Monday, January 09, 2023

Links, Tweet & Polls UPDATED

 

Wilmer Skoog, Jeremy Wilmer and Lane Hutson all were named to Hockey East's Weekly Top Performers list. Skoog had a pair of goals in the 5-1 win against Air Force. Wilmer had four primary assists in the two tournament games, while Hutson recorded one helper in each contest.

 

 Poll Story

After a win and a loss in the Desert Classic, BU slipped one spot, from #6 to #7 in both the USCHO Weekly Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, switching places with idle Michigan. Quinnipiac, which defeated Harvard, 4-1, took over the #1 spot from Minnesota, which split its series with #3 St. Cloud. Everything College Hockey's poll also slotted the Terriers at #7.

Immediately following Saturday’s loss, the Terriers dropped to #10 in the PairWise rankings, but following Harvard’s and Merrimack’s losses, BU finished the weekend at #8.

 

SNL (Saturday Night Leftovers)

If you hadn’t see it before, here’s a link to highlights of Saturday’s championship game, courtesy of Michigan Tech. (If you go to settings and slow the speed, you can follow the crazy path of Devin Kaplan’s off-a-stick-and-off-a-pad goal in the third period.

►EP Rinkside reported on the top performers at The Desert Classic, including Wilmer Skoog:

A forward who always seems to be around the net, Skoog scored a couple of early goals for the Terriers in Game 1, both off wrists shots around the slot. He posted six shots on goal in that game – all at 5-on-5 – and very easily could have scored one or two more. He uses his skill to open things up for himself and his linemates, and that results in a heavy advantage for the Terriers against most opponents. Skoog was on the ice for four of BU's six non-empty-net goals this weekend, which is not a coincidence.

►Dom Fensore’s seven-game point streak ended in the 5-1 win against Air Force.

 

Among the Terrier alums seen at the Desert Hockey Classic were Mike Eruzione, Bob Barich, Gary Fay, Ryan Weston and Ken Rausch. Fay, a diminutive defensemen (smaller than Dom Fensore and Lane Hutson) on four BU Frozen Four teams in the 1970s, put up big numbers—102 career points. He later was an assistant coach at Northeastern.

Rausch was an unrecruited walk-on in the same large 1991 freshman class as Rich Brennan, Derek Herlofsky, JP McKersie, Steve Thornton, Mike Prendergast and Mike Pomichter. By his junior season, he was taking a regular shift at forward and as a senior he had 12-12-24 line in 37 games. Rausch scored two goals in the championship game of the Mariucci Classic including the overtime game-winner against Minnesota (video). 

Later, Rausch led BU to the 1995 Beanpot Championship (5-1 vs. BC), scoring a short-hander to open the scoring and then scoring on a breakaway, to earn the tournament MVP Award. The game is also remembered for Mike Grier’s devastating hit (video) on the Eagles’ Greg Callahan. It was also the final Beanpot at the Old Garden with BU’s Matt Wright scoring the last Beanpot goal there.

Following graduation, Rausch was an assistant coach at BU, Colby, Niagara and for seven at UMass Lowell. In 2009 he became director of Youth Hockey for USA Hockey, a position he held through 202.

● USA Hockey bio

● HockeyIQ Podcast--Kenny Rausch (@ 2:39, talks about walking on and finally cracking the line-up at Dartmouth)

►With host Arizona State losing the first night, there was no on-ice reunion for the Terriers with Robert Mastrosimone who had transferred to ASU where he is the top scorer. And there was a second missed on-ice reunion. BU freshman Lachlan Getz was a teammate of ASU goalie TJ Semptimphelter at The Lawrenceville School, which was the 2019-20 Trenton Times’ Team of the Year. Getz was Player of the Year. Semptimphelter played for Northeastern last year, losing to BU in the Beanpot Championship game, thanks to Vinny Duplessis’ sparkling 1-0 shutout performance.


Looking ahead

2024 recruit Jack Pridham scored his 16th goal and added an assist in St. Andrews College’s 4-3 overtime loss to Culver Academy in the championship game of the True Hockey Prep Cup in North Andover, Mass. The 6’2” right wing had three goals and two assists in the three-game tournament and now has a 16-19-35 line in 29 games for the Saints. New England Hockey Journal’s Evan Marinofsky, reporting on the event’s top performers, wrote:

Pridham was dominant in the third period, especially on his team’s two goals. His best play of the afternoon came on Veilleux’s goal. Pridham battled for the puck in the corner, dangled to the front of the net, dove and got a shot off. While the puck was stopped, Culver was entirely focused on Pridham, leaving Veilleux uncovered to deposit the rebound. Pridham’s goal was just as impressive. He took it himself through the neutral zone, cut middle at the top of the slot and fired a laser past the blocker of Tompkins. He also hit the post on a one-timer in overtime.

Pridham, who has signed his national letter of intent, was selected #26 overall in the 2022 USHL Entry Draft by Tri-City, but has committed to play for BCHL West Kelowna next season. His father, Brandon Pridham is assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

2023 recruit Michael LaStarza has been acquired by the BCHL Chilliwack Chief from USHL Sioux Falls. The 5’11” center from Montreal had a combined 44 points last season, playing for the Stampede and Waterloo, but struggled this year with just nine points in 23 games.

“Opportunities to add a player of Michael’s caliber don’t come around often. He is going to immediately help our team offensively. We look forward to helping Michael round out his game to continue to prepare for college. This is a really good day for our hockey club,” said Chilliwack Head Coach and General Manager Brian Maloney.

In his first game with the Chiefs, LaStarza assisted on the tying goal in a 4-3 comeback win.

● ChilliwackChiefs.net Chiefs acquire LaStarza

● Elite Prospects page

 

Looking back

Jake Oettinger stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Stars’ 5-1 win against Florida. Oettinger improved his record to 18-6-0 and lowered his GAA to 2.34. "Jake was excellent, he was our best player. The goalie gave us a chance to get our legs under us. " said coach Peter DeBoer.

● NHL.com Oettinger powers Stars to his 18th Win

Charlie Coyle scored his 10th goal and added an assist as the Bruins thumped the Ducks, 7-1. Matt Grzelcyk recorded a pair of assists for Boston and Trevor Zegras scored Anaheim’s only goal, his 12th of the year. 

Brady Tkachuk scored his 14th goal Saturday night, but his Senators were doubled up, 8-4, by the Kraken.


 

 

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