Opinions

BU Hockey’s New Years Resolutions

A new calendar year is upon us, meaning it’s time to come up with some New Year’s Resolutions. Here are my guesses for what the Terriers will be wishing for, and all opinions are my own.

Getting healthy and staying healthy 

It’s hard to remember a semester where BU had as many injuries to critical players as they had this fall. Missing junior forwards Ty Amonte and Logan Cockerill hurt BU in the scoring department, and on the defensive end, junior Cam Crotty was out for three weeks. Underclassmen went down too, as sophomore Jack DeBoer and freshman Sam Stevens missed significant time before returning late in the semester. If BU hopes to hit their full potential in the second half, avoiding injury will be priority number one.

Holding on to leads

There were repeated instances in the first half when the Terriers were up by two or even three goals leading into the third period, but then surrendered the lead in the final 20 minutes. These swings risked turning wins into ties, costing the Terriers crucial Hockey East points or simply making them miss out on the momentum gained in victory. It will be very important for BU to learn to play the full 60 minutes every time out and close out opponents as the games become more and more important.

Finding consistency as a team

Encouraging wins over UMass, Harvard, and Northeastern in the first half proved that BU has the ability to hang with top-10 teams. However, just as the Terriers beat Harvard 5-2 and Northeastern 6-3, they also lost to Sacred Heart 4-0 on home ice. Slip-ups like that could be devastating in the second half, and making deep runs in the Beanpot and Hockey East Championship will require the Terriers to play their best against dangerous teams for extended stretches. Once they find what works, they must prove they can replicate it night-in, night-out.

Gelling with new lines

Late in the first half, BU head coach Albie O’Connell showed a willingness to switch up his forward lines both before and during games to try to give his team a jolt of energy. While this adjustment could be challenging for any player that is used to playing with certain guys and then has to move into a different combination, the changes did pay off in the final few games of the semester. The Terriers will be looking to develop these new trios into 2020, and if a shake-up is necessary again, especially with the reintroduction of Logan Cockerill (injured) and Wilmer Skoog (recently acquired), BU will need to adapt once again.

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