By srsterrier
Nostalgia was the theme at the
SoNo Ice House in Norwalk Connecticut - home of a new EJHL franchise, the
Connecticut Oilers - last Saturday Night, December 22, 2012. At times, I found myself thinking back to Boston circa 1988 or
so. First, I noticed that a member of
the visiting Valley Junior Warriors was named Joe Lappin. Any relation to the
brothers who played for BU for a couple of seasons in the late 80’s? I did not
ask. Then, I noticed the goalie playing for the Oilers, a guy named “Bruce
Racine.” Any relation to the legendary Northeastern goalie? A member of the
Oilers told me that it was just a coincidence. And if that was not enough,
standing there watching the game was none other than Mark Krys, a solid defenseman for the
Terriers from 1987-91 and captain of the 1990-91 squad that reached the NCAA
championship game. Those of us who attended BU during that time remember Mark
for his surprising goal against BC in the 91’ Beanpot title game and also for
his soft-spoken, respectful nature. Tonight was no different as Mark politely chatted
with us for a few minutes and signed autographs for my son and his friend.
And the player I came to see, BU 2013
recruit Brendan Collier, played with the intensity
that we used to see regularly at Walter Brown Arena in the 80’s and 90’s. Collier,
a member of the Valley Junior Warriors, will be a freshman next season. The
first thing I noticed about Collier was that, at 5 feet, 9 inches, he was
hardly the biggest player on the ice. Not slow by any means, he was not the
fastest player out there either. Yet, Collier was drafted in the 7th
round in 2012 by Carolina.
Over the course of the evening, I gained an understanding of the reasons why.
As was the case in high school leading Malden Catholic to back-to-back Massachusetts Super 8 championships, Collier played on a line with Ryan Fitzgerald (a BC recruit
who was as a good as advertised). They made a formidable trio with linemate
John Jackson, who leads the team in scoring. On most shifts, they created
scoring chances and in the end, they accounted for three of the team’s six
goals on the night. Collier tallied a goal and an assist in this game but came across
as more of a playmaker than a pure goal scorer.[Note: Collier assisted on three goals the next night in a 6-5 win] He has very good puck-handling
skills and also passes well. He was sent out on the penalty kill once or twice
and looks good in that role.
What stood out the most was
Collier’s intensity. As noted above, Collier is not big but he is stocky. I
read elsewhere that, at the urging of the Hurricanes, he added ten pounds to
his frame over the summer. He plays a physical, gritty game that you might
expect from a kid from Charlestown,
Mass. He did not back down from
players who had a size advantage over him and was called for a roughing minor
late in the second period. The Warriors jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and the
game was never in doubt. Still, Collier was playing hard up to the end. He
struck me as the kind of kid who does not take a shift off – something that
every team needs and that BU has not always had enough of in recent years. With
his size, there is a good chance he will stay at BU for four years and it would
not surprise me if he wears the “C” a few years down the road.
Overall, my impression of Collier
is that he may not be an elite talent but he could very well be a second or third liner who
contributes 20-25 points a season, kills
penalties, hustles every shift and scores some clutch goals when the team needs
it most.
From what I’ve read and also from
speaking to him briefly after the game, Collier seems genuinely excited to come
to Agganis Way and wear the Scarlet and White. At BU he’ll reunited with
current freshman and fellow “Townie” Matt
Grzelcyk. The long-time friends began their youth hockey careers
together, along with Harvard freshman Jimmy Vescey.
One other note: The Junior Warriors
also featured Division 1 recruits Devin Tringale (Harvard) and Ryan Badger
(Maine), neither of whom factored in the scoring. It appeared to me that they
have at least two other kids who could play at the next level: Jake Schecter, a
puck-moving defenseman and Nick Pichette, a feisty forward who has some skill.
