Battered Terriers turn to Fenway stage to end skid

Anchored by a laughing Boston University men’s hockey coach David Quinn on his left and senior captain Garrett Noonan on his right, O’Regan relayed that story Friday afternoon at Fenway.

“It was tough,” the sophomore center said. “That was my last time here.”

The pressure of the team’s current drought and the fanfare of Fenway will combine with a rematch of what appears, at least on paper, as one of the worst games the Terriers played in the first half of the season.

“It was a long bus ride home from Orono last time we played them, licking our wounds from a 7-0 defeat,” Quinn said of when BU faced Maine on Nov. 15.

“If this was a week later, I think that 7-0 loss would sting a lot more and it would be fresher in our memory. … If you lost 4-2 it probably wouldn’t sit with you the way a 7-0 loss does. I’m hoping it does create a little bit more of a desire and a little bit more of a drive and passion, but we have enough issues that hopefully the game itself, playing at Fenway, we don’t need that type of motivation.”

Among those issues is a continuous battle with injuries. After dealing with multiple players missing time in the first half of the season, BU had a healthy squad for the first game back in 2014. That did not last for long, however, as senior wing Jake Moscatel and junior wing Evan Rodrigues suffered injuries during the tilt with Harvard University on Jan. 4.

Rodrigues and Moscatel both skated during Friday’s practice at Fenway, but both donned blue, non-contact jerseys.

An even larger dilemma for the Terriers was that sophomore defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was not dressed for practice. Instead, Grzelcyk sat on the sideline with his left arm in a sling after he dislocated his shoulder during Thursday’s practice.

“I don’t know if there is a good time to lose your best player,” Quinn said when asked if Grzelcyk’s injury came at the worst time for BU. “It’s unfortunate because obviously he has shown in the first half of the season with us and his performance at World Juniors, he is such a competitive kid, he is a great kid and he is a great player.”

Despite all of the setbacks, though, Quinn and the predominantly New England based squad still showed awe at the chance of playing within the confines of Fenway.

Boston University men’s hockey coach David Quinn takes a picture of his surroundings at Fenway on Jan. 10. Photo by Michelle Jay/DFP Staff.

“I think coming to Fenway, a bunch of us are Boston kids, we’ve grown up wanting to play here,” Noonan, who is from Norfolk, said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get out of a little slump and get this ship going in the right direction.”

For Quinn, who came out onto the field before practice to look around and take a few photos, the chance to play at Fenway could be summed up in one word – unbelievable.

“Walking out of the visitor’s clubhouse and to be able to walk down that runway where Jeter and Riviera and all of those guys – I am 47 years old, I feel like I’m 17 right now walking through the clubhouse,” Quinn said. “I’d be lying to you if I say it’s not a little special feeling for me too.”