Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Q&A with 2015-16 Assistant Captains Danny O'Regan and Matt Lane



Danny O’Regan 

Q—After your standout season last year, there was much conjecture among BU fans about whether you’d turn pro or return for your senior year. What factors convinced you to come back?
A— There were a lot of factors that convinced me to come back to BU. I wanted to finish school and get my degree, I wanted to spend another year with all of the great people here, and I wanted to develop more as a player and a person while winning a National Championship in the process.

Q—As the top returning point scorer, do you see your role in the offense changing or will it be the same as last season?
A— I feel like my role will be similar to last year as I will need to provide offense for the team in important situations. However, I do not feel any pressure individually, I am confident that our whole team can provide offense with all the talent and depth we have this year.

Q—The power play clicked at 26% overall and 28% in the conference with you and the four other top scorers recording more than half of their points with a man-advantage. Can we expect the same approach to power plays as last year or will there be new wrinkles to best utilize the talent on this year’s team?
A—Special teams are so important in this league and power plays can win games so we are hoping for the same success as last year. I think we will take the same approach as last year and no matter who ends up on each unit, they both will be loaded with talent.  It will just come down to whether or not we can execute.

Q—What aspects of your game are getting added attention as you prepare for the season?
A— I am always trying to improve my shot and my strength. As an “undersized” guy in the league, every pound matters and I have worked hard in the offseason to put on more weight for the season.

Q—Captain Matt Grzelcyk says he’s more of a leader by example than a vocal guy. What will you bring to the team’s leadership?
A—Both Matt Grzelcyk and Matt Lane are great leaders for this team and I think the three of us have a good balance of when to be vocal and when to lead by example. I like to keep things positive on the bench and in the locker room and I just try to give 100% every shift and hope it motivates my teammates to do the same.

Q—We always ask this in the annual Q&A: which returning player (or players) will surprise BU fans by taking his game to a higher level?
A—I think the entire sophomore class is going to be great this year. All of them now have a year of experience under their belts and have worked hard in the off season. I think they will all have big impacts on our team’s success.



Matt Lane

Q—You scored a number of critical goals last season especially during second semester and in the post-season tournaments.  With 167 points gone from last season’s forwards, do you expect your role in the offense will change?
A—Obviously as you get older and progress from year to year you take on more responsibility and I expect that for myself offensively. Along with everyone returning, which is a lot of guys, we will all have to elevate our game and chip in more to make up for lost players in order to have that same high-end offense.

Q—BU achieved tremendous success last season in even-strength situations by playing a puck possession/pressure defense game. Does the current team make-up lend itself to the same style of play?
A—Absolutely, we're going to play that fast-pace style game in and game out no matter who our opponent is. We like to develop a team identity of being fast and tough to play against and that won't change as our opponents change.

Q—Coach Quinn has emphasized the importance of face-offs for maintaining puck possession, especially when killing a penalty. How much attention does this part of the game receive in practice?
A—A lot of attention, little things like centers working on face-offs after and during practice and full team drills working on face-off assignments that we do are extremely important and highly stressed by Coach Quinn as we all know that so many goals are scored directly off of draws or shortly after maintaining possession.

Q—What aspects of your game are getting added attention as you prepare for the season?
A—For my game, I've been working on face-offs and continuing to work on being the best two-way center I can be. Reminding myself to use my speed in all three zones, and working on my shot day in and out because you can never spend too much time on shooting.

Q—Captain Matt Grzelcyk says he’s more of a leader by example than a vocal guy. What will you bring to the team’s leadership?
A—I feel that I bring a good balance of being a role model for always working hard as well as being a vocal guy and speaking up when it's necessary - whether it's during practice, a game, or in the weight room. But, for the most part, we feel that every guy on the team leads in their own way and last year’s captains along with everyone right down the line did a great job in the leadership department and was a huge piece of last year’s success.

QWe always ask this in the annual Q&A: which returning player (or players) will surprise BU fans by taking his game to a higher level?
A—Nikolas Olsson. He combines a ton of skill with being the most physical player in college hockey. We played together dating back to the U.S. National team and he's had injuries on and off. Last year he was healthy for the most part and if he can maintain that health this season, he’ll surprise a lot of people with his underrated ability to finish and his constant physical style.

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