Megan meaningful at right times for Terriers

By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff

When the No. 6 Boston University Terriers needs a goal in a crucial moment, all they have to do is look to Wade Megan. The junior forward leads the team in goals (10), power-play goals (5), shorthanded goals (2) and game-winners (3). His production has provided quite a boost to the Terriers (12-6-1, 10-4-1 Hockey East); the team is 7-1-0 in games in which Megan scores a goal.

So when BU fought its way out of an early two-goal hole during Friday night’s game against Northeastern University, it was only natural that Megan was a key part of the Terrier attack.

In the second period, Megan scored the goal that tied the game at 2-2. He capitalized on a valiant effort by junior forward Ryan Santana, who swatted a puck Megan’s way after diving to keep it out of the reach of a pouncing Husky. Megan caught Santana’s pass at the top of the crease and whipped it past Northeastern goaltender Chris Rawlings for the score.

In the third period, Megan netted the eventual game-winner with the Terriers up, 3-2, and on the power play. Junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson, much like Santana earlier, contributed with the key effort to start the play. He stick-handled through two Huskies, then dished the puck over to Megan, who fired a one-timer from the faceoff dot past Rawlings to give the Terriers a 4-2 lead.

Megan gave credit for both of his goals to his teammates.

“Santana turned the puck over and fed it to me in the front, so I didn’t do much on that one,” Megan said. “Second one, I kind of didn’t make a great pass on the power play and the guy deflected it and it ended up on Chiasson’s stick. I saw that he had it and so I just kind of started to creep in a little bit. He found me and I just took a shot and it went over his glove.”
The game was Megan’s second multi-goal game of the season (with the other coming in a 5-0 win over Boston College on Nov. 13). His two goals Friday night inch Megan that much closer toward matching his career goal total (13) with 15 more regular season games left to play this season. The increased output this season, according to Megan, is no accident considering who he plays with.

“Chiasson and [senior captain Chris] Connolly are great guys to play with,” Megan said. “They get you the puck a lot and aren’t afraid to take shots. Luckily they’ve been going in for me, so I’ll take it.”

Before break, Megan did not play with Connolly and Chiasson together unless BU was in the middle of a line change. Megan saw most of his ice time as the left wing on a third line with freshmen forwards Cason Hohmann and Evan Rodrigues. He also saw some power play time with some of the team’s older players in Connolly and former senior forward Corey Trivino. In the 16 games before break, Megan totaled eight points (7 goals, 1 assist).

But with Trivino and former sophomore forward Charlie Coyle no longer with the team, Megan has seen a drastic increase in ice time. He was promoted to the top line alongside Connolly and Chiasson and is now looked to as an even more vital part of the power play and penalty killing units. He has three goals in the three games since the break.

That Megan seems to be stepping up at the right time for BU is no accident. Megan said he frequently thinks about improving his game to replace the offense’s departed leaders.

“I think we all think about it,” Megan said. “Everybody knows that they have to step up a little bit. Try to come back and fill the gap for the boys that those two left. I think we’re all thinking about it. Luckily, I could contribute tonight, so I’ll take it.”

But if the Terriers are to continue to be successful this season, coach Jack Parker said Megan be part of the solution, but he will not be the entire solution.

“We need other people to pick it up too,” Parker said. “Connolly’s playing really well and he’s snake-bitten because he hasn’t scored a goal yet. Hohmann and Rodrigues as freshmen have got to get some more goals for us. But certainly Megan, Chiasson, Sahir Gill and Nieto are guys that you know can score goals and those guys have to pick it up for us.”