sticks too tightly and were overwhelmed by the occassion.
The negative constant for BU has been a failure to SHOOT THE PUCK. Especially on the power play, and particularly from the points.
Shoot the puck, boys. Give yourselves a chance.
Where did two of the three power play goals come from? Directly from the points. But that’s not the crucial thing – shoot the puck from the points and there are deflections, rebounds and yes, even direct goals at times.
We saw a faceoff came straight back to Clendening. Perfect opportunity to one-time it. But he skates it to the middle.
Ruikka, who has a heavy wrist, has a clear chance to shoot and instead fires the puck into the corner.
Noonan steps by the first defender, is positioned to shoot from the top of the slot. But he looks to pass, and nothing happens.
Warsofsky and Nicastro scored from the points, but they pass up too many opportunities to shoot.
Stop looking for the perfect play. Stop overpassing.
SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK, boys. When you get the chance, go for it.
You’ll be better for it. Believe me.
The above post is dead on accurate. This team, especially the defenseman, don’t want to shoot the puck. Several of the d men, especially Clendening(too many situations of a deer in the headlights), seem afraid to even try. These shots are what create goals, rebounds or at least, keep the other team honest. Most teams already know the BU defense won’t take that shot and they start heading into the corners to cut off the pass they all know is coming. The entire d corps didn’t help out the goalies when they really needed some assistance. I would move Rosen back to defense since I have seen him play there and his ability and propensity to shoot a fast heavy shot from the point. He is doing really well up front in his transtion to center, but I think BU needs him back on d. I would also play Macgregor more games and see what he’s got. What could it hurt? Our offense spends way to much time behind the opponents net, just get in front of it, create deflections, screens and rebounds. Cycling looks good, but there needs to be an end game, get in front and SHOOT!!!!!!!
MacGregor has a hard, low shot and he’s got size. But he was scary in his own end against Brown. His inability to get the puck out was directly related to Brown’s fourth’s goal, and he never saw the ice again.
What they need is for Escobedo to get back to how he was playing at the start. He’s been awful after a promising start. He doesn’t need to replace Shattenkirk. Just to be himself.
Oh, and is Freyer the worst referee in Hockey East? How about a grade of officials? How did he get last night’s game? Inconsistent. Reactionary. Always gets the retaliation, never the initial incident. Making calls from far away happening in front of the other official. Looking confused all of the time. He didn’t effect the outcome, but he helped to turn last night’s game into a circus.
Fyrer is awful. Anytime i see him step out onto the ice i know it is going to be a slow penalty filled night. He is whistle happy as a ref just as he was as a linesman when he used to call penalties despite the fact he was not wearing the orange stripe of a referee. In any event, it did not decide last night’s game which truly was over before it began. And another annoying trend, linesman who don’t drop the puck and when they finally do they don’t put it in the middle of the circle.
I completely agree that this young team played like one last night. It will be interesting to see what the carry over is tonight. This loss my ultimately be a good thing. They learned that it won’t come easy. If they work hard this team will be fine come February and March when it counts. They miss Connolly a lot for many reasons. A leader was needed last night and they had none.