Linkorama

With holiday tournaments complete, Hockey East teams are focused on conference play. The Boston Globe’s Nancy Marrapese-Burrell looks at what’s ahead for each of the teams. INCH’s Jeff Howe offers up New Year’s resolutions for each league team. And in his weekly Hockey East column, USCHO’s Dave Hendrickson features comments from the coaches’ press conference on how they assess their clubs at the midpoint.

Jack Parker’s remarks [Text Audio] include his thoughts on a possible matchup with BC at Fenway Park sometime down the road. BU has played outdoor hockey numerous times in the distant past. Sixty-seven years ago yesterday, the Terriers upended UNH at an outdoor rink in Durham, as described on our THIS DATE IN TERRIER HOCKEY page.

Kevin Shattnekirk’s strong play in the World Junior tournament last week earned him a spot on The Hockey News’ “Hot List.”

Looking way ahead
Most college hockey games are played on the weekends, so that leaves plenty of time during the week for the hockey version of hot stove league---peering into the future. With the first pairwise rankings out, InsideHockey’s Tim Rosenthal took a shot at projecting the pairings for the four NCAA Regionals. His “bracketology” has the Terriers meeting Air Force Academy in the Northeast Regions to be played in Bridgeport.

The 2009 WJCs are barely in the rear view mirror, yet a few bloggers already have candidates for next year’s Team USA rosters in mind. Nathan Fournier of The World of Junior Hockey suggests defenseman David Warsofsky and incoming blueliner Max Nicastro, along with forward Vinny Saponari (photo), all merit strong consideration. Chris Dilks The Western College Hockey has both Terrier defensemen among his candidates.

The kids are okay
The Salem News reports that 1965-86 Terrier co-captain Peter Marshall’s daughter, Kellie, is a standout defenseman for The Pingree School and, like her father, the junior is also a captain.

We reported in the summer on Tom O’Regan Jr., son of the 1982-83 BU co-captain and former Pittsburgh Penguins Tom Regan. The younger O’Regan, who played midget hockey for the South Shore Dynamos in the fall, now is a junior at St. Sebastian’s, where he’s become an important offensive contributor to the Arrows, who are off to a 9-3 start.

.

BU in mix for Bowling Green transfer

Bowling Green’s loss just might turn out to be the Terriers’ gain. Sophomore forward Jacob Cepis, who left the Falcons last month, is seeking to transfer to a non-CCHA school. Published reports indicate that BU is among the front-runners for the 5-8, 165 lb., left-shot center-wing whose 15-16-31 line in 38 games earned a spot on the CCHA All-Rookie team. This season, Cepis has struggled, scoring one goal and four assists in 18 games.

According to a Sentinel-Tribune article flagged by the Western College Hockey blog, UMass and Denver are the other schools rumored to be top contenders for Cepis. Wisconsin is another school reportedly interested in Cepis, however he denied having spoken with the UW coaches in a Dec. 20 BadgerBeat.com story.

If he enrolls in college for the spring semester, Cepis will be eligible to play in January 2010.

Prior to Bowling Green, the Parma, Ohio, native, spent two seasons with Cedar Rapids in the USHL, where he led the league in goals with 38 in 2006-07. Cepis also spent one season in the NAHL with Cleveland.

Inside College Hockey featured Cepis this past summer in its College Hockey A to Z season preview. Falcons coach Scott Paluch commented:

"He's a special offensive player. He has that combination – being very quick but having the skills to go with it. He's got a knack to score and a good understanding of when to jump into holes, and has the confidence to score goals."

Millan adds some hardware; Denver Cup highlights

Terrier Hockey Fan Blog follower Candycanes99 prepared a lengthy highlights video on YouTube (below) that includes not just the Terriers’ four goals in Saturday’s tournament championship game against Denver, but also some impressive saves by Kieran Millan (photo). The freshman netminder from Edmonton, who was named to the all-tournament team, also was recognized as Hockey East’s Defensive Player of the Week and December Goaltender of the Month. Millan backboned two wins and an overtime tie in December, posting a 1.29 GAA in those games. In his past five starts, he's given up just six goals while posting a gaudy .952 save percentage.

The two wins in Denver helped BU move up to #2 in both national polls and to the top spot in the KRACH computer rankings. College Hockey News’ preliminary pairwise rankings show the Terriers in second place.

Colin Wilson and Kevin Shattenkirk were named among the three best Team USA players in World Junior Champions where the U.S. finished fifth. Both earned kudos for their play from USA Hockey executive Jim Johannson. Shattenkirk was the top scoring defenseman in the event and fifth overall with 9 points (1-8). Wilson was a point behind with 3-5-8.


Looking back
This past weekend, former BU All-American Mike Grier registered his first two-goal game in nearly two seasons in the Sharks’ 5-3 win against the Islanders. A San Jose assistant captain, Grier’s second goal was the game-winner. Video.

Keith Tkachuk, who scored his milestone 1,000 career point last month, also had a game-winner over the weekend, pushing St. .Louis past Columbus, 3-2.

More Denver Cup coverage

We have additional game coverage from the BU Athletics site, The Boston Globe, The Denver Post, and News9 in Denver, along with a detailed boxscore.

Angelique Murray of the Colorado Avalanche Prospects blog reports that Avs execs Francois Giguere and Craig Billington were on hand last night to see draft picks Brandon Yip, who earned the game's second star, and Colby Cohen perform. In an interview taped prior to the tournament, Coach Jack Parker asserted that Yip has been playing "like an All-American."

► Freshman goalie Kieran Millan, with a career-high 33 saves, was the number three star of the championship game, while tournament MVP Matt Gilroy was the first star.

►Kudos to the BU special teams. With seven penalty kills last night, the Terriers have recorded 27 consecutive kills and 34 of the last 35.

►Junior center Luke Popko was lights-out on faceoffs (13 of 17) all night, especially on some key defensive-zone draws, and was giving up his body to block several shots.

►The Saponari Brothers were among the players quoted in a Boston Globe feature on players at New England school who were raised in warmer regions.

►Team USA plays the Czech Republic tonight for fifth place in the World Junior Championships. Kevin Shattenkirk, with nine points, is tied for second in scoring for Team USA, one point ahead of Colin Wilson.

Looking forward
2009 recruit Alex Chiasson assisted on both Des Moines goals in the Bucs’ 2-1 win against Tri-City on Saturday. The big right wing now has 21 points (10-11) in 23 games.

Left wing Justin Courtnall assisted on the tying goal in Victoria’s 3-3 tie with Alberni Valley. Courtnall leads Victoria in scoring with 43 points in 41 games. The Grizzlies, who have the best record in the BCHL's Island Division, also officially announced that Courtnall has committed to BU for next season.

.

BU grabs Denver Cup Championship

BU won its second tournament of the season Saturday night, defeating Denver, 4-1, to win the Wells Fargo Denver Cup and improving its record to 13-4-1. For the second night in a row, the Terriers raced to an early 2-0 lead, getting goals from Vinny Saponari and Matt Gilroy, but when Denver cut the lead in half, senior Brandon Yip scored off a faceoff to restore the two goal margin after two. BU went into a prevent defense in the final period, but the only goal scored was Zach Cohen’s empty-netter.

Freshman Kieran Millan stopped 33 of 34 shots to earn a spot on the all-tournament team along with Jason Lawrence, David Warsofsky and tourney MVP Matt Gilroy. (photo) Game coverage: USCHO recap; Boxscore; Brian Kelley’s in-game blog. More coverage to follow.

►BU was outshot for the first time this season, 34-27, but won the faceoff battle, 37-34.

►Cohen’s empty-netter was his fifth goal in seven games (correcting an error in the post following the RPI game).

►Warsofsky recorded four assists during the tournament, two in each game, giving him a total of 10 points on the season.

►With the championship game win, BU has defeated its first seven non-conference opponents since the 91-92 season.

► The victory gives Coach Jack Parker the 794th of his career and enables him to add the Denver Cup to the list of holiday tournaments his teams have won, including: Great Lakes Invitational 2003, St. Louis Firemen’s 2002, Bank One Badger Showdown 1995, Mariucci Classic 1994 and Auld Lang Syne, Tournament 1991 among others. Overall, Parker holds a 32-11 (.744) record in holiday-tournament play.

.

Terriers rip RPI, face Denver tonight

The Terriers shook off some early rust to dominate Rensselaer and, led by two Jason Lawrence (photo) goals, pulled away for a 6-2 win. BU advances to the Denver Cup championship game tonight against the host Pioneers, who squeaked past a stubborn Holy Cross squad in a shootout that required five rounds to settle. The game had been tied at 2-2 after 65 minutes of play.

Freshman Grant Rollheiser returned to the Terrier net for the first time in six weeks and turned aside 13 shots to earn his fourth win. Other Terrier scorers were Zach Cohen, Kevin Gilroy, Luke Popko and Brandon Yip, who also rang a shot of the RPI crossbar. We have recaps from BU Athletics, USCHO and The Troy Record, along with a box score, and Brian Kelley’s in-game blog.

► Ten of twelve BU forwards—including Joe Pereira who was DQed for a hit-from-behind in the first period— had at least one point, with both Lawrence and Chris Connolly registering two apiece.

►Pereira will have to sit out tonight's game. Freshman Andrew Glass is his likely replacement. Senior Steve Smolinsky, who was filling in for Kevin Shattenkirk on defense, also took some shifts at right wing after Pereira's DQ. EDIT: Pereira received a game misconduct, not a disqualification and will be in tonight's lineup. Glass takes Kevin Gilroy's spot on the third line.

►With Lawrence’s two power play goals—giving him seven for the season—he’s now second in that category in NCAA stats.

►Resurgent power forward Zach Cohen has five goals in his last ten starts for BU.

►Tonight is the fourth anniversary of the first game ever played at Agganis—against another WCHA school, Minnesota.

►The series between BU and DU is currently knotted at 12-12-2. BU has played Denver twice before in Magness Arena, losing both games. The last time the teams met was November 2005, when Karson Gillespie authored a 1-0 shutout of then-defending champion Denver, with Dan Spang scoring the game’s only goal.

►Tonight’s championship game will be telecast at 9:30 p.m. ET on CN8 in the New England and MidAtlantic regions. The game will match the NCAA hockey’s #2 and #3 offenses. Denver is averaging 3.8 gpg just ahead of BU at 3.71. On the defensive side of the puck, BU is #11 and DU is #12. NCAA D1 stats

►Last night, the Terriers ran their streak of successful penalty kills to 20 (and 27 of the last 28), but they’ll want to keep Pioneer power play chances to a minimum as DU boasts some highly-regarded snipers in Luke Salazar and Tyler Ruegsegger.

►DU fan and blogger “Puck Swami” posts detailed profiles of each Pioneer opponent, including a team assessment, history of the hockey program, university history and renowned alums. Here’s a link to his BU profile (look past a few typos for a really good read).

Slovakia stuns USA in Ottawa

Team USA dominated Slovakia on the ice, but not on the scoreboard, falling 5-3 in the WJC quarterfinals, despite a 47-19 shot advantage and having a penalty shot. Colin Wilson assisted on USA’s first goal and Kevin Shattenkirk’s slapshot was converted by Jonathon Blum for the team’s second goal. But for most of the game, the Americans couldn’t solve Slovak goalie Jaroslav Janus. USA Hockey blog.

As a result, Team USA will meet the Czech Republic in the fifth place game, a disappointing situation for a squad considered one of the tournament’s favorites.

In the World U17 Challenge, Team USA, coached by John Hynes, remains undefeated heading into the semifinals and has outscored its four opponents by a 29-5 margin. Team Quebec with Terrier 2010 recruit Yassin Cissé will play for fifth place.

Gameday Linkorama: The Denver Cup

Terriers, who arrived in Denver yesterday, a day later than planned, meet RPI in the first round of the Denver Cup. Gametime is 6:30 p.m. EST with radio coverage on WWZN in Boston and online. If BU reaches the tournament championship game, CN8’s New England and Atlantic divisions will broadcast that game. In addition, BU Sports Information Director Brian Kelley will be blogging live throughout the game.

We have tournament previews from BU Athletics—including links to game notes, live stats and the online broadcast—and from USCHO, College Hockey News, Inside College Hockey and the Troy Record.

Goalie Grant Rollheiser (photo), recovered from an injury, returns to the net for tonight’s game and fellow freshman Chris Connolly moves up to the Terriers’ first line with Colin Wilson playing in the World Junior Championships.

For senior forward Brandon Yip and sophomore defenseman Colby Cohen, the tournament brings them to the city where they may eventually play professionally. Both are Colorado Avalanche draft choices, as is Kevin Shattenkirk who also is at the WJCs.

Wilson, Shattenkirk and Team USA meet Slovakia today in WJC quarterfinal action. Game notes. USCHO feature story.

The Boston Globe looks at BU’s 10-man freshman class which has been a big contributor to BU’s strong first semester performance.

In a New England Hockey Journal feature, Terrier co-captain Matt Gilroy recalls icetime with his brother Tim, in whose memory he wears number 97.

Former Terrier standout Ryan Whitney, recently returned to the Penguins lineup, discusses his recovery from foot surgery with The Patriot Ledger.

Looking ahead

In a USHL game last night, 2009 recruit Alex Chiasson (photo) scored the first goal and assisted on the next two for Des Moines, but Indiana mounted a comeback and edged the Bucs, 6-5. The goal was the 10th of the season for the 6-3 right wing from Quebec, tops on Des Moines.

Another 2009 recruit, Chicago defenseman Max Nicastro, also scored his team’s first goal last night, but the Steel also fell, losing to Waterloo, 7-4. Nicastro, whose offensive skills have developed in his second USHL season, now has six goals.

.

Canada derails USA; On to the medal round

Team USA scored the first three goals in its WJC preliminary round showdown with Canada, but the hosts rebounded and scored the final three goals—including a pair of empty-netters—and won going away, 7-4. The contest started well for Team USA, especially for the Terrier assistant captains as Kevin Shattenkirk opened the scoring on a slapper from the top of circle, assisted by Colin Wilson. Later Shattenkirk was on the receiving end of a vicious hit from behind (video) by Stefan Della Rovere and Wilson was robbed (video) by a highlight reel save by goalie Dustin Tokarski as he attempted to tied the score in the final period.

Full video highlights of the game--which was intense and chippy from the getgo and included a controversial goal by Canada--are here. Wilson was named player of the game for Team USA, which faces Slovakia Friday in the medal round quarterfinals. If they win, they’ll play Sweden in the semifinals.

We have recaps from USCHO and TSN. Boxscore. Game photos.

World U17 Challenge
In British Columbia at the World U17 Challenge, 2010 Terrier recruit Yassin Cissé assisted on Team Quebec's go-ahead goal in the first period, but Team USA, coached by former Terrier John Hynes, rallied for a 4-3 win to stay unbeaten.

USA swamps Kazaks; showdown with Canada tonight

Colin Wilson scored twice in 19 seconds and Kevin Shattenkirk recorded three assists as Team USA hung a 12-0 shutout on beleaguered Kazakhstan at the WJCs USA moves to 3-0 in the preliminary round and takes on undefeated Canada in a New Year’s Eve matchup. Both Wilson and Shattenkirk have six points in the tournament. Wilson, who had a hattrick in last year’s WJC event against Finland, now has nine goals in nine career WJC games. USA Hockey game blog.

Links to video highlights of Team USA’s wins against Germany and the Czech Republic are found on the USA Hockey All-Access page. Highlights of last night’s game should be added today.

Through Tuesday night’s games, Shattenkirk and Wilson are tied—with others—for fifth in tournament scoring with six points. Shattenkirk is the top scoring defenseman in the tournament.

►Jay Pandolfo’s fourth goal of the season was the difference in the Devil’s 4-3 win over the Blues.

►Chris Bourque, recalled Monday from the AHL, scored his first NHL goal in the Caps' 4-2 win over Buffalo (video).

Cissé scores, but Quebec loses

2010 recruit Yasin Cissé scored Team Quebec’s first goal and assisted on the second, but Canada West doubled that output in a 4-2 win in the World U17 Challenge in British Columbia. Cissé (photo) is the only member of the Quebec squad playing junior hockey in the U.S.

At the WJCs in Ottawa, Team USA takes on Kazakhstan today in what should be a tuneup for tomorrow’s showdown with the host team, Canada. NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman’s feature story focuses on the longstanding friendship between current linemates—but Hockey East rivals—Colin Wilson and James van Riemsdyk. Check out the video clip with shots of Wilson growing up and discussing his relationship with his Dad, former NHL forward Cary Wilson.

The Terriers return to the ice Friday, meeting RPI in the first round of the Denver Cup tournament. BU will adjust its lineup due to the absence of Wilson and Kevin Shattenkirk and the host team is doing a shuffle of its own with Tyler Bozak out of the lineup due to injury. Moving up to forward is Pioneers' defenseman Patrick Mullen, whose father, Joe, played for BC in the late ‘70s.

Looking Back
Former Terrier blueliner Tom Morrow, who spent last season in German is skating for the ECHL Bakersfield Condors.

Chris Bourque has been called up again from AHL Hershey to the Washington Caps. Bourque played four games for the Caps earlier this season, joining ex-BU All-American defenseman Tom Poti.

USA wins second; U17 Challenge begins

Team USA opened up a 4-1 lead against the Czech Republic, then hung on for 4-3 win at the WJCs in Ottawa. Colin Wilson assisted on Team USA’s first goal, as did Kevin Shattenkirk, who later added a second assist. We have a recap from USA Hockey, along with USA Hockey’s blog and game notes. Tournament results and standings.

The victory was Team USA’s 100th in the history of the WJC tournament. Yesterday’s reported attendance, 19,847, was the largest ever for a WJC game.

► Play begins today in the World U17 Challenge in British Columbia, where 2010 recruit Yasin Cissé will be skating for Quebec against Canada West.

► Future fields for the Great Lakes Invitation Tournament have been announced and BU will be completing with Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech in the 2010 event.

►New England Hockey Journal’s profile of longtime Avon Old Farms coach John Gardner looks at his decision to recruit current Terrier sophomore Nick Bonino when others voiced doubts:

Bonino (Unionville, Conn.) was an interesting story, a kid who almost didn’t make the stop at Avon. He was playing Division 2 hockey in Farmington, Conn., the next town over from Avon and not a lot of people saw what Gagnon and Gardner saw in him.

“I watched him play one time when he played Avon High School in our rink,” Gardner said. ”I thought, ‘That kid is really intriguing. He doesn’t skate well, he doesn’t move around much. He’s tall and skinny and he’s got Gretzky-like hands and if you teach him how to skate …”

Bonino signed on. Not everyone was convinced.

“People said, ˜That kid’s not going to play for you. He’s not your
type of player,” Gardner recalled. “Yeah, but he’s got hands. He’s got things you can’t teach.”

Plus, Bonino was willing to work hard and the skating and the leg strength and his game came along.

“I just loved him,” said the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Bonino, who graduated from Avon in 2007. “He was a great guy. Real funny. He’s obviously a great coach and I was fortunate to play for him.”

Now, Bonino is at BU and he’s been drafted by the San Jose Sharks. His future is mighty bright.

“You get a few guys like that and it certainly makes coaching fun,” Gardner said.

WJCs: USA vs. Czechs tonight

Team USA returns to action tonight, matched up with the Czech Republic. USA Hockey’s WJC blog provides some insights into Colin Wilson’s sense of humor, while Dave Starman, who is doing color on the NHL Network broadcasts provides comments for USCHO.com and lens-ace Melissa Wade offers a pictorial display from Friday’s USA-Germany game.

Looking back
The Terriers are a few days from their next game, but a couple of former teammates from BU's powerhouse teams in the 70s, now longtime rival Division III coaches, will be facing off tonight. Bowdoin College, led by Terry Meagher, in his 26th year, meets host Salem State in the Holiday Class. The Vikings are coached by Bill O’Neill, in his 28th season.

Adrian Aucoin’s third period slapshot was the gamewinner in last night’s Calgary 6-3 win over Ottawa. . It was his fifth goal of the season...Mike Grier also scored his fifth of the season for San Jose, but it came in a 3-2 shootout loss to Keith Tkachuk and the Blues...Carl Corazzini netted his third of the season for Springfield in a loss to Hartford...Sean Sullivan had the primary assisted on the game-winning goal in San Antonio’s 5-3 win against Houston... On Friday, John Curry pitched his first shutout of the year for the Baby Pens, blanking the Philly Phantoms.

It was 35 years ago today...

Terrier coach Jack Parker stood behind the BU bench as head coach for the first time and came away with a 3-1 win against Dartmouth in the RPI Tournament in Troy. Details for this milestone and many others are posted daily on our THIS DATE IN TERRIER HOCKEY PAGE, compiled by Sean Pickett.

Please visit that page along with The Terrier Hockey Fan Blog. There is a link at the top of the sidebar on the right side of this page.

USA thumps Germany

Team USA made an early statement in the WJC tournament in Ottawa, blowing away Germany 8-2. The team’s top line of Colin Wilson, James Van Riemsdyk and Jordan Schroeder accounted for half the goals, Wilson scored the game’s first goal, completing a tic-tack-toe passing play with Kevin Shattenkirk getting the primary assist. Wilson later assisted on two scores by his linemates. Recaps are from USA Hockey and USA Today. Scoring summary. USA Hockey blog notes. Next up for Team USA is the Czech Republic on Sunday.

Looking back
Former Terrier goalie Rick DiPietro made his first start in two months for the Islanders, following a knee injury, and produced a strong effort in a 4-1 win that ended the Fishsticks’ 10-game losing streak. Freddy Meyer, DiPietro’s teammate--both at BU and on the U.S. NTDP-- scored New York’s final goal on a third-period slapshot. It was his fourth goal of the season.



.

USA-Germany today in WJC opener

Team U.S.A. begins preliminary round play in the World Junior Championships in Ottawa this afternoon against Germany. NHL Network is televising the game at 3:30 p.m. ET. Terrier defenseman and Team USA assistant captain Kevin Shattenkirk discussed his excitement about performing on a world-class stage in the WJCs and how that might impact his future hockey plans with a hometown newspaper. Rink Rat Elliot Olshansky, of The Daily News, also covers Shattenkirk’s role on Team USA and his development as defenseman since his NTDP days.

Coach Ron Rolston discusses what he expects from Germany, whose roster includes a prospect reportedly on BU’s recruiting radar-- Conor Morrison, the top goal-scorer on the BCHL Salmon Arm Silverbacks, currently ranked second in the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

He is a 5-8 forward from London, Ontario, is the son of Toronto Maple Leafs’ chief amateur scout Dave Morrison.

Looking back
Darryl MacLeod was a member of the 1977-78 freshmen class, along with Mark Fidler, Bill Cotter, Tim Kimball and Paul Miller, that helped spark the Terriers to a 30-2-0 season and the third of BU’s four national championships. MacLeod’s daughter, Meredith, now is pursuing her own career on a combined Melrose-Watertown, Mass., high school team.

US beats Russia in final WJC tune-up

Team USA skated to a convincing 5-1 win over Russia in its final exhibition game for the World Junior Championships last night in Kingston, Ontario. Michigan's Aaron Palushaj scored a natural hattrick and Terrier sophomore Colin Wilson (#33) added a goal and an assist. Wilson rang a wrister off the pipe, which James VanRiemsdyk converted. Later, he drilled a slapshot from the high slot past the Russian goalie. Video highlights on All-Access Pass. The tournament's preliminary round begins on Friday in Ottawa with Team USA playing Germany. Canada, which is in the same bracket as USA, meets the Czech Republic.

A future Terrier, 2010 recruit Yasin Cissé, has an international tournament on his schedule, as well. Cissé, a forward on the USHL Des Moines Bucs and formerly with the Lac St. Louis Lions in the Quebec AAA Midget League, is on Quebec's roster for the World U17 Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C., which begins on Sunday with an exhibition game.

As part of Hockey East's 25th anniversary celebration, BU will honor 61 former Terriers who achieved special recognition for their play in the conference. The event will take place during the February 28 home game against UMass, which is part of the University's Annual Winterfest Weekend. Those who will be recognized earned Hockey East awards such as Player of the Year, Tournament MVP, Rookie of the Year, Conference All-Star, All-Rookie and Coach of the Year.

Former Terrier Ryan Whitney returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup last night following offseason foot surgery.

Next Up: 2009 World Junior Championships

The 2009 World Junior Tournament begins Friday in Ottawa with the U.S. facing Germany and Canada matched up with the Czech Republic. We have a bundle of links to help you follow and enjoy the tournament, beginning with official sites of the IIHF, host Canada and USA Hockey. USA Hockey provides a 90-page media guide with team bios, historical data and records. Also on the USA Hockey WJC page is an All-Access Pass with links to a Q&A interview with Team USA Coach Ron Rolston and video highlights beginning with the team’s camp at Lake Placid, and continuing with exhibition and tournament games.

Terriers sophomores Colin Wilson and Kevin Shattenkirk, first round draft choices respectively of Nashville (2008) and Colorado (2007), have been named assistant captains for Team USA. Defenseman Jonathon Blum of Vancouver/WHL is team captain. NHL.com provides a preview of Team USA, while Team Canada is preview by HockeysFuture.com. More previews are here. Canadian Press offers capsules of all tournament teams. Wilson, born in the U.S., but raised in Canada, spoke with The Sporting News by cell after a practice in Lake Placid, N.Y. about the prospect of playing in the WJCs in Canada:

It's the Super Bowl in Canada. It's something I wish people were paying a little more attention to here. Everybody is a world-class athlete on our team, and they're used to the pressure. Because they do well with pressure, more media and more attention, it could raise our game a little bit.

That's likely to happen because NHL Network will broadcast all U.S. and Canadian preliminary round games and all medal round games.

Team USA had its offense flying in Sunday’s 13-2 exhibition win against Latvia with nine players scoring goals. Shattenkirk tallied four assists while Wilson scored a goal and had three helpers. His goal is the third one in this highlights video. Wilson, who led team USA in goals scored at last year’s WJCs, has been reunited by Coach Rolston with UNH’s James VanRiemsdyk and Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder on the team’s top line. A second exhibition is scheduled tonight against Russia. We’ll update this post with results later tonight.

Looking back

It was a three-dog night in Wilkes Barre as the Baby Pens edged Albany 4-3 on Saturday night. River Rat forward Ryan Weston (photo) scored his second goal of the week, beating his former Terrier teammate John Curry, who won his second game in three starts since returning from Pittsburgh. Ryan Whitney began a rehab stint with Wilkes Barre/ Scranton, as he recovers from foot surgery. It was Whitney's first AHL action since the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs.

Former BU All-American Mike Grier, now in his second season with San Jose, has been skating on a line with former Harvard star Tom Cavanagh, whose father, Joe, was a three-time All-American for the Crimson and one of the most dangerous scorers in college hockey.

MassLive.com looks at the multiple front-office hats worn by former Terrier and NHL forward Paul Fenton, who is assistant general manager of Nashville and general manager of it's AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.

Fenton’s boss, GM Dave Poile —also a former BU opponent as a Northeastern standout—will be paying close attention to Colin Wilson’s performance in next week’s World Junior Championships to determine the Predator’s plans for Wilson.

Midseason assessments
Inside College Hockey’s Jeff Howe offers his thoughts on surprises and successes in Hockey East at the break. Chris Dilks of the Western College Hockey Blog provides reviews of each of the WCHA and CCHA teams at the midpoint.

Boston Globe college hockey writer Nancy Marrrapese-Burrell answered fans’ question in a live chat last week. Based what she’s seen of the Terriers thus far, she projects they can be a Frozen Four team.

BU is rock solid despite having two freshmen goalies and 10 freshmen players. Colin Wilson is the real deal and I think you're going to see them go far because they're still bugged by what happened last year.

Free agents

TSN columnist Darren Dreger reports that BU All-American Matt Gilroy and Denver standout forward Tyler Bozak are the top undrafted players in college. Both are expected to be targets of bidding wars by NHL teams. Scouts who expected to see both players at next month’s Denver Cup will be disappointed as Bozak recently underwent knee surgery and will miss the tourney.

..