Did you guys think that you had a chance to come back entering the third?
“Yeah, definitely. We’ve never given up all year long. I think the goalie was making a few good saves and we knew that If we got one, that more would come. I think that’s what happened, we just knew that we had to stick to the game plan and things would turn our way. Just too little, too late.”
How good was it to get back on the score sheet?
“Obviously, it’s nice. I mean, I’d rather take a win than points, but I’m not going to complain.”
Matt Grzelcyk has been on a pretty good streak the last couple games. What do you think has been different about his play, at least offensively?
“I think he’s just getting the bounces now. He’s been great for us all year, he’s been a great captain for us. I just think that at the beginning of the year, some of his shots were getting blocked, they were off the post — this and that — and I think things are just starting to go his way and it’s good to see.”
How much do you think last night’s game contributed to the slow start today?
“I think we were ready, we just didn’t execute. We had a good first couple shifts, they got the first one and then we kind of got away from our gameplan and didn’t work as hard as we wanted to and the results obviously showed. We took way too many penalties and I think they had two or three power play goals. It’s been a trend as of late and it’s something that we need to stop doing.”
Down 3-0, [Quinn] called a timeout and pulled [junior goaltender Matt O’Connor.] What was the message in that timeout?
“I think just to get back. We knew we were not playing the way we wanted to. It wasn’t O’Connor’s fault at all. I think it was one of those things where we needed to figure it out, get back to our gameplan and we just needed a fresh start. We obviously weren’t playing the way that we’re capable of and we just tried to shake things up.”
I see a trend that bothers me … giving up bunches of goals to Sub-500 teams. Whether it’s a case of taking the initial lead and then giving it up, or getting behind by multiple goals and having to play catch-up, we need to solidify our defensive play. I do love that we’re so offensively productive and defensively stingy in the third period. Today, it was truly a case of too little, too late. Kudos to LaCouvee for an excellent performance in goal.
Glenn i agree completely! Complacency at its finest. They need to snap out of that mind frame. Very frustrating. We are so much better than this!
It’s really an intriguing “sports psychology” case: Why do our Terriers have a 54-17 shot margin in this season’s third periods? What is it that they do differently (in that third period) that they can’t seem to do in the first two periods? One possibility (of which there are many) is a physiological issue and not a psychological issue: Perhaps BU players are conditioned superiorly so that when it comes to the third period, what they have “left in the tank” is far more than what players of the other teams have?
That is an excellent observation Glenn! And it makes perfect sense! Have you ever been downstairs after a game? Most players are in the workout room on a bike or getting stretched out. Not for long but I’ve never seem anything like it.
So great point!
Thanks Allison! By the way, I meant to say a 54-17 goal margin (not shot margin). I haven’t seen the post-game workouts but I can believe it. I know we have an excellent conditioning coach and first-rate workout facilities for our athletes.