Freshman wing Patrick Harper, who scored a goal and assisted on two
others in the third period of BU’s 4-2 win over Michigan on Saturday has been
named the Hockey East Pro
Ambitions Rookie of the Week Award.
It's his second weekly award, having earned Player of the Week in early October. Sophomore Jordan Greenway, who also had a goal and two assists, was
selected for the weekly top performers list.
Following their weekend split with Michigan, the Terriers dropped a notch
to #5 in the USCHO
weekly rankings. BU remained at #4
in the USA Today/USA
Hockey Magazine poll. Denver is now #1 in both polls and Hockey East has
four teams in the top 10 of both polls. John Buccigrass’s
rankings slot BU at #5.
Terrier Takeaway
THFB contributor Neal Boudette was among the BU fans who attended the
two–game series against Michigan. He offers these thoughts on Saturday’s win
for the Terrier Takeaway:
What a difference 24 hours make.
On Friday, the Terriers were shut
out by the Michigan Wolverines 4-0, a frustrating game in which BU attempted
twice as many shots as Michigan but was knocked off
balance by the home team’s hard, physical play.
On Saturday, after a tough first
period, BU bounced back in the second and thoroughly dominated the third in a
4-2 victory.
Here are some observations on just a few of the
players who made a difference:
Curry and Chabot. Both
were very strong contributors and both do a lot of little things that influence
play but are rarely noticed. Curry won 5 of 11 faceoffs and a couple of his
clean wins came in critical situations in the D-zone and on
the penalty kill – those were big.
Chabot was hard on the forecheck
all night. He’s not big but he’s fearless and tenacious. He didn't get to the
puck but regularly caused the Michigan D to get rid of it sooner than they
wanted, and it ended up going right back to the BU D in the neutral zone.
Thanks Gabe!
That’s a play that quietly tilts
the game. If Michigan has possession, they have the opportunity to get a
scoring chance. If they cough it up, it’s BU that goes on offense. Time after
time, Chabot turned a Michigan offensive opportunity into a BU offensive
opportunity.
Curry’s forechecking likewise
created havoc in the Michigan zone. He also was very strong in the D zone, and
wasn’t intimidated by Michigan’s physical play.
At 20 years of age, both players
are older freshmen. They were recruited to bring grit and mental toughness –
just what BU needs to prevail in games like this, on the road, against a fired
up opponent.
McAvoy. He was
almost like a man playing against teenagers, even though he's still a teenager
himself. He deftly handled the puck at the offensive blueline, rushed
the puck, started the breakout with clean passes. His goal was a thing of
beauty - a designed backside play that required having three players on the
same page to execute (Greenway and Harper were the other two).
Hickey. While
McAvoy’s play stood out, the D who really impressed me was Hickey. He was rock-solid defending against the rush. His form in skating
backwards and managing the gap is textbook, never crossing over, keeping
himself balanced so he could move laterally or poke the puck without lunging, and
time after time angling the Michigan puck carrier to the corner.
Greenway. Beast.
What else is there to say? The Michigan fans sitting a row behind me were
grumbling all through the second and third period that they couldn't get the
puck from him. "Hit him! C'mon!" As if the problem was Michigan
effort and not the fact Greenway is 6'5" 230 lbs. He fed McAvoy for the
second goal, and then killed Michigan by scoring the game-winner from the slot,
cashing
in the rebound of JFK’s initial shot.
Michigan’s frustration with their
inability to take the puck from Greenway spilled over when Michigan’s Brendan
Warren finally just slashed the stick from Jordan’s hands late in the third.
That forced Michigan to play 2:00 of the final 3:30 a man down – at a time when
they desperately needed to score. The penalty all but ended Michigan’s hopes,
sending the hometown fans to the exits.
JFK.
Speaking of this guy…talk about a player who quietly influences the game. The
score sheet says he only earned a lone assist, but he seemed to be starting
every rush when he was on the ice, or creating at least one or two chances on
every trip into the offensive zone. He also won 19 of 34 draws over the
weekend.
Oettinger. The
first shot of the game beat him and at times in the first period seemed less
than sure handed controlling rebounds and loose pucks. But he looked better and
better as the game wore on. By the 3rd, Michigan fans were noting that Boston’s goalie is pretty good. Yeah, you could say that.
Random thoughts:
The fourth line made a few appearances in the first, with Diffley and
Switzer on the wings. Quinn clearly wanted to leave Ann Arbor with a split and went with three lines for most of the
second and all of the third. It paid off. BU’s high skill level took over the
game. Michigan tired as it chased the puck and
BU just moved it around the offensive zone - not unlike when my cat chases the
laser pointer and finally decides to just sit and watch.
If anyone had a clock on
possession in the third period, I’d like to see it. I’m guessing it was a wide,
wide margin in favor of the Terriers.
Curry got something of a thrill
after the game. He was talking with his parents after the game when a girl in a
BU jersey asked him for an autograph. His mother and father beamed at their
son's moment of celebrity.
The game was practically a USA
NTDP reunion. Each team has eight players from the national development
program, now headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan 12 miles east of Ann Arbor.
Terriers who played for NTDP are: Greenway, Olsson, McAvoy, MacLeod, Oettinger,
Keller, Bellows and Krys.
Despite the outcome of Friday's
game, BU coaches felt fairly confident on Saturday morning. Video review
revealed the Terriers had been effective at times. They attempted more than 70
shots -- twice as many as Michigan.
2017 recruit Cam Crotty scored the game-winning goal in Brockville’s 4-1
win over Carleton Place in CCHL action. It was the 6-2 defenseman’s second
goal of the season.
2017 recruit and Michigan native Logan Cockerill talks about his NTDP
experience with USA Hockey.
Women’s Team
Junior Victoria Bach, who scored her second career hat trick against
Maine, was named to Hockey East’s weekly top performers list.
● Daily Free Press review
of weekend split with Maine
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