BU-BC: Game #234

Ready or not, Terriers, it's time for a weekend pair with the "team from up the block." For the record, BU leads the series, 118-100-15, as noted in the BU gamenotes. ...CSTV's Rink Rat Elliott Olshansky looks at the current edition of rivalry from the viewpoints of goalies John Curry and Cory Schneider ...The Free Press game preview focuses on the lingering nightmares from last April's NCAA regional final loss to BC. Revenge is a good motivator, unless it leads to dumb and uncessary penalties...The only televison coverage of Friday's game, which begins at 8 PM, is on CSTV, channel 610 for DirecTV subscribers. Saturday's game is on CN8, only in New England, and also available via the All-Access service and the CN8 Live Web site...Globe preview ...

Top Canadian prospect visiting BU this weekend.
Camrose Kodiaks center Mike Connelly, a top 2008 recruit prospect (see Nov. 9 blog post) who is expected to choose between BU and Wisconsin, is visiting Boston this weekend and will be at Agganis Arena for Saturday's game. Connolly has 14-15-29 in 27 games for the Kodiaks, the top-ranked Canadian Junior A team.

Laliberte to the AHL

John Laliberte's ECHL success in Trenton has earned him a professional tryout with the Worcester Sharks where he rejoins Dan Spang.

Alumni Update

John Laliberte, who leads the ECHL Trenton Titans in goals with ten and is among the top rookie scorers in the league. His success is reported in today's Trenton Times....Jakubs Redlihs, a Blue Jacket draft choice, has been promoted from the ECHL Dayton Gems to the AHL Syracuse Crunch. Redlihs played four games for the Crunch last Spring.

Catching up on the recruits

Defensman Colby Cohen had another game-wining goal for Lincoln (USHL) in the Stars' 4-3 win last Saturday. Through ten games, Cohen has 6 goals and 6 assists…Colin Wilson had the game-tying goal and an assist in the USNTDP U18s 2-2 comeback tie against Robert Morris University. Wilson is second in scoring on the U18s with 8-15-23. Fellow future Terrier Kevin Shattenkirk is the top-scoring defenseman at 5-10-15. The team’s starting line and defense pair all are headed to Hockey East. Besides the Terrier duo, winger James Van Riemsdyk is a UNH recruit, winger Jimmy Hayes is a BC (’08) recruit and Shattenkirk’s partner Joey Lavin is headed to Providence. The U18s are in Maine for the weekend, facing off against Colby tonight and taking on Terry Meagher’s Bowdoin Polar Bears on Sunday. Meagher, a standout on three BU ECAC championship teams in the ‘70s, is in his 24th season at Bowdoin…2008 recruit Corey Trivino, who won’t be 17 until January, is the second leading scorer for Stouffville in the OPJHL. Trivino has recorded 10 goals and 20 assists in 26 games.

Hockey Talk on the Airwaves & Web

Longtime Terrier play-by-play announcer Bernie Corbett is co-hosting College Hockey on Campus, a weekly two-hour discussion and interview program. It airs Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m. (ET) on WZON (1510) in Boston. The program also is accessible on the Internet at www.1510thezone.com/campus/ . Bernie’s co-host is Paul McNamara.

Alumni in Action

Former Terrier star and 2nd team All-American Carl Corazzini is back in the NHL, recalled by the BlackHawks following his hattrick performance last Saturday for Norfolk/AHL. Corazzini, who had played 12 games for the Bruins in 2002-03, scoring two goals, made his BlackHawk debut on Wednesday, and tallied an assist, but Chicago lost, 4-1, to Calgary which received a goal from Tony Amonte... Dan Spang continues to thrive in Worcester, playing for the Sharks' AHL team. He recently participated in an online chat that brought some questions from Terrier fans…Shawn Bates, who tallied a pretty goal for the Islanders in their 4-2 win over Carolina this past week, and Rick DiPietro have begun a post-game ritual following wins. They're the last two Islanders to skate off the ice and leap into the air for some celebratory shoulder-to-shoulder (mild) impact. Coach Ted Nolan doesn't seem to mind...Reaching back a few years, John Bethel played three seasons at BU including the 77-78 national championship run before reaching the NHL with Winnipeg. Participatory hockey is still part of his life, except it’s roller hockey and he’s playing in the Nassau Street Hockey League in the Bahamas.

Friday Night with the Friars

BU-PC is tonight's game and game notes are up along with a link for gametracker and Webcasts (audio and video). According to the Free Press, Coach Parker has tweaked the lines again.
Lawrence Mac Arthur Ewing
Roche Higgins Gilroy
McGuirk Popko Weston
Cohen McCarthy Thomassian

Lawrence has yet to find the back of the net this season, Mac has gone a while without scoring and Boomer is just back. Terriers' scoring slump could be relieved if this trio finds some chemistry.

Once again Steve Smolinsky is not in the lineup. A few years ago, BU outbid Michigan State, Colorado College and a few Hockey East rivals for Smolinsky's commitment, following a standout performance in the Midget Nationals. He brought a reputation for outstanding speed and solid offensive skills. Why hasn't he earned more starts in his year-plus in the program? What's holding him back? Has he been willing to pay the price in the defensive end?

A golden blast from the past

Over the weekend, the USA Hockey site posted a 1980 Sports Illustrated article on the U.S. win over the Soviets in the Lake Placid Olympics. The article, by E.J. Swift, was posted to mark the election of Herb Brooks to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Descriptions of that magical evening 26 years ago never get old.

Looking for a W in Burlington

The Terriers will seek to build upon strong outtings, albeit ties, in the past two games, as they go on the road tonight to play Vermont at Burlington's Gutterson Fieldhouse. BU's last trip to UVM, in February, resulted in a pair of low-scoring ties. A pre-game article on the BU athletics site includes links to the radio Webcast and gametracker. The game will be broadcast on CN8 in New England and also is available as a free Webcast on the CN8 Live site. The Free Press also previews tonight games. Senior winger Kenny Roche's hattrick against New Hampshire earned him Hockey East co-player of the week honors.

Dogs and Cats have at it

BU travels to the Whitt tonight to play the University of New Hampshire which is coming off a sweep of Northeastern. The Wildcats are led by sophomore center Trevor Smith, an emerging star who is tied for the Hockey East scoring lead. The link to BU gamenotes, the CSTV gametracker and the Internet broadcast of the game is here. UNH game notes are at this link. The game will be broadcast on NHPTV and there is a free Webcast of tonight’s game on the New Hampshire Public TV Web site. An access link will appear on the homepage a few minutes before gametime.

Dave Hendrickson’s weekly Hockey East column on USCHO has been posted. He predicts a UNH win tonight, but see the Terriers bouncing back on Tuesday against Vermont. Comments from Jack Parker are featured in a CSTV column on expectations for traditional college hockey powers.

Q&A with Chris Drury

Leader of the red-hot Sabres interviewed by ESPN.

Recruit and Prospect Ratings

NHL Central Scouting has released its preliminary ratings of 2007 draft eligible players to watch. Those selected get either an A or B rating. Defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk (NTDP U18s) and Colby Cohen (Lincoln Stars) both received A ratings, while forward Nick Bonino (Avon Old Farms) had a B rating. Colin Wilson has a late birthdate and is not eligible for the 2007 draft.

Among some of the prospects BU is pursuing, Salisbury forward Paul Carey received an A rating and Nobles winger Andrew Glass received a B rating.

Cohen has been thriving since leaving the NTDP U18s and joining the USHL Lincoln Stars. He has scored 4 goals in his first four games, including a hattrick (plus an assist) this past weekend in a 7-5 win.

Shattenkirk and Wilson are in Sweden this week as the U18s participate in the 4 Nations Tournament. Through 16 games Wilson is 2nd in team scoring and Shattenkirk is 4th. The team, now 12-4, recently swept a pair of games in upstate New York, beating Clarkson and SUNYPlattsburgh.

Boomer is back

Today's Daily Free Press reports Boomer Ewing will return to the lineup for tomorrow night’s game against UNH. He’ll skate on the first line with Peter MacArthur and Matt Gilroy. Brandon Yip’s return from a serious shoulder separation is targeted for the Dartmouth holiday tournament.

The Free Press also took a look this week at freshman Luke Popko, whom server observer felt was the best Terrier on the ice in the 2-2 OT tie against Maine last Saturday.

Recruiting update

USHR reports that BU and Wisconsin are the finalists for Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) talented rookie center Mike Connolly, a 5-11 left shot who is currently tied for second on his team in scoring. Camrose is the top-ranked Junior A team in Canada

Last year, Connolly captained the Calgary AAA Buffalos to the AMHL title and into the Telus Cup tournament (Canada’s national midget championship) where he was named Most Valuable Player. BU freshman Eric Gryba was named top defenseman in the 2005 Telus Cup.

Darren Rommerdahl, Connolly’s AAA coach says: "In my opinion though, he was the best player in this league without a doubt. His strengths are puck handling, speed, smartness with puck, ability to find open men and he competes very hard. His is solid in both ends of the rink and hits guys hard! His best attribute is his competitiveness. I have coached many good players and he might be the best I have ever had at the same age.”

Last month, the Alberta Hockey Now site profiled Connolly, who also has been mentioned in Paul Shaheen's Research on Ice newsletter.

During the past two weeks, two of Connolly's Camrose teammates, Chris Barton and Karl Stollery, have committed to Merrimack, and another teammate, Joe Colborne, is being pursued by several Ivies. Perhaps those cold Canadian winds blowing off the prairie will continue to reach the East coast.