By Tim Healey/DFP Staff
BURLINGTON, Vt. — With his team halfway through a week’s worth of practice, Boston University men’s hockey head coach Jack Parker made a pretty big decision Wednesday: Drop Sahir Gill, who started the season as the team’s first-line center, to third-line left wing.
Following the No. 11 Terriers’ 6-2 win over the University of Vermont Friday night, it proved to be the right choice. Gill, as well linemate and freshman Wes Myron, each scored their first goal of the season for BU (6-3, 5-2 Hockey East) at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
“They gave us more balance,” Parker said of getting production from the third unit. “They were really in tune to playing with each other and I think [freshman forward Sam Kurker] kind of helped them out with some size on the right side too.”
Gill got the monkey off his back first, taking a pass from freshman defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and putting it in a wide open net to put the team up 2-0 toward the end of the first period.
“It was a long time coming,” the junior forward said. “It felt nice, especially with the win.”
Myron followed suite at the end of the second, rushing down the left wing and beating UVM (1-4-2, 1-4-2 Hockey East) goalie Brody Hoffman short side.
For Gill, Myron and Kurker, the new threesome was a welcomed change of pace.
Gill had put up just one point all season, an assist, and had already been demoted to the second-line right wing at the end of October.
Myron, though Parker has spoken highly of him the last few weeks, had yet to collect his first point as a Terrier.
Kurker did not play against Merrimack College and No. 1 Boston College last weekend after looking tight and nervous, according to Parker, the previous weekend in North Dakota.
But with the offensive tinkering, much of that changed. Parker said he noticed a difference almost right off the bat when the team practiced together.
“They were excited to play,” Parker said. “I could tell just from the scrimmage they were actually rather jacked up about ‘Where are we going to go next play, next shift here’s what we are going to do.’”
Parker said part of the motivation in putting Gill and Myron together was in the hopes that they could easily develop chemistry. British Columbia natives, the two played against each other in bigger tournaments growing up.
They also both competed in the British Columbia Hockey League during the part of the 2009-10 season when Myron played with the Victoria Grizzlies and Gill started the season with the Vernon Vipers.
“I didn’t know [Myron] personally but I knew of him,” Gill said. “I knew he was a good player growing up and … it’s nice to get to play on the same team for once.”
Parker said the change was also in part to have Gill “get Wes going,” but Gill said that wasn’t his sole task.
“I don’t see it as getting anyone going. I think it’s just a fresh look just to kind of keep things fresh and keep the offense going,” Gill said. “It’s obviously a new challenge for everyone when there’s a new line, and there’s a lot of skill down there and it just balances out the lines a little more and gives us more of a threat.”
Gill said he likes what the 6-foot-2, 188 pound Myron and the 6-foot-3, 220 pound Kurker bring to the table in terms of skill and physicality, but it is hard to tell how long or how often the trio will play together.
Freshman forward Matt Lane was a healthy scratch Friday, and Parker could make an effort to get him back in the lineup Sunday against No. 5/6 University of New Hampshire. Kurker may be the odd man out.
For now, though, Gill is happy with a successful first test.
“It’s a new line it’s a new look, and I think we just kind of wanted to see how it was,” Gill said. “We were definitely excited to try and see how it worked out in a game, and it went pretty well tonight.”
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