By Annie Maroon/DFP Staff
Against a University of Vermont team desperate to clinch a playoff spot, the Boston University men’s hockey team earned a 3-1 win at home Friday to move into a tie for fourth place in Hockey East. Junior wing Matt Nieto and freshman goalie Sean Maguire turned in outstanding individual performances for the Terriers. Here’s a look at what went right and what went wrong for BU.
Three up
Maguire’s 49 saves
In his last three starts, Maguire has stopped 40, 36 and 49 shots. He said Friday that the more pucks he sees, the more focused he is, and that was evident as he turned away a barrage of 22 Catamount shots in the third period.
Of those 22 shots, 11 came from below the faceoff dots in the defensive zone, many rebound chances and one-timers that forced Maguire to react quickly. Vermont didn’t stop threatening until the final buzzer sounded, but Maguire held on to turn in one of his best performances yet as a Terrier.
Second line
Nieto got the first-star recognition, and rightly so, but his linemates, freshman Danny O’Regan and sophomore Evan Rodrigues, each had two assists on the night. Rodrigues created the rush that led to Nieto’s third goal, and O’Regan threaded a pass through traffic in the slot to set him up for his second.
“My teammates and linemates made it easy for me,” Nieto said. “They set me up for success where I just had to tap pucks into open nets.”
Nieto has six points – five goals and an assist – over the last two games, and Rodrigues has at least a point in seven of his last eight games.
Power-play success
After going 0 for its last 18, the BU power play scored twice on six opportunities Friday, with 10 shots. The power-play unit with O’Regan, Nieto and senior Ryan Santana up front and Rodrigues and freshman blueliner Ahti Oksanen at the points accounted for both goals.
That group has shown the balance of skills the Terriers need: O’Regan’s playmaking vision, Nieto and Rodrigues’ creativity with the puck and finishing ability, Santana’s hard work in the corners and at the crease, and Oksanen’s powerful slap shot from the point. Santana’s net-front presence and Rodrigues’ poise at the point have made them the Terriers’ most effective power-play unit.
“He has been a great addition to our power play in front of the net as well, getting screens and creating mayhem in front of their net,” Nieto said of Santana.
Three down
50 shots against
Vermont averaged 28.7 shots per game before Friday. They got 50 through to the net in the game, had 22 more blocked by BU players, sent 12 off target, and hit one pipe. All in all, the Catamounts attempted 85 shots to the Terriers’ 66.
BU allows, on average, more shots than it takes per game – 32.9 compared to 30.5 – but that ratio got out of hand Friday, forcing Maguire to make numerous saves on second and third chances from close range.
“We’ve got to play harder in front of our net than they do,” BU coach Jack Parker said. “We had too many times when they were banging away and we weren’t clearing them out, so we’ll take a look at that.”
Matching Vermont’s physicality
The Terriers got off to a quick start on Friday, but midway through the first period, the Catamounts’ style of play began to slow them down. Although they weren’t called for a penalty until almost 15 minutes into the period, they found other ways to impede the Terriers’ progress through the neutral zone and tie them up along the boards.
Despite being the most-penalized team in the league, BU isn’t a particularly physical squad, and early on Friday, it looked as though Vermont might be able to shove and check them off their game. Eventually, BU’s superior speed won out, but not without some bruises.
“I saw them play in a 1-1 game against UNH, their last game,” Parker said. “I had that game on film, and I watched that just to scout UVM and I thought they were unbelievably physical that night. They weren’t quite as physical tonight.”
BU winding down, Vermont winding up
In the first period, BU outshot Vermont 14-11. In the second, Vermont led 17-10 and in the third, 22-8. While BU didn’t play badly or lazily late in the game, they did lack some of the Catamounts’ intensity after the latter found themselves in a 3-1 hole, still fighting to secure a playoff spot.
“This is a desperate hockey club we played tonight,” Maguire said. “They’re going to be shooting from everywhere, trying to get some gritty goals, and that’s what they did tonight.”
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