Uncategorized

The good and the bad: BU loses to UML, 4-2

By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff

The No. 2 Boston University men’s hockey team lost to No. 6 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Saturday night at Agganis Arena. Here’s a look at both the negatives and positives from BU’s loss.

The bad:

Finish
BU had every chance to win the game Saturday night. The Terriers had a 4-on-1, 3-on-1 and 3-on-2 in the second period, but all of those rushes resulted in no shots on net. Junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson shot wide on the 4-on-1, Chiasson shot wide again on the 3-on-1, and sophomore forward Matt Nieto shot wide on the 3-on-2.

Multiple Terriers shot wide from the slot or whiffed on one-timers all night long, but the worst missed opportunity for BU came early in the third period when freshman forward Evan Rodrigues inexplicably shot wide from the edge of the crease with an empty net waiting in front of him.

BU attempted 88 shots on net Saturday night, 44 of which came in the third period. While UMass-Lowell goaltender Doug Carr certainly had a good game, there is no reason to score only two goals on 88 shot attempts. A championship-caliber team capitalizes on opportunities, and BU was unable to do that Saturday night.

Sahir Gill
The sophomore forward has been somewhat absent from the scoreboard recently (four points in his last eight games), and he was absent for almost half of the game Saturday night. Gill was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct 11:26 into the second period on a textbook hit from behind. His loss was significant for the team in that the Terriers lost one of their top 5 forwards and special teams player.

Gill’s presence on the ice (and on the scoresheet) is vital for BU. Of the top five forwards on the team (Gill, Chiasson, Nieto, senior captain Chris Connolly and junior forward Wade Megan), BU has the best winning percentage when Gill records a point (83 percent or 15-2-1). The Terriers’ losing percentage when the other four forwards fail to record a point does not even come close to that of Gill’s, as BU has lost 75 percent of the games in which Gill has not scored. The closest player to Gill in that category is Chiasson, as the Terriers have lost 56 percent of their games (3-5-1) when he does not score.

Gill’s offensive importance has been very noticeable of late. BU has gone 3-5 in its last eight games, and Gill has at least one point in all three wins but no points in any of the losses. While one player does not make a team, Gill’s offensive production seems to provide some sort of spark for BU, and with the Terriers fighting for home ice in the playoffs, any edge BU can get is of utmost importance.

Home-ice advantage?
BU lost its fourth consecutive game at home Saturday night. That losing streak is the worst of any BU team since Agganis Arena opened in 2005, and it is the worst home losing streak from a BU team since 1980, when the Terriers lost its last four home games of the season at Walter Brown Arena. BU is 7-7-0 this season at home while running a 9-3-1 record on the road and a 2-1-0 record at neutral venues. The only other two teams in Hockey East who do not have an above-.500 winning percentage at home are Northeastern University (4-4-3) and the University of Vermont (4-11-1). BU dropped to third place in the standings with its loss Friday night, and it is only three points out of fifth place with four games remaining.

“You’re supposed to have the home ice advantage and I guess we don’t,” said junior forward Ross Gaudet. “We’re not using it to our advantage at all. I can’t really say … I don’t know why we don’t play well at home.”

The good:

Yasin Cissé
The redshirt freshman entered the weekend needing to impress the coaching staff following a three-week stretch in which he played in just two of BU’s six games. The situation was complicated by the fact that Cissé dressed but did not play in a Jan. 28 game against the University of Maine, and then left the rink after the second period of that game on his own volition. Cissé had been struggling to find his game after missing over two seasons of hockey due to severe ankle injuries and a concussion, and both his and the coaches’ frustration had seemed to reach a boiling point by the game against Maine.

But when given the chance to return to the lineup as the fourth line’s right wing Friday night, Cissé took advantage. He scored a goal, turned in four shots, and finished as a plus-2 Friday night, then followed that game with another good performance Saturday night. Cissé earned an assist on Gaudet’s goal in the second period by feeding Gaudet a nice centering pass that the junior redirected past River Hawk goaltender Doug Carr. Cissé was one of just two BU players to finish in the positives in plus-minus Saturday night, and his combination of speed and physicality impressed the coaching staff enough to earn himself a lineup spot for next weekend as well.

“I thought he had a real good weekend,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “I told him last night, ‘Confidence-wise, it looks like you’ve arrived.’ I thought he played well again tonight. He’ll stay in the lineup.”

Power-play goals

BU has the best power play in Hockey East when it comes to conference play, as the Terriers are currently operating at a 28.9 success rate. BU flashed its man-advantage muscles again Saturday night when junior defenseman Max Nicastro converted on a third-period power play on a slap shot from the point. BU has now scored at least one power-play goal in 13 consecutive games. The Terriers’ 1-for-3 showing on the power play Saturday night helped BU to a 4-for-8 showing on the weekend and a 24-for-67 showing (35.8 percent) since the break.

4 Comments

  1. So York pulls one more game further away in the win column from Parker. If only we could have had York as our coach…

  2. Why wan’t Sissy booted from the team after flpping off Parker by leaving the rink during a game?

  3. Bu goes 1-2-1 in its last 4, loses home ice in the playoffs, then chokes it up with another loss in the first round. The pairwise crumbles and Bu is out of the Ncaas for the third consecutive year. Parker must go.

  4. Jim, get a life. Stop following BU hockey if you only have negative things to say.