Friday, March 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Chiasson signs three-year deal with Dallas Stars
By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Boston University men’s hockey junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson agreed to terms with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League on a three-year entry-level contract on Monday, ending his hockey career at BU.
The professional contract ends a successful career with the Terriers for the 6-foot-3 forward, who totaled 99 points in 108 games played. The Stars’ former-second-round draft choice said he made his decision on Monday after a meeting with BU coach Jack Parker.
“We had a good conversation and afterwards I cleared up my mind and made sure it was the right decision for me that I was ready to leave and go on for a new challenge and a new experience,” Chiasson said. “[Parker] thought if in my heart that’s what I wanted to do then he was going to support me through it.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Full transcript of Chiasson interview after the jump.
Boston University men’s hockey junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson agreed to terms with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League on a three-year entry-level contract on Monday, ending his hockey career at BU.
The professional contract ends a successful career with the Terriers for the 6-foot-3 forward, who totaled 99 points in 108 games played. The Stars’ former-second-round draft choice said he made his decision on Monday after a meeting with BU coach Jack Parker.
“We had a good conversation and afterwards I cleared up my mind and made sure it was the right decision for me that I was ready to leave and go on for a new challenge and a new experience,” Chiasson said. “[Parker] thought if in my heart that’s what I wanted to do then he was going to support me through it.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Full transcript of Chiasson interview after the jump.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Connolly leaves behind personal legacy of leadership
By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Boston University men’s hockey senior captain Chris Connolly is not a big guy. He is only 5-foot-9, and he weighs just 170 pounds. But packed inside one of BU’s smallest players is the leadership, character and attitude that made him one of the Terriers’ most important players over his four-year career.
As the final horn sounded at the Xcel Energy Center after BU’s 7-3 loss to No. 6 University of Minnesota in the NCAA Regional Semifinal, it signaled the end of the career of one of the most respected leaders the BU hockey program has ever had.
“We thought he was going to be a captain of the team as a senior when we recruited him,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “He knows how to do the right thing. He knows how to be a good teammate and a good captain, which is sometimes not being a good teammate. He is one of the best captains we have ever had. . . . We’re very, very proud that he wore our uniform.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Boston University men’s hockey senior captain Chris Connolly is not a big guy. He is only 5-foot-9, and he weighs just 170 pounds. But packed inside one of BU’s smallest players is the leadership, character and attitude that made him one of the Terriers’ most important players over his four-year career.
As the final horn sounded at the Xcel Energy Center after BU’s 7-3 loss to No. 6 University of Minnesota in the NCAA Regional Semifinal, it signaled the end of the career of one of the most respected leaders the BU hockey program has ever had.
“We thought he was going to be a captain of the team as a senior when we recruited him,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “He knows how to do the right thing. He knows how to be a good teammate and a good captain, which is sometimes not being a good teammate. He is one of the best captains we have ever had. . . . We’re very, very proud that he wore our uniform.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
From the Freep: Terriers prove heart not measured in trophies
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- After the No. 8/10 Boston University men’s hockey team saw its season end in a 7-3 loss to the No. 6 University of Minnesota, junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson did not want to talk about the number of penalties BU took in the game or the turnovers the Terriers made. After all, he said, it did not really matter at that point. BU will not play another game this season, and it will not have a chance to fix its mistakes.
Instead, Chiasson opened up about his teammates, about the trials the Terriers went through during the 2011-12 season, about the adversity BU faced all year but refused to ever use as an excuse for poor play. Chiasson spoke about how for this Terrier squad, the season was more about the soul of the team than the actual results on the ice.
“Right now, it doesn’t matter what hockey means,” Chiasson said. “It’s about becoming a team and how guys grew up and how guys became leaders, how many character guys we had in this locker room. That’s what you have to look at.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- After the No. 8/10 Boston University men’s hockey team saw its season end in a 7-3 loss to the No. 6 University of Minnesota, junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson did not want to talk about the number of penalties BU took in the game or the turnovers the Terriers made. After all, he said, it did not really matter at that point. BU will not play another game this season, and it will not have a chance to fix its mistakes.
Instead, Chiasson opened up about his teammates, about the trials the Terriers went through during the 2011-12 season, about the adversity BU faced all year but refused to ever use as an excuse for poor play. Chiasson spoke about how for this Terrier squad, the season was more about the soul of the team than the actual results on the ice.
“Right now, it doesn’t matter what hockey means,” Chiasson said. “It’s about becoming a team and how guys grew up and how guys became leaders, how many character guys we had in this locker room. That’s what you have to look at.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Terriers’ season ends in loss to Minnesota
By Annie Maroon/DFP Staff
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- On Saturday, the No. 8/10 Boston University men’s hockey team’s season ended with a 7-3 loss to the No. 6 University of Minnesota in the NCAA Regionals. Minnesota outshot the Terriers 42-34 and scored two empty-net goals to ice the game, which saw BU rack up 29 penalty minutes.
“Kind of a bizarre game in that there were times when both teams had pretty good territorial advantages and both teams looked okay,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “I thought Minnesota had the best of it as the game progressed. I was really impressed with the Minnesota goaltender. I thought he had a nice night for them.”
About six minutes into the first period, senior goalie Kieran Millan lost track of a rebound that wound up behind him, and Gopher forward Kyle Rau poked it into the net nearly six minutes into the first.
Minnesota (27-13-1) led 1-0 through the rest of the first as each team picked up three penalties. Then, with Gopher forward Nico Sacchetti in the box for goaltender interference, junior forward Wade Megan evened the score for BU (23-15-1) 7:49 into the second.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- On Saturday, the No. 8/10 Boston University men’s hockey team’s season ended with a 7-3 loss to the No. 6 University of Minnesota in the NCAA Regionals. Minnesota outshot the Terriers 42-34 and scored two empty-net goals to ice the game, which saw BU rack up 29 penalty minutes.
“Kind of a bizarre game in that there were times when both teams had pretty good territorial advantages and both teams looked okay,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “I thought Minnesota had the best of it as the game progressed. I was really impressed with the Minnesota goaltender. I thought he had a nice night for them.”
About six minutes into the first period, senior goalie Kieran Millan lost track of a rebound that wound up behind him, and Gopher forward Kyle Rau poked it into the net nearly six minutes into the first.
Minnesota (27-13-1) led 1-0 through the rest of the first as each team picked up three penalties. Then, with Gopher forward Nico Sacchetti in the box for goaltender interference, junior forward Wade Megan evened the score for BU (23-15-1) 7:49 into the second.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
From the Freep: Men's hockey prepares to play Gophers in St. Paul
By Annie Maroon/DFP Staff
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The matchup between an eighth and ninth seed in should be, by its nature, one of the closest games of any NCAA tournament. The ninth-seeded Boston University men’s hockey team has plenty in common with its West Regional semifinal opponent, the eighth-seed University of Minnesota, but the differences between the teams’ styles will likely determine which one advances to play on Sunday.
Both teams are coming off semifinal losses, and both the Terriers (23-14-1, 17-10-1 Hockey East) and the Gophers (26-13-1, 20-8-0 WCHA) rely on a strong offensive attack. The Terriers’ 3.58 goals per game lead Hockey East, and the Gophers’ 3.55 rank second in the WCHA.
But while Minnesota’s defense is a difference-maker – holding opponents to 2.2 goals on 24.6 shots per game – BU leans more heavily on its goaltending, giving up 34.6 shots per game while taking 32.
BU senior goalie Kieran Millan has been up to that challenge all year, especially in the Hockey East playoffs, but his 39 saves weren’t enough in the conference semifinals, where BU lost 5-3 to the University of Maine. Four of the Black Bears’ goals in that game came on the power play, and BU coach Jack Parker said special teams will be crucial in Saturday’s game.
“In general, our power play has been a big part of our success all year long up until our recent outage, so to speak . . . so we’re trying to turn that around,” Parker said. “Penalty kill and special teams are always huge in these types of games, so we’d like to stay out of the box and take advantage of any power-play opportunities we get.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The matchup between an eighth and ninth seed in should be, by its nature, one of the closest games of any NCAA tournament. The ninth-seeded Boston University men’s hockey team has plenty in common with its West Regional semifinal opponent, the eighth-seed University of Minnesota, but the differences between the teams’ styles will likely determine which one advances to play on Sunday.
Both teams are coming off semifinal losses, and both the Terriers (23-14-1, 17-10-1 Hockey East) and the Gophers (26-13-1, 20-8-0 WCHA) rely on a strong offensive attack. The Terriers’ 3.58 goals per game lead Hockey East, and the Gophers’ 3.55 rank second in the WCHA.
But while Minnesota’s defense is a difference-maker – holding opponents to 2.2 goals on 24.6 shots per game – BU leans more heavily on its goaltending, giving up 34.6 shots per game while taking 32.
BU senior goalie Kieran Millan has been up to that challenge all year, especially in the Hockey East playoffs, but his 39 saves weren’t enough in the conference semifinals, where BU lost 5-3 to the University of Maine. Four of the Black Bears’ goals in that game came on the power play, and BU coach Jack Parker said special teams will be crucial in Saturday’s game.
“In general, our power play has been a big part of our success all year long up until our recent outage, so to speak . . . so we’re trying to turn that around,” Parker said. “Penalty kill and special teams are always huge in these types of games, so we’d like to stay out of the box and take advantage of any power-play opportunities we get.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Friday, March 23, 2012
From the Freep: Prosecution drops major charge in Trivino case
By Emily Overholt/DFP Staff
Former Boston University men’s hockey forward Corey Trivino is no longer being charged with assault with intent to rape, the most serious of seven charges stemming from a Dec. 11 incident, due to insufficient evidence, officials said.
Brighton District Attorney spokesman Jake Wark said there was no evidence suggesting Trivino intended to use force in efforts to rape the victim.
“We have an ethical obligation not to pursue a charge that we know we can’t prove,” he said. “It’s certainly not a reflection of the victim’s credibility or anything of that nature.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Former Boston University men’s hockey forward Corey Trivino is no longer being charged with assault with intent to rape, the most serious of seven charges stemming from a Dec. 11 incident, due to insufficient evidence, officials said.
Brighton District Attorney spokesman Jake Wark said there was no evidence suggesting Trivino intended to use force in efforts to rape the victim.
“We have an ethical obligation not to pursue a charge that we know we can’t prove,” he said. “It’s certainly not a reflection of the victim’s credibility or anything of that nature.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Help the Freep get to St. Paul
To all of our followers,
We greatly appreciate your support all season long as we have done our best to cover this team. As many of you know, we are student journalists who do our best to provide you with the most thorough coverage of BU hockey as possible. We do not get paid for any of our work, and as such, we have to pay for all of our travel expenses throughout the season out of our own pockets. The Daily Free Press is not affiliated or funded by Boston University. All three of us are currently planning on going to St. Paul to cover BU in the NCAA Tournament as we have been doing all year, but travel, especially at the last minute, is very expensive. We are trying to pay for this trip to St. Paul on our own, but any financial help we can get would be much appreciated. We are hoping to keep the trip to about $750 per person with flights, food and transportation within St. Paul. One of our parents is helping us with the hotel. For anyone interested in donating, please contribute via the PayPal button at the top of the column on the right-hand side of the blog. If there is any extra money at the end of the St. Paul trip, it will go toward a possible trip to Tampa Bay for the Frozen Four or to The Daily Free Press if BU does not make it to the Frozen Four.
Again, thank you all for your support this season. It has made our job covering BU hockey that much more enjoyable.
Sincerely,
The Boston Hockey Blog
We greatly appreciate your support all season long as we have done our best to cover this team. As many of you know, we are student journalists who do our best to provide you with the most thorough coverage of BU hockey as possible. We do not get paid for any of our work, and as such, we have to pay for all of our travel expenses throughout the season out of our own pockets. The Daily Free Press is not affiliated or funded by Boston University. All three of us are currently planning on going to St. Paul to cover BU in the NCAA Tournament as we have been doing all year, but travel, especially at the last minute, is very expensive. We are trying to pay for this trip to St. Paul on our own, but any financial help we can get would be much appreciated. We are hoping to keep the trip to about $750 per person with flights, food and transportation within St. Paul. One of our parents is helping us with the hotel. For anyone interested in donating, please contribute via the PayPal button at the top of the column on the right-hand side of the blog. If there is any extra money at the end of the St. Paul trip, it will go toward a possible trip to Tampa Bay for the Frozen Four or to The Daily Free Press if BU does not make it to the Frozen Four.
Again, thank you all for your support this season. It has made our job covering BU hockey that much more enjoyable.
Sincerely,
The Boston Hockey Blog
From the Freep: Men's hockey headed to St. Paul as third seed in NCAA West Regional
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
Despite losing in the Hockey East Semifinals Friday night, senior captain Chris Connolly of the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team was all smiles Sunday afternoon.
The reason? Connolly and the Terriers are headed to Connolly’s home state of Minnesota for the West Regional of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in St. Paul.
After a two-year absence from the national tournament, the Terriers earned an at-large bid due to a 23-14-1 overall record this season. BU is the ninth overall seed in the tournament and will face eighth-seeded University of Minnesota on Saturday at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Fourth-seed University of North Dakota and 14th-seed Western Michigan University fill out the rest of the West Regional bracket.
“This is quite a field, and I think every bracket has tough draws,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “Certainly ours is a tough draw for everybody.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Despite losing in the Hockey East Semifinals Friday night, senior captain Chris Connolly of the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team was all smiles Sunday afternoon.
The reason? Connolly and the Terriers are headed to Connolly’s home state of Minnesota for the West Regional of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in St. Paul.
After a two-year absence from the national tournament, the Terriers earned an at-large bid due to a 23-14-1 overall record this season. BU is the ninth overall seed in the tournament and will face eighth-seeded University of Minnesota on Saturday at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Fourth-seed University of North Dakota and 14th-seed Western Michigan University fill out the rest of the West Regional bracket.
“This is quite a field, and I think every bracket has tough draws,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “Certainly ours is a tough draw for everybody.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Frequent defensive mistakes cost BU chance at Hockey East Title
By: Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Within the first minute of the second period of the Hockey East semifinal on Friday night, the Boston University men’s hockey team gave up its 1-0 lead when forward Joey Diamond netted his 10th power-play goal of the season. However, the final push of the puck into the back of the net did not come off Diamond’s stick.
After BU goalie Kieran Millan stopped Diamond’s shot, BU junior forward Ross Gaudet barreled into his own goalie, knocking the puck into his own net in the process. That was the way the night went for the Terriers, whose frequent mistakes ultimately led to the puck sitting in the back of their own net.
“We looked like we were trying not to lose,” said BU coach Jack Parker, “and when you try not to lose you usually do.”
Millan, who had already stopped 150 shots in BU’s quarterfinal series against the University of New Hampshire, set the record for most saves in the Hockey East Tournament with 189 saves after recording 39 Friday night. However, not even he could stop all of the shots he faced Friday night, especially with his own teammates knocking pucks into his net.
“We ran our own goalie and knocked the puck in the net,” Parker said, “so it wasn’t a real good night for us.”
Within the first minute of the second period of the Hockey East semifinal on Friday night, the Boston University men’s hockey team gave up its 1-0 lead when forward Joey Diamond netted his 10th power-play goal of the season. However, the final push of the puck into the back of the net did not come off Diamond’s stick.
After BU goalie Kieran Millan stopped Diamond’s shot, BU junior forward Ross Gaudet barreled into his own goalie, knocking the puck into his own net in the process. That was the way the night went for the Terriers, whose frequent mistakes ultimately led to the puck sitting in the back of their own net.
“We looked like we were trying not to lose,” said BU coach Jack Parker, “and when you try not to lose you usually do.”
Millan, who had already stopped 150 shots in BU’s quarterfinal series against the University of New Hampshire, set the record for most saves in the Hockey East Tournament with 189 saves after recording 39 Friday night. However, not even he could stop all of the shots he faced Friday night, especially with his own teammates knocking pucks into his net.
“We ran our own goalie and knocked the puck in the net,” Parker said, “so it wasn’t a real good night for us.”
BU bows out of Hockey East Tournament with loss to Maine
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
A recurring theme that has haunted the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team for the past few weeks proved costly Friday night when the Terriers lost the Hockey East Semifinal, 5-3, to the No. 10/11 University of Maine in a game in which BU could not give a thorough effort for a full 60 minutes.
By virtue of the loss, BU (23-14-1) was eliminated from the Hockey East Tournament. Its season will continue for at least one more game, however, as BU already earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, which will begin next weekend.
Maine (23-12-3) toppled the Terriers on the strength of four power play goals and out-shot BU 44-31.
“I can’t describe how disappointed I was in my team’s effort tonight, or lack of such,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “We had a lot of key guys just disappear I thought. I thought that we left Kieran out to dry a number of times. We gave up four power-play goals, one of which was an empty-netter, and they didn’t have to work for anything. We just turned it over and gave it to them.”
A recurring theme that has haunted the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team for the past few weeks proved costly Friday night when the Terriers lost the Hockey East Semifinal, 5-3, to the No. 10/11 University of Maine in a game in which BU could not give a thorough effort for a full 60 minutes.
By virtue of the loss, BU (23-14-1) was eliminated from the Hockey East Tournament. Its season will continue for at least one more game, however, as BU already earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, which will begin next weekend.
Maine (23-12-3) toppled the Terriers on the strength of four power play goals and out-shot BU 44-31.
“I can’t describe how disappointed I was in my team’s effort tonight, or lack of such,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “We had a lot of key guys just disappear I thought. I thought that we left Kieran out to dry a number of times. We gave up four power-play goals, one of which was an empty-netter, and they didn’t have to work for anything. We just turned it over and gave it to them.”
Friday, March 16, 2012
Terriers prepare for battle against Black Bears in Hockey East Semifinals
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
On Thursday night, the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team attended the annual Hockey East Awards banquet to watch seven Terriers earn trophies and recognition for their play during the regular season. If the Terriers want to take home the ultimate team prize in Hockey East however, they still have work to do.
That work begins Friday night when BU will face off against the No. 10/11 University of Maine in the Hockey East Semifinals at the TD Garden. The draw is a tough one for the Terriers, who are 0-5 against Maine in semifinal play and dropped the season series to Maine this year.
“There’s definitely a lot on the line,” said senior captain Chris Connolly. “Maine is going to give us everything that we can handle so we have to start focusing on that They’re definitely a much improved team from the first time we saw them up in Maine. They played us hard down here twice, so we’re going to know that going in and they’re going to be prepared for us so we expect a battle on Friday.”
On Thursday night, the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team attended the annual Hockey East Awards banquet to watch seven Terriers earn trophies and recognition for their play during the regular season. If the Terriers want to take home the ultimate team prize in Hockey East however, they still have work to do.
That work begins Friday night when BU will face off against the No. 10/11 University of Maine in the Hockey East Semifinals at the TD Garden. The draw is a tough one for the Terriers, who are 0-5 against Maine in semifinal play and dropped the season series to Maine this year.
“There’s definitely a lot on the line,” said senior captain Chris Connolly. “Maine is going to give us everything that we can handle so we have to start focusing on that They’re definitely a much improved team from the first time we saw them up in Maine. They played us hard down here twice, so we’re going to know that going in and they’re going to be prepared for us so we expect a battle on Friday.”
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Seven Terriers earn league honors
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| Chris Connolly was one of many Terriers to earn league recognition Thursday. JUNHEE CHUNG/DFP STAFF |
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
Hockey East held its annual end-of-season awards banquet Thursday night at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, and several Boston University players brought home some hardware from the event.
Sophomore defenseman Adam Clendening earned the highest honors of any Terrier Thursday night, as he earned a selection to the First Team Hockey East All-Star squad. Clendening is the first Terrier sophomore defenseman to earn First-Team recognition since former Terrier captain (and Hobey Baker winner) Matt Gilroy earned the honors in 2007. Gilroy now plays in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators.
Senior captain Chris Connolly earned multiple honors following his 6-26=32 line through 26 league games this season. Connolly totaled six penalty minutes in 26 league games and finished with a plus-13, the best plus-minus rating of any BU skated. The Duluth, Minn. native was rewarded with the league's Len Ceglarski Individual Sportsmanship Award and the Gladiator Best Defensive Forward trophy.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
End-of-season Hockey East Awards
On Wednesday, Hockey East announced some of its season-end awards but will announce its major awards at the year-end banquet on Thursday night. We here at The Boston Hockey Blog pooled our picks for these major awards ahead of Hockey East's announcement at the banquet. Our picks will follow below along with our explanations for the winners in each category.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Double the fun: Chiasson game-winner in double overtime sends BU to Hockey East Semifinals
By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Throughout his Boston University career, senior goaltender Kieran Millan has broken most of the team’s goaltending records and set quite a few impressive personal records as well. On Sunday night, Millan shattered a less-than-72-hour-old personal record for saves in a game (47) by stopping 68 shots in the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team’s 5-4 double-overtime victory over the University of New Hampshire in the final game of the Hockey East Quarterfinals at Agganis Arena. Millan, who has saved 151 shots in the past three games, is only seven saves away from tying the most saves in a Hockey East tournament.
He has a chance to set that record next weekend, since by virtue of the win, the Terriers (23-13-1) will return to the TD Garden to face the University of Maine in the Hockey East semifinals on Friday.
BU required 86:42 of hockey Sunday to complete a comeback from a 4-1 UNH (15-19-3) lead in the second period of Sunday night’s game. Junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson netted the game-winner for BU at 6:42 into the second overtime when he knocked a rebound in the slot past UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith.
“I thought that coming back in this game, we worked too hard to just let that go,” Chiasson said. It didn’t matter if that was me or someone else. It was just a great team effort. I’m so happy for all the guys.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Throughout his Boston University career, senior goaltender Kieran Millan has broken most of the team’s goaltending records and set quite a few impressive personal records as well. On Sunday night, Millan shattered a less-than-72-hour-old personal record for saves in a game (47) by stopping 68 shots in the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team’s 5-4 double-overtime victory over the University of New Hampshire in the final game of the Hockey East Quarterfinals at Agganis Arena. Millan, who has saved 151 shots in the past three games, is only seven saves away from tying the most saves in a Hockey East tournament.
He has a chance to set that record next weekend, since by virtue of the win, the Terriers (23-13-1) will return to the TD Garden to face the University of Maine in the Hockey East semifinals on Friday.
BU required 86:42 of hockey Sunday to complete a comeback from a 4-1 UNH (15-19-3) lead in the second period of Sunday night’s game. Junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson netted the game-winner for BU at 6:42 into the second overtime when he knocked a rebound in the slot past UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith.
“I thought that coming back in this game, we worked too hard to just let that go,” Chiasson said. It didn’t matter if that was me or someone else. It was just a great team effort. I’m so happy for all the guys.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
BU player transcripts: Game 3 of Hockey East Quarterfinals
Following are the postgame transcripts from senior goaltender Kieran Millan, junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson and sophomore defenseman Garrett Noonan.
Kieran Millan
On seeing so many shots
I don’t know I guess it kept me in the game. They threw a lot of pucks on net and were really shooting for rebounds I think a lot. Obviously you don’t want to give up that many shots, but we were able to gut out a win tonight and we played really well the second half of the game and throughout overtime so that’s a good step in the right direction. Hopefully it can carry into next weekend.
On how he dealt with the turnaround in BU's play
Obviously getting a lot of shots gets you into the game pretty early. I let in a couple of goals I’d like back. Going into the third period when we were down a goal, I just really re-focused and was just doing what I could not to let another goal in and give our team an opportunity to come back. They were able to do that and then when it gets to overtime, you just don’t want to be the scapegoat so for the most part, you just try to stop everything that comes to you. Give your team time to get their opportunities and score.
Kieran Millan
On seeing so many shots
I don’t know I guess it kept me in the game. They threw a lot of pucks on net and were really shooting for rebounds I think a lot. Obviously you don’t want to give up that many shots, but we were able to gut out a win tonight and we played really well the second half of the game and throughout overtime so that’s a good step in the right direction. Hopefully it can carry into next weekend.
On how he dealt with the turnaround in BU's play
Obviously getting a lot of shots gets you into the game pretty early. I let in a couple of goals I’d like back. Going into the third period when we were down a goal, I just really re-focused and was just doing what I could not to let another goal in and give our team an opportunity to come back. They were able to do that and then when it gets to overtime, you just don’t want to be the scapegoat so for the most part, you just try to stop everything that comes to you. Give your team time to get their opportunities and score.
Season-long resilience leads Terriers to Hockey East Semifinals
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
The No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team earned a trip to the Hockey East Semifinals with a double-overtime victory over the University of New Hampshire Sunday night, but the game was not always a close one.
Just 4:34 into the second period, BU looked as though it was finished as far as the Hockey East tournament was concerned. The Terriers were trailing, 4-1, thanks to four unanswered goals that were capped off by a short-handed Mike Borisenok tally. The goal marked just the second time the Terriers allowed a short-handed score all season.
At that point in the game, BU could not do anything right, including getting a shot on net. BU was being out-shot by a more than 3-to-1 ratio. The Terriers were not winning puck battles, and could not keep pucks on their sticks or out of their zone. The team was playing so poorly that some fans headed to the exits despite the more than 30 minutes remaining in the game.
And so, with BU struggling mightily at the time, BU coach Jack Parker called a timeout.
“We called a timeout and I’m thinking, ‘Boys, we could have went out to eat instead of showing up here. We could have had a dinner somewhere,’” Parker said. “I said, ‘You look like you were Friday night. You’ve got to sooner or later stop and start this game all over again because you look exactly like you played Friday night. You look like you’re lost. You look like you’re inept and you don’t know where you’re going. Let’s get going here boys.’”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
The No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team earned a trip to the Hockey East Semifinals with a double-overtime victory over the University of New Hampshire Sunday night, but the game was not always a close one.
Just 4:34 into the second period, BU looked as though it was finished as far as the Hockey East tournament was concerned. The Terriers were trailing, 4-1, thanks to four unanswered goals that were capped off by a short-handed Mike Borisenok tally. The goal marked just the second time the Terriers allowed a short-handed score all season.
At that point in the game, BU could not do anything right, including getting a shot on net. BU was being out-shot by a more than 3-to-1 ratio. The Terriers were not winning puck battles, and could not keep pucks on their sticks or out of their zone. The team was playing so poorly that some fans headed to the exits despite the more than 30 minutes remaining in the game.
And so, with BU struggling mightily at the time, BU coach Jack Parker called a timeout.
“We called a timeout and I’m thinking, ‘Boys, we could have went out to eat instead of showing up here. We could have had a dinner somewhere,’” Parker said. “I said, ‘You look like you were Friday night. You’ve got to sooner or later stop and start this game all over again because you look exactly like you played Friday night. You look like you’re lost. You look like you’re inept and you don’t know where you’re going. Let’s get going here boys.’”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Comeback falls short in triple overtime
By Meredith Perri/DFP Staff
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Exhausted and dejected, the members of the No. 5/6 Boston University women’s hockey team fell in front of their bench on Saturday after playing nearly two full games against No. 3 Cornell University.
The first game, a back-and-forth offensive bout, featured seven goals from each team. Neither squad, however, could get the goal that would decide which team would move on to the NCAA Frozen Four.
After 59 minutes of overtime, Cornell’s Lauriane Rougeau made the ultimate decision, as she ended almost a full game’s worth of extra play with a shot that slipped by BU sophomore netminder Kerrin Sperry to win the game, 8-7.
“I wouldn’t have bet on an 8-7 game,” said BU coach Brian Durocher after the loss. “But then again I wouldn’t have bet on one game with 14 goals, and then one game with one goal. But that’s what we saw today.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Exhausted and dejected, the members of the No. 5/6 Boston University women’s hockey team fell in front of their bench on Saturday after playing nearly two full games against No. 3 Cornell University.
The first game, a back-and-forth offensive bout, featured seven goals from each team. Neither squad, however, could get the goal that would decide which team would move on to the NCAA Frozen Four.
After 59 minutes of overtime, Cornell’s Lauriane Rougeau made the ultimate decision, as she ended almost a full game’s worth of extra play with a shot that slipped by BU sophomore netminder Kerrin Sperry to win the game, 8-7.
“I wouldn’t have bet on an 8-7 game,” said BU coach Brian Durocher after the loss. “But then again I wouldn’t have bet on one game with 14 goals, and then one game with one goal. But that’s what we saw today.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com
Reunited second line sparks Terriers to Game 2 win
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
Through the previous eight games of the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team’s schedule, one constant for BU has been the personnel on the top two lines. BU was led in those games by a top unit of sophomore wing Matt Nieto, senior captain Chris Connolly and junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson, while the second line showcased junior winger Wade Megan, junior center Ben Rosen and sophomore wing Sahir Gill.
But following a 3-2 double-overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire on Friday night, BU coach Jack Parker said he was shuffling lines because he wanted to find some way to spark his offense. As one of his changes, Parker reinstated a second line in which Gill centered Nieto and freshman Evan Rodrigues.
When they were reunited on Saturday afternoon, the trio turned in immediate results. The line combined for five points (two goals, three assists) in the Terriers’ 4-2 win over the UNH in Game 2 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
“They’re guys that are the straw that stirs the drink for us, so to speak,” Parker said. “They have to get things done for us. And that second line tonight got a lot of things done for us.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Through the previous eight games of the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team’s schedule, one constant for BU has been the personnel on the top two lines. BU was led in those games by a top unit of sophomore wing Matt Nieto, senior captain Chris Connolly and junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson, while the second line showcased junior winger Wade Megan, junior center Ben Rosen and sophomore wing Sahir Gill.
But following a 3-2 double-overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire on Friday night, BU coach Jack Parker said he was shuffling lines because he wanted to find some way to spark his offense. As one of his changes, Parker reinstated a second line in which Gill centered Nieto and freshman Evan Rodrigues.
When they were reunited on Saturday afternoon, the trio turned in immediate results. The line combined for five points (two goals, three assists) in the Terriers’ 4-2 win over the UNH in Game 2 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
“They’re guys that are the straw that stirs the drink for us, so to speak,” Parker said. “They have to get things done for us. And that second line tonight got a lot of things done for us.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Terriers force Game Three with 4-2 win over UNH
By: Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
In a win-or-go-home Game Two of the Hockey East quarterfinals, the Boston University men’s hockey team bounced back from its series-opening overtime loss with a 4-2 victory over the University of New Hampshire on Saturday at Agganis Arena.
After struggling to keep up with the speed and effort of New Hampshire (15-18-3) in Friday night’s affair, BU (22-13-1) found its legs Saturday night. BU coach Jack Parker mixed up the lines a bit, and the team seemed to respond well.
“[Saturday’s win] was a college hockey game. [Friday’s loss] was a massacre,” Parker said. “Even though it seemed like it wasn’t because of the overtime, but it was a different game. Tonight was a real good college hockey game.”
It was the extra effort that helped BU score its first goal of the game on the power play. After a low shot from freshman defenseman Alexx Privitera, junior forward Alex Chiasson shoved a rebound through UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith’s pads, where senior captain Chris Connolly poked the puck into the empty net to give BU a 1-0 lead.
The goal came almost 12 minutes into the first period, and the Terriers held the lead until UNH forward Stevie Moses tied the game in the second period. Moses carried a feed from linemate Kevin Goumas to BU senior goaltender Kieran Millan’s right, where he rifled a wrist shot into the top right corner. The goal was Moses's 22nd of the season.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
In a win-or-go-home Game Two of the Hockey East quarterfinals, the Boston University men’s hockey team bounced back from its series-opening overtime loss with a 4-2 victory over the University of New Hampshire on Saturday at Agganis Arena.
After struggling to keep up with the speed and effort of New Hampshire (15-18-3) in Friday night’s affair, BU (22-13-1) found its legs Saturday night. BU coach Jack Parker mixed up the lines a bit, and the team seemed to respond well.
“[Saturday’s win] was a college hockey game. [Friday’s loss] was a massacre,” Parker said. “Even though it seemed like it wasn’t because of the overtime, but it was a different game. Tonight was a real good college hockey game.”
It was the extra effort that helped BU score its first goal of the game on the power play. After a low shot from freshman defenseman Alexx Privitera, junior forward Alex Chiasson shoved a rebound through UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith’s pads, where senior captain Chris Connolly poked the puck into the empty net to give BU a 1-0 lead.
The goal came almost 12 minutes into the first period, and the Terriers held the lead until UNH forward Stevie Moses tied the game in the second period. Moses carried a feed from linemate Kevin Goumas to BU senior goaltender Kieran Millan’s right, where he rifled a wrist shot into the top right corner. The goal was Moses's 22nd of the season.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Millan shines against UNH again despite loss
By: Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Senior goaltender Kieran Millan had not had a problem handling the University of New Hampshire throughout his career before Friday night’s Hockey East quarterfinal matchup at Agganis Arena. In his four years with the Boston University men’s hockey team, Millan has had a 7-2 record with a .952 save percentage and a 1.56 goals against average when facing the Wildcats.
Despite BU’s 3-2 double-overtime loss in Friday night’s game, Millan continued to shine against UNH, as he stopped a career-high 47 shots, including 18 in the third period. While UNH controlled the pace of the game and peppered the BU goal with shots, Millan held strong and gave BU a chance to win.
“He was unbelievable. I mean obviously he almost stole the game again,” said UNH coach Dick Umile, who saw Millan steal a NCAA Regional Final game from his squad back in 2009 to keep the Wildcats out of the Frozen Four. “He’s won an awful lot of hockey games because he is a great goaltender.”
While he had a great showing in the game, the night didn’t start that well for Millan, who allowed two goals in the first period. The second goal came from a long, soft shot from UNH forward Kevin Goumas that slipped past him to give the Wildcats the lead.
However, Millan bounced back from the shaky play, as he made 37 saves over the following three periods to keep BU’s stagnant offense alive in the playoff game.
Senior goaltender Kieran Millan had not had a problem handling the University of New Hampshire throughout his career before Friday night’s Hockey East quarterfinal matchup at Agganis Arena. In his four years with the Boston University men’s hockey team, Millan has had a 7-2 record with a .952 save percentage and a 1.56 goals against average when facing the Wildcats.
Despite BU’s 3-2 double-overtime loss in Friday night’s game, Millan continued to shine against UNH, as he stopped a career-high 47 shots, including 18 in the third period. While UNH controlled the pace of the game and peppered the BU goal with shots, Millan held strong and gave BU a chance to win.
“He was unbelievable. I mean obviously he almost stole the game again,” said UNH coach Dick Umile, who saw Millan steal a NCAA Regional Final game from his squad back in 2009 to keep the Wildcats out of the Frozen Four. “He’s won an awful lot of hockey games because he is a great goaltender.”
While he had a great showing in the game, the night didn’t start that well for Millan, who allowed two goals in the first period. The second goal came from a long, soft shot from UNH forward Kevin Goumas that slipped past him to give the Wildcats the lead.
However, Millan bounced back from the shaky play, as he made 37 saves over the following three periods to keep BU’s stagnant offense alive in the playoff game.
Flat Terriers fall to Wildcats in first game of Hockey East quarterfinals
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
With less than five minutes remaining in the first overtime of the No. 6 Boston University’s 3-2 double-overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire, Wildcat goaltender Casey DeSmith kicked a rebound out to his left, just a few feet in front of where junior forward Ross Gaudet was waiting. There was nothing between Gaudet, the puck, and a virtually empty net, but Gaudet could not reach the rebound fast enough to play the hero for BU.
Instead, UNH freshman Grayson Downing took the spotlight, as he potted the game-winner two minutes into the second overtime to lift the Wildcats to the 3-2 game 1 victory.
Gaudet’s missed opportunity was one of many for the Terriers (21-13-1), who were outplayed, out-shot and out-skated all night long by the Wildcats (15-17-3). The only bright spot for the Terriers was the play of senior goaltender Kieran Millan, who set a new career record for saves in a game with 47 saves on Friday night.
By virtue of the loss, BU will need to win the final two games of the best-of-three series in order to advance to the Hockey East semifinals. Following Friday night’s game, BU coach Jack Parker singled out the team’s skating as one of the key reasons for BU’s underwhelming play.
“I thought my team looked absolutely legless tonight, from the beginning of the game to the end of the game,” Parker said. “I thought the lack of speed on our part and the great speed on UNH’s part, and I don’t mean just up and down the ice, but beating us to pucks … we didn’t deserve the win, but UNH certainly did deserve the win.
“It wasn’t for lack of effort. We looked like we were skating in sand and they looked like they were skating on new ice every shift.”
With less than five minutes remaining in the first overtime of the No. 6 Boston University’s 3-2 double-overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire, Wildcat goaltender Casey DeSmith kicked a rebound out to his left, just a few feet in front of where junior forward Ross Gaudet was waiting. There was nothing between Gaudet, the puck, and a virtually empty net, but Gaudet could not reach the rebound fast enough to play the hero for BU.
Instead, UNH freshman Grayson Downing took the spotlight, as he potted the game-winner two minutes into the second overtime to lift the Wildcats to the 3-2 game 1 victory.
Gaudet’s missed opportunity was one of many for the Terriers (21-13-1), who were outplayed, out-shot and out-skated all night long by the Wildcats (15-17-3). The only bright spot for the Terriers was the play of senior goaltender Kieran Millan, who set a new career record for saves in a game with 47 saves on Friday night.
By virtue of the loss, BU will need to win the final two games of the best-of-three series in order to advance to the Hockey East semifinals. Following Friday night’s game, BU coach Jack Parker singled out the team’s skating as one of the key reasons for BU’s underwhelming play.
“I thought my team looked absolutely legless tonight, from the beginning of the game to the end of the game,” Parker said. “I thought the lack of speed on our part and the great speed on UNH’s part, and I don’t mean just up and down the ice, but beating us to pucks … we didn’t deserve the win, but UNH certainly did deserve the win.
“It wasn’t for lack of effort. We looked like we were skating in sand and they looked like they were skating on new ice every shift.”
Friday, March 9, 2012
From the Freep: Terriers host Hockey East Quarterfinals against New Hampshire
By Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Last March, the Boston University men’s hockey team missed out on a trip to the TD Garden for the first time in nine seasons when it dropped its quarterfinal matchup with Northeastern University in three games. That result is something No. 6 BU will look to avoid this season as it confronts the University of New Hampshire on home ice over the weekend.
BU (21-12-1, 17-9-1 Hockey East) enters the matchup with UNH (14-17-3, 11-14-2 Hockey East) after losing its last game of the season to Northeastern, the same team that ended the Terriers’ season last year. The loss came after winning their previous three games, but BU coach Jack parker said it still hurts the Terriers’ momentum entering the weekend.
“I think we would have liked to have gone into the playoffs winning the last two games instead of splitting,” Parker said. “Hopefully they realize that is that, and now we are playing UNH and we’ll see what happens.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Last March, the Boston University men’s hockey team missed out on a trip to the TD Garden for the first time in nine seasons when it dropped its quarterfinal matchup with Northeastern University in three games. That result is something No. 6 BU will look to avoid this season as it confronts the University of New Hampshire on home ice over the weekend.
BU (21-12-1, 17-9-1 Hockey East) enters the matchup with UNH (14-17-3, 11-14-2 Hockey East) after losing its last game of the season to Northeastern, the same team that ended the Terriers’ season last year. The loss came after winning their previous three games, but BU coach Jack parker said it still hurts the Terriers’ momentum entering the weekend.
“I think we would have liked to have gone into the playoffs winning the last two games instead of splitting,” Parker said. “Hopefully they realize that is that, and now we are playing UNH and we’ll see what happens.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Familiar foe: BU reacts to playing Saponari
By Annie Maroon/DFP Staff
After scoring the overtime game-winner for Northeastern University on Saturday, former Boston University men’s hockey forward Vinny Saponari said he talked with some of the Terriers, including senior goalie Grant Rollheiser, in the handshake line. BU coach Jack Parker wasn’t among them.
“We’ve moved on. I’m sure he’s moved on,” Parker said. “He’s a good player. He was a good player when he was with us, and I’m sure he had a very good season for them because he’s a very good player.”
Senior captain Chris Connolly said he spoke briefly to Saponari, who came to BU in the same year as Connolly but lost a year of eligibility when he transferred to Northeastern.
“He’s good friends with a lot of us on the team,” Connolly said. “He was a classmate of mine, so I just said good luck with everything he has to do next year, and that I’d see him around. I know he’ll be around the area, so maybe over the summer.
For more on penalties, Garrett Noonan's newest record, and Connolly's impact as a captain, go to dailyfreepress.com.
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| Sophomore defenseman Garrett Noonan Junhee Chung/DFP Staff |
After scoring the overtime game-winner for Northeastern University on Saturday, former Boston University men’s hockey forward Vinny Saponari said he talked with some of the Terriers, including senior goalie Grant Rollheiser, in the handshake line. BU coach Jack Parker wasn’t among them.
“We’ve moved on. I’m sure he’s moved on,” Parker said. “He’s a good player. He was a good player when he was with us, and I’m sure he had a very good season for them because he’s a very good player.”
Senior captain Chris Connolly said he spoke briefly to Saponari, who came to BU in the same year as Connolly but lost a year of eligibility when he transferred to Northeastern.
“He’s good friends with a lot of us on the team,” Connolly said. “He was a classmate of mine, so I just said good luck with everything he has to do next year, and that I’d see him around. I know he’ll be around the area, so maybe over the summer.
For more on penalties, Garrett Noonan's newest record, and Connolly's impact as a captain, go to dailyfreepress.com.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Terriers win championship in double overtime
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| Senior captain Jenn Wakefield scored twice for BU Rachel Pearson/DFP Staff |
HYANNIS — With fewer than 10 seconds left in the Hockey East Tournament championship, the No. 9 Boston University women’s hockey team peppered Providence College netminder Genevieve Lacasse with pucks. The Terriers, who were desperately looking to tie up the game, had been down 1-0 since halfway through the first period.
After pulling sophomore goaltender Kerrin Sperry in lieu of an extra skater, BU coach Brian Durocher stood on the bench and watched as his team managed to do what had seemed impossible for the first 59 minutes of play – get a shot past Lacasse.
“I’m hoping for one of those small miracles that somehow after those 59 and a half minutes you find a way to get a puck past [Lacasse],” Durocher said of his thought process during the last 10 seconds of regulation. “You’re really thinking she’s going to be our Tournament MVP, and we couldn’t score against her. That was pretty much the song of the weekend."
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Lack of focus hurts BU squad
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
In the second period of the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team’s 5-4 overtime loss to Northeastern University, sophomore defenseman Adam Clendening attempted to set up a play on the power play from the right point of the offensive zone.
Without much developing in front of him, Clendening looked to his left for a blue-line pass. Although nobody – no Terriers or Huskies – were open to his left, Clendening passed there anyway, causing the puck to dribble out of the zone and forcing BU to regroup in order to carry the puck back in cleanly.
The play did not prove costly at the time, as Northeastern did not recover the puck, but it was reflective of an overall lack of focus and thorough effort from the entire BU team. It began in practice during the week and culminated in the overtime loss Saturday night.
“There were many opportunities where we looked brain dead,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “There were many opportunities where we didn’t look aware of what we should be doing.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
In the second period of the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team’s 5-4 overtime loss to Northeastern University, sophomore defenseman Adam Clendening attempted to set up a play on the power play from the right point of the offensive zone.
Without much developing in front of him, Clendening looked to his left for a blue-line pass. Although nobody – no Terriers or Huskies – were open to his left, Clendening passed there anyway, causing the puck to dribble out of the zone and forcing BU to regroup in order to carry the puck back in cleanly.
The play did not prove costly at the time, as Northeastern did not recover the puck, but it was reflective of an overall lack of focus and thorough effort from the entire BU team. It began in practice during the week and culminated in the overtime loss Saturday night.
“There were many opportunities where we looked brain dead,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “There were many opportunities where we didn’t look aware of what we should be doing.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Video: BU women's hockey captures Hockey East crown
On Sunday afternoon, the Boston University women's hockey team won the Women's Hockey East Championship with a 2-1 double overtime win over Providence College. Daily Free Press staffer Meredith Perri was able to record some of the postgame awards ceremony as well as reaction from men's hockey coach Jack Parker in the immediate aftermath of the win. A full recap of the game with reaction from women's coach Brian Durocher will be posted on the blog later tonight.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Former Terrier notches goal in overtime to defeat men's hockey
By: Kevin Dillon/DFP Staff
Although the Boston University men’s hockey team spoiled Vinny Saponari’s return to Agganis Arena on Friday night with a win over Northeastern University 5-2, the former BU forward had his revenge on Saturday as he scored the game-winning goal to defeat BU 5-4 in overtime at Matthews Arena.
Saponari, who was dismissed from BU his sophomore year after missing a punishment bike ride for a drinking incident, scored the game-winner on senior goaltender Grant Rollheiser and then partied like a puckstar in front of the BU fans who traveled to Matthews for the game.
“It’s always fun playing BU for everyone, especially for me,” Saponari said. “I have a lot good friends out there and Grant Rollheiser was one of my roommates freshman and sophomore year so it was funny to get a goal against him in overtime. It was just a lot of fun.”
With the loss, BU (21-12-1, 17-9-1 Hockey East) fell to the third seed in Hockey East and will now face the University of New Hampshire in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
Although the Boston University men’s hockey team spoiled Vinny Saponari’s return to Agganis Arena on Friday night with a win over Northeastern University 5-2, the former BU forward had his revenge on Saturday as he scored the game-winning goal to defeat BU 5-4 in overtime at Matthews Arena.
Saponari, who was dismissed from BU his sophomore year after missing a punishment bike ride for a drinking incident, scored the game-winner on senior goaltender Grant Rollheiser and then partied like a puckstar in front of the BU fans who traveled to Matthews for the game.
“It’s always fun playing BU for everyone, especially for me,” Saponari said. “I have a lot good friends out there and Grant Rollheiser was one of my roommates freshman and sophomore year so it was funny to get a goal against him in overtime. It was just a lot of fun.”
With the loss, BU (21-12-1, 17-9-1 Hockey East) fell to the third seed in Hockey East and will now face the University of New Hampshire in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Read more at dailyfreepress.com.
BU seniors honored after win
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| Kieran Millan and his mother Wendy after BU's win. Junhee Chung/DFP Staff |
Senior forward Chris Connolly stood out at center ice with his arms around his parents’ shoulders as the Boston University men’s hockey team’s fans cheered in a standing ovation for their captain. The sweat on his face mixed with what looked to be tears welling up in his eyes as he waved to the student sections for what will be the last time during the regular season in his career.
Connolly, along with the rest of his teammates defeated Northeastern University 5-2 at Agganis Arena on Senior Night. It was only fitting that the group of six players who have won the National Championship, the Hockey East Championship and the Beanpot among other things won their final game in their home arena.
Seniors Kieran Millan, Grant Rollheiser, Ross Gaudet, Ryan Ruikka, Kevin Gilroy and Connolly celebrated their final game in a postgame ceremony in which the fans remained standing and cheering for their seniors. The seniors had their various accolades announced over the public address system while they smiled alongside their parents on a red carpet on the ice.
“We had a nice night for the parents. They were happy,” said BU coach Jack Parker.
Friday, March 2, 2012
BU ends home losing streak, kills Northeastern's playoff hopes
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| The remnants of a pane of glass Patrick MacGregor shattered. Junhee Chung/DFP Staff |
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
The No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team ended a four-game home losing streak on Friday night when it topped Northeastern University, 5-2, on BU Senior Night. Over 30 former BU players, some of whom had traveled from as far away as the Bahamas and Canada, attended the game to wish the Terriers well.
The BU win, combined with a victory from the University of Massachusetts, ended Northeastern’s playoff hopes. BU remained in sole possession of second place in the league, and the Terriers can win first place in the league tomorrow with another win combined with a Boston College loss.
The Terriers (21-11-1, 17-8-1 Hockey East) came out sloppy in the first period, and Northeastern (12-16-5, 8-14-4 Hockey East) took advantage of that immediately. Garrett Vermeersch netted the first goal of the game just 38 seconds into regulation when, on a 3-on-1 rush, his shot deflected off a BU stick and past senior goaltender Kieran Millan.
“I didn’t like the way my team played tonight,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “Northeastern had much better chances and much better opportunities. They played harder and smarter than we did for the most part.”
From the Freep: Terriers to celebrate seniors in last regular season series
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
It has been a long and eventful season for the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team, but the regular season finish line is finally in sight, as the Terriers have one last weekend to situate themselves in as high a position as possible before the Hockey East playoffs begin.
BU (20-11-1, 16-8-1 Hockey East) currently sits in second place in the league standings behind first-place Boston College. Since BU holds the tiebreaker over BC, BU will need to earn at least two points more than BC this weekend to finish the season in first place in the league.
The Terriers will look to complete that task in a home-and-home series against Northeastern University, who is fighting for its playoff lives. The Huskies (12-15-5, 8-13-4 Hockey East) enter the weekend tied with the University of Massachusetts for eighth place in the league. If the season ended before this weekend, Northeastern would be the last team out of the playoffs since UMass holds the tiebreaker over the Huskies.
“We’re fighting a team whose backs are against the wall,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “[Northeastern is] a desperate team and they need points.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com
Projected lines:
Matt Nieto - Chris Connolly - Alex Chiasson
Wade Megan - Ben Rosen - Sahir Gill
Justin Courtnall - Cason Hohmann - Yasin Cisse
Ross Gaudet - Ryan Santana - Kevin Gilroy
Garrett Noonan - Patrick MacGregor
Sean Escobedo - Adam Clendening
Alexx Privitera - Ryan Ruikka
Kieran Millan
Grant Rollheiser
It has been a long and eventful season for the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team, but the regular season finish line is finally in sight, as the Terriers have one last weekend to situate themselves in as high a position as possible before the Hockey East playoffs begin.
BU (20-11-1, 16-8-1 Hockey East) currently sits in second place in the league standings behind first-place Boston College. Since BU holds the tiebreaker over BC, BU will need to earn at least two points more than BC this weekend to finish the season in first place in the league.
The Terriers will look to complete that task in a home-and-home series against Northeastern University, who is fighting for its playoff lives. The Huskies (12-15-5, 8-13-4 Hockey East) enter the weekend tied with the University of Massachusetts for eighth place in the league. If the season ended before this weekend, Northeastern would be the last team out of the playoffs since UMass holds the tiebreaker over the Huskies.
“We’re fighting a team whose backs are against the wall,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “[Northeastern is] a desperate team and they need points.”
Read more at dailyfreepress.com
Projected lines:
Matt Nieto - Chris Connolly - Alex Chiasson
Wade Megan - Ben Rosen - Sahir Gill
Justin Courtnall - Cason Hohmann - Yasin Cisse
Ross Gaudet - Ryan Santana - Kevin Gilroy
Garrett Noonan - Patrick MacGregor
Sean Escobedo - Adam Clendening
Alexx Privitera - Ryan Ruikka
Kieran Millan
Grant Rollheiser
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Jack Parker reacts to Charlie Coyle's NHL contract, QMJHL success
By Arielle Aronson/DFP Staff
When former Terrier Charlie Coyle decided to leave Boston University in December to join the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Terrier coach Jack Parker was vocal in his disappointment in Coyle's decision.
Since then, however, Coyle has enjoyed plenty of success in Canada. Through 16 games with the Sea Dogs, Coyle has notched 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. In 16 games with BU this season, Coyle scored three goals and 11 assists. The Weymouth native totaled 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists) in his BU career and was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year for the 2010-11 season.
On Thursday, two months after Coyle's move to the QMJHL, the Weymouth native inked an three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. Coyle will remain in Saint John through the end of the season.
When notified of Coyle's contract, Parker still seemed annoyed with Coyle.
"I haven’t kept up with him at all," Parker, a coach that keeps in touch with many of his former players, said. "I would presume he would be able to score easier in that league against 16- or 17-year-olds."
When former Terrier Charlie Coyle decided to leave Boston University in December to join the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Terrier coach Jack Parker was vocal in his disappointment in Coyle's decision.
Since then, however, Coyle has enjoyed plenty of success in Canada. Through 16 games with the Sea Dogs, Coyle has notched 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. In 16 games with BU this season, Coyle scored three goals and 11 assists. The Weymouth native totaled 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists) in his BU career and was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year for the 2010-11 season.
On Thursday, two months after Coyle's move to the QMJHL, the Weymouth native inked an three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. Coyle will remain in Saint John through the end of the season.
When notified of Coyle's contract, Parker still seemed annoyed with Coyle.
"I haven’t kept up with him at all," Parker, a coach that keeps in touch with many of his former players, said. "I would presume he would be able to score easier in that league against 16- or 17-year-olds."
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