By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff
Offense – B-
BC netminder John Muse was the game’s No. 1 star, and the junior earned it by turning away 30 of BU’s 31 shots. While the Terriers committed more than a handful of turnovers in the offensive zone, they also created 20 grade-A chances in front of the net and forced Muse to play at his highest level for 60 minutes. Junior Nick Bonino was the unquestionable catalyst for the BU offense, registering eight shots and contributing BU’s lone goal on a self-created chance from the left corner of the BC zone. After turning over the puck far too often Friday against Vermont, Bonino picked up his game and played like a legitimate first-line center and playmaker against BC.
Defense – C-
Juniors Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk were each minus-3 Saturday night, and for the most part, the pairing earned the rating with poor positioning and decision making. The Terriers suffered with positioning throughout the third period, and if sophomore Kieran Millan hadn’t played at or near the top of his game throughout the night, BC could have won this game by an even wider margin. Parker did offer rave reviews for the pairing of senior Eric Gryba and sophomore David Warsofsky after the game.
Goaltending – B+
The last time Kieran Millan took the ice, he allowed five goals to Harvard University in a very poor outing. Despite allowing four goals tonight against BC, the improvement in Millan’s positioning and technique were very noticeable. The Edmonton, Alberta native exhibited strong rebound control throughout the game, and was beaten more by bad breaks and BU’s defensive breakdowns –– not by his own game.
Special Teams – B
The good news is the BU power play took 10 shots on five opportunities generated by tape-to-tape passing to set up bombers C. Cohen and Warsofsky with a number of chances from the point. BU seemingly fired at will, especially on a 5-on-3 in the second period, but –– and this brings us to the bad news –– the power-play unit was a lousy 0-for-5 on the night. A lot of that can be credited to Muse’s play in net and a strong shot-blocking performance by the BC penalty kill, but the Terriers are struggling to turn a swift and creative passing game into a power-play unit that creates scoring chances down low. BU did kill off all six of BC’s power plays.
X-Factor – John Muse
Muse’s play has been lauded plenty in the previous paragraphs, but the BC goalie had what could be a breakout game after struggling with an .873 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average in his first nine starts.
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