By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
LOWELL — So much for a spark.
The Boston University men’s hockey team dropped its sixth consecutive contest Saturday night, this time falling 3-1 to the No. 10 University of Massachusetts-Lowell at the Tsongas Center. The game showed a continuation of several problems that have plagued the Terriers this season, including a lack of puck possession and a very persistent injury bug.
Here is what went wrong (and right) for BU in the loss.
Minuses
Shot totals
The first period was the worst period of the season for the Terriers (7-13-2, 2-7-1 Hockey East) in terms of getting the puck on net, as it only managed two shots on goal. One of those shots came on a weak backhander from behind the blue line.
That anemic offensive performance was only to be repeated in the third period, when BU tied the season-low mark set earlier in the game. Sure, BU scored its only goal of the game in that period thanks to a well-placed wrister from freshman winger Kevin Duane, but BU coach David Quinn had to resort to leaving a cherry picker by the opposing team’s blue line to help his team get the puck out of its own zone.
“We were slow, we didn’t have the urgency that we did in the first and third periods last night,” Quinn said. “A lot of teams have a hard time generating shots [against UMass-Lowell.] I think [the University of Maine] had 19 last night, so not many people are pouring 30 shots on Lowell, and we certainly, obviously get 12.”
The Terriers did win a hockey game with an even lower shot total this season, as it beat Cornell 3-2 with only 11 shots on Nov. 30. However, generating more offensive control and getting pucks toward opposing goalies will go a long way in helping the team improve its ninth-best 2.41 goals-per-game in Hockey East this season.
Oksanen injury adds to list
A kneeing penalty cost UMass-Lowell (15-6-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) defenseman Christian Folin the rest of Saturday night’s game, but it might cost sophomore defenseman Ahti Oksanen even more.
Oksanen left the ice with an apparent left leg injury after the penalty and did not return, forcing Quinn to move freshman forward/defenseman T.J. Ryan back to the blue line from his spot on the wing. The Terriers started the game with only five defensemen, as several injuries including a season-ending one to sophomore defenseman Matt Grzelcyk have left BU shorthanded.
The loss of Oksanen is not just potentially devastating because of BU’s lack of bodies though —he has been very productive this season. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is tied for the team lead in points with 17 so far, which puts him at fourth-best among Hockey East defensemen. He also has 14 assists this season and has been an integral part of the league’s best power play (21.9 percent).
Oksanen’s injury adds to a list of Grzelcyk, senior winger Jake Moscatel and junior winger Evan Rodrigues that are out with injuries. Freshman forward Dillon Lawrence has been playing through a foot injury too, and Quinn made it sound like even sophomore center Danny O’Regan was not 100 percent healthy.
“He got hurt over at World Juniors and I think he still is feeling it a little bit,” Quinn said. “He has played an awful lot of minutes for us too this year and we may be using him too much, and I know we are. And he is also battered a little bit. I don’t think you’re seeing the normal elevation of play [after returning from World Juniors] due to that.”
Pluses
Penalty kill bounces back
It had been a very poor stretch for the BU penalty kill, which was struggling to keep teams off the scoreboard without Rodrigues or Grzelcyk in the lineup. Over the last two games, teams had scored five power play goals in only eight opportunities against the Terriers.
However, that changed Saturday night when BU kept the River Hawks off the board in each of the seven power plays they had. Even when freshmen Doyle Somerby and Nick Roberto took penalties that left the Terriers defending a 5-on-3 in the second period, the unit held Lowell’s offense at bay for 1:20 worth of the two-man advantage.
Freshman forward Robbie Baillargeon stood out as one of the top penalty killers in the game, but as it usually is, the best BU penalty killer stood between the goal posts.
Maguire keeps it up
It was another strong night for sophomore goaltender Sean Maguire, who made 39 saves in the loss. That total ties a season-high for him, which he set in his only win of the year against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
To read more about Maguire’s night, click here.
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