Linkorama

Chris Drury now has agreed to allow the New York Rangers to buy out the final year of his contract and will seek to continue his NHL career with another club. Drury sent a letter to the New York Post, thanking the Rangers organization and the team’s fans for their support during his four seasons in New York.

The Boston Hockey Blog conducted post-draft interviews with Adam Clendening and Matt Nieto

Fellow sophomore Charley Coyle, whose rights were traded to Minnesota, discussed future plans with The Boston Globe.

Summer Camp
Alex Chiasson is headed to another Dallas Stars development camp while 2012 prospect Matt O’Connor, a goalie with Youngstown/USHL, has been invited to the Ottawa Senators rookie camp.

The 9th Annual Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation Golf Event will be held at Mashpee, Mass. on July 25. Established on honor the memory and principles of BU standout Mark Bavis, killed in 9-11 hijackings, the foundation provides educational grants to deserving young men and women. Click here for event details and further information about the foundation.

Former All-American goalie and Hockey East MVP John Curry has departed the Penguins organization and has signed to play next season with the Hamburg Freezers in the German DEL.

2013 recruit Adam Erne finished tournament play at the Select 16s with three goals and one assists in five games, and he earned a spot in today’s all-star game.

Three Terriers drafted by NHL

Rising sophomore Adam Clendening, Matt Nieto and Garrett Noonan were selected by NHL teams on day two of the entry draft. Clendening was taken in the second round, 36th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks, whose head of amateur scouting is Mark Kelley, son of legendary Terrier Coach Jack Kelley California native Nieto was taken 11 picks later by San Jose and Noonan, who hadn’t been ranked by NHL Central Scouting was Nashville’s second pick in the fourth round, #112 overall.

Paul Fenton, a former Terrier forward and current Nashville assistant general manager, noted that the Preds’ Chief Amateur Scout Jeff Kealty, also a former Terrier and, like Noonan, a Catholic Memorial High School product, had emphatically urged the club to select Noonan.

Terrier head coach Jack Parker was in St. Paul to support Clendening and Nieto who were at draft headquarters with their families. USCHO’s Jim Connelly caught up with Parker to discuss his young stars’ future prospects.





● GoTerriers.com coverage
● ESPN-Boston coverage
● College Hockey News coverage
● NEHJ coverage
● Boston Herald coverage: Parade of Terriers; Nieto feature
● San Francisco Chronicle feature on Nieto
● Clendening: Tonawanda Times, CSN Chicago

Coyle trade update
The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa reported that Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher is not planning to lure newly acquired Charley Coyle to join the pro ranks.

“I’m not a big believer in pulling kids out of college,’’ said Fletcher, a
Harvard graduate. “It’s up to the young man and his family to make that decision.

“We’ll certainly sit down and speak to him. We’ll speak to Jack Parker and we’ll try to go through the process of assessing where exactly he’s at and be up front.

“The goal of trading for him was not necessarily to get him in uniform right away. It was to add another piece. Hopefully in the next one, two, three seasons, he’ll have a very positive impact on our franchise and give us a big forward to match up against some of the big forwards in the Western Conference.’’

● Patriot Ledger coverage

Looking ahead

Fargo Force defenseman Garrett Haar has decommitted from Northeastern and indicated that BU is among the colleges he's now considering, along with Minn-Duluth, Denver, North Dakota and Minnesota. Haar also indicated the Dubuque's high-scoring forward John Gaudreau is also likely to decommit from Northeastern and return to the USHL for another season. Several message-board posts indicates BU would be in the mix of possible suitors. (We'll try to get further information on both players.)

2013 recruit Adam Erne is participating in USA Hockey's Select 16 Development camp in Rochester, N.Y. and earned kudos from Amateur Hockey Report for his first-day efforts.

Coyle traded to Wild at NHL draft

WhiIe Adam Clendening, Matt Nieto and Sahir Gill await selection in the 2011 NHL entry draft, a Terrier selected in the first round last year had his rights traded. Charley Coyle, the Sharks’ top pick (28th overall) in 2010 was part of a multiplayer deal with the Minnesota Wild.

The Niagra Gazette spoke with Clendening about where he might be selected. The Long Beach Press Telegram and Fox Sports West interviewed Nieto, one of the increasing number of Californians with a bright NHL future. Hockey Scout Dan Sallows conducted a Q&A interview with Gill.

Looking ahead
The Hockey News and Sallows both profiled 2012 recruit Robert Polesello, who after a standout season with the OPJHL Vaughan Vipers, will play for the USHL’s Indiana Ice next season. He’ll join 2013 recruit Adam Erne who completed his first USHL with the Ice. Erne, a second round choice of Halifax in the QJMHL draft, recently participated at Indiana’s main camp along with Polesello and another 2013 recruit, Rob Baillergon, who played for Cushing Prep last season.

Women's program
The Terrier women’s team announced its 2011 recruit class including Isabel Menard, a junior transfer from Syracuse where she was the Orange’s top scorer.

Former captain and all-time leading scorer Gina Kearns was named an assistant coach at Penn State whose program goes Division 1 in 2012.

Injury threatens to end Drury’s career

The New York Post reports that former Terrier captain and Hobey Baker Award winner Chris Drury is suffering from a degenerative condition in his left knee that likely will prevent the Rangers’ captain from playing next season and possibly ending his career. The Rangers had planned to buy out the final year of Drury’s contract, but the medical situation prevents this. Drury is BU’s all-time goal-scoring leader (113) and is third on the all-time points list (214). A member of BU’s 1995 national championship team, he was the NHL’s Rookie of the Year in 1998-99 and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001. BleacherReport looked back on Drury's career.

►No former Terriers were on the ice for the Bruins when the won the Stanley Cup in Vancouver last week, but Colby Cohen (in photo with Michael Ryder) one of several reserves called up from Providence, was in the Arena and in uniform, celebrating Boston’s first Cup win since 1972. Cohen, who scored the game-winning overtime goal in BU’s 2009 NCAA Championship game winner against Miami, played 46 games for Providence after his mid-season trade from Colorado. He was joined on the ice during the celebration by former Terrier Eric Thomassian.

►Sahir Gill who scored 25 points as a freshman for BU was interviewed by The Hockey Spy blog.

►2013 recruit Brendan Collier led the New England Nordiques to the championship of the the 2011 NH Jr. Monarchs Summer Showdown, scoring the clinching goal in a shootout of a 1-0 game.Collier also had a hattrick and an assist in the quarterfinals. Another 2013 recruit, Adam Erne also skated for the Nordiques. Patch interview with Collier.

►USHR reports that former BU captain Albie O’Connell, an assistant coach at Northeastern, may be in the running for a similar post at Harvard. Reports today indicate that Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin will depart to become an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blaise McDonald, an associate head coach at BU before he became head coach at Lowell, may join former Terrier Don Cahoon’s staff at UMass as an assistant.

►Andrew Glass who played two and a half seasons for BU will continue his college hockey career at Canada’s Carleton University. Details from The Boston Hockey Blog.

Linkorama--Updated

►2012 recruit Marc Hetnik, Jr., was a recent recipient of the Commitment to Excellence Award at Catholic Memorial School's 51st commencement exercises. He was one of eight seniors to receive the award recognizing devotion to academics and athletics.

►Rising sophomores Charlie Coyle, Adam Clendening and Matt Nieto are among the 40 players named to this summer’s USA Hockey National Junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid. All three also were camp invitees last summer, but only Coyle was named to the final roster of the U.S. Junior National Team.

Former Terrier defenseman Eric Gryba (right in photo) finished his first full pro season on a high note as the Binghamton Senators won the AHL’s Calder Cup championship Monday night, defeating Houston four games to two. In 66 regular season games, Gryba scored seven points and added one more in ten playoff games.

On June 5, Senators assistant coach Steve Stirling, captain of BU's 1971 national champions, underwent successful quadruple bypass surgery and, according to the Senators, was resting comfortably.

BU’s Matt Nieto and Adam Clendening participated in last weekend’s NHL combine in Toronto. According to TSN, defenseman Clendening scored well on bench press and push-ups and recorded the furthest medicine-ball toss, measuring upper body power, as well as some vertical jump testing. Clendening, who earned a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie team this past season, discussed his preparation for the combine with New England Hockey Journal

► NHL.com interview with Nieto at the combine.

► MTR Media profiles of Nieto and Clendening

► The Scouting Report has ranked Clendening and Nieto 36th and 43rd respectively for the upcoming NHL entry draft, set for June 24 & 25 in St. Paul, Minn.

Terriers Wade Megan, Ryan Santana and Ross Gaudet each had their heads shaved at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro Sunday to raise money for the One Mission Kids Cancer Buzz-Off which benefits the Children’s Hospital Boston's Pediatric Oncology unit. The rest of their BU teammates were on hand for the event. Megan has established a donations Web page for One Mission, Inc.

► GoTerriers.com coverage and Fox TV video

Anthony DeAngelo, who had been a 2014 recruit, has now signed on with Sarnia of the OHL. Adam Erne, a 2013 commit, was picked by Halifax in the second round of QMJHL draft.

Fosters.com reports that former BU All-American defenseman Freddy Meyer, who has been in the NHL since 2005, is considering a move to Europe next season. Injuries limited him to 15 games with Atlanta last season.

Former Terrier goalie Jason Tapp has been named an assistant coach by Union College’s newly appointed head coach, Rick Bennett. Tapp, whose minor league career ended in 2009, was a volunteer goalie coach for the Dutchmen during the past two seasons.

Could an expansion be in Hockey East’s future ? With upcoming establishment of a Big Ten hockey league, some CCHA clubs may be seeking a new home. One report suggests that Notre Dame may be eyeing Hockey East.

2012 recruit will "prep" with BCHL powerhouse

2012 recruit Marc Hetnik, Jr., who is completing his senior year at Catholic Memorial High School, will follow the same path to BU as former Knights blueliner Garrett Noonan did, spending a season in the junior ranks with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL.

Hetnik, who was CM’s captain and tallied four goals and 16 assists this season, earned Boston Globe All Scholastic, Boston Herald Dream Team and ESPN Boston First Team All Star honors. When he arrives on Commonwealth Avenue, Hetnik will join former Vipers Noonan, Sahir Gill and Ryan Santana.

Vernon, winner of two of the past three RBC Cup championships in Canada’s Junior A ranks, is rebuilding its defense. At least three starting blueliners from the past season’s team are departing.

Hetnik’s father Marc Hetnik, was a forward on BU’s 1978 national championship team and scored 92 points in four varsity seasons.

Looking back
Former all Hockey East defenseman Bryan Miller and his Alaska Aces teammates claimed the ECHL Kelly Cup championship Saturday night with a 5-3 win against Kalamazoo in game five for a 4-1 series victory.

Miller, who had been the hero in game two of the series scoring an overtime game-winner (recap, photo), is in his fourth season with the Aces and second time in the league finals. He led the team’s defensemen in scoring with a career-high 41 points and added another six points in the Aces’ playoff run. His former Terrier teammate, Brian McGuirk, is a forward for Kalamazoo.

The Orange County Register profiled Nick Bonino, who spent most of his first full professional season with the Duck’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse.

► The Warrior Rink Rat Blog recently interviewed Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna about how the advent of a Big Ten Hockey Conference might lead to restructing in other leagues.

2011-12 schedule features non-conference tilts vs. Denver, Notre Dame, Cornell

BU has announced its 2011-2012 regular season schedule with 27 Hockey East games and a seven non-conference games, including visits from Denver and Holy Cross, a New Year's Eve match at Notre Dame, the Beanpot Tournament and the third edition of Red Hot Hockey with the Terriers taking on Cornell at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In addition, the schedule includes a pair of exhibitions games, both at Agganis Arena: St. Francis Xavier on Oct. 1 and the U.S. NTDP U18s on Jan. 8. The full schedule follows below.

OCTOBER
Sat. 1 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER – Exhib. 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 8 NEW HAMPSHIRE* 8:00 p.m.
Fri. 14 at Providence* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 15 DENVER 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 22 HOLY CROSS 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 28 at Massachusetts* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 29 MASSACHUSETTS* 7:00 p.m.

NOVEMBER
Sat. 5 at UMass Lowell* 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 11 MERRIMACK* 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 13 at Boston College* TBA
Fri. 18 VERMONT* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 19 NEW HAMPSHIRE* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 26 vs Cornell^ 8:00 p.m.

DECEMBER
Fri. 2 at Boston College* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 3 BOSTON COLLEGE* 7:00 p.m.
Thu. 8 at New Hampshire* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 10 at Maine* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 31 at Notre Dame TBA

JANUARY
Wed. 4 at Harvard 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 7 MERRIMACK* 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 8 U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-18 – Exhib. 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 13 at Northeastern* 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 20 PROVIDENCE* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 21 at Providence* 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 27 MAINE* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 28 MAINE* 7:00 p.m.

FEBRUARY
Fri. 3 at Merrimack* 7:00 p.m.
Mon. 6 vs Harvard# TBA
Fri. 10 MASSACHUSETTS* 7:00 p.m.
Mon. 13 vs Boston College/Northeastern# 4:30/7:30 p.m.
Fri. 17 at UMass Lowell* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 18 UMASS LOWELL* 7:00 p.m.
Fri. 24 at Vermont* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 25 at Vermont* 7:00 p.m.

MARCH
Fri. 2 NORTHEASTERN* 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 3 at Northeastern* 7:00 p.m.

All times ET
All home games (in CAPS) to be played at Agganis Arena
* Hockey East game
^ Red Hot Hockey (Madison Square Garden – New York, N.Y.)
# 60th Beanpot Tournament (TD Garden)

Academic recognition
The Men’s Hockey team was among eight BU varsity teams recognized by the NCAA being among the top academically performing squads within their respective sports Details.

Looking ahead

A pair of BU's 2013 recruits were selected in this week's USHL draft. Brendan Collier, whose 30th goal of the season was the overtime game-winner that gave Malden Catholic the Massachusetts Super 8 Championship, was selected by Youngstown in the 7th round. Named All-Scholastic by both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, he also participated in the USA Hockey Tier I, U16 tournament--leading the Greater Boston Jr. Bruins in scoring--and earlier this month played in the New England Pro-Am Hockey Pre-Draft Showcase.

Danny O'Regan, who just completed his junior season at St. Sebastian's with a team-high 25 goals to go with 24 assists, was picked in the 8th round by Dubuque. He'll represent Massachusetts this summer at the National Select 17 Festival in Rochester, N.Y. O'Regan's father, Tom, co-captained BU's 1982-83 squad before playing in the NHL and Europe. His brother, Tom, Jr., is a 2011 commit to Harvard.

Linkorama

● Former Terrier teammates Bryan Miller and Brian McGuirk are on opposite sides for the ECHL Kelly Cup championship finals. Defenseman Miller, a 2005 Hockey East all star, is in his fourth season with the Alaska Aces and scored a career best 41 points (8-33). McGuirk was a captain of the 2007-08 Terriers and scored the overtime game-winner in the 2007 Beanpot championship game. He scored nine points for Kalamazoo this past season.

● Hockeysfuture.com has ranked rising junior Alex Chiasson as the Dallas Stars #3 prospect overall and #1 in the college ranks. ESPN Dallas profiled the power forward, who led the Terriers in scoring this past season with 34 points and was ninth in conference scoring.

● Former captain Kevin Shattenkirk has spent the past few weeks in Slovakia playing for Team USA in the IIHF World Championships. The St. Louis Blues' defenseman registered a goal and two assists in seven games for the U.S. squad that bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing to the Czech Republic. Shattenkirk was the NHL's top-scoring rookie blueliner with 43 points in 72 games.

The Boston Hockey Blog reports that former Terriers Chris Higgins and Joe Pereira have signed to play for Tingsryds AIF in Sweden next season. Higgins, who scored 133 points in his BU career, played in Italy and for the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers last season. Pereira was the Terriers' co-captain and led BU with 15 goals this past season. Both were members of the 2009 national championshp team.

● 2011 recruit Cason Hohmann's final USHL season is over as Cedar Rapids was eliminated in the Eastern Conference final of the Clark Cup playoffs by Green Bay. The forward from Plymouth, Michigan, had a 22-33-55 scoring line in 55 regular season games and was tied for team best with a +19. He led the Roughriders in playoff scoring with eight points.

● Hohmann's Roughriders teammate and 2014 recruit Anthony DeAngelo was drafted in the second round of the OHL draft by Sarnia. De Angelo, who was the youngest skater ever in USHL history, beginning last season at 14 and scored 15 points in 28 games, missed the final month of the season and the playoffs due to a fractured kneecap. The defenseman from New Jersey told a local newspaper his current plan is to return to the Roughriders next season.

Women's team
● Defenseman Shannon Stoneburgh, a 17 point scorer for the Toronto Aeros of the Provincial Women's Hockey League, has committed to BU for 2011.

Looking back at 1990-91

Twenty years ago last month, in a climactic ending to a remarkable season of high-scoring wins, BU came that close—hold your thumb and index finger almost together—to winning its fourth NCAA championship. In the Terriers’ longest ever final four game, they rallied from a three-deficit with less than eight minutes left in the third period, only to fall, 8-7 to Northern Michigan in triple overtime. Like this season’s championship game, it was played in St. Paul.

With the loss, not only did the national title elude BU—the preseason top-ranked team; the team also barely missed recording the school's second trifecta—a Beanpot title, conference title and NCAA championship, a feat later accomplished by the 1994-95 and 2008-09 squads.

The 90-91 squad set a then-program record for goals in a season with 234—and also gave up the ninth most tallies in BU history, 142—with a roster than included 11 future NHLers, including Shawn McEachern, Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Ed Ronan, Dave Tomlinson, Dave Sacco and Scott Lachance.

Blog contributor mh82 has a produced another masterful chronology, detailing the 1991-92 season from the opener at RPI to the nearly 82-minute finale in St. Paul that ended a fraction of an inch from victory.

The 1990-91 Terriers: One Glove and Two Caroms Shy of a Load

By mh82

And so it goes, and so it goes
And so it goes, and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
Nick Lowe


Ed Carpenter, the Boston University Sports Information Director, reached across his desk to answer the ringing telephone, but when he picked up the receiver, the voice on the line didn’t sound familiar.

Perhaps that’s because the caller was a high school teacher hailing from the town of Chicago Heights, located 30 miles south of the City of Big Shoulders.

“I just called to tell you that I watched your game against Northern Michigan last Saturday,” he informed Carpenter. “I have no ties to BU, but I just wanted to say that watching that game was an exciting, absorbing experience. It was just great.”

That game.

The caller’s reference to “that” game was the 1991 NCAA hockey championship game between the Terriers and Wildcats at the St. Paul Civic Center in Minnesota, the rink that featured clear boards and the venue that once served as the home of the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the defunct World Hockey Association. It was also where Harvard had won its first and only NCAA title two years before, defeating Minnesota in overtime.

The BU-NMU game took over four hours to complete (ending past midnight on the East Coast), featured comebacks from three goals down by each team over the final two periods, went to three overtimes and had 88 combined shots on goal. It showcased continual shifts in momentum on the ice, endless swings of emotion on the benches, in the arena and for those watching the dramatic game unfold on television. And finally, there was one euphoric team creating a pile of bodies in celebration on the ice where the winning goal had been scored while the losing squad simply watched in silence, slumped in exhaustion against the boards or mostly motionless on the bench.

It is a game still remembered and dissected two decades later, in arena corridors, over beers at a bar, on message boards and wherever else there is talk about the history of the NCAA Hockey Tournament. Whenever chatter about the greatest NCAA hockey championship games surfaces, the 1991 final rightfully earns a place in the discussion. Although it’s a fruitless exercise to determine what the “best” NCAA hockey championship game of all time is, simply because there have been so many enthralling ones down through the years, it’s difficult to come up with a more compelling back-and-forth clash than the one that took place on March 30, 1991. [MORE]

Connolly to lead Terriers in 2011-12

Rising senior Chris Connolly was named captain of next season's Terriers at last weekend's annual Friends of Boston University Hockey Banquet. No assistant captain were named. Connolly becomes the first Terrier to serve as co-captain during his junior year and captain as a senior since All-American and Olympian Jack O'Callahan in '77-'78 and '78-'79.

The banquet feted the team's two departing seniors, forward and co-captain Joe Pereira and backup goalie Adam Krause. In addition seven team awards were announced:
• George V. Brown Most Valuable Player Award—Kieran Millan

• Ed Carpenter Award (leading scorer)—Alex Chiasson

• Most Improved Player Award—Justin Courtnall

• Regina Eilberg Scholarship—Ryan Ruikka

• Clifford P. Fitzgerald Scholarship—Sean Escobedo

• Bennett McInnis Award for Spirit— Joe Pererira

• Albert Sidd Unsung Hero Award—Joe Pereira

More details from The Boston Hockey Blog

Rising sophomore Charley Coyle was the recipient of the George C. Carens Award as the Division 1 Rookie of the Year, presented by the New England Hockey Writers Association.

BU's schedule for next season has not yet been announced, but one date to mark on the calendar is November 26, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when BU and Cornell again meet at Madison Square Garden in New York City for Red Hot Hockey III. The previous two games, a BU 6-3 win (video) in 2007, and a 3-3 overtime time in 2009, were both sellouts.

Looking ahead

A pair of future teammates are squaring off in the USHL playoffs. Last night Cedar Rapids defeated Muskegon, 4-1, in the opener of a best-of-five series with 2011 recruit Cason Hohmann picking up an assist for the Roughriders. Cedar Rapids, which owned the league's best regular season record, had a first-round bye, while the Lumberjacks swept the NTDP U17s in their first round matchup. 2011 recruit Alexx Privitera scored a power play goal in Muskegon's 5-2 clinching win over the U17s.

Another future Terrier on Cedar Rapids, 2014 recruit Anthony DeAngelo, is sidelined for the rest of the season with a fractured kneecap.

A few weeks back we posted that Privitera's younger brother, Jarrid, has committed to BU for 2012. Some further information on the left-shot forward from his coaches at The Gunnery and the North Jersey Avalanche.

Coach Chris Baudo, The Gunnery:

Jarrid possesses an excellent skill set that will translate very well to the college game. He is very complete in his ability to be effective in all three zones. His speed, grit, skill, and touch around the net make him a consistent offensive threat (25 goals in 34 games this season). He can play in all situation (PK, PP, 4 v. 4), and his strength allows him to win one on one battles with bigger opponents. He finally possesses outstanding character and always puts the team first.

Coach Dan May, North Jersey Avalanche:

Jarrid has played in our NJ Avalanche AAA program for the last six seasons. He has continued on a steady path of improvement that was a result of consistently being one of the hardest workers and most dedicated player on his team. His low center of gravity and excellent leg strength makes him hard to knock off the puck, despite playing against bigger defense men. Jarrid has a keen sense for offensive opportunity and is a pure goal scorer with breakaway speed. Last but not least, he is team guy, great in the room and has been a pleasure to coach for the last six years.

May also coached Alexx Privitera and former Terrier forward Matt Radoslovich when he was NJ Player of the Year at Bergen Catholic.

Looking back

Former Terrier standout defenseman, co-captain, and associate head coach David Quinn is among the finalist for the vacant head coaching job at Providence. Quinn has spent the past two seasons coaching the Colorado Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.

Women's team

Four Terriers--Tara Watchorn, Catherine Ward, Jenna Wakefield and Marie-Philip Poulin are representing Canada at the 2011 IIHF World Women's Championship in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland. BU has more representatives on the squad than any other team. Poulin, who was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for March, has three points in three games. Ward and Watchorn has two apiece and Wakefield one.

Coach Brian Durocher, whose team reached the national championship game this season, losing to Wisconsin, has lined up three excellent recruits for the 2011-12 season: Defenseman Shannon Stoneburgh of the Toronto Aeros, forward Kayla Tutino of Ontario Hockey Academy and forward Sarah Bayersdorfer (photo) of Morristown-Beard School and the NJ Colonials.

Bayersdorfer, coached in high school by former Wisconsin and NHL defenseman Bruce Driver, was a three-time all-state player and two-tim Star-Ledger Player of the Year, but missed her entire senior season due to a knee injury suffered playing soccer. In her three seasons she set a school scoring mark with goals and assists in 60 games. She discussed her recruitment by BU and rehabbing her knee with The Daily Record.

Another scorer from the prep ranks

BU continues to fill out its recruit classes for future seasons, again reaching into the New England prep hockey ranks for a highly regarded scorer. Cushing Academy’s Rob Baillargeon, a sophomore, who put up a gaudy 30-34-64 line for the Penguins, committed to BU for 2013. According to reliable sources, three Hockey East rivals--New Hampshire, Maine and Northeastern--were also in the hunt for Baillargeon.

The 6-0, 174 right-shot forward, played one season for Enfield, Conn., High School in 2008-09, scoring 35 goals and earning First Team All-State recognition. As a repeat freshman at Cushing in 2009-10, he totaled 15 goals and 30 assists. Last summer, he participated in USA Hockey’s Select 17 Festival, scoring seven points, tied for ninth best.

Cushing Coach Rob Gagnon says he compares Baillargeon to ex Terrier Nick Bonino, “except he skates better than Nick did. His strengths are his skating and stick skills as well as his hockey IQ. He does need to improve his consistency of always bringing it each shift. His top level is really high, but when he takes a shift off he is then just a good player. I think the sky is the limit once he figures out how to be consistent.”

In an NHL.com feature on 2012 draft prospects, Central Scouting's Gary Eggleston, who focuses on East Coast talent, noted Baillargeon’s “great hands and scoring touch around the cage.”

2013 With the addition of Marc Hetnik, Jr., Jarrid Privitera and Baillargeon in recent weeks, BU’s recruiting classes for the next few years look like this:

• 2011: (F) Cason Hohmann, (F) Evan Rodrigues, (D) Alexx Privitera

• 2012: (F) Robert Polesello, (F) Jarrid Privitera, (G) Matt O’Connor, (D) Hetnik

• 2013: (F) Brendan Collier, (F) Danny O’Regan, (D) Matt Grzelcyk, (F) Adam Erne, (F) Baillargeon

• 2014: (D) Anthony DeAngelo

2013 recruit Erne, a power forward and one of the youngest players in the USHL talked with The Scouting Report about his first season with the Indiana Ice and his commitment to BU.

NHL Central Scouting issued its final rankings for the 2011 entry draft. Freshman Matt Nieto was #43, while classmates Adam Clendening and Sahir Gill were #45 and #110 respectively. O’Connor was #25 among North American goalies.

Another Terrier freshman, Charley Coyle, talked with The Daily Free Press’s Arielle Aronson about his path to BU and how he is "living his dream."

Looking back

Former BU captain Kevin Shattenkirk finished his rookie NHL season with 43 points (9+34), leading all first-year defensemen. His total also was seventh best for all rookies. After 46 games with Colorado—that included a nine-game scoring streak—Shattenkirk was traded to St. Louis in a blockbuster trade. He averaged just under 20 minutes per game for the season.

A goal scorer for the Terriers.

A goal scorer with a familiar name has committed to BU for 2012 or 2013. Jarrid Privitera, younger brother of 2011 recruit Alex Privitera is completing his junior season at The Gunnery School, where his 25 goals and 18 assists in 31 helped the Highlanders reach the seminfinals of the NEPSIHA smal school playoffs.

A Brad Zancanaro-sized, left shot forward at 5-6, 142, the younger Privitera, like Alexx, also played for the North Jersey Avalanche organization, recently participating in the Midget Nationals, Tier 1 U16, scoring 2 goals and an assist in four games. During the 2009-10 season with Avalanche, he had a 27-20-47 in 35 games.

2013 recruit Brendan Collier also participated in the Tier I, U16 tournament and led the Greater Boston Jr. Bruins in scoring with a 2-3-5 line in five games. The Jr. Bruins lost to Shattuck St. Mary’s in the semifinals in double overtime. Another member of the Jr. Bruins, Rob Baillargeon, who scored 30 goals and 34 assists as a sophomore at Cushing Academy, earning NEPISHA East first-team honors, recently visited BU, according to a post on the USCHO message board.

The commitment for 2012 of Catholic Memorial defenseman Marc Hetnik, Jr. , announced prematurely last month now is official. The defenseman, who scored four goals and 16 assists as the Knight’s captain this season, earned Boston Globe All-Scholastic honors (as did Malden Catholic’s Collier) and played in the Mass. High School All-Star Classic. Hetnik, whose father, Marc Hetnik, played for BU’s 1978 national championship team, will play a year of junior—possibly with BCHL Vernon or USHL Omaha—before joining the Terriers.

Linkorama

The Boston Hockey Blog reports that forward Ross Gaudet recently underwent hip surgery. BHB also talked with David Warsofsky about his decision to forego his senior season and turn pro, and completed its post-season review of the Terriers by position: Goaltending; Defense; and • Third and fourth lines.

Warsofsky, playing for the AHL Providence Bruins, scored his first pro point and talked with the Boston Globe about his transition to the pros.

A USA Hockey magazine feature article looks at Charley Coyle's freshman year.

New England Hockey Journal reports on Joe Pereira setting a somewhat dubious record in his first games in the AHL.

The Boston Herald reports that former BU associate head coach David Quinn, after two successful seasons leading the AHL Lake Erie Monsters, may be a candidate for NHL positions. But it was another former Terrier, John Hynes, who won the AHL Coach of the Year Award. Hynes, a member of the Terriers’ 1995 national championship team, was in his first season as head coach of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton. His squad includes former BU standouts Brian Strait and John Curry.

Warsofsky signs with the Bruins

Terrier assistant captain David Warsofsky has signed a contract with the Boston Bruins and will forego his senior season at BU. The defenseman, who earned second team all Hockey East honors this season, scored 68 points during three seasons on the BU blueline. He made his pro debut last night for Bruins AHL affiliate Providence, joining former Terrier teammate Colby Cohen. Warsofsky wore #6 and had no points in the P-Bruins 4-2 win over Worcester.

• Boston Hockey Blog report
• USCHO report

The Boston Hockey Blog has begun a series, issuing final grades to the 2010-11 Terriers. The first installment looks at the top six forwards.

Looking ahead
2011 recruit Cason Hohmann scored his 21st goal in Cedar Rapids 4-2 win over Youngstown. He now has 48 points in 48 games for the Roughriders.

Looking back
Former Terrier co-captain Nick Bonino scored a goal and two assists in Syracuse’s 6-2 win over Albany. Former Terrier blueliner Joe DiPenta was +2 for the Crunch.

David Van der Gulik continues to make the score sheet for Lake Erie, tallying a goal and an assist in the Monsters’ 3-2 win over Rochester.

Linkorama

Senior co-captain Joe Pereira has signed an amateur tryout contract with the AHL Worcester Shark. He found a few familiar faces—and fellow Terriers captains--there in John McCarthy and Sean Sullivan. Last night, he made his first start in a 5-4 overtime win in Portland in which McCarthy assisted on a game-tying goal late in the third and then scored the OT winner.

Looking back
Kevin Shattenkirk scored his first goal since being traded from Colorado in St. Louis’s 2-1 loss to Phoenix.

Zach Cohen assisted on the game-winning goal in Lake Erie’s 2-1 win over Rochester. Dave Van der Gulik also picked up an assist.

Looking ahead
2011 recruit Alexx Privitera was interviewed on WLCS Radio’s weekly Breaking out the Lumberjacks program (podcast). Priviterra has 32 points on the season and is tied for the lead among USHL defensemen. He was joined on the interview by his Muskegon teammate Charlie Taft, who reportedly is being recruited by BU. Taft set a franchise record for points in a game—five—last Friday with a hat trick and two assists in a 5-0 win over Cedar Rapids. Taft’s sister, Jenny, played lacrosse for BU, graduating in 2009.

Women’s team
Terriers were ranked second in the final USCHO poll, moving up from fifth. It’s the highest final ranking for BU in program history.

Backup goalie Braly Hiller penned her thoughts about BU’s first appearance in the Frozen Four for SouthCoastToday.com.

Terriers fall in national championship game

The Terriers’ pursuit of a national championship ended one win short of the goal as BU was defeated, 4-1 by top-ranked Wisconsin in Erie, Pa. It was a one-goal game until late in the third period when the Badgers, who hadn’t lost a game since Nov. 28, added an insurance goal and an empty-netter. BU’s only score came on a slick backhand shot by freshman Marie-Philip Poulin, her 24th of the season. Goalie Kerrin Sperry stopped 32 Badger shots.

• GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score and slide show
• Daily Free Press recap
• WTBU Sports recap
• Boston Globe recap
• USCHO recap

Looking ahead
2013 recruit Brendan Collier scored the overtime game-winner for Malden Catholic in its 4-3 win over St. John’s Prep in the Mass. High School Super 8 Championship game.
• Video highlights
• Boston Globe recap
• Boston Herald recap
• Boston Herald feature on Collier
• ESPN-Boston recap

Looking back
Nick Bonino scored his ninth goal of the season in Syracuse’s 5-2 win over Hershey.

Game Day—Terriers vs. Badgers for all the marbles

The Terrier women’s team faces its final hurdle in the quest for a national championship, meeting heavily favored Wisconsin today in Erie, Pa. The game begins at 2 p.m. ET and will be Web cast on ncaa.com.

Rebounding from several losses in February when injuries impacted the BU offense, Coach Brian Durocher's Terriers are back at the top of their game in the NCAA playoffs. While BU features two strong scoring lines, the #1 ranked Badgers, playing in their fifth title game in six games, have women’s hockey’s top offense, led by Kazmaier Award winner Meghan Duggan, who scored the game-winner in Wisconsin’s 3-2 semifinal win against BC. Wisconsin’s head coach, Mark Johnson, teamed with former Terriers Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, Jack O’Callahan and Dave Silk to lead the U.S. Olympic team to its miraculous gold medal win in 1980.

• GoTerriers.com links
• Free Webcast on ncaa.com
• Boston Globe preview
• WTBU Sports preview and Radio Webcast
• USCHO preview
• Daily Cardinal preview
• NCAA.com preview
• Frozen Four Web site

Looking back

Forty years ago today, the Terriers won their first national championshp, defeating Minnesota, 4-2 behind a pair of goals by All-American Steve Stirling and the goaltending of Dan Brady.

We'll soon post another of our Terrier Tales features detailing BU's 28-21- season and the road to the championship game in Syracuse, N.Y.
• Sports Illustrated recap

Rick DiPietro returned to the Islanders lineup after missing six weeks with facial injuries and stopped 29 shots in New York's 4-3 shootout win over Florida.

Looking ahead
2013 recruit Brendan Collier and his Malden Catholic teammate take on St. John’s prep in the tonight’s Massachusetts high school Super 8 championship game at TD Garden. Collier scored a goal and an assist in Friday’s 4-2 semifinal win over BC High.
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Women defeat Cornell; reach national title game

Combining opportunistic offense and stifling defense, Terriers defeated second-seeded Cornell in the Frozen Four semis, 4-1, and advance to the NCAA Championship game. BU will play top-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday–-exactly 40 years to the day when the Terrier men’s team won its first title, defeating Minnesota. Cornell had come into the game with a goals against average just over 1.00.

After surrendering an early goal the Big Red, BU got the equalizer midway through the first from Catherine Ward. Then, in a second period heavily dominated by BU, senior Jill Kirschner (photo) and junior Jennelle Kohanchuk scored 50 seconds apart to grab a two-goal lead. Senior captain Holly Lorms added an empty net goal in the waning minutes. BU outshot Cornell 31-15, with freshman goalie Kerrin Sperry stopping 14 shots. Defenseman Kathryn Miller had a pair of assists for BU.

BU is the first Hockey East team to reach the national championship game and, with a win, would become the first non-WCHA team to claim a women’s national title.

• GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score and photo gallery

• USCHO recap and slideshow

• Daily Free Press recap
• New England Hockey Journal recap

• Boston Herald recap
• ESPN recap

Looking back
David Van der Gulik, returned to Lake Erie after a short stint in Colorado and delivered three assists in a 7-2 win against Grand Rapids.

John McCarthy scored the only goal for Worcester in a 4-1 loss to Providence.

Friday Linkorama

Freshmen Charlie Coyle was named Hockey East’s Rookie of the Year at the leagues’awards dinner on Thursday night. Coyle scored 21 points in conference games and 26 overall. He joins the list of Terriers who have won this award: Kieran Millan (2009), Brandon Yip (2006), Rick DiPietro (2000), Scott Cashman (1990) and Scott Young (1986).

Juniors Kieran Millan and David Warsofsky were named second team Hockey East All-Stars while sophomore Alex Chiasson and freshman Adam Clendening received honorable mention.

Coyle and Clendening were named to the Hockey East all-rookie team. Coyle, who spent most of the season on BU’s top line, was a unanimous selection. Junior forward Chris Connolly was named a runner-up for the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award and junior goalie Kieran Millan was named a runner-up for the Three Stars Award.

Looking Back
Colin Wilson scored his 15th goal of the season (video) and added an assist in Nashville’s 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Jason Lawrence, top goal-scorer on BU’s 2009 National Champions, completed his season with Eindhoven in the Netherlands with 30 goals and 28 assists in 45 games. Lawrence was named to the European IJS League All-Star Team.

Women’s Team—Frozen Four edition
Red Hot Hockey resurfaces at the Frozen Four as Hockey East regular season champion BU takes on Cornell at Tullio Arena in Erie Pennsylvania. An 8 p.m. ET face off is scheduled. The #3 seeded Terriers are making their first ever visit to the NCAA Frozen Four tonight, facing #2 Cornell also for the first time.

Terriers' offense is led by junior Jenn Wakefield, freshman Marie-Phillip Poulin, and seniors Jill Kirchner and captain Holly Lorms. Catherine Ward and Tara Watchorn anchor the blueline, while freshman Kerrin Sperry has been rock solid in goal.

• GoTerriers.com has links to game notes, game tracker, WTBU Sports Web cast and the NCAA Web cast
• Daily Free Press game preview
• Boston Hockey Blog live in-game blog
• Scarlet Daily Digest: Redemption Song with links to three video clips
• Boston Herald feature on Terriers and game day article
• Boston Globe feature on Terriers
• New England Hockey Journal Frozen Four feature
• Go Erie.com profiles: BU and Cornell; game day feature
• Ithaca Journal preview

Graduate student and defenseman Catherine Ward was named a second team All-American. A member of the 2010 gold-medal winning Canadian Olympic team, War was third in the nation in assists among blueliners.
• Hockey East Online report.

Looking back--BU's first Hockey East championshp

Some of the biggest tournament victories in BU hockey history have taken place at the Providence Civic Center. The 1977-78 squad completed its remarkable 30-2 season there, beating BC, 5-3, in the only NCAA championship game between the two Commonwealth Avenue schools. In 1995, the Terriers won their fourth national champion at the Civic Center, thumping Minnesota, 7-3, in the seminfinal, and Maine, 6-2, in the title game. And, 25 years ago tonight, BU won its first of seven Hockey East tournament championships, drubbing the arch-rival Eagles, 9-4, with co-captain Peter Marshall’s hattrick leading the way. Blog contributor mh82 has chronicled the 1985-86 season—from a slow start to a dominant second half and post-season heroics—in another of his Terrier Tales features.

The 1985-86 Terriers: BU’s First Hockey East Champions

By mh82

For the Boston University hockey team, there was the troubling probability that history was going to repeat itself. Another season cut short. Another postseason trophy denied. Another NCAA Tournament bid rebuffed.

In the inaugural Hockey East Tournament, held at the Providence Civic Center in March of 1985, the second-seeded Terriers were beaten by host and third-seeded Providence College 5-2 in the semifinal round, thereby ending BU’s season (save for a consolation game against Lowell the following day) and any ambitions the Terriers had of making a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

BU had secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament the previous year by advancing to the championship game of the 1984 ECAC Tournament (a 5-2 setback against RPI) in its final season in that league before moving over to Hockey East. Playing in the NCAAs for the first time since winning it all in 1978, the Terriers, the No. 2 East seed, suffered a bitter defeat to Jerry York’s Bowling Green Falcons in the two-game total goals series played at Walter Brown Arena. BU looked to be in good shape after winning the opening game 6-3, but then the Terriers were outplayed the next night and dropped a 4-1 decision to even the series. The teams played into overtime for the right to advance to Lake Placid for the Final Four and a 40-foot shot through a screen by defenseman Mike Pikul resulted in a series-clinching goal for Bowling Green. The Falcons, the No. 3 West seed with a lineup that included future NHL players Gino Cavallini, Dave Ellett and Garry Galley, went on to defeat Michigan State 2-1 and Minnesota-Duluth 5-4 in a four-overtime marathon to capture the school’s only NCAA hockey title. MORE

BU falls, 5-4, in HE quarterfinals

Terriers dropped the deciding game in the Hockey East quarterfinals to Northeastern, 5-4 and now the continuation of their season rest with the results of other games.

BU fell behind, 2-0 in the first period before Matt Nieto’s tenth of the year, on a power play, got the home team on the board. After a scoreless second period, the red light was flashing throughout the third. A Northeastern power play goal was matched by Alex Chiasson’s 14th to make it a 3-2 game, but the Huskies scored two more to stretch their lead. Justin Courtnall and Wade Megan brought the Terriers close, but they couldn’t score the equalizer.

BU’s hopes to continue their season with a berth in the NCAAs are slim, but several scenarios would allow them to move on. See Scott McLaughlin’s explaination.

GoTerriers.com recap, comprehensive box score and video highlights
• Boston Hockey blog recap, NCAA scenarios
• Hockey East Online recap
• USCHO recap and HE quarterfinals wrap-up
• WTBU Sports recap
• Boston Globe recap
• Boston Herald recap
• College Hockey News comments from Jack Parker

Looking back
With last night's loss to Northeastern, BU won't be able to pursue its eighth Hockey East championship, but tomorrow we can look back on the Terriers first conference championship. 25 years ago on March 15, 1986, BU completed a late-season 11-1-2 run by thumping BC, 9-4 in the championship game at Boston Garden, behind a tournament MVP performance by co-captain Peter Marshall.

Blog contributor mh82 has prepared a detailed look at that season, which we'll post tomorrow. He previously documented the 1977-78 and 2008-09 seasons in articles posted on the Terrier Tales section of the blog.

• 1985-86 BU roster