Schedule update; Zegras shines; 70-71 flashback

With St. Lawrence set to play on Thursday, BU will be the last D1 school to hit the ice, not counting those who have cancelled their entire seasons. The Terriers’ opening game now is scheduled for Jan. 8 at Agganis Arena, the front end of a home-and-home against Providence.

This will mark the first time a BU season has begun after the New Year since 1945-46 when BU resumed hockey following two seasons off during World War 2. Terriers had a 2-0-1 record in three games in Harry Cleverly’s first season behind the BU bench. He continued as head coach through the 1961-62 season and was succeeded by Jack Kelley.

Zegras shines for Team USA

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Where the extra Christmas cookies are hidden.#USAWJC | #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/gLYFi57ykM

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) December 27, 2020

Trevor Zegras scored twice and assisted on two more goals to lead Team USA to an 11-0 win over Austria in the World Junior Championships in Edmonton. Anaheim’s first-round draft pick 2019, Zegras earned U.S. player of the game honors, leads the team in scoring with five points (3G,2A) and is tied for second in tournament scoring.  He had also scored a goal in Team USA’s 5-3 loss to Russia.

After assisting on the only goal of the first period, Zegras scored twice in the middle period. In the final period, he set up BC’s Matthew Boldy for his third tally of the game.

● USA Hockey recap and box score

● Video Highlights

1970-71 flashback 12-28-70 BU 4 Providence 1

#1 ranked BU took its 6-0-1 record to the Boston Arena Christmas Tournament for a semi-final match-up against Providence. Terriers grabbed the lead just a minute into the game on Bob Gryp’s tally. However, the power forward’s night ended early. Late in the period, he and two Friars were ejected for fighting amid nine penalties for the two teams.

BU would extend the lead on a pair of goals by sophomore Ron Anderson and one from junior Guy Burrowes. Providence foiled what would have been a third consecutive shutout for goalie Tim Regan, scoring early in the third period.

In the tournament’s other semifinal, Notre Dame defeated Northeastern, also by a 4-1 margin, setting up a final BU-ND final and the first-ever meeting between the schools.

A 1970 Toronto draft pick, Gryp would become the first Terrier skater to suit up in an NHL game, making one start for the Bruins in the 1973-74 season. He and Anderson would be teammates the following season with both playing for AHL Richmond as well as the NHL Washington Caps: 27 NHL games for Gryp and 28 for Anderson.

Looking ahead

2021 recruit Brian Carrabes scored his fourth goal in Sioux City's 4-3 loss to Waterloo. He's tied for the Musketeers' scoring lead with six points in eight games.

70-71 flashback: Blanking The U; Freddy Meyer podcast interview

 1970-71 flashback  12-22-71 BU 6 Minnesota 0

After a 10-day layoff, the Terriers took on WCHA power Minnesota. Behind two goals apiece by Captain Steve Stirling and Bob Gryp, BU produced a decisive 6-0 defeat of the Gophers, the team it would face three months later in the national championship game. Junior netminder Tim Regan turned aside 23 shots to post his second consecutive shutout and his third in six starts, as BU improved to 6-0-1.

Stirling opened the scoring in the first period, slamming home a Toot Cahoon pass from behind the net. In the second period, Gryp scored twice in a 50-second span. The first came on a 45-foot slap shot from the left point that caromed off the Gopher goalie's stick. The second was a backhand finish in tight of a Wayne Gowing centering pass.

BU added three tallies in the third: Ron Anderson, assisted by Ric Jordan and Guy Burrowes; then Stirling's second on the power play from Jordan and Peter Thornton; and finally John Danby's power play goal from Stirling and Bob Brown. Danby's goal was his eighth, giving him a team high 20 points in seven games.

Stirling's Terrier Takeaway:

I remember the game and the score but do not remember scoring but thanks for the nice reminder. I do remember that the game vs Minnesota was just before our Christmas break and our opponent was flying out the next day to Switzerland (for an exhibition game). I knew, from talking to some of their players, that many of them had their skis and were going to find time during the trip to “hit the slopes.” The score may have been more of an indication that The U was looking ahead to the trip (because they had a good team) and was more than likely not fully focused on hockey.

Stirling would go on to record one of the best seasons ever by a Terrier, leading the team in scoring with a 27-43-70 line and earning first-team All-American honors. He was named MVP of the Beanpot and first-team All-ECAC. BU awarded him the
Gordon "Mickey" Cochrane Award as the University's top athlete and he shared the E. Ray Speare Award  (for top scholar-athlete) with Richie Taylor.

 

Looking ahead

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A look at Wilmer's beauty to knot things up late in the second. #USAvsDBQ pic.twitter.com/n8g5r4zTs3

— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) December 19, 2020

2021 recruit Jeremy Wilmer scored his third goal in the past four games, and added an assist but the NTDP 18Us fell to Dubuque, 6-5 on a late goal. Wilmer led the U18s with five shots on goal.

● USA Hockey recap and box score

Looking back

Patrick Harper scored his fifth goal in four games as ECHL Florida thumped Greenville, 5-1. Harper, who also picked up an assist, leads the league in scoring with a 5-1-6 line in four games. Three other former Terriers are rostered in the ECHL: JJ Pichinic (Orlando), Gabe Chabot (Rapid City) and Matt Lane (Tulsa). 

● FloridaEverblades.com recap

 

NEHJ’s “Rink Shrinks” podcast features an interview with former Terrier captain, All-American and NHL defenseman Freddy Meyer. Newly named head coach at The Rivers School—succeeding Shawn McEachern—Meyers talks about his career, beating the odds, self-promoting and the prep community’s spirit. The interviewers are two former Hockey East defensemen whose college careers overlapped Meyer’s: Mike Mottau (BC) and Brian Yandle (UNH). Podcast link

Meyer is one of four Terriers serving as a New England prep head coach, joining his former teammate Carl Corazzini (St. Mark’s), Tony Amonte (Thayer) and Dan Donato (Dexter).

At BU, Meyer scored 72 points (17G, 55A) over four seasons with three NCAA tournament appearances. He captained the Terriers as a senior in 2002-03 and earned first team All-American honors. Undrafted, he would go one to play 281 NHL games, primarily with the Flyers and Islanders. After a season playing in Sweden, Meyer became an assistant coach at AHL Manchester, followed by seven seasons as head coach of the EHL East Coast Wizards.

● Elite Prospects page