The Hockey East semifinals are here at long last, with an extra does of rivalry.
Starting at 8 p.m., the No. 7 Boston University men’s hockey team will do battle with No. 14 Boston College, all with a berth in Saturday’s title game on the line. The game, held at TD Garden, will be broadcast on NESN and ESPN3.
BU has beaten BC three times already this season, and an Eagle loss practically guarantees their NCAA Tournament dreams are squashed. As for BU, there’s all to play for ahead of what’s a guaranteed spot in the NCAA Tournament.
We’ll be live all night at the Garden, so follow along below!
Lines
Here's how @TerrierHockey and @BCHockey will line up tonight at @tdgarden. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/8fet3kTKbB
— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) March 17, 2017
Will the Terriers ever play with a lead again this year? Tons of chances in first period, can’t convert, so important today the way hockey is played to get a lead in a big game, but more important B.U. really seems to struggle to score, 44 shots only 2 goals and in final 3 minutes? You can get away with that against a mediocre team like Northeastern but against a now emerging B.C. team, no way. Give away by Krys for 2nd B.C. shorthanded goal terrible and a backbreaker. Another chance for a trophy by the boards, look like the Terriers will come up empty handed this year with things now going forward for remainder of year will just get tougher. Lets hope we keep all our underclassmen and new recruits so we can continue to improve next year.
Would’ve been nice to end BC’s season but even if BU had won, I highly doubt we would’ve beaten Lowell…you need to play 60 minutes to beat a team like Lowell and we haven’t played a full 60 in months…can count on one hand how many times this season we’ve played a full 60…sad and disheartening
Agree with most BUT…let’s call a spade a spade..Jake STUNK the joint out last night! Those were two of the softest goals I’ve even seen. And let’s give credit where credit is due…Woll was amazing!! He’s better than Jake, hence why Jake never played in the USA games. Now with that said, it doesn’t mean they can’t turn this around. Jake CAN become the best goalie in the country. I thought the teams were at an even pace last night until that short hand goal. Chad Krys is a mediocre defenseman. He’s a great skater but his shot is weak and sometimes gets too fancy, along with many other of our “stars”. They are immature and seem to pout when they are down. And while I’m at it, I think Charlie is over rated too. He’s good, don’t get me wrong but doesn’t seem to shine in the big games. This year has been a disappointment with all the hype of the 1st roudners but its not over yet. Never say never…The best teams don’t always win……matter of fact, its usually the case!
Woll was outstanding last night (night and day from his other 3 games vs. BU). Jake was not. Very curious to see how Jake plays in the NCAAs. Not a great look in the BP final nor last night. I still don’t get Greenway. Just doesn’t look like he’s having fun out there and rarely shows the focus to anticipate a rebound and position himself to bury it. I’d be shocked if we’re not one-and-done in the NCAAs. Hope I’m wrong. This team doesn’t play like they NEED to win. They WANT to win, they just don’t show the required sense of urgency from the drop of the puck for a full 3 periods. 60 minute efforts? Union (without our stars) and at BC. Is it coaching or the players? Either way, Quinn has control over both (recruiting and motivating). He needs to fix it or we’ll have Groundhog Day for the next two years as talent leaves early and gets replaced with more young talent looking to stay one to two years and bolt.
yeah Mike that’s right, B.U. seems to rent players, they’ve been doing it for years and that’s why they only have a truly outstanding team once every few years when they by accident have the right mix of underclass and senior stars. There doesn’t seem to be a plan to convince players to stay and get an education too?
One and done in the NCAA? looks like it , did you see the draw, Terriers have to go out west to play in N.D. back yard while Providence, who didn’t even reach GAHDEN, gets to play at home. Now that they are really up against it lets see if Terriers respond with the emotion and urgency required.
Two thoughts: First, I wonder if Woll was playing with an extra chip on his shoulder … not even making Hockey East third-team all-star designation … and getting totally outclassed by Oettinger in the first three BU – BC match-ups this season? Second, guess what Terrier fans … even the high and mighty Denver University Pioneers lost their league semi-final game last night.
Wall versus Woll tonight. That should be quite a game.
Worst loss since the Championship game to Northern back in the early 90’s. We have more talent that BC but no grit at all. Our goalie is very average at best. Shows that a team NEEDS talented upper classmen to win. I am sick.
If Woll was better than Jake, then over the course of the season, he would have a lower goals against average and a higher save percentage. Is that the case? No. By going onto the stats page on USCHO, you can easily see that Woll’s numbers are right in the middle of the pack (very average), while Jake is ranked #10 in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. I find these metrics make a much more compelling argument as to who the better goalie is … more so than basing it on whether or not a coach decided to put one in over the other in an international tournament. Of course if the NCAA tournament comes around and Woll shows that he is a better big-game goalie than Jake, then I may stand to be corrected.
BC’s season is now officially over. What an impressive fight they put up against Lowell this evening! This Hockey East championship weekend was pretty much a mirror image of the 2013 version … when we knocked BC out of the HE tournament on Friday … only to have Lowell end our season in a nail-biter the next night. Looking forward to the NCAA selection show on Sunday morning.
Revenge is sweet isn’t it?, even if someone else does it for you. Good to see B.C shut out of trophies this year as well, they’ve been winning too many in recent years.
Terriers have had real problems scoring this year and its not just due to goalies like Woll standing on his head. They only scored 3 in both games against Northeastern and Ruck is not a worldbeater. The problem is they don’t have the goalscorers they’ve had in recent years like O’Regan, Oksanen, Eichel, Grezlyck, or even Lane who had 14 last year. Keller, a terrific talent all around, is also their only consistent scorer with 20, next closest is Harper with 12. Also 3rd and fourth lines contribute very little as well offensively.
I really think the strength of this team is their defense and goaltending, btw I think only the first goal by B.C was soft, the second by Fitzgerald looked like a rocket top corner. If B.U. can get a lead by a goal or two in these NCAA tourney games coming up then they have a chance, but if they have to chase a game like last night if will be very difficult for they to advance very far.
Love the way everyone comes on here and piles it on this team and most importantly the goalie. I have been writing on this blog all season and the only person who I see is a true passionate fan win or lose is Roy. Everyone else changes their opinion like the tide comes in and out. joe Woll is one of the best goalies in the country Jake from day one in my opinion is the best. I noticed one writer made reference to the best goalie in country reference and then went on to say how bad Jake was. I’m going to assume that was a dig on my previous comments.The goals Jake let in I’m sure he wished he had back but he was pretty dam good all night. I’m going to say something I have thought of for some time I believe it to be true. Jake is a Minnesota kid the coach motzco coaches at St. Cloud does anyone see where a little bias might come in not to play Jake especially if you have 2 other great goalies.
On to my next point Charlie is awesome he is one of the smoothest skating defenseman in the league he is not over rated if anything underrated. Chad Krys is another kid who has played great how anyone who follows this team can say anything different proves to me they don’t know hockey.
On to my next point the team did not execute as well as they needed to on special teams they did not spread the ice out as much as they did the last time we played bc. Give credit to a very good bc team. But this team does not whine they play hard to the end. They never quit NEVER!
If this team does not win another game this season it is not a failure you can’t expect a team to be a lock for trophies in August college hockey does not work like that. Bu has the talent to win it all lets root them on and see what happens. I look forward to hearing how out of touch I am from other posters but I’m a true fan who rises and falls with this team. Ps that game the other night was nothing like 91 national title game in Minnesota I was there i know. Go bu?
that being said boy did the Terriers get f****d. I guess the committee wasn’t impressed by their .500 record since January or losing twice to Merrimack or whatever. B.U doesn’t draw in the east but Providence does in Prov. so they get to play at home even though they didn’t even reach the Garden. OK, Terriers are you mad enough to win something now?
No matter who BU lost to, our overall body of work makes us the higher seed. The selection committee had absolutely no business putting lower seed North Dakota in a Fargo regional. Sorry!
The committee went with bracket integrity this year (who knew, after their recent preference for attendance?). 7 plays 10. Simple. I can’t really complain b/c back in the day with 12 tourney teams, we’d almost always host so we’d get a bye, play at “home” in Worcester and only need one win to go to the national semis. If we beat BC and lost to Lowell we actually would have finished 4th in the PWR given the other results are would have been the top seed in Manchester. We played 23/60 minutes on Friday and took the control out of our own hands. We did this to ourselves. We’re about to find out if this “team” wants to make a run and play with the passion of the USA WJC team or if they’ll go behind early and fizzle out with 4-5 guys bolting for the pros by the end of the weekend.
The regional are set up to make money. UND vs B.U. in a small arena out there and Prov. vs Harvard in Providence just about guarantees sellouts in those venues. Lowell will also draw well in NH.
I don’t see how there can be integrity if a #3 seed plays a #2 seed in their own back yard. Anyway, time to accept our fate and deal with it. I sure do believe that our guys have the passion for an epic run. Why not start it in the most challenging place of all?
Jake didn’t play well but I think if you look at the film you will see he was totally screened on booth by BU defensemen. Don’t blame the Goalie. The entire team didn’t show up for this one.
colin,
you make a number of valid points. and i respect your support of the terriers. I like Ottenger as well, but i must raise that just because some fans are angry or critical of the team or certain players, it does not make them any less of a genuine fan
personally, i am totally frustrated and angry regarding how this team has punked out down the stretch. it has been a long time since they have played a full 60 minutes of inspired hockey. and this is the time in the season when it is time to give optimum effort. i do not care how talented they are at this point. they have to exert full bore. if not now, then when?? any resemblance to how they have been playing in friday’s game, then it is golf club time
i don’t want to hear the too young excuse in march cuz if that is the real issue, then change the recruiting strategy. since these “talented” players always move fairly quickly, then we will ALWAYS BE FOREVER YOUNG
I Agree. Criticising does not mean Im less of a fan/ But lets face it, most has this team as a shoe in for all tourney wins and we’ve come uo empty on all. They ARE immature, how else do you explain this lack of urgency in March?? Jake STUNK against BC, doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s good. Best in the country?? Nope.
What is a coach to do? This bunch just doesn’t seem to feel the urgency. Let’s hope they pick it up knowing they are on the BIG STAGE now and all eyes are on them!!
#GOBU
#Alwaysafan
Good points, Sean. on some levels, i can accept a young, immature team if the players stick around to mature, but they don’t
i know i wrote this in a previous blog, but JFK (Greenway a close second) is the one who irks me. all this talk about the NHL next year. in my opinion, he is too passive – not mean enough. you have to have some level of meanness to play at that level. i know he has skill, as do other guys, but no grit, no hating to lose. check out his game to game stats since the BC series in january. you will likely find 0-0-0 beside his name. deep down, i am hoping he reads this and decides to show this idiot blogger (me) that he is a big game player
i would love for them to win on friday, but i ain’t getting my hopes up – not after last friday’s lackluster performance against their hated rivals in the HE semis. what can possibly arouse the fire now?
here’s hopin’