By Scott McLaughlin/DFP Staff
It wasn’t easy for the No. 14 Boston University men’s hockey team to get over its 3-2 overtime loss to No. 1 Boston College on Monday night. But according to coach Jack Parker, the Terriers look like they’ve moved on.
“I think practices have been really good,” Parker said Thursday afternoon. “We were absolutely devastated Monday night — down, pissed off, whatever terms you want to use. Some guys more pissed off, some guys more down. They had the day off to lick their wounds on Tuesday and they were back ready to go to work on Wednesday. I thought they did a real good job Wednesday and today.”
Junior co-captain Chris Connolly said the key to getting over the loss was to let it sink in first before turning the page.
“We expected that,” Connolly said of the anger and disappointment in the locker room Monday night. “We said, ‘Let it hurt tonight.’ Obviously that’s a big game we look forward to every year and that’s something we really want to win every single year, so it’s going to hurt for the rest of the night for sure.
“But you can’t change it and there’s nothing you can do about it now. … That’s over and done with, so we’re just focusing on Friday now.”
And with Friday comes a trip to Amherst and a 7:30 p.m. faceoff against the University of Massachusetts. The Terriers (13-8-7, 10-5-5 Hockey East) and Minutemen (6-15-4, 5-10-4 HE) played a pair of close games back in October.
UMass overcame a two-goal third-period deficit to force a 2-2 tie at Agganis Arena in the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 16. The following weekend, freshman forward Sahir Gill sealed a 4-3 win for BU at Mullins Center by scoring with 1:37 left in the game.
The Minutemen, who started the season 0-6-3, appeared to be turning a corner when they won three straight from Nov. 23 to Dec. 4. But they’ve gone just 3-9-1 since and are coming off their worst weekend of the season.
UMass lost 5-0 to BC last Friday and the Eagles outshot them 43-16 in the game. Saturday night was even worse for the Minutemen. They lost 11-2 at No. 11 Merrimack College, putting them on the wrong side of the biggest blowout in Hockey East this season.
Don’t expect the Terriers to take them lightly, though.
“They’re a very fast team, a very good skating team,” Connolly said. “It’s always tough to play there, so we’re expecting their best. They’re coming off a tough loss at Merrimack, so I know they’re going to be ready to play. They’re a team fighting for the playoffs, so we’re going to get their best and we have to be ready for it.”
UMass currently sits in seventh in the conference with 14 points, two ahead of eighth-place University of Vermont and three ahead of ninth-place Providence College.
BU, meanwhile, is tied for third with Merrimack at 25 points, although the Warriors have a game in hand. The Terriers are five points ahead of the University of Maine in the battle for the final home-ice spot. With seven league games left in the season, Parker knows his team needs to finish strong.
“We’ve got to put together a winning streak here and get a good number of these games to put ourselves in position for home-ice advantage and for the selection of the NCAA tournament,” Parker said.
“If we go 4-4, we’re not in good shape. We’ll have to do much better than that to get ourselves in a situation where we can get selected without having to win Hockey East, which I think we can do. You don’t want [winning Hockey East] to be your only route to the national tournament.”
Game notes
-Parker said he changed up all four forward lines this week to try and create a spark on offense. The top two lines have combined for just four goals in BU’s last six games. Parker is keeping the wing pairings the same on the top three lines while juggling the centers.
He also said junior Kevin Gilroy will replace sophomore Ryan Santana as the fourth-line right wing Friday night. Parker said Gilroy has been working hard and playing well in practice, and that he deserved to get into a game. See the bottom of the article for the complete new lines.
-Parker said sophomore right wing Alex Chiasson is dealing with a foot injury and might not be 100 percent Friday night, but that he is expected to play. He said another upside to putting Gilroy in the lineup is that he brings a little more skill in case Chiasson’s injury worsens and Gilroy has to fill in for him for part of the game.
-Parker said junior goalie Kieran Millan will start in net. Millan is 5-3-2 with a .939 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average since Jan. 2.
Lines
Chris Connolly – Charlie Coyle – Joe Pereira
Matt Nieto – Corey Trivino – Alex Chiasson
Ross Gaudet – Sahir Gill – Wade Megan
Justin Courtnall – Ben Rosen – Kevin Gilroy
Wow, Connolly said he expected to lose to BC. He can’t think much of Parker or his teammates. Way to be a leader Chris!
“We expected that,” Connolly said of the anger and disappointment in the locker room Monday night.
Learn how to read. He expected the anger and disappointment that followed the loss. He didn’t expect the loss itself. Nice try, troll.
We lost our only chance for a trophy this year and the team has “moved on”?
Parker has lost it. This team has no pride, no fight, and no desire. Time to blow this all up and start over.
You’re right. It would be much better if they didn’t pick themselves up and just threw in the towel for the rest of the season. Would that make you happy?
I wonder if Andrew Glass and his father were laughing at Parker after the Beanpot loss.
I am sure they were. Let’s just ask Andy I am sure he will comment on here anonymously soon enough
When did Sahir Gill get demoted to the 3rd line? Was this the result of his poor play in the Beanpot?
I predict he will be on the 4th line before the end of the season.
I’m pretty sure my article answers that. Parker juggled the centers to try and create a spark because the top two lines weren’t producing. Also, Gill has just one point in his last 12 games, so moving down on the depth chart might help take some pressure off him.
Thanks for the story, Scott. I feel like the Terriers started the season off well and became a little complacent. I remember overhearing some of the freshmen in the dining hall one night talking about how they were first in the nation (at that time). The way they were talking about their season, it was like it was already over and they had won the whole thing. Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is hopefully this loss will really spark something in them. I know we lost the Beanpot but they looked pretty good out there you had to admit compared to their other dismal games against BC this season. Combine their improved play with the anger of losing the Beanpot and I think we may have a recipe for vengeance. Only time will tell.
Let’s see if the team packs it in for the rest of the season since there’s nothing left to play for.
If Parker can’t get them up for the Beanpot against BC then he’s lost the team.
Great to see Ryan Santana finally benched. He is terrible.
On the other hand, letting Gilroy play is a sign of complete desperation.
Parker wishes he had Andrew Glass back at this point.
Love the Alex Chiasson injury story. Parker is now making excuses of why he lost to BC in the Beanpot.
First it was deflected goals now it’s injuries.
LOL – Parker has lost it!
Th referees took away a BC goal and gave us 4 minutes of PP time to end the 3rd period yet we still couldn’t win.
correct me if i’m wrong scott, but that first line of conno-coyle-pereira was together at the beginning of the season for a time, was it not?
same for nieto-trivino-chiasson, i believe
The season is over. Might as well try a bunch of trash lineups and see who deserves to be booted from the team next.
I think GW is right for once haha. I like giving Gilroy a game here. Santana hasn’t done much as of late and Courtnall and Rosen seem to make plays to stand out every game so it seems like the logical choice here.
Also I don’t think Parker is using Chiasson’s injury as an excuse troll. just you taking facts out of context and ending your post with “LOL Parker has lost it”. Come up with a new story. You harp on that line and the Glass issue over and over and it is never true nor relevant. Also stop posting anonymously while hating on BU. Be a man and give your name or at least who you are a fan of instead of being a little girl and posting anonymously.
I agree with the line change of Gilroy for Santana for now. I really like that 4th line, lots of energy, hustle and good skills too. Courtnall could use some power skating lessons, but he really ties hard and Rosen is quite a pleasant surprise at center, really doing a great job and also only being a forward and center for 3 months, not bad at faceoffs either. I’d like that line to get more time too. I think they have earned it.
Getting pretty tired of all the Glass men dissing on the boards. Guys, it’s over and done with, move on….