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By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
Traditionally, hockey players stand out most because of what they can do on the ice. But on Sunday night, it was junior forward Ben Rosen’s behavior off the ice that made an impact for the No. 10/11 Boston University men’s hockey team.
Rosen, a steady fixture at center on the fourth line, volunteered to sit out an exhibition game against the U.S. National Under-18 Team in order to allow the team to experiment with other players at center to use in case of injury or positional struggles. The try-out at center in game conditions was vital for the Terriers, who are down their top two pivots after losing senior Corey Trivino and sophomore Charlie Coyle during the winter break.
“He kind of volunteered not to play to tell you the truth, which was nice,” said coach Jack Parker. “I wanted to try [junior forward Ryan] Santana at center to see how he would do. I tried to get some guys playing some different positions.”
While the Terriers have been exploring different replacements in practice, it is difficult to tell how a center will perform unless he plays in an actual game. Unfortunately for the Terriers, the Hockey East standings are tight again this season, thus leaving little room for the Terriers to experiment with different centers in official games.
Sunday’s exhibition time was a perfect opportunity for BU to test different players at the position, but before Rosen volunteered to sit, it was difficult to determine whom to scratch. The centers on the top two lines, senior captain Chris Connolly and sophomore Sahir Gill, both have just two games under their belt at center on modified lines that are still trying to establish chemistry.
Freshman Cason Hohmann centers the third line, but Hohmann is just beginning to blossom in his role on the team. Scratching him could set the still-adjusting Hohmann a step back. Rosen only started becoming a lock in the lineup this season. Scratching him could also disrupt his rhythm.
So when Rosen (who was unavailable for comment after the game) volunteered to sit out for the good of the team, he made a difficult decision a non-issue.
“It shows he’s a really good teammate,” Connolly said. “He’s been doing well for us and just allowed us to get a different look. Santana I thought played real well there, so that will always be another option if we need to do that.
“I think it really showed a lot of leadership on Ben’s part. That’s the kind of teammate we need around here.”
Rosen’s sacrifice would have been impressive in any situation, but it is even more remarkable considering Rosen had to fight his way into the lineup through his first two seasons.
Rosen played in nine games his freshman year and was a healthy scratch for the first eight games of his sophomore year. He finally got his break starting as a fourth line center in a game against Merrimack on Nov. 12. The opportunity to play came in foreign territory for the Syosset, N.Y. native; Rosen came to BU as a defenseman. He had never played center.
Rosen learned the position quickly and stayed in the lineup for the rest of the year. This season is Rosen’s first as an established player in the lineup. He transitioned from being a defenseman two years ago to currently ranking third on the team in faceoff wins (42-and-44) among the seven players on this year’s squad who have taken 45 or more draws this season. The only two players with better numbers than Rosen are the departed Trivino and Coyle.
“He’s done a great job in that role [as center],” Parker said. “He deserves some more ice time. We’ll try to get him some more. He could move up the way he’s been playing and center the third line.”
Regardless of what line Rosen plays on, he – in part due to sacrificing his ice time Sunday night – proved himself a role model on a young team still trying to navigate through a difficult time.
“The older guys on this team need to kind of lead the way,” Connolly said. “We have a lot of young guys, so guys like Ben and the juniors and seniors need to step up and kind of show the younger guys the way. He did that tonight and allowed somebody else to have the opportunity to show what they can do. It was pretty impressive on his part.”
Monday, January 9, 2012
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