The University of Massachusetts Amherst struck first on Saturday evening at Agganis Arena, but the Boston University men’s hockey team quickly righted the ship en route to a 7-2 win.
Senior defenseman Matt Grzelcyk stole the show and the World Juniors contingent impressed, serving as the highlights on a nearly seamless evening. Below are several positives and negatives from two crucial Hockey East points.
Pluses
Matt Grzelcyk
The Charlestown native scored a natural hat trick, showing how big of an impact he can have on this team. Read more about his influence in Judy’s sider.
Sean Maguire
After rattling off successive wins against Quinnipiac University and Harvard University, the Minutemen admittedly were going to pose a lesser threat in Maguire’s third straight start.
Nonetheless, UMass still peppered the senior goaltender to the tune of 27 shots, and it took opportunistic finishes from Shane Walsh and Steven Iacobellis to light the lamp. There is no denying that Maguire is getting into a groove, and that bodes extremely well for the Terriers with Boston College on the horizon next weekend.
Just ask Grzelcyk, who has embarked on a collegiate journey with Maguire and rests easy knowing his classmate is between the pipes.
“Any time you get a goaltender who’s kind of hot right there, it kind of allows you to play more aggressively just knowing you have that confidence back there and he’s looked incredible in net, so we’re definitely happy to have him back,” he said.
Head coach David Quinn didn’t shy away from praise either, highlighting the rejuvenated goaltender’s gradual journey back to confidence and composure.
“He’s a guy, he can win big games,” Quinn said. “He’s proven that. We have the utmost confidence in him, and he proved that again tonight. I was so happy for him, he’s come a long way after going through a tough year last year with a concussion”
World Junior Foursome
Less than a week removed from the World Junior Championships in Finland, it’s already clear that Brandon Fortunato, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Hickey and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson have benefited from their international experience.
JFK ignited the scoring onslaught with a heads-up play behind the net, Fortunato grabbed an assist on Grzelcyk’s second tally, McAvoy nabbed two helpers of his own and Hickey maintained a solid defensive gap throughout the contest.
That’s just what stands out about their respective nights, though. As anybody close to BU hockey will echo, all four play beyond their years and their importance becomes more tangible as the Terriers round into form.
“Those are four very good players,” Quinn said. “They wouldn’t be playing in that tournament if they weren’t, so they’re gonna get some well-needed rest in the next three or four days. That tournament is a grind, and without them here, we don’t win these games without question”
“We’re talking about three of our defensemen, and our number one centerman,” Quinn said. “They were immense over the last two games.”
Penalty Kill
When a team wins by five goals, it’s easy to overlook the small details that add up over the course of a hockey game. That’s exactly what can happen with a team’s penalty kill, and the Terriers took care of business in that department on Saturday night.
UMass, which capitalizes on just 17.1 percent of its power plays, was kept off the board when it had a man advantage. To be exact, the Minutemen went 0-for-4 and were limited to only two shots on target across all eight minutes.
Minuses
Another Slow Start
As mentioned above, BU fell into yet another early hole, letting their opponent grab an early lead that could’ve gotten out of hand if not for some shrewd plays in the offensive zone.
That’s a trend that becomes even more perilous when a top-ranked opponent comes to town or everything is on the line in a playoff scenario. Still, Quinn was pleased with how his team responded in adversity and grabbed ahold of the proceedings when the odds were stacked against them.
“You might get down 1-0,” Quinn said. “But how are you going to respond? You might get down 2-0 and unfortunately that’s happened a lot to us — how are you going to respond? And I like the fact that we do respond that after they did make it 2-2, we made it 3-2 relatively quickly. That’s a good sign for us.”
Great to see all four lines play great hockey? + Maguire solid!
Just do very happy they are playing like they should! Next weekend is HUGE!!
SO, just SO happy! not do lol
Best all around effort of the season. It is clear that Matt G is the best defense man in college hockey. When he is healthy B.U. Is a different team.
I believe he is the driving force behind this team in so many ways,leadership and maturity that is invaluable….And Ahti is right up there,this team is capable of almost anything if healthy.Great way to start this second half,I am hoping that it continues,always room for improvement,but I believe that is also on the way!!!!GO TERRIERS….(I was right about Ahti being back for the start of 2nd half,right Glenn)?
Hi BU Hockey 7! Yes, I didn’t forget your prognostication about #17 … and I appreciate your wisdom!
Any time Glenn,I’m just hoping the Terriers can stay healthy,if they can do that,I believe this team is capable of almost anything.Also need some consistency throughout all 3 periods!!!GO TERRIERS
As I said last night. With Grizz this year they are 5-1-2; w/o Grizz 6-5-1. He changes the whole team when he is in there. Keep healthy, my friend !
We need to defend our home ice against BC. too often that beat us at home. don’t want yorkie getting #900 against us
Besides the invaluable spark Grzelyck has given the team, the increased third-line scoring is an extremely positive development. Carpenter has three goals in the last four games. Couple of multiple-point games for Baillargeon, plus a great screen on Grizz’s first goal. Need to keep it up throughout tough league games.
What do we need to do to get Fortunato to shoot the puck once in a while on the power play. Very steady nut NEVER shoots