Friday, January 28, 2022

Terrier Takeaways; Zegras wows again

Full video highlights of Tuesday's 6-4 win over UMass now have been posted.

Some takeways from Tuesday's win and the 8-1-1 post-Cornell run:

▪ Throughout the 10 games since the loss to Cornell, BU's most skilled forwards, finally healthy, are finding the net and setting up goals. And that has seen team confidence grow.

▪ As Albie O’Connell has pointed out, the increased buy-in to the team defense concept has led to the improved results with fewer goals allowed. One indicator of that buy-in is double-digits in blocked shots in nine of the last ten games—with 34 blocks in the two games against Arizona State’s high-powered offense. Another is the streak of 27 penalty kills, finally snapped by UMass.

▪ Since his return to the line-up and full health, Matt Brown’s skill and grittiness have revealed the dangerous weapon we expected him to be. Five goals and five assists in the last nine games. His goal on the rush and the power move setting up Robert Mastrosimone’s goal were equally impressive.

▪ Ethan Phillips who has been a hard-working forward always doing those little things, is emerging as an important contributor to the offense. The off-season work on his shot is paying dividends with three goals in two games since joining the first line.  Citing his “dynamic skating,” O’Connell says, “Whatever line he’s been on, he’s really helped.”

▪ Ty Gallagher, who has been effective on the blueline from the get-go, has improved on the defensive side of the puck without sacrificing his offensive instincts. His pinch along the boards set up Phillips’ goal and then he saved a goal with a sliding block in the third period.

▪ Along the goals from high skill guys Brown, Mastrosimone, Luke Tuch and Jay O’Brien, BU is consistently getting more secondary contributions to the offense. All nine of Max Kaufman’s points have come during post-Cornell games. Same with Logan Cockerill’s first three goals.

▪The team now is consistently starting games confidently playing fast and hard and, more often than not, getting on the board first. However, closing out games has frequently been a struggle with BU being heavily out-shot in the third period.  

 

                              Photo credit Allie Debe
► As reported here last Saturday, 6’4”, left-shot defenseman Jack Page has been added to the BU roster and will wear #19. The West Chester, Penn., native has spent the past two season with the NCDN New Jersey Rockets, generating 32 points in 57 regular-season games and earning a roster spot in the 2021 NCAA Prospects All-Star Game. He also helped the Rockets reach the 2021 NCDC title game.

In an interview for a USPHL news release, Page said, “The [BU] coaches really like my ability to skate, especially for a guy my size. They also liked my hockey IQ and felt that I could step in the second semester.”

● GoTerriers.com report

● USPHL press release



► With the first of two meetings against Providence set for 3 p.m. this Sunday, junior Jay O’Brien spoke with Brady Gardner for BU Today about the path that took him from being freshman Friar, into the transfer portal and onto the Agganis Arena ice. The first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2018 draft, is averaging nearly a point a game this season with a 5-8-13 scoring line in 14 games.

● BU Today Jay O’Brien embracing fresh start

 

Looking ahead

According to a New England Hockey Journal article, 2023 recruit Tim Busconi, a right-shot defenseman, has moved up from the Boston Advantage U18 team to the organization’s top level NCDC team. The Milton Mass native plans to spend the 2022-23 season in the USHL before arriving on Comm. Ave. in 2023.

Busconi’s coach, former RPI standout Eric Healy says, “He’s a very smart hockey player — he doesn’t try to do anything out of his wheelhouse. He’s just a good puck-moving defenseman; very good defensively, can run your power play, and he does it all very quietly. He’s not flashy but he does everything very, very well. We really think that he’ll be a good four-year player for BU — one that they can rely on.”

Looking back

Once again, Trevor Zegras had a eye popping with a lacrosse move—this time a goal in the Ducks’ 5-4 win against Montreal. Later in the game Zegras, who will participate in the Breakaway Challenge in the NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 4. also scored the eventual game-winner, his 12th goal of the season. Kevin Shattenkirk assisted on a pair of Anaheim tallies.

Brady Tkachuk has been added to the Atlantic Division roster for the NHL All-Star Game. He joins Clayton Keller as Terriers who will play next weekend in Las Vegas.


Brandon Yip will serve as captain of China's Olympic hockey team, joining Drew Commesso and David Warsofsky as Terriers headed to Beijing. Yip, a member of BU's 2009 national champions along with Warsofsky, played 174 NHL games and now skates for Kunlun in the KHL.  

While born in Canada, he is eligible to represent China under international rules because he has grandparents on both sides who were born in China.Team USA will face off against China in its first preliminary round game on Feb. 10.

● CastleGarNews.com Former NHL player to captain China's Olympic hockey team 

● AP News China finalizes Olympic roster



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