When it comes to Beanpot consolation games, you don’t need to remind Sean Escobedo how important they can be.
In February 2011, when the senior defenseman and his classmates were sophomores, BU blew a third-period lead to Harvard University to have its heart broken, 5–4, on Valentine’s Day.
The loss hammered BU when it came to that season’s PairWise Rankings and was therefore the reason the team missed the NCAA tournament.
“Obviously Harvard [in 2011] is at the back of our minds,” Escobedo said Sunday before adding that BU coach Jack Parker addressed the team about the subject earlier in the week. “The guys who have been here have experienced what they did to us … It is always going to be on our minds.”
This time around, the No. 11/13 Terriers (13–11–1, 10–7–1 Hockey East) are in a similar situation. They are again in the consolation game of the city’s annual four-team tourney, again facing the Crimson (5–15–2). And, after a rough month-and-a-half stretch, BU again finds itself on the cusp of an NCAA bid.
Needless to say, the Terriers aren’t taking this game lightly.
“I’m just doing the best I can to make sure that our younger guys realize how big this game [Monday] is,” said BU senior captain Wade Megan. “It is, in my eyes, a must-win game. I’ve done everything I can to make sure that everybody is ready to play tomorrow night. I think we are. I think we will show up and have a good game.”
Interesting to see that Matt Nieto got demoted.
What’s Parker thinking? He’s been our best forward recently. Is Nieto thinking about leaving and Parker is punishing him?
I doubt anyone is looking at it as demoted… more like shuffling up the lines to try to get some scoring punch back.
Anonymous #1: Anonymous #2 is spot-on. Parker tried to shuffle the lines to inject some life back into the Hohmann line b/c they were struggling to produce in recent games. Ditto w/ trying to get Wade Megan going again by putting him w/ O’Regan & Rodrigues.
BU’s 1st and 2nd lines are really more of a 1 and 1A; one problem is the glaring lack of depth & scoring punch beyond that.
there really are some idiots who read this blog…demotion? go away
Let’s hope to God that what we just witnessed was rock bottom. I can’t take much more of THIS…BLEECH