Tuesday, December 19, 2023

UPDATED: "The Explainer," Hutson get an "A" for Team USA, Terriers lead Pairwise at the break

 

For the multitude of Terrier nation who follow the team via ESPN+ streams and BU All-Access audio, their experience is enhanced by one of the best broadcasting duos at any level of hockey.

(Photo: with BU's 2018 Hockey East championship trophy)

 

Bernie Corbett, who grew up going to BU games at Walter Brown Arena, has been the Voice of Terrier Hockey since the1985-86 season. He also has been the Voice of Harvard Football for more than two decades and is in his 10th season hosting Hockey on Campus on Sirius/XM’s NHL channel.

 

His sidekick since the 2016-17 season is Mark Linehan; the “explainer” who quickly and succinctly explains why the previous play, goal or save happened as it did. Usually, he must do the explaining during the brief period of a televised replay, pointing out factors that most viewers didn’t see the first time. Mark is the “why” to Bernie’s “what.”

 

What makes him so effective as a game analyst, Corbett points out, is “a combination of intelligence, inside knowledge of the game and a streetwise delivery. He can analyze and synthesize the situation quickly. Stays away from jargon and has an intrinsic ability to break down a play and convey why it happened without complication. He sees and explains everything that is going on, from adjustments made by coaches to line combination changes.”

 

“I really appreciate the way Mark references the offensive and defensive game-plan that both the Terriers and their opponents are using throughout a game,” says blog contributor defkit. ”He reminds me of Bob Norton who memorably alluded to the effectiveness of BU's one-man forecheck against Michigan's high-powered offense in the 1997 NCAA semi-final.

 

“Often throughout the game, Mark will identify the weakness in a strategy and how best to capitalize on it. And then, sure enough, BU will begin doing just that! It is clear he has experience in designing plays,” defkit adds.

 

And, to keep things not-too-intense, Linehan will toss out a few gentle zingers at the expense of his partner.

 

A three-sport Hall of Fame athlete at Boston Latin High School, Linehan graduated from the University of New Hampshire and went on to be an assistant hockey coach, first at Latin, and later at both UMass-Boston and North Adams State. He’s also a co-host of The Diehards sports talk show on SportsMap Radio Network.

 

Despite being a Wildcat, Linehan has longtime connections to BU. Following Boston Latin practices at Walter Brown Arena, he would stick around to watch Jack Parker running Terrier practices. His brother Gerry was a mentor to Jim Craig, and it was Mark who provided the two green shamrock stickers that adorned Craig’s mask during the 1980 Olympic Games.

 

 

Terriers are currently #2 in College Hockey News' Power Ranking behind Maine. BU also is #1 in strength of schedule. 

 

Roster news

This addition has not yet been made official by BU Athletics, but the news is on Twitter. We'll have more details next week.

 

Freshman Macklin Celebrini is tied for most points by a freshman (25) in Division 1 with Denver's Zeev Buium and BC's Gabe Perreault. The trio are now in Sweden to compete in the World Junior Championships. Celebrini for Team Canada, Buium and Perreault for Team USA. 

► World Junior Championships

 Image

Lane Hutson has been named an assistant captain for the U.S. Junior National Team. He's joined in the leadership group by the other four returnees from last year's team, including the captain, Michigan's Rutger McGroarty. 

Team USA will play two pre-tournament exhibition games: Friday against Sweden and Saturday against Canada. Saturday's game will air delayed on Sunday at Noon ET. 

UPDATE: ESPN+ will live stream US-Canada this Saturday at 12 pm ET.

● USA Hockey McGroarty named captain of U.S. Junior National Team

● USA Hockey World Junior Championships home page with game and broadcast schedule

 

Looking ahead

Brandon Svoboda scored a shorthanded goal to give Team USA a 1-0 lead Tuesday at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge 

2024 recruit Brandon Svoboda assisted on a pair of goals in Team USA’s 8-5 win over Sweden in the bronze medal game at the World Junior A Challenge. The San Jose draft pick finished the tournament with a 3-3-6 scoring line in six games. He's in his second season with the USHL Youngstown Phantoms.

2026 recruit Jay Feldberg scored a pair of goals and assisted on another as the Toronto Jr. Canadiens defeated North York, 8-2. Feldberg has a 10-14-24 line in 28 games.

Looking back 

Thanks to Steve Dolloff, a center on the ’71 and ’72 national champions and an All-American in 1972-73, for this photo from the Chris Henes Annual Holiday Reunion Luncheon. A co-founder of this blog, Chris, who died far too soon a year ago, had been the organizer of this event for decades. 


FRONT ROW L to R:  Larry Abbott, Paul Giandomenico, Kenny Parks, Tim Regan

BACK ROW L to R:  John Danby, Steve Dolloff, Ed Walsh, John Grady, Joe Robillard

Brien Diffley, a rugged defenseman for the Terriers' Beanpot and Hockey East champs in 2014-15, is still grinding it out in Britain's EIHL. 

From the BU Alumni Association's list of "Terriers of '23":

 

 

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