By Annie Maroon/DFP Staff
NORTH ANDOVER — Despite being the No. 11/12 Boston University men’s hockey team’s captain and leading goal-scorer, senior wing Wade Megan has managed to fly somewhat under the radar as his younger teammates have garnered the headlines early this season.
In Friday’s 3-1 win against Merrimack College, Megan was finally the game’s first star, picking up a goal and two assists. In addition to having a hand in all three BU goals, he also came close to another assist when he appeared to set up his sophomore linemate Evan Rodrigues for a goal in the first period, but the goal was waved off.
“He might’ve been the best player on the ice for us, not just because he figured in the scoring, but because he was up and down all night,” BU head coach Jack Parker said. “He really had his legs. He played really well delivering the puck to the net by getting the puck in the zone and delivering it to the net. He really led the way for us tonight.”
On freshman defenseman Ahti Oksanen’s goal, BU’s first, Megan had a prolonged battle on the boards for the puck before it came out to his sophomore center, Cason Hohmann, who found Oksanen for the goal.
“When they came to the bench I said to those forwards, you got the goal because you were willing to stay there and win the battle and protect,” Parker said.
Megan’s goal, on which he snapped the puck through the five-hole of Merrimack goalie Sam Marotta, tied him at the time for the Hockey East lead in goals with five. Boston College’s Johnny Gaudreau later scored his sixth goal of the year, bumping Megan into a tie for second.
BU’s entire first line is scoring – Hohmann has nine points, Megan eight and Rodrigues six. Rodrigues and Hohmann have rightly drawn attention for fulfilling the potential they showed as freshmen last year. But Megan has consistently been one of the best Terriers on the ice this year, earning a plus-7 rating with eight points in seven games.
“One of the reasons why their line is going so well, two sophomores are having real good jumps, is because of Megan as a senior and captain,” Parker said.
This year’s top line actually began last year as BU’s third line before Megan earned himself time on the first and second lines en route to a 20-goal season.
“We played together a bit at the beginning of last year and then at the beginning of this year, Coach gives us a chance to play together,” Rodrigues said. “It’s been clicking ever since the first game and the exhibition game. Hopefully we can keep going.”
Megan’s transformation from a third-line winger to a first-liner expected to produce goals was one of last year’s biggest stories for the Terriers. This year he’s been perhaps BU’s most reliable player, following through on scoring chances and races to loose pucks regardless of the score of the game.
As captain, he said it’s all just part of his job.
“One of my roles on the team is to score goals,” Megan said. “So it feels good that I’m able to help the team win.”
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