Tonight's Lineup & Game Notes

BU-Lowell Game Notes are now available along with links to the audio Webcast, the CSTV All-Access video Webcast and the CSTV gametracker. The Daily Free Press preview article indicates a change in tonight's lineup. Matt Gilroy, pressed into service at forward following injuries to Bryan Ewing and Brandon Yip, moves up to the White Line with Chris Higgins and Jason Lawrence, while Ryan Weston is reunited with Brian McGuirk and John McCarthy on the Orange Line. The first and fourth lines remain intact as do the defensive pairings.

Gilroy brings good offensive skills to the second line, similar to Yips. And, like Yip, he can move over to the point on powerplays with Popko centering the second powerplay unit, as he did last weekend.

Dan McGoff, who entered the lineup as Brian Strait's partner, was effective moving the puck out of the zone against Merrimack and seemed to hold his own
when the Warriors were on the attack. He and Strait even spent some time on the powerplay. McGoff came to BU with a strong reputation. Circumstances have worked against him his first two year. Now presented with an opportunity, we'll see how he responds.

Recruit controversy update

USHR reports that Colby Cohen was claimed yesterday by the Lincoln Stars and will be in uniform for the Stars' game against Tri-City tonight...Also on the recruiting front, a 2008 defenseman BU had been recruiting, 6-3 Tommy Cross of Westminster, has committed to BC. Providence and several Ivies also were in the mix for the Simsbury, Connecticut, native who recently was named to join the NTDP U18 for their upcoming tournament in Sweden. He replaces Cohen on the roster.

Recruit controversy

BU 2007 recruit defenseman Colby Cohen reportedly has left the NTDP U18 program and is seeking to relocate to a USHL team. The story has been reported for several days on USHR, a subscription site.

It appears Cohen, who was among the U18s’ top scorers earlier this year and had a strong Select 17 tournament during the summer, was not happy about his icetime. The USHR reports say BU wanted him to stay with the NTDP and had persuaded him not to leave the program last Spring. The report also indicates friction between Cohen and some of his teammates.

In a hockeyfuture.com article we’d previously referenced, U18 coach Ron Rolston praised Cohen’s ability, but questioned his decision-making. Another defenseman on the squad, Dave Kolamaitis, who had been a UNH recruit, left the team during the summer for the OHL. Two seasons ago, two players (Mike Stuart and Chris Cahill) left the Rolston-coached U18 team in midseason. USHR also reports that Cohen still plans to play at BU next season. We’ll report further on this matter as more facts become available.

Best Walk-on??

A thread on the USCHO messageboard asks about each school’s top walk-on players. Several Terriers come to mind, beginning with current goalie John Curry and the versatile Matt Gilroy. Matt Radoslovich was a rare unrecruited walk-on who made the team and was an important contributor. Others include Ken Rausch, a member of the 1995 NCAA title team, Mike Grier, also on the 94-95 squad and an All-American, and Doug Friedman, who captained the Terriers in 93-94 and later had a cup of coffee in the NHL. Keith Emery was a walk-on defenseman who had a few solid season on the BU blueline. Are we missing any who were major contributors. Who were your own favorites and why?

Linkorama

New England Hockey Journal named BU Captain Sean Sullivan its HE Player of the Week for his efforts against Northeastern and RPI....INCH, Hockey East Online and The Boston Globe have issued previews of this weekend’s games...This article is a week or so old but an interesting take on Jakubs Redlihs who is holding down a blueline spot for the Dayton Bombers, who recently acquired Justin Maiser...We’ve reported on most of the graduates from last season’s team. Dan Spang is in Worcester, Brad Zancanaro is playing for Albany, John Lalberte is in Trenton (with Mike Pandolfo and Greg Johnson). Vandy is playing in Omaha. Now we’ve located Jakubs Redlihs who is holding down a blueline spot for the Dayton Bombers, who recently acquired Justin Maiser.

CSTV All-Access Service Begins Tonight

We've just learned that the CSTV-All Access service will be available for BU home games, begininning with tonight's game. This is a pay-per-view Webcast using the video feed from the Agganis Arena scoreboard and the audio from the game broadcast by Bernie Corbett and Tom Ryan. Last year, it was possible to view the games live or later as an archive. Cost last year was $5 per game. Details for signing up are expected to appear on the BU athletics Web site this afternoon.

Games On

BU’s first two-game weekend features tonight's home opener against Northeastern and tomorrow's visit to Merrimack’s Volpe Arena. Will John Curry be between the pipes both nights or will Karson Gillespie or Brett Bennett get a start? ….USCHO Correspondent Dave Hendrickson’s information-laden This Week In Hockey East column has returned. Dave predicts a pair of Terrier wins this weekend. Will he be a prophet or the kiss-of-death?.... The BU athletics Web site game notes are not yet posted, but should be available later today.…The NTDP U-18s won another game against NCAA competition, edging Michigan State 5-4, Thursday night. Colin Wilson and Colby Cohen recorded assists. The U18s recently took both Michigan and BC to overtime before losing.

Gordie—The Movie

Ready for another hockey movie? David Kelley, Mike Illitch, the Baldwins (Howard and Karen, not Alec and Billy) and the Howe family think so. They’ll collaborate on a film about the WHA’s second season, 1973-74, when 44 year old Gordie came out of retirement to join sons Mark and Marty on the Houston Aeros. David Kelley, of course, is the son of former BU coach Jack Kelley, and the award-winning writer director whose credits include Ally McBeal, The Practice and Mystery Alaska. Howard Baldwin was the original owner of the New England Whalers when Jack was coach and general manager, and later owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins with the elder Kelley serving as team president.

So, who will play the role of NHL Hall of Famer Howe? Bobby Hanson, who portrayed David Silk in Miracle? Too young. BU All-American Mike Hyndman, who played Cornell’s Francois LaFleur in Love Story and punched out Ryan O’Neal? Too old. How about MacGyver—Richard Dean Anderson? He’s about the right age and still plays in charity hockey games.

One more BU connection here is Travis Howe, Gordie’s grandson, who heads the East Coast Selects program and has coached future Terriers Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen and Corey Trivino.

Linkorama

INCH has posted its weekly Hockey East notebook….New England Hockey Journal looks at two goalies from opposite ends of Comm. Ave—BU’s John Curry and BC’s Cory Schneider....Hockeysfuture.com has posted an article about members of the NTDP U18 team who are eligible for the 2007 NHL draft. Player descriptions are from their coach, Ron Rolston. While Colin Wilson has a late birthday and isn’t eligible next Spring, Rolston also offers some thoughts on Colin and also BC recruit Jimmy Hayes, who also has a late birthday....If you plan to follow Friday’s home opener against Northeastern on the radio or via the Webcast, CSTV’s gametracker will be available. There is a link on the CSTV College Hockey homepage and, later this week, a link will appear on the BU Athletics homepage....In an Oct. 17 post, The Western College Hockey blog offered an interesting look at the Alaska rivalry between UA-Anchorage and UA-Fairbanks. Coach Parker noted in his podcast interview that a trip to Alaska was on next season’s schedule and Scarlet informs us that the trip is for games with each of the UA teams, rather than a season-opening tournament....Jay Pandolfo scored his first goal of the season last night, putting him just half a dozen behind NHL goalscoring leader Chris Drury. Devil’s announcer Mike Emrick pointed out that in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Jay has the lowest ratio of penalty minutes to playoff games played. (There are stats for everything.) That’s quite impressive considering Jay and his partner John Madden are usually matched against their opponents best offensive players.

And then there were two

So much for the McConnell-Maiser reunion in Trenton. Brian was released yesterday and Justin was traded to the Dayton Gems. Johnson and Laliberte will have to muck on without them.

A Plethora of Penalties

Saturday night’s season-opening 4-4 tie with Renssalaer is examined by The Daily Free Press with a focus on the bushel of “dumb and undisciplined” penalties taken by the Terriers. BU is adopting a new approach to killing penalties this season and the RPI game provided ample opportunities to try it out. The Terriers were shorthanded 13 times, and killed 11 Engineer powerplays, including the entire first eight minutes of the second period....Prior to the RPI game, The Saratogian profiled junior forward Peter MacArthur, a native of upstate New York where he played for Northwood Prep.

“Podcast” Parker Previews 2006-2007 season

Jack Parker and Terrier radio announcer Bernie Corbett have teamed up for a 30-minute video preview of the new season. The interview, featuring highlights of last season and some pre-season practice video, can be seen as a podcast which is easily downloaded from the the BU athletics Web site. Click on the “subscribe link” and, if necessary, download the free itunes software.

Discussing the freshman class, Coach Parker compares the skill and flash of goalie Brett Bennett to that of Sean Fields and likens defenseman Brian Strait to Dan Spang, an All-American last season.

In addition to looking at the roles to be played by returning players and newcomers, Coach Parker discusses some of the out-of-conference games on the 2006-2007 schedule which includes trips to Michigan and Alaska (perhaps to open the season at the Nye Frontier Classic?--TBD) and the renewal of the BU-Cornell rivalry, beginning with a neutral ice matchup at Madison Square Garden the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The interview also reveals that, during the current season’s December 2 game against Boston College at Agganis Arena, BU will honor the 1976-1977 squad, captained by Mike Eruzione and Rick Meagher, whose seniors won four consecutive ECAC tournament championships.

Remember these Titans?

Justin Maiser and Brian McConnell were teammates for two seasons in the National Team Development Program and another two at BU. Brian stayed in school while Justin moved on to the WHL. Now, they’re back together as linemates on the ECHL Trenton Titans and the old chemistry remains strong. Maiser scored the game-winner in the Titans’ first exhibition game with a assist going to McConnell. Gregg Johnson and 2006 grad John Laliberte, who scored in each of the two exhibitions this past weekend, also are on the Titan’s roster. All four were Terrier teammates in 2002-03. The M. Pandolfo listed on the gamesheet is ex-Lowell forward Mark Pandolfo.

BU-RPI Game

Games notes and Webcast link.

The Road to Troy—Now and Then

With high expectations, the Terriers head West on the Mass Pike today to meet the Rensselaer Engineers, BU’s frequent season-opening opponent. The Daily Free Press provides a game preview that reveals some line shuffling. Coach Parker has reunited last year’s freshman line, and moved Eric Thomassian to the third line with Brian McGuirk and John McCarthy. Ryan Weston, who earned Parker’s praise for his effort in the exhibition game, moves to the offwing on the 4th line with rightwing Steve Smolinsky adding some speed to the checking unit. They’ll be centered by freshman Luke Popko, whom Parker has dubbed “our new Zanc.” The first unit remains intact. We’ll update this post when BU’s game notes are available.

Some of the message board discussion of Terrier fans’ choice of seats at RPI’s Houston Field House—either behind the goal at one end or beyond the goal line alongside the other end—recalls a memorable trip to Troy, for both fans and players, in 1971.

Student buses to home games and some away had been organized during the final season that BU called ancient Boston Arena home, and one road trip was to RPI’s sold out arena. Some 85-90 students, parents and Friends of BU Hockey members, sitting in the section beyond the goal line saw BU clinging to a 2-1 early second period lead but the Engineers were clearly controlling the play, Trying to change the momentum, the BU fans simply got louder and louder; their cheers soon were dominating the old converted dirigible hanger. The Terriers responded with goals from All-American defenseman Bob Brown and Toot Cahoon, and pulled away for a 7-2 win. Two of the goals came off the stick of Paul Giandomenico, who remembers the game well. “Our locker room was directly under the stands and when the RPI fans kicked the backs of the aluminum seats benches, the noise was deafening. [Coach Jack] Kelley couldn’t even speak to us between the periods because we couldn’t hear him with the noise resonating through the room. I also remember that it was the BU fans coming alive which gave us a huge emotional lift and helped us regain the momentum.”

Just before the student bus left the parking lot after the game, the hoarse crew of fans was startled by Coach Kelley climbing aboard the bus. They were further shocked when “The Mentor” informed them they had made the difference in the game were in large part responsible for the win. His words of thanks –and a stop for “refreshments”— made for a remarkably quick and happy return to Boston.

Friends’ Lounge Dedicated

During last weekend’s exhibition game at Agganis Arena, the Friends of BU Hockey Lounge was dedicated. Jack Parker marked the occasion by presenting Friends’ sweaters to original members Hank Freniere and Bill Leary. The 80th birthday of Jodi Sidd, widow of another Friends founder, Al Sidd, also was celebrated. Former coach Jack Kelley organized the Friends of BU Hockey in the early 1960s to build alumni and fan support for the hockey program. The organization was instrumental in the fundraising for Walter Brown Arena and remains at the forefront of the BU hockey community. The current president of The Friends is Paul Giandomenico, a member of both the 1971 and 1972 NCAA championship teams.

Future plans for the lounge include adding several plaques detailing the mission and early history of the Friends, as well a photo wall that will make the room a veritable Who’s Who of the BU Hockey program.

The dedication ceremony was well attended and among the former players on hand was a contingent of Canadian alums, including Fred “The Bear” Bassi, Mark Fennie, and Darrell Abbott. Coach Kelley was unable to attend the event, but plans to visit HAA for several games this season.

A pre-game meal is regularly served in the lounge for members of The Friends and beverages are available for them between the periods and after the game. Click here for information on Friends of BU Hockey activities and membership details.

Linkorama

Today, USA hockey's Web site takes a look at NTDP U17 Coach John Hynes, a one-time Terrier walk-on and now one of the bright young stars of coaching. The article discusses the impact on Hynes' career of his years as a player and volunteer assistant at BU. Hynes guided the development of current freshmen Brett Bennett, Luke Popko and Brian Strait for the past two seasons and led the U18s to the IIHF World Under-18 Championship last Spring.

INCH has introduced a Monday feature, First Shift, which provides a quick recap of the previous weekend’s college hockey activity….An ESPN.com feature ranks the ten “Ultimate Hockey Experiences in North America.” The Beanpot was rated third. First? The Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament....Coach Parker’s comments about Saturday’s 3-2 exhibition win over New Brunswick appeared in the Daily Free Press. Look for a new penalty-killing scheme this season. Parker acknowledged the team needs to work on the power play…Two more Hockey East season previews have appeared, one from the Boston Globe and the other from Dave Hendrickson and Scott Weighart of USCHO.

We’ve added a new entry to the sidebar list of recruiting links. This Web page tracks scoring totals for the NTDP U18 team. Through nine games, Colin Wilson is tied for the team scoring lead, while both Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen are among the top five. In the U18s 3-2 OT loss to Michigan this past Sunday, Wilson, who scored his sixth goal of the season, centered the first line between future Hockey East opponents Jimmy Hayes (BC) and James Van Riemsdyk (UNH).

TV Terriers

Eighteen regular season games will be televised this season. Eight of the games will be on Comcast’s CN8, which has replaced NESN as the carrier for BU’s own schedule of games. Those who don’t get CN8 can watch those games as Webcasts on the CN8 Live Web site. BU also will appear on NESN three times on the Hockey East regular season schedule and for Beanpot broadcasts. Two games will air on CSTV and single games will be on NHPTV (also a a Webcast), Cox Cable and WBAI.

For a full schedule, go to College Hockey on TV (link also found on this blog's sidebar), then choose BU in the team filter box and click on “Show all upcoming games.” A complete league television schedule is available on the HockeyEastonline.com site.

Recruiting News--A Pair of W's

In today's Research on Ice, Paul Shaheen reports:

"The USHL held its Futures Draft two days ago. The first overall pick? Ohio selected 2008 Boston College recruit Jimmy Hayes, a star forward with the US NTDP in Ann Arbor. Second was Cushing Academy defenseman and 2008 Boston University recruit David Warsofsky.

"We found it interesting that Omaha selected both Warsofsky (in round one) and Cushing's Matt White (Five Good Minutes, ROI July 11, 2006) in round three. Interesting in that White is being watched closely by coach Jack Parker and the Terriers. Could Warsofsky and White both follow in each other's footsteps--from Cushing to Omaha to Commonwealth Avenue?"

THFB reported on Sept.13 that White and Warsofsky's Cushing and GBL Jr. Bruins(AAA Midget) teammate, Ryan Bourque, had recently visited BU.

Results of the USHL futures draft. Nobles forward Andrew Glass who is being recruited by BU, BC and Harvard, was taken in the 10th round.

Freddy Flourishes in Philly

Most Terrier fans would admit being surprised that 5-10 Freddy Meyer has not only reached the NHL but also has established himself as a key Flyers blueliner, regularly seeing powerplay time. He's also become a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love. Yesterday, USA Hockey took a look at Freddy's success in an NTDP alumni feature.

Midnight Mania-- Part III

defkit's take on Midnight Mania on the players and the on-ice doings.

I reached WBA with the countdown at 30 seconds (I'd been on the ice in Marlboro at 11:05!)...timing is everything. I have to say that as I walked in off the street and could hear the roar of the crowd, it got my blood pumping in a way that HAA unfortunately will never be able to. But that's okay, we need HAA, and it is a phenomenal arena. But just for a night, it was great to be back in the old barn. You just can't compare the way the fans are right on top of the action. I was impressed with the size of the crowd. I was saying to myself that as the freshmen are skating onto the ice in this environment, they are saying to themselves..."this is why I chose BU, and I'm glad I did."
- Glad to hear only a slight hint of booing during Parkers remarks, and also glad to hear the cheering when he was done discussing the swearing.
- Bennett definitely is a crowd pleaser, pumping the arms, and diving for the finish line in the fastest goalie competition to try to make up ground on KG.
- I know it's just goofing around, but dang, the players on this team sure can dangle the puck around. The sophomore line on the 3-0 drills was sick.
- Higgins looks like he put on some muscle...a very good sign. (And still won the speedskating competition)
- I still can't believe what Lawrence did on the breakaway drills. First he did the Mike Legg scoop up and spin around throwing the puck at the net. Nice, but I've seen many guys do it. However, on his last breakaway, he took it to a whole new level. Once he has the puck scooped up, he lifted his stick so it was straight up in the air and flicked the stick back and forth (picture a lacrosse player flicking his stick, spinning it side to side) about 4 times before he finally lost control of the puck. Obviously, it wouldn't be legal in a game, but it was sick. Of course, that has nothing to do with how he'll be as a player, but it was pretty cool to watch.
- I watched Strait quite a bit, and thought he looked very good. Just a solid mix of skating, stickhandling, and passing.- Gryba looked like he can get that big frame moving.

Midnight Mania--Part II

In the first of two guest posts on Midnight Mania, Scarlet provides insights on the atmosphere and enthusiasm at the event. She also took this photo of four sophomores (L-R, Higgins, McCarthy, Gilroy and Lawrence) with Rhett.

I arrived at Walter Brown Arena 9 pm. My friends and I walked in and immediately went to our old seats. After sitting in them for about 10 minutes, the stroll down memory lane was over as we all realized how uncomfortable the benches were. Yes, the old barn has a lot of charm and some awesome memories, but sadly, not very comfortable seating. My friend Laura was emceeing the festivities so I was able to hang out with her down at ice level, on the bench. It was an interesting perspective.

The doors opened prior to 11pm and for about a half hour, there was a solid stream of students entering the building. The band was out in full force. I forgot how the sound bounces off the low ceiling. They were playing prior to everyone getting there and wow, loud. And good. The team was hanging out on the ice, not dressed yet. I would have liked to have gotten the reaction from the freshmen and sophomores, as I'm sure they didn't know what to expect.

Thirty seconds after Section 8 filled up, they all did their infamous Song, to Rough em Up. Nice. Not even here a full minute and they're already swearing, and right after a get together up in Case Gym with Dean Elmore and Mike Lynch. But wait! A student leans over to tell me they're saying "Puck em Up", not using the F-word. Sure, that makes it all better.

The music alternates between the band and the DJ. The students are all standing, chatting, chanting, just having fun. About 11:30, the games begin. Laura heads out on the ice with some students. She tries to explain the rules of the game about to be played, to no avail, no one can hear. Another thing I do not miss about WBA - the pretty lousy sound system. There was an electric car race, a Let's Make a Deal game (which gave me an opportunity to play Carol Merrill and display the envelope choices), an accurate shot game with these little teeny nets that I think the coaching staff should utilize to improve shot accuracy, and a Name That Tune game. During one of the breaks I chatted with Dan McGoff, pointed to Laura and told him that she was responsible for the very first Midnight Madness at Walter Brown. He was sufficiently impressed and proceeded to tell me he loves in WBA and wishes they still played there. So much for the $95 million palace on the next block.

The team was hanging out on the bench and definitely got a kick out of the goings on. They were particularly interested in signs some female fans were holding over in section 2. Ah, young lust. They were also confiscating most of the candy that Rhett was supposed to throw to the fans. "But I love Dots!!!" said Ryan Monaghan.

They were using the Zamboni entrance for the player entrance and there were red lights and a smoke machine - neither of which were used at prior Midnight Madnesses at WBA. Then, they lowered the lights and the team came out on the ice through all that-- pretty cool. The place was incredibly loud. The lights stayed off as the team lined up in front of the visitors bench. Jack skated out to say a few words. He touched upon the new swearing policy, amidst a few boos, then turned it over to Jim Prior for introductions. Again, a difference from previous MMs where the players lined up on the goal lines. And what would a Midnight Mania be without at least one incorrect player announcement? The more things change, the more they stay the same. This year it was Luke Popko.

Once that was all done, the lights came up, and the skating and passing drills began. I decided to walk around at this point and can't provide the best recap of the rest of the evening. Once the drills were over, the skills challenge began and the team had fun with it. Everyone got pumped for the start of the season, which Jack had to remind everyone was the exhibition on Saturday the 7th. I'm so glad they resurrected this event and held it at WBA. It definitely added to the festive atmosphere and brought back some great memories. But now, a new season begins and all is right in the world.

Does Spang Know the Way to San Jose?

Former BU defenseman Dan Spang, an All American his senior season, was recently sent to the AHL Worcester Sharks after a strong showing in San Jose training camp. So, his minor league career continues (he played briefly in Cleveland last spring) on the same ice, the DCU Center, where his college career ended.

But his stay in Worcester may be short-lived. Spang has already impressed Worcester coach Roy Sommer, who said in a hockeysfuture.com article: "“He’s got a lot of leadership qualities. He sees the ice real well, he’s got a lot of hockey sense, he plays a lot bigger than he is, can shoot a puck, run a power play. He’s going to log a lot of minutes here -- I’d be surprised if he was here all year. Some players you say might take a year or so to mature and be ready to play in the National Hockey League, but he’s a kid that I think is on the fast track to get there.”