By Sam Dykstra/DFP Staff
Offense: C+
Three goals are only slightly above what the Terriers have averaged in the 2010-11 season (2.91 goals per game entering Friday night), and their 27 shots on net are actually lower than their previous average of 30.4. What’s more, the quality of those shots weren’t all that great either; BU attempted only five Grade-A’s in both the first and third periods with their nine quality chances in the second being a severe outlier. All of that just screams a solid C, but the team earned the bump to up the plus side of the C range with two clutch goals (Max Nicastro’s bomb and Sahir Gill’s nifty tip) in the third period on just six shots on net. They’ve got to earn something for scoring when it was needed most.
Defense: C+
Again, there’s nothing in this category that would give anyone in scarlet and white the opportunity to scream praise from the mountaintops. Forty-one shots allowed ties for the team’s highest total since the end of January and also ties for the fifth-highest total this season.At times Friday night, Northeastern could easily set up camp and move the puck in the BU zone at will. Some of those situations left Kieran Millan high and dry, causing the junior netminder to make spectacular saves (more on that later) to keep the Huskies at bay. In a move opposite the offense however, the defense had its worst period in the third, allowing NU to put 17 total shots on net including nine from the Grade-A area. The only reasons the grade here stands at C+ is A) the defense did just enough to put BU in a position to win and B) there were times when the skate was on the other foot and it was the defensemen that had to swoop in to clear out loose pucks in front of Millan.
Goaltending: A-
If Millan wasn’t going to earn votes for First or Second Team All-Conference honors before Friday night, he certainly will now. The third-year goalie was called upon to make 39 saves in the winning effort, his 15th of the year and 61st of his career. On separate occasions, he had to do the splits, come out as far as the top of the faceoff circles and even took a hit to the groin, all in the name of keeping the puck out of the net. With his 39-save performance, Millan leapfrogged UNH goalie Matt DiGirolamo for second place in save percentage (.934) in conference-only games. Since the first day of the New Year, he has seen his GAA drop half a goal and his save percentage inflate 19 points.
Special Teams: C+
To lump the special teams into one category is too generous to the power-play unit and too damaging to the penalty kill, but we’ll do it anyways. The Terriers held the Huskies to an 0-for-8 effort on the power play but only went 1-for-8 themselves. Mind you, both goals in the third came on the special teams (Nicastro’s on the PP, Gill’s came short-handed), but aesthetically the Huskies definitely looked better than the Terriers with the man advantage, even if the results weren’t there, as it did a better job of cycling the puck in a given setup and actually getting pucks on net (the Huskies outshot the Terriers on the power play 10-8).
X-Factor: Regrouping after the early hubbub in the third
After six penalties, including two game misconducts, were assessed in the first 7:26 of the third, it was easy to think that the rest of Friday night’s game would resemble more of a WWF wrestling special circa the late 1990’s than an actual hockey game. But give the Terriers credit for calming themselves down and performing at the level that’s putting them in contention for the second seed in Hockey East and an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. However, there was still some emotion that spilled over into the handshake line following the final horn so don’t be surprised if both teams come out just as aggressive and/or jumpy Saturday evening at Agganis.
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