Sunday, November 30, 2014

Game Day: BU visits Dartmouth



Following yesterday’s victory over Colgate, the #1 Terriers bussed up to Hanover, N.H. for a 4 p.m. match-up with Dartmouth at Thompson Arena today. The Big Green have a 3-3-1 record that includes an overtime win over defending national champion Union and a 3-2 win yesterday over AIC.

Seniors Tyler Sikura and Eric Robinson lead the Big Green with eight points apiece in eight games.

Terriers hold a 44-31-2 lead in the all-time series with Dartmouth. Last January, BU dropped a 4-2 decision to Dartmouth at Agganis, but have won eight of the nine games that have been played at Thompson Arena.


Freshman Connor LaCouvee gets the start in goal for BU with the rest of the lineup expected to remain unchanged from yesterday.
 
The game can be heard on the Terrier Radio Network Webcast  and seen on the  Ivy League Digital Network Webcast (pay-per-view)
●  BU Game Notes
● Twitter: BU Game Day , BU Men's Hockey 

● Boston Hockey Blog live in-game blog   
DartmouthSports.com preview, Live Stats


Terrier Trivia (question presented on Episode 9 of Inside BU Hockey)
Q-Seven current Terriers have been drafted by NHL teams; eight counting medical red-shirt Sean Maguire and two freshman are certain to be selected next June. Who was the first Terrier to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft and the first to play in the NHL?

A-The answer is Bob Gryp, a power forward on BU’s 1971 and 1972 national championship teams who was drafted in 1970 by Toronto in the 4th round. After college, however, Gryp signed with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, enjoying two high-scoring seasons, before moving to the Washington organization. In two seasons with the Caps beginning in 1974, he scored 11 goals and 13 assists.

Looking back
Former BU All-American Colin Wilson’s fourth goal of the season was the game-winner as Nashville edged Columbus, 2-1.

Charlie Coyle picked up his ninth assist of the season in the Wild’s 3-2 shootout win over St. Louis.

Matt Nieto’s second goal of the season closed out the scoring in San Jose’s 6-4 win against Anaheim.





Garrett Noonan scored his fourth of the season on a power play for Milwaukee in a 5-4 loss to Charlotte.
  
Brandon Yip assisted on a pair of goals for AHL Norfolk, but the Admirals dropped a 4-3 decision to Lehigh Valley.

Sahir Gill’s fourth goal of the season was the game-winner for Wheeling as Coach Clark Donatelli’s Nailers beat Florida, 3-2.

Grant Rollheiser stopped 55 of 56 shots as the ECHL Brampton Beast defeated the Rapid City Rush, 2-1.

WIth four goals in the third, BU beats back Colgate



"It’s like déjà vu all over again"   Yogi Berra

Sluggish start, better second period, then third-period domination. That familiar scenario is the quick summary of BU’s 5-2 win against Colgate in yesterday’s late afternoon matinee at Agganis Arena.

Evan Rodrigues scored the game-winner and an insurance goal for BU

#1 ranked Terriers fell behind to the physical and hard-working Red Raiders on a first period backhander by Tyler Spink that beat Matt O’Connor high as Colgate out-shot BU 12-6. Early in the second with a man-advantage, BU knotted the score. Freshman Chase Phelps, joining the second power play unit, was stationed just outside the crease and rapped home a pass from senior assistant captain Cason Hohmann for his first collegiate goal.

The Terriers had the upper hand throughout the second period, but Colgate regained the lead on a late power play goal. After O’Connor made an initial save, Mike Panowyk knifed the rebound out of the air for his fourth goal.

Just 16 seconds into the third, Jack Eichel produced the equalizer racing through center ice and wristing home a shot from the left circle that kissed the post to goalie Charlie Finn’s glove side. On the goal, junior captain Matt Grzelcyk (photo) recorded the first of his three assists in the period. Midway through the third, senior assistant captain Evan Rodrigues completed BU’s second power play goal converting junior Ahti Oksanen’s centering pass in the high slot to give BU its first lead.

Terriers continued to press the attack and only a few sparkling saves by Finn kept the score close. Late in the period after Grzelcyk’s shot from the point was blocked, the puck was nudged forward to where Danny O’Regan had position on a defender outside the crease and the junior wing beat Finn for his eighth goal and extended his point scoring streak to 10 games. Rodrigues’ empty-netter in the final second produced the final tally.

Grzelcyk, who had “his best game of the year,” according to Coach David Quinn, earned first-star honors, while Eichel was the second star.

O'Regan's goal extended his scoring streak to 10 games during which he has six goals and eight assists.

O'Connor stopped 27 shots to earn his eighth win.

BU's face off performance continues to improve. Eichel won 13 of 26 draws, while Matt Lane won 8 of 16. 

►BU outshot Colgate in the third period, 13-10, but allowed the Raiders few grade A opportunities.
 
Terrier Takeaway Today’s entry from blog reader pmitch
1. Jack Eichel proved why he is an elite player.  His goal gave the team the momentum needed to rally and eventually win the game. His wrist shot was an absolute rocket - NHL-caliber all the way.

2. Another sluggish first period. This troubling tendency is going to rob them of some important wins, like it did in the recent Harvard game. Quality teams will exploit this defect. Coach Quinn and his staff have some motivational figuring to do.

3.  The high energy of seniors Cason Holmann and Evan Rodriguez sets an exemplary tone for the whole team.  They hustle in all three zones, and Rodrigues’ work ethic paid off with two goals.

4. Gotta love Brandon Hickey on the point. A great skater, he fires a low, hard, accurate shot from the point, which he is not hesitant about unleashing. No wonder he was such a heavily pursued recruit.


● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score
● Post-game comments: David Quinn, Rodrigues & Phelps
● Daily Free Press recap
● Boston Hockey Blog: Pluses & Minuses .
● USCHO recap
Boston Globe recap

CHECK BACK LATER FOR GAME DAY INFORMATION AS BU TAKES ON DARTMOUTH 

Looking ahead: Another productive night for future Terrier centers.

2015 recruit Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson followed up his hat trick on Wednesday with a goal and a pair of assists to lead Omaha past Tri-City, 4-2.  The right-shot forward from Stockholm has 10 points (6G, 4A) in his past five games and is second on the Lancers in scoring.

2015 recruit Max Letunov’s 11th goal of the season—and fourth in four games— late in the third period pulled Youngstown even with Muskegon. After a scoreless overtime, the Moscow native also scored in the shootout, but the Lumberjacks edged the Phantoms, 3-2.
Phantoms recap

2015 recruit Robert Carpenter assisted on Sioux City’s only goal in a 3-1 loss to Fargo.

2016 recruit Clayton Keller assisted on a pair of goals, including the game-winner as the NTDP U17s earned their first USHL win, 4-2, against Dubuque. Keller leads the U17s in scoring with a 14-18-32 line in 21 games.

Looking back

Thanks to the blog reader who pointed out this NHL Network Radio interview with former Terrier defenseman and current Chief Amateur Scout for Nashville, Jeff Kealty. A member of BU’s 1995 national championship team, Kealty is one of two ex-Terriers in the Predators’ front office, along with Assistant General Manager Paul Fenton.

Women’s Team


#5/6 Terriers doubled up Dartmouth, 4-2, in Hanover, N.H., in a Saturday afternoon game, raising their record to 10-3-2. BU scored twice in the first with senior captain Marie-Philip Poulin crashing the net to sweep in a rebound for her eighth goal of the season, followed by Lillian Braga’s first goal on a nice give-and-go with freshman Rebecca Leslie. In the second period Sara Lefort extended the lead, with her 11th of the season, a laser-quick wrist shot. Just a minute into the third, BU made it 4-0 on Poulin’s second of the game, coming on a power play. The Big Green countered with two third-period power play goals. Sophomore Victoria Hanson stopped 20 Dartmouth shots for the win.

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score
● Post-game comments: Coach Brian Durocher (audio)
●Valley News recap
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