Opening statement

“In general, I think it was a similar game to last night. It was a better played game tonight than last night. There weren’t as many miscues. Guys earned goals tonight moreso than they did last night.

I was pleased once again with our penalty kill. They got two power-play goals, but one of them, the guy picks it out of the air while he’s falling down. I think the PK and the power plays were a bit of a draw. We went 1-for-6, but we got one one second after the power play was over that was really a power-play goal. So, they go 2-for-7, we go 2-for-6. That’s a draw. That’s a very good power play they have. I think it’s more mature than our power play right now, but we did a real good job over the weekend shutting them down.

I thought the game revolved around three things. We start the game taking three absolutely stupid penalties –– stick penalties, slashing guys’ feet, knocking them off the puck –– and give them three power plays right off the bat, and they finally score on one. Rule number one is don’t beat yourself, and we beat ourselves in that first period for sure. Not only does that cause us problems as far as giving up a goal, but it causes us problems as far as getting legless. I think we were a little bit legless in the second period because of what went on in the first period.

Another thing that was a major problem was the fact that we were absolutely horrendous off of faceoffs. The third period was a little bit better, but the first two periods, Lowell won 85 percent of the faceoffs. When you win faceoffs, two things happen –– you get shots on net, and you get absolute puck possession. You demoralize the penalty kill because you keep possession, and you do a great job against the power play because you win the faceoff and ice it. That was the second biggest thing in the game, and it might’ve been the worst thing. It was definitely a difference in the game, how bad we were on faceoffs, and how good they were.

And finally, our inability to stop them below the dots. They possessed the puck and they got the puck to our crease at will many, many times. Our goaltender had to save a lot of grade-A shots that were eight inches from our goal, a foot from our goal, two feet from our goal. We were really inept at covering out front.

Penalties. Faceoffs. They outplayed us at both ends below the dots. Certainly, in the lower grade-A area, they did a really good job and we didn’t. And yet, it was still a ballgame. We played pretty hard. I liked some things I saw from individuals. I liked some things I saw as systems.

But they’re a very good team, and we got a split on the weekend. I think it would’ve been awful nice if we could’ve got four points out of this weekend after winning the one on the road, but then we come back and lose the one at home. So, they probably have a better taste in their mouth right now than we do even though we each got two points, because they won the last one, and that’s the one you remember.

I like that team. They’re a solid team. They’ll be a home-ice team in our league, no question in my mind. Hopefully, we will be, too. We had five goals last night, but we’ve mostly been getting two or three, and we have to get much better at that.”

On expectations going into the weekend versus expectations after last night

“If you told me we were gonna have a split on Thursday, I would’ve said, ‘I’ll take that,’ with the way we are right now and Bonino out and knowing we’re playing one of the best teams in the league and usually it’s a tough place to play up in Lowell. But once you win the first one, you want to win the second one.”

On the problems with the defense getting outworked down low

“We’re not getting to people and ending it. We’re shuffling our feet five feet away from them and letting them carry the puck. Gryba ends it pretty quickly. We lost a couple shutdown defensemen in Matt Gilroy and Brian Strait who could get to people and end it right there and jump out of the zone with the puck. We spent too much time along the wall trying to possess the puck from them. And then, once they turned, they got the puck to the crease, and we did not defend the crease well enough. I don’t know how many goals they got from the crease, but they got way too many chances there.”

On whether or not he might make any personnel changes on defense

“No. We might roll a couple guys in and out, but we’re not gonna make drastic changes. We don’t have a lot of choices. Our biggest problem is down the middle. Without Bonino, Connolly’s playing out of position. He’s usually a left wing, but he’s playing center for us. Some other guys will get a chance to play a little bit, but the bottom line is that we are who we are.”

On whether or not the struggles on faceoffs are a technical thing or an effort thing

“It’s a little bit of a technical thing, and it’s a little bit of an ego thing. We’re trying to win the faceoff instead of making sure they don’t win the faceoff. It was as if the referee was just throwing it back to the Lowell point. That’s how easily they were winning it back.”

On his team’s power play with under three minutes to go in the game

“We got out of position. Guys didn’t recognize where we were. We had the puck right where we wanted it on the half wall down around the hash marks, and there was nobody to pass it to. Our defensemen disappeared on him. On a 6-on-4, we have a certain play, and the guy that’s supposed to go that position to get that play didn’t go there. All of a sudden, Connolly’s got the puck and he’s saying, ‘Where the hell is everybody?’ It’s 6-on-4 and he’s by himself.

We still had a couple opportunities. There were some close calls. I thought Chris had a couple good opportunities. But we haven’t practiced 6-on-4 once this year so far, so that’s not unusual. I would’ve thought we would’ve figured that out a little bit better, though. I thought that a couple upperclassmen disappeared. When Chris had the puck, there should’ve been some people for him to look to.”

On whether he’s leaning toward using Warsofsky as a forward or defenseman on the PP

“I’ll keep mixing it up. I want to get David a lot of ice time out there. I like it with those three guys at the point when he plays with the other two defensemen. But at the same time, I thought Trivino’s line moved the puck pretty well on the power play tonight. They had the better looks. And that was when Warsofsky was playing back at the point.”

On the play of Kevin Shattenkirk

“I think he’s struggling with the puck. I think he’s not moving his feet enough. I think that he looks great at times, and he’s just such a talented kid. He had a great goal tonight, a big goal tonight. But in general, I would say that not just Shatty, but a couple of our upperclassmen are not as effective as they have to be for us. I think Shatty’s a little jumpy with the puck, which is really unusual, because he’s always smooth as hell with the puck. He’s forcing things, I think. It’s not so much that he’s nervous, but he’s just forcing stuff that I don’t think he has to do.”

On Alex Chiasson getting more and more comfortable on the top line

“I think he’s very comfortable there. I think he’s gonna be a real good player for us. He’s our leading goal scorer as a freshman. He’s gonna get goals in this league, and he’s gonna get a lot of ice time for us. He’s very good on the power play, too. One of the reasons the power play with Trivino’s line looked pretty good tonight was because he played pretty well on the power play.”

On if Chiasson could fill the Colin Wilson role of a big body out front on the PP

“He’s a big body down there, but we’re trying to get him out on the flank on what we refer to as the ‘BU power play’ and get him one-timers, because he can really shoot it.”

By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff

Offense – Grade B

Despite a terrible 19-of-60 performance on faceoffs, BU held even for the most part in time of possession with the River Hawks. The Terriers fired 46 shots to UML’s 42, and put 26 of those shots on goal (UML put 21 shots on net). Especially in the third period, BU did a better job crashing the net and following up on shots. For the second-consecutive night, David Warsofsky was a catalyst on the attack, assisting on Vinny Saponari’s goal and leading the Terriers with five shots on net. Saponari and Kevin Shattenkirk –– BU’s goal scorers –– tied for second with four each.

Defense – Grade C-

BU’s blue-liners struggled mightily down low in their own zone, allowing numerous grade-A shots from around the BU crease while struggling to box out bodies and clear pucks away from the slot. Parker said in his postgame press conference that Shattenkirk and his fellow upperclassmen were “shuffling their feet” too often and not boxing guys out near the slot.

Special Teams – Grade B-

The BU power play is on track to fully righting itself, it appears. The Terriers generated 14 shots in six chances, and improved its puck movement noticeably. Parker switched between playing Warsofsky at wing and dropping him to the second-unit point, and said he’ll continue to do that. Parker also said the Terrier penalty kill was once again strong, despite allowing two goals in seven chances. The team limited UML to seven shots on the man advantage, a respectable clip.

Goaltending – Grade B

Kieran Millan continues to face shot after shot from right on his own doorstep. Generally, three goals on 21 shots makes for a subpar night in net. But when a ton of those chances come from grade-A areas and the defensive troops don’t clear out rebounds at an even average rate, there sometimes isn’t much for a goaltender to do.

X-Factor – Faceoffs

The Terriers were an abysmal 19-for-60 in the faceoff dot, with Chris Connolly and Ryan Santana going a combined 3-for-18. Vinny Saponari was the only Terrier to best the .500 clip, winning 4-of-7 draws. The absence of Nick Bonino is a clear damper on the BU faceoff, especially considering Connolly has struggled to win draws since moving from the wing. However, as UML coach Blaise McDonald said, faceoffs are a five-man effort, and BU’s struggles to beat opponents to draws on loose pucks is reflective of its same struggles to win battles in front of the net and in the corners.

By Cary Betagole/DFP Staff

By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff

Friday morning, Jack Parker had an idea.

After Friday’s 5-4 overtime win against the No. 8/9 University of Massachusetts-Lowell, it looked like the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey coach’s idea might change his team’s entire season.

Parker knew the Terriers would be playing shorthand for 3-to-4 weeks as junior Nick Bonino recovered from a separated shoulder suffered against the University of Michigan last Saturday. He also knew that his power play was struggling, capitalizing on just 3-of-19 chances –– a .158 conversion rate.

When Parker came up with the idea, the third-winningest coach in Division-I hockey history shared it with his assistants.

The idea: promote sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky to the top power-play unit –– and play him at forward.

“I said to my assistants, ‘You know what, with Bonino out, maybe we should go with our quote-unquote top five out there, see if we can’t go get something going on one half of our power plays at least,’” Parker said.

When UML senior Jeremy Dehner took a tripping penalty with 2:27 left in overtime Friday, Parker, considering his tired core of forwards and a lackluster 0-for-3 showing on the man advantage to that point, decided to make his move.

When the Terriers came out for the left-side offensive draw, sophomore Corey Trivino lined up at center with the regular top power-play unit, except Warsofsky, already two goals into his first-star night, was crouched at his right wing in the slot.

“We never practiced it and never told them about it,” Parker said. “I just said, ‘Hey David, go play up at the shooter’s position.”

On its last outing late in the third period, the top power-play unit struggled mightily to even set up in the attacking zone. After an initial clear off the faceoff, the Terriers tried three times to enter into the UML zone and establish possession. All three times, the River Hawks cleared the puck within a few seconds of its entry.

The line changed one minute into the man advantage without so much as sniffing a scoring chance.

In overtime, with Warsofsky at the right-side half-wall position, the unit clicked almost instantly.

A few passes off the opening faceoff, Warsofsky gave the Terriers their first scoring chance of the power play, detonating an explosive one-time slap shot from atop the right circle that was turned away by senior UML netminder, Carter Hutton.

About a minute of quick puck movement later, when junior Colby Cohen rocketed home the game-winner at 3:54, he did so with Warsofsky setting a screen in front. The defenseman was posted up atop the crease, back to the net like a basketball forward.

For the Marshfield native, the decision to set up in front was a natural one, and carried a potential message to teammates who had opted to hang around the perimeter on the power play in the past.

“It felt kind of good,” Warsofsky said. “You’re out there on the power play and some of your forwards aren’t setting you screens. Everyone takes it for granted how important that screen really is, so I just wanted to get in there and block the goalie’s eyes and create an opportunity to score.”

Warsofsky, who played forward as a youth and some in high school, said he’s “always kind of had that offensive instinct” in his game. With him, Cohen and junior Kevin Shattenkirk on the ice at the same time, the BU power play adds yet another dynamic to an already talented core.

“They’re three of our best players, no doubt about that,” Paker said. “I talked to David about playing him at center and start practicing him at center, just because, I hope we never have to play him at center, but with Bonino out, if somebody else gets an injury, it’s a thin area for us. He’s one of the few defenseman –– he’s the only defenseman who can go up and play forward for us.”

The right wing in BU’s power play might be the ideal position to suit Warsofksy’s dynamic skill set, according to Parker.

“[Warsofksy’s] a real clever player,” Parker said of. “I think he might be better off playing the half wall than the point because at the point he’s a little too clever. On the half wall he can drill it. He can really one-time a shot if he gets a chance to do that, but when he gets it he can close, he can beat people. He can retrieve pucks. He’s a very, very smart player.”

“We’ll probably use him there at least until Bonino gets back.”

Offense: A-

After mustering just five goals in their first three games combined, the Terriers doubled their season total by dropping a five-spot on UMass-Lowell tonight. Four of BU’s goals involved guys driving to the net, something that has been lacking for most of the season. The first two goals, scored by Alex Chiasson and David Warsofsky, came on odd-man rushes that were finished with snipes over River Hawk goalie Carter Hutton’s glove. On his second goal, BU’s fourth of the game, Warsofsky jumped into the play late and took a pass from Andrew Glass at the top of the slot, where he fired a wrister threw a screen and into the net. Colby Cohen’s overtime game-winner found its way through a slew of bodies blocking Hutton’s view. The Terriers still struggled to set up at times on offense, and coach Jack Parker noted that his team was outworked down low for much of the game, but it’s tough to find too much to complain about on the offensive side of things after tonight.

Defense: C-

The Terrier D allowed the River Hawks extended offensive-zone possessions throughout the game. UML recorded 10 of the final 12 shots in the first period and outshot BU, 19-10, in the second. But then the defense completely turned it around in the third period and overtime, allowing just five shots over the final 23:54. Despite the complete 180, though, it’s hard to ignore those first 40 minutes. Lowell continually got second- and third-chance opportunities as BU failed to clear away rebounds. Perhaps some of the early-game struggles can be attributed to two new defensive pairings –– Sean Escobedo was teamed with Kevin Shattenkirk and Max Nicastro was teamed with Cohen. Parker said he did this because Escobedo looked shaky against Michigan, and thought it would be better to pair him with the captain rather than another freshman. Parker added that he thought Escobedo and Shattenkirk played great together.

Goalie: B

Kieran Millan made 32 saves, one shy of his career high. Yes, he gave up four goals, but only one of them could be considered “soft”. On the River Hawks’ fourth goal, he got beat five-hole on a shot that ultimately hit the post, and then failed to recover in time to block the rebound. On the first goal, UML was allowed two hacks at rebounds as the BU D did little to help Millan out. On the second, a shot wide took a hard bounce off the end boards and came right to Michael Scheu on the left doorstep. On the third, Lowell was again allowed two shots at a rebound as Scheu and Michael Budd stormed into the BU crease, culminating in Budd putting the puck home. But Millan stood tall when he needed to late, stopping two 2-on-1s in the final six minutes of the game. Parker said he told Millan in the locker room after the game that normally he wouldn’t be happy with four goals, but that he thought Millan played great.

Special teams: B

The Terrier penalty kill looked terrific for the second game in a row, holding UML scoreless on its five man-up chances. Coming into the game, the River Hawk power play was operating at a 28.6-percent clip –– the best in Hockey East –– and had scored at least one PP goal in each of its first four games. The PK was especially critical in the second period, when it killed off three straight penalties in the final nine minutes of the stanza. The power play, on the other hand, struggled for most of the night. In the first three periods, it was 0-for-3 with just two shots on goal. But it made amends in overtime. After Warsofsky and Shattenkirk doubled that shots total, Cohen ended the game with a one-timer from the left point that found its way through a screen in front. The most interesting part of that power play was the fact that Warsofsky was playing forward. Parker said he talked about moving Warsofsky up to forward on the top PP unit with his assistant coaches for the first time this morning because he thought Warsofsky was one of his five best players, but didn’t want to take Shattenkirk or Cohen off the top unit. He added that he might turn to the new look more in the future. After seeing how it worked in overtime, it’s hard to argue against it, especially since the power play struggled in regulation.

Rene Reyes recaps Thursday's 2-1 loss to New Jersey.

BU takes on UMass-Lowell in what should be one of the team's most important weekends of the regular season.

Columnist Craig Meyer discusses fans' expectations for BU hockey this year, and whether or not they should reconsider after a less-than-impressive start to the season.

Photo by Brooks Canaday/DFP Staff

By Jake Seiner/DFP Staff

Offense – Grade B-

The Terrier offense benefited from the team’s noticeable jump in effort and hustle. Two of BU’s three goals were the direct result of pressure on the forecheck forcing mistakes by Michigan goaltender Bryan Hogan. There is still work to be done in the offensive zone –– BU is still not crashing the net for Grade-A opportunities beneath the circles enough. That said, the Terriers played much harder tonight than in their previous games, and the fruits of that labor were felt in the offensive zone.

Defense – Grade C

Michigan outshot the Terriers, 35-22, which says a lot about the puck possession the Wolverines maintained. That puck possession can be largely attributed to a buzzing forecheck that forced turnovers in the offensive zone for Michigan all night. In the third period, the Maize and Blue ripped an astounding 30 shots, 21 of which ended up on net. Granted, BU was tired playing down two men –– Nick Bonino left the game in the first period with a separated shoulder and Eric Gryba was escorted off the ice 2:15 into the third period on a game misconduct for hitting from behind. But BU needed to make better decisions breaking out of their own zone and not put so much pressure on Kieran Millan.

Goaltending – Grade A-

BU’s skaters were tired, and in the third period, Michigan attacked in full force. The Wolverines aforementioned 30 shot attempts in the third period came from all over the ice, and there was little the defense could do about it. BU won the game because Kieran Millan put his tired teammates on his back and carried them to the end of regulation. Yes, he gave up two goals in the third, and yes, he was in position to make the save on both of them. But for the first time this season, Millan looked like the same kid who carried BU to a national title a year ago.

Special Teams – Grade B+

The BU penalty kill was, for the second game in a row, outstanding. Playing without PK specialist Luke Popko (flu) and Bonino, BU killed a huge 5-on-3 chance early in the third, constantly taking away passing and shooting lanes while holding Michigan to just eight shots on six power plays, killing all six chances. On the power play, BU got the job done, converting 2-of-8 chances. That said, BU still struggled mightily with puck possession, and the pointmen continued to make poor decisions that, combined with lackadaisical puck movement, gave Michigan a number of easy clears off turnovers high in the zone.

X-Factor – Faceoffs

BU came into the game winning faceoffs at an abysmal .452 rate, and they were going against a Michigan team that had won draws at a .546 clip. Yet, without two of their best faceoff guys (Bonino and Popko), BU held the Wolverines to a meager 32-31 faceoff advantage. The performance was especially key as the Terriers faced a lot of faceoffs from their own zone, and Michigan didn’t need any more help possessing the puck in the BU zone.

First-line center Nick Bonino will be out three-to-four weeks after dislocating his right shoulder in the first period of Saturday night's 3-2 win over Michigan, according to BU coach Jack Parker. Near the end of the period, Bonino fell over a Michigan player in the offensive zone and landed hard on the shoulder.

Parker said that the training staff had already popped the shoulder back into place by the time Bonino got to the trainer's room, but that it would take him a while to recover since it's the first time he dislocated the shoulder. On the other hand, the fact that's it the first time means Bonino will be less likely to have it pop out again once he's recovered.

Someone like sophomore forward Ross Gaudet, who dislocated his shoulder for the eighth time in the last three years two weeks ago, takes a shorter time to recover, but is more likely to have it come out again.

After having what Jack Parker called their best practice of the season, the Terriers prepare to host No. 4/5 Michigan on Saturday night.

Bruins took care of the Nashville Predators last night, 3-2. Colin Wilson, making his first trip back to Boston as a pro, tallied the first goal of his NHL career. Rumor has it that those in attendance included Brandon Yip, Joe Pereira, Nick Bonino and Colby Cohen, in addition to some other guys.

Photo by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

Links to today's FreeP articles:

By Jake Seiner, DFP Staff

Photo by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

Offense – Grade C

The Terriers did a handful of good things in Tuesday’s game, namely getting the puck to the net. But, as has been the case through two exhibition and two regular season games, shot totals don’t always equal goals, and UND netminder Brad Phillips turned away all 34 of BU’s shots, many of which hit him square in the chest. Unlike previous games, crashing the net was not a problem for the Terriers, who made a clear effort to get into the slot once shots were taken from the point. However, the effort was mooted by Notre Dame’s physical, collapsing defenders who cleared pucks away from Phillips’s feet before BU’s sticks could throw the puck back at the cage. Daily Free Bonus Fact of the Night: Tuesday was the first time in exactly 100 games BU was shutout.

Defense – Grade B-

The Terriers made only a handful of mistakes defensively Tuesday. In the first, Notre Dame generated a pair of breakaway chances off poor neutral zone play from BU’s upperclassman defenders –– a familiar story –– but otherwise, the only glaring mistakes occurred on UND’s three goals. On goal number one, Sean Escobedo screened Millan from the puck but failed to block the shot. On No. two, Millan and his defenders failed to communicate properly, and on goal No. 3, the BU penalty kill was caught drifting toward the UND zone as sophomore Chris Connolly failed to convert on a 1-on-1 chance against Phillips. Three mistakes, three goals. Otherwise, BU played very well defensively.

Goaltending – Grade C

Sophomore Kieran Millan has played like an above-average starting goaltender at the Division-I level in 2009-10, which is pretty good. Maybe it’s simply based on unattainable expectations set last year by the Edmonton, Alta. native, but pretty good is almost disappointing for Millan. Last season, if the Terrier offense stalled, it seemed like Millan always picked up his game and kept BU in the contest. Kieran has not in any way lost either game for BU this year –– but he hasn’t won them either, and that’s what Terrier fans expect based on last season. Fair? Probably not, but that’s the curse of success.

Special Teams – Grade D

This category really needs sub-grades. BU’s penalty kill was nearly perfect, with its only slipup coming after Connolly’s failed breakaway. That said, the power play gets a fully deserved ‘F.’ BU was 0-for-8 on the man advantage, and played incredibly slow with no sense of urgency during three power-play chances early in the first. Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen, Nick Bonino and Vinny Saponari all had turnovers leading to Notre Dame clearing the zone on those three chances alone. Parker classified BU’s efforts on those early PP chances as “inept,” and aside from David Warsofksy, who ripped an astounding nine shots from the left point alone, BU’s blue-liners played sloppy and hesitant all night. The squad improved as the game went on, but Parker and his staff have a lot of work to do with BU’s power play going forward.

Photo by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

Picture by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

Links to a couple stories from Monday's Daily Free Press:

BU Hockey: Welcome to this year

Chiasson tallies two goals in collegiate debut

Be sure to check in tomorrow night for our live blog when BU hosts Notre Dame at 7 p.m., and check in after the game for postgame quotes and stories.

All photos by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

Photo by Sarah Gordon, DFP Staff

By Scott McLaughlin, Daily Free Press Staff

1) University of Massachusetts-Lowell

After reaching their second Hockey East title game in program history, the River Hawks return 22 letter-winners, including their top seven scorers and two senior goalies (Nevin Hamilton and Carter Hutton). Defenseman Maury Edwards leads the way at both ends of the ice. The junior was named a Hockey East First-Team All-Star and Second-Team All-American a season ago after leading all Hockey East defensemen with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) in conference play. The River Hawks ranked in the top three in Hockey East in scoring offense, scoring defense, power-play percentage and penalty-kill percentage last year, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be able to match that production this season.

2) Boston University

Yes, the Terriers are the defending national champions. Yes, they won every other trophy they could possibly win along the way last year. And yes, they placed first in this year’s Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll. But the fact remains that this team lost five-sixths of its top two forward lines and its top defensive pairing. Of course, there’s still a lot of talent coming back –– junior forward Nick Bonino, junior defenseman and captain Kevin Shattenkirk, sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky and sophomore goalie Kieran Millan should all be All-American candidates at the end of the season. The Terriers should still be a very good team, but they have more question marks than the River Hawks at this point.

3) Boston College

Even though they lost two of their top three scorers (Brock Bradford and Benn Ferriero), the Eagles are simply too talented to finish sixth again. Senior forward Ben Smith saw his point total drop from 50 in 2007-08 to 17 last year. Junior forward Joe Whitney saw his plummet from 51 to 15. If they land somewhere in between this year, that would be a huge boost for BC. Also adding to what should be a turnaround season are a strong freshman class and a healthy John Muse in net. Five Eagle rookies were selected in the first four rounds of this year’s NHL Draft, including 19th-overall pick Chris Kreider. Muse battled a hip injury throughout last season, but offseason surgery should have him back to freshman form.

4) University of Vermont

After reaching their second Frozen Four in program history, the Catamounts know exactly what they’re getting on defense. All six starting blue-liners and sophomore goalie Rob Madore return from a unit that tied for fourth in the conference in scoring defense. On the other hand, Vermont loses four of its top seven scorers, including Hobey Baker Award finalist Viktor Stalberg, leaving plenty of questions to be answered up front. If opening weekend was any indication, though, the Catamount offense might be just fine. It put up 10 goals in a weekend split against the then-No. 1/2 University of Denver. Another cause for concern, though, is the penalty kill, which ranked a measly ninth in Hockey East last year.

5) University of New Hampshire

The Wildcats saw last season come to a heartbreaking end at the hands of BU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but they should be a contender again this year. Despite losing leading scorer James van Riemsdyk, UNH is one of only two Hockey East teams (BU’s the other) to return three 30-point scorers –– junior Mike Sislo (31) and seniors Bobby Butler and Peter LeBlanc (30 each). However, depth could be a problem both up front and on defense. Three other 20-point forwards and two starting defensemen departed. If senior goalie Brian Foster can be more than the middle-of-the-pack goalie he was last year and some of the underclassmen can step up, UNH could be in the NCAAs for the ninth straight season.

6) University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Junior James Marcou, whose 1.21 points per game were second only to Colin Wilson, and sophomore Casey Wellman, whose 33 points were best among Hockey East rookies, should form one of the most lethal scoring duos in the league. Senior Justin Braun (23 points) and sophomore Matt Irwin (18) are both defensemen who know how to create offense as well. Junior goalie Paul Dainton was fourth in save percentage in conference play. The Minutemen don’t have a lot of depth on either offense or defense, but those five guys provide a stable core that should help bring along the underclassmen. If the underclassmen do produce, UMass could find itself competing for its second NCAA berth in program history.

7) Northeastern University

Husky fans who are expecting a repeat of last year’s second-place finish are in for a disappointment. Gone is Hobey Baker finalist and Hockey East Player of the Year Brad Thiessen. Gone are starting defensemen Louis Liotti, Denis Chisholm and Daniel Nycholat. Gone are forwards Ryan Ginand (32 points) and Joe Vitale (27). And if that wasn’t enough, sophomore forward Steve Quailer (25 points) is out indefinitely with an ACL injury. On the bright side, leading scorer Wade MacLeod (35 points) is back along with three other 20-point scorers. But if the freshman defensemen and freshman goalie Chris Rawlings can’t adjust to the college game, it might not matter how much the offense scores.

8) Merrimack College

There’s definitely reason to think that this could be the year the Warriors make it to the postseason for the first time since 2004. They return 11 of their top 12 scorers and have a strong defensive corps led by senior Pat Bowen, junior Fraser Allan and Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection Karl Stollery. Merrimack also brings back sophomore backstop Joe Cannata, who ranked fourth among Hockey East goalies with a .918 save percentage last season. As a team, the Warriors tied with Vermont for fourth in Hockey East with a 2.62 goals-against average. Continued improvement from the young forwards plus more stellar defense and goaltending should equal mid-March hockey for the boys from North Andover.

9) University of Maine

After reaching 11 Frozen Fours from 1988 to 2007, the Black Bears could be looking at their third straight season of finishing eighth or worse. Maine has a strong sophomore class, led by Swedish sensation Gustav Nyquist, who was second among Hockey East rookies with 32 points last year. But unless that group shows tremendous progress, it will be another disappointing season in Orono. Maine ranked last in Hockey East in scoring offense during conference play and ninth in scoring defense. Chief among those who need to improve is the goaltending tandem of senior Dave Wilson and sophomore Scott Darling, who ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, among Hockey East goalies in save percentage last year.

10) Providence College

The Friars missed the Hockey East playoffs for the first time in program history last year. They finished ninth in the conference in scoring offense, last in scoring defense, last in power-play percentage and last in penalty-kill percentage. Normally, you’d be tempted to say something like “There’s nowhere to go but up” or “Things can’t get any worse” after a season like that. Unfortunately for Providence, that might not be true. The team loses three of its top five scorers from a season ago and still has a big question mark in net. Alex Beaudry was brought in halfway through last season to try and solve the goaltending enigma. It didn’t work ­­–– he ranked 13th in Hockey East in save percentage and 13th in goals-against average.

Photo by Isabel Slepoy

By Cary Betagole, Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University men’s hockey coach Jack Parker has stressed it. So has junior captain Kevin Shattenkirk:

This is a new season. It’s time to turn the page.

But history wasn’t feeling submissive Saturday night inside Agganis Arena, wrestling for one last night in its six-month long monopoly of the BU consciousness.

Drunk with nostalgia, the BU hockey family hardly needed a nudge, as the unveiling of BU’s 2008-09 championship banners was met with an energy more commonly found at a religious service than a hockey arena.

“Just sitting on the goal line, you just get chills thinking back to how it happened and the journey we went through with the ups and downs,” junior forward Joe Pereira said, who watched with the rest of his teammates single file on the blue line.

“You think back on the players when you see the parents from last year’s team and you’re like, ‘Wow, we did something special and we’ll be remembered forever together.’ It’s pretty special –– definitely got goosebumps and chills.”

Parents of departed Terriers Brian Strait, Steve Smolinsky, Jason Lawrence, Chris Higgins and Matt Gilroy were on hand to manually unfurl, in order of their capture, canvases representing each of the Terriers’ main triumphs from a year ago: the Beanpot, the Hockey East regular season, the Hockey East Tournament, the Frozen Four and, finally, the NCAA Tournament championship.

“I thought it was nicely done,” Parker said. “It was nice to have all the trophies out there and let the fans see one more time what a great year last year was.”

Sitting at the head of a T-shaped red carpet arrangement, Athletic Director Mike Lynch led the ceremony with his assessment of last season’s run.

“It was one of the most remarkable runs by a team in the history of college athletics,” he said. “This building was built for one reason, and one reason only, to bring the national championship right back here."

Then the lights were dimmed and a video played reviewing last season’s highlights. Applause grew to a roar as a slow-motion replay of Colby Cohen’s knuckler inched closer and closer to Miami’s net.

When the lights returned, each group of parents had aligned themselves underneath the banner they would drop.

A chant of, “Go BU,” broke out when Peggy and Frank Gilroy approached the coiled NCAA championship banner, and it continued to rise in volume as the canvas cruised closer and closer to the ice.

“I was real happy with the crowd,” Parker said. “I was worried about that because it was only an exhibition game.”

BU’s opponent, the U.S. National Under-18 team, watched the whole thing unfold from the opposing blue-line.

“I know it left an impression on me,” US-18 coach Kurt Kleinendorst said. “I wanted my guys to see that.”

Some of those guys will be at the University of Notre Dame, others at the University of Michigan or University of Denver or Boston College, and two are coming right here to BU.

For Matt Nieto and Adam Clendening, it was a sneak peak of the impossible dream realized — completing the spectrum of affect from old to young, as surely a couple of inner fires were stirred by the ceremony.

“The fact that we’re recruiting a couple kids from this team didn’t hurt,” Parker said about the timing of the ceremony.

On the other end, the banner raising was a symbolic contribution to BU lore, richer with the turnover of each storied roster.

“All our guys think they played on the same team. It doesn’t matter if you played in the ‘70s or the ‘90s, we all think we played on the same team,” Parker said. “They got a lot of calls, and we got a lot of calls from former players saying, ‘We’re really happy for you. We felt like we won it, too.’”

For 14 years, etched in scarlet banners were the years 1971, 1972, 1978 and 1995.

Now, 2009.

By Jake Seiner, Daily Free Press Staff

With less than a week until it officially began its national championship defense, the Boston University men’s hockey team took down the US National Under-18 Team, 3-2, Saturday night at Agganis Arena.

Before the game, the Terriers raised banners commemorating last season’s Beanpot victory, Hockey East regular season and postseason titles, NCAA Frozen Four appearance and NCAA national championship. The banners were dropped by parents of graduated players from the 2008-09 season.

Junior Joe Pereira put home the winner for the Terriers at 19:52 of the second period, when he and Andrew Glass found themselves with a 2-on-1 opportunity following a defensive-zone faceoff win by senior Luke Popko.

Pereira hesitated just inside the left wing circle, leaving US-18 goalie Jack Campbell guessing on whether Pereira would pass to Glass or fire a shot. Campbell, apparently anticipating a pass, floated to the center of the crease, leaving the top left corner of the net open for Pereira to snipe the puck home.

“Popko won the faceoff,” Pereira said, “and right before the faceoff he said, ‘We’re going to go off the wall,’ because they’d been trying to catch us off our defensive zone faceoffs. Popko said, ‘Just go up the middle and we’ll try to find you.’”

“Andy Glass made a great play off the boards and kind of laid it for the defense to commit to me, and I just kind of used it as a screen to put it on net, and I was lucky enough for it to go in.”

Junior Nick Bonino and sophomore Chris Connolly registered BU’s other two goals.

At the 12:07 mark of the first, Bonino beat Campbell to the right post on a forehand wrap around, tying the game at a goal each. Senior Zach Cohen and sophomore Vinny Saponari assisted on the goal.

Connolly gave the Terriers at 2-1 lead 17:55 into the first on a power play goal. From the right point, sophomore David Warsofsky passed the puck to freshman defenseman Max Nicastro at the left point, who one-touched a pass to Connolly waiting at the right dot. Connolly one-timed a laser top shelf past Campbell.

The BU goals came after the US-18 squad punished the Terriers for a pair of early penalties. Freshman Alex Chiasson and Saponari were sent to the sin bin in the game’s first two minutes, giving the US-18s 1:04 of 5-on-3 time.

Twelve seconds into the Saponari minor, Justin Faulk whizzed a one-time shot over sophomore goaltender Kieran Millan’s shoulder and into the top-left corner of the net.

For the second-straight week, the Terriers offensive efforts resulted in few relative goals. In its first game against St. Francis Xavier University, BU registered 53 shots on goal, but beat freshman netminder Joseph Perricone just twice.

Saturday night, the Terriers again blistered their opponents with a multitude of pucks, but Campbell turned away on 39 of BU’s 42 shots on net.

“If you take a look at the shots, you don’t have to be Scotty Bowman to realize that, you know, Jack gave us a chance,” US-18 coach Kurt Kleinendorst said. “The one thing we get every night with Jack between the pipes is he gives us a chance to win, and I think he did that.”

Among the leading shot takers for BU were Warsofsky (6 shots), sophomore Colby Cohen (6 shots) and junior captain Kevin Shattenkirk (5 shots).

Two US-18 players drew particular attention from Terrier fans. Matt Nieto and Adam Clendening, both verbally committed to BU for 2010, were cheered before the game when announced on the US-18’s starting lineup.

Nieto, a Long Beach, Calif., native, tallied an assist on Faulk’s first-period goal.

“Matty’s a nice player –– he’s got very good skills,” Kleinendorst said. “You watch him play, and he’s kind of one of the new breeds. He’s out of California and you’d never know it. He’s from the L.A. area. He’s a strong skater, he’s a good skater, he’s a solid skater, he’s got good skills and thinks the game very well.

“I talk about a good get –– I think that’s a good get for Jack [Parker]. I think he’s going to come in here and he’s going to be a nice player. You guys will appreciate him for four years.”

Kibbles and BitsSophomore Ross Gaudet missed Saturday’s contest with a dislocated left shoulder. Parker expects him to be back in a couple weeks. . .US-18 center and Boston College recruit Bill Arnold was welcomed to the Green-Line Rivalry in fitting fashion. The Needham native was booed and harassed by the BU student sections throughout the game. . .Bonino (2 goals) and Glass (2 assists) finished the exhibition season tied for the team lead in points with two each.

Jack Parker

Opening statement

“In general, I was very pleased with our effort in many parts of the game, and for most of the game. I thought we started off a little slow in the first period, in the first six or eight minutes. And then I thought we played really well for the rest of the first period.

“There were times during the course of the game where we looked really, really sharp, and there were other times where I thought we were thinking we’re a little better than we are, thinking we’re better than them. We were taking chances and making foolish passes and turning pucks over that gave them opportunities.

“I thought all three goalies played real well. I thought [USA goalie Jack] Campbell played extremely well, obviously, with the number of saves he had. But they had some great chances, and I thought [Adam] Kraus played real well. He had to make a couple real big saves in the third period.

“I was disappointed in our penalty kill, and I was disappointed in the penalties we took. We didn’t look anywhere near as sharp as we have to be killing penalties, and we certainly took some stupid ones.

“But, it’s the second game of the year, an exhibition game. Not a bad effort. And I got to see some guys that I wanted to see something out of, and see what they were doing. We changed some lines around. We played one group of guys and combinations the first half of the game, and then changed it completely around in the second half of the game. Except for one line, I think every other line had changes.

“I thought the freshmen played pretty well. I thought [Ryan] Santana played very well. It was the first time we’ve seen him as a center. We moved him to center, and he played very well on the fourth line for the second half of the game. I was real pleased with our freshman defensemen. I thought especially [Max] Nicastro played extremely well.”

On the banner-raising ceremony

“I thought it was nicely done. It was nice to have all the trophies out there and let the fans see one more time what a great year last year was. I certainly wanted to do it this night instead of doing it in a real game after we already started the season up at UMass. I wanted to get all that out of the way.

“I don’t mean to take anything away from it, but I just didn’t want our team to be too excited about last year instead of excited about playing a real hockey game. So, it was nice to do it. And the fact that we’re recruiting a couple of the kids on this team didn’t hurt us.

“I was real happy with the crowd. It was a nice crowd here tonight for banner raising. I was worried about that because it was only an exhibition game, but we had a really good crowd tonight. A lot of banners went up, and that’s pretty nice.”

On being the defending national champions

“I don’t think we’re anything except a hockey team trying to find out who we are this year. We were something last year, but that was last year. I hope that’s what we’ll focus on –– where we’re going, not where we’ve been. I think that, in general, we’ve had a pretty good focus so far.

“Somebody writes a book. They gotta read that. Then their rings have to be ordered. And the banners went up and all that stuff. But that was then. This is now. We won a game against a very competitive team. I thought USA Hockey played really well.

“I saw them play last night up at BC for a couple periods. I didn’t see the first period when the coach said they didn’t play real well. I thought they played really well the second and third period last night, and I thought they played really well tonight.

“I liked the guys we have coming here. They played pretty well, too. I thought it was really weird when they introduced the USA team and it was, “Who cares,” and they’re booing everybody. Then all of a sudden, they get to [Matt] Nieto –– “Yay.” And they get to Adam [Clendening], and they give him a cheer, but everyone else gets a boo. Already, they’re Terriers.

“It was a good warmup for us, and it was a good game for them. I certainly was happy with a lot of our guys. I was disappointed in a few guys. I was disappointed with a lot of decision-making at times because we were having our way with them for a while, but then we got careless.

“When you disrespect your opponent, you get beat, or you look foolish. And they made us look foolish a couple times when we turned pucks over at our blue line, thinking we were pretty cool. And all of a sudden, we didn’t realize how good they were. And we didn’t want to give them credit for how good they were.

“If it wasn’t for our goalie, we’d still be playing in overtime or they would’ve won the game. We’re fortunate to get a win, and we’re fortunate to dodge a couple what I would refer to as selfish mistakes.”

On how the players feel about their place in BU history

“I think they have probably felt that way for a while. All our guys think they played on the same team. It doesn’t matter if you played in the 70s or the 90s, we all think we played on the same team.

“That’s been a big part of our program for a long time. That’s something I think was really rewarding last year for them. They got a lot of calls, and we got a lot of calls, from former players saying, ‘We’re really happy for you. We felt like we won it, too.’”

On getting to the net more than last week

“We got around their net a lot. We were making plays in tight. They’ve got four or five defensemen who are going to be NHL defensemen. They may be young, but they’re pretty good and they’re pretty big. So, they did a great job defending, especially in low grade-A. And we were around there a lot.

“So, I was happy with the opportunities we had. When we did get great opportunities, sometimes we fanned on them and sometimes their goalie made great saves. But you have to give them credit for how hard they played in front of the goaltender.

“Time of possession was pretty good for us, and our grade-A compared to their grade-A. But their goalie stood tall and they competed. You talk about bend but don’t break –– we almost got a few goals, but we didn’t.

“But it was different than last week. Last week, we were, ‘Oh, we’ll get the next one.’ But we were trying to get there and we couldn’t tonight.”

On what the lines might be

“I have a little bit of a sense. Actually, before this week, I was concerned about who might be our fourth-line center. I thought Ross Gaudet was gonna be the fourth-line center, but two days before this game, he got hurt.

“I was pretty sure he had won that spot, but now we had [Kevin] Gilroy playing there the first half. He played pretty well. I was really pleased with how Santana played in the second half as the fourth-line center. He gave us a little grit. He played hard down low, and he made a couple nice plays.

“One of those two guys will probably be the fourth-line center. They’ll both be in the lineup, I’m pretty sure, and one will play right wing and one will play center, maybe for each other.”

On what happened to Gaudet

“Gaudet dislocated his left shoulder.”

On whether or not there’s a timetable for his return

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, he’s done it before, and the more it goes out, the easier it goes back in, and the less pain you have and the less swelling you have. But the more it goes out, the easier it goes out the next time, too. He should be back in a couple weeks.”

On whether or not anyone else on the team is a gamebreaker like Bonino

“I don’t think anybody has that capability to the degree that he has. I think Chris Connolly has the ability to create on his own. I think that Vinny Saponari has the ability to create his own. I think that [Corey] Trivino will be able to do that for us.

“The guy that’s been very surprising to me with his offensive opportunities and how he’s been able to create on his own is Andrew Glass. He’s played very well, and he’s made some nice plays.”

On the play of Joe Pereira

“He’s a very feisty guy out there. I think he’s got some offensive capabilities that he’ll get a chance to show some more this year. I think that he’s the type of hockey player we want on our team.

“We’ll take a lot of Joe Pereiras on our team any year, any time, because he plays hard all the time, he plays real smart and he plays for his teammates. If he gets a goal, that’s nice. If somebody else gets a goal, that’s nice. If we win, that’s the best.

“We always talk about how we want guys to be BU hockey players, and you don’t just get to be a BU hockey player by putting the uniform on. We have a certain [idea] in our own minds of what a BU hockey player is, and there’s no question in my mind –– Joe Pereira is a BU hockey player.”

Joe Pereira and Chris Connolly

Pereira on his goal

“Popko won the faceoff, and right before the faceoff he said, ‘We’re going to go off the wall,’ because they’d been trying to catch us off our defensive zone faceoffs. Popko said, ‘Just go up the middle and we’ll try to find you.’ Andy Glass made a great play off the boards and kind of laid it for the defense to commit to me, and I just kind of used it as a screen to put it on net, and I was lucky enough for it to go in.”

Pereira on improvements made since rupturing his spleen last season

“I think confidence. I think sitting and watching the guys play during the Frozen Four –– just kind of sitting back for a little bit watching the game. Sometimes last year, I got a little bit out of control and wasn’t confident with the puck. But now, it doesn’t matter this year if I’m going to play first line or fourth line, I’m just going to try to be more confident, more in control, not run around, trying to take any stupid penalties and get Coach on me.”

Chris Connolly on his goal

“You know, we haven’t had much time to work on our power play. We haven’t had that many practices. We’ve been moving guys in and out trying to see what works and what doesn’t. We were fortunate enough to get it set up pretty well –– started moving the puck around quickly. Dave [Warsofsky] moved it over to Max [Nicastro]. Max almost one-touched it back, which got the goalie out of position, and I just wanted to put it on net. I wasn’t even looking, but just like Joe, I was fortunate enough for it to go in.”

Pereira on the banner raising

“It actually brought back memories. Just sitting on the goal line, you just get chills thinking back to how it happened and the journey we went through with the ups and downs. You think back on the players when you see the parents from last year’s team and you’re like, ‘Wow, we did something special and we’ll be remembered forever together.’ It’s pretty special –– definitely got goosebumps and chills."

Connolly on the banner raising

“At the same time, we were trying to move on from last year. All we’ve heard all summer is that it’s a new year. What’s happened is in the past, and what we’re trying to do is just do what we did last year, but not talk about last year’s team because that was last year’s team. But you know, it definitely brings back memories when you see the video highlights and things like that.”

Pereira on his comfort with early season line shuffling

“I think it’s still a feeling out thing. I don’t think Coach even knows . . . I’m pretty sure I’m locked in with Luke [Popko] for the rest of my career. I think Mike Bavis loves us together, so I don’t know if we’ll ever go split up.”

Connolly on his comfort with early season line shuffling

“We’ve done a lot of moving guys in and out . . . We’re still feeling it out. There’s still a few guys fighting for spots –– there’s a lot of guys still fighting for spots. We had guys step up and play real well tonight and, you know, it’ll be interesting for the first few games, anyways, to see what Coach is going to do and see if we get any combinations to click.”

Connolly on which freshman is making a strong impression

“Max Nicastro definitely is really standing out. As you can see, he’s getting some power-play time and he’s doing a good job. All the other guys are still working hard to try to make an impact on this team. There’s a lot of open spots from last year, and any night, they can be called upon, so they’re all working very hard . . . Everybody’s still working hard to try to solidify their spot on the team to be in the lineup every night.”

Pereira on which freshman is making a strong impression

“[Sean] Escobedo, too. You know he’s just a mean, stay-at-home defenseman.”

Pereira on killing penalties with Popko

“I just listen to Luke. I go where he tells me to go. He’s the specialist of that. When the puck gets dumped, he’s not going to go, he says. He says, ‘That’s all you,’ so I just go there, chase the puck and, I mean, playing with Luke is easy because he’s so good defensively. He’s good on faceoffs. You know he’s always going to be there to support you, so it’s pretty simple.”

By Josh Cain, Daily Free Press Staff

Few probably would have expected that the Boston Bruins’ game against the New York Islanders on Saturday would become an instant classic. But as it turns out, the Bruins’ 4-3, come-from-behind shootout win at the TD Banknorth Garden was just that.

The Bruins (2-2-0) rallied in the final eight minutes in regulation to come back from a three-goal deficit. Blake Wheeler and Mark Savard scored in the shootout to seal the win.

“Hopefully this will give us another boost that we need right now to get us past this tough stage,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said, referring to the Bruins slow start. On Thursday, the Boston lost to the visiting Anaheim Ducks, 6-1.

Savard, Byron Bitz and Matt Hunwick scored the late goals to give the Bruins a chance in overtime.

The Islanders (0-0-3) looked like they had put away what could have been their first win of the season in the second period after scoring three goals in just over 10 minutes. First-round draft pick John Tavares was the key, providing an assist and a goal in his first NHL visit to Boston.

New York had a great opportunity in the middle of the first period when Boston was called on back-to-back penalties, giving the Islanders a two-man advantage for a little over 1:30.

The Bruins defense was not about to let the Islanders take advantage of that opportunity, however. After the penalty timer finally elapsed, the score remained 0-0.

That would not, however, be the story of the second period when the Islanders took advantage of a Bruins team that gave up penalty after penalty.

“The penalties took away a lot of our momentum, but we did a good job killing them,” Julien said.

New York scored its first goal of the night at 4:04 in the second. A hooking penalty on the Bruins’ Lucic gave the Islanders a man-advantage. Center Rob Schremp got the puck in the middle of the left face-off circle and took a shot that bounced off goalkeeper Tuukka Rask’s leg. Winger Jon Sim was there for the rebound, flipping the puck over Rask’s right shoulder for his first goal of the season.

Radek Martinek was next, shooting from the right circle just over Rask’s left shoulder to make the score 2-0. Defenseman Mark Streit and Tavares assisted.

At 15:48, Tavares charged through the right circle and laid a wrister into the top left corner of the net, just past Rask who was expecting him to pass it off to his teammate on the left side.

Things looked desperate for the Bruins in the third, their own crowd booing what looked like another poor effort. But Boston turned it on at just the right time.

In the third period at 8:01, Savard started the heroics with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle that sailed past an off-guard Islanders goaltender Dwayne Roloson.

Bitz made it look easy when he sunk a backhanded shot past an Islanders defender and Roloson to make the score 3-2.

However, the most improbable of all was Hunwick’s goal at 2:34. The defenseman shot a wrister from the Islanders’ blueline that sailed just past a crowd in front of the net and landed in the top-right corner for the tying goal.

In the shootout, Wheeler got things started with a goal through the five-hole. Savard’s backhander beat Roloson, and Rask sealed the deal with a save on a shot from Kyle Okposo.

Rask, a 22-year-old rookie from Finland, got a lot of credit from Julien for his performance. Despite letting up three goals, Rask played well in his Boston debut with 35 saves. Julien said that facing 16 shots in the first period kept Rask “from getting nervous” late in the game.