BU Oldtimer's Terrier Takeaway

1. Last night's game was played at a different pace than Friday night's contest. NMU was more tenacious and gritty. They prevented the long touchdown passes out of the BU zone and the long cross-ice passes that BU used Friday night to utilize its speed. Essentially, they stopped BU in the neutral zone.

2. Also, NMU kept BU away from the front of the net to a large extent. BU didn't have many shots off rebounds until Zegras scored the third BU goal. There were very few rebounds allowed by NMU.

3. For the second night in a row, NMU scored off a draw in the BU d-zone. Win the faceoff, back to the blueline, slapshot, goal.

4. Two of the NMU goals went through Pupura's legs.

5. Case McCarthy impressed again. He's mobile, plays with confidence and isn't reluctant to carry deep into the attack zone.

6. Dominick Fensore made two sharp moves on the rush. The first move set up Harper's goal. His second move came during BU's 5 minute power play. He roared up the right wing and rushed to the net for BU's only legitimate scoring chance during the extended power play.

7. Jamie Armstrong, an unheralded recruit, must be doing something right. He's taking a regular turn on the PK rotation and filled in on the second line when Cockerill left the game.

8. Ethan Phillips caught my eye to a greater extent last night than Friday night. There were a couple of instances when he displayed his agility and puck handling skills.

9. The Cockerill-Wise-Quercia line had a quiet night. Cockerill left the game early with a wrist issue.

Defkit's Terrier Takeaway: Oct 18, BU 4 NMU 4

- I missed the first 7 minutes partly thanks to the ticket office selling me a ticket for Saturdays game by accident (lots of rust in several places, including the scoreboard/time clock operation). So, unfortunately, I missed our first three goals of the game.

- The final score was a disappointing end to what was still overall an encouraging game for BU. There is a lot of youth on this team, and we will have bumps on the road as a result. On the tying goal, there were 4 freshman on the ice. Witkowski's penalty was ill-advised and started the NMU comeback.

- To me what stood out was the balance at forward. The top three lines were all generating good scoring opportunities consistently. Certainly the top line has the most talent with Harper and Zegras zipping the puck around, but with Wise, Mastrosimone, Phillips and Cockerill on the other two lines, they were a threat regularly.

- Speaking of Harper, he certainly looks like he's finally back to being himself. And Wise looks like a much more confident player. And as mentioned already, the freshman talent is spread nicely. I don't think scoring goals will be an issue this year.

- On defense, Fensore is the latest in the line of smallish puck-moving defensemen to come to BU from the USNTDP, and I would say he looks as good (at least offensively) as any of the others did at this stage (Farrance, Grzelcyk, Warsofsky). Farrance missed the third period, apparently due to cramps, so Fensore was the QB for all our power plays down the stretch.

- I thought McCarthy looked very good. He made a few nice defensive plays. Vlasic looked solid, and used his height/reach to his advantage on several occasions. That said, I think overall our d-zone coverage got sloppy at times - NMU had a few really strong scoring opportunities in the second half of the game.

- If there is one concern I have, it is in net. I know two games is not a big sample size, but Tucker doesn't seem very confident in net, and obviously 7 goals on less than 40 shots is not going to get it done long term. Hopefully his play will improve. He did make a phenomenal save in OT on a point blank shot - everyone in the arena assumed the game was over, and he kept us alive. I suspect we'll see Purpura tonight.

- Overall I think this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch and will ultimately contend for some hardware. I also like the fact that apart from Zegras, the new talent are mostly 3 or 4-year players.

2019 Captain’s Q&A: Patrick Curry

Q. You’re coming off a career best season with 13 goals and 26 points. What is the on-ice role you see for yourself this season? Do you expect to play on the off wing again this year?  
A.  The on-ice role I see myself playing this season is a top six forward who plays on the power play and penalty kill. In addition, I feel like I’m a player who can contribute in big time situations such as last minute of periods and big defensive zone shifts. Last season playing my off wing allowed me to feel more comfortable making and receiving pucks on my back hand. Being that we have a lefty dominant roster this season, I’m not against playing my off wing. 

Q. You attended your first NHL development camp—with St. Louis—this summer. What did you take from that experience that will help your game hit another level as a Senior? 
A.  Attending the St. Louis Blues camp was a great experience for me. Being around so many great players and coaches and learning the ins and outs of the pro lifestyle allowed me to take in things that I can put in my everyday routine. I think for me it’s not so much what I can take to my game right away, more so expanding on what I do well and being a great role model for the younger guys on the team. The experience was also special in that I was able to be around a staff that had just won the Stanley Cup. It had a great impact on me in terms of motivation and seeing how it takes a collective effort to win championships. 

 

Q. What did you learn from last year’s co-captains that you want to emulate or continue this season? 
A. Dante, Bobo, Chad, and Otter were great in the room. Obviously with the talent that they had they pushed everyone to be better. Whether it be in the locker room, on the ice or in the gym, they set the bar high. So, a big thing for me is keeping everyone motivated, on the same page and having a great energy coming to the rink every day. I learned from those four that if you are a leader and do things the right way the team will follow suit. My experience playing three seasons of college hockey will help me set the standard to be successful moving forward. 

Q. At this summer’s BU Hockey Roundtable, Coach O’Connell noted that you’d spent much of the summer on-campus connecting with the incoming freshmen. Can you share what you imparted to them about Terrier Hockey? 
A. The first thing I preached was getting to know the teammates in your class and creating a brotherly bond with them. When I was a freshman, this was one of the main points Doyle Somerby, our captain at the time, reiterated many times. He explained that these were the guys that we would spend our four years with and the tighter of a group we were, the further we would go. Secondly, I emphasized the importance of staying in the moment and being where their feet are. As you know, many of them are highly touted prospects for the NHL. This can allow, in some circumstances, guys looking too far in the future and not truly understanding what it means to put on a Terrier hockey jersey. Lastly, I got to know them on a personal level and I have already become great friends with all of them. I am excited to see them on the ice this season. Fans have a lot to look forward to. 

Q. Game-to-game consistency is something coaches at any level strive for. How will you help Coach O’Connell achieve it?  
A. Coach OC and I have had many conversations since the end of last year until now and we want to be stronger out of the gate. I think we were not our best at the start of last season and we can’t have that again this year. Over my last three seasons, we have been notorious for slow starts and it has forced us to play catch up. In terms of consistency, I feel, as a whole, we have a lot more depth up and down the line up. This will allow us to have more players contribute night in and night out. Ultimately, making us tougher game to game. 

Q. Coach O’Connell has stated he wants BU to be a “difficult team to play against.” What specifically will it take to do that more effectively than last season? 
A.  There is no shortage of skill on our team this season by any means. At the end of the day, skill can only win you so many games. In order to be successful, we need to out-compete teams on a nightly basis. When we out-compete teams, our skill takes over and makes us one of the most dangerous teams in the country. If we can bring the same energy and grit every night, we will get the right results. Compete level has been a main focus in Coach OC’s practices so far. 

Here’s Patrick Curry’s team-leading 11th goal of the season that sent the game to OT. #GoBU pic.twitter.com/BZ1ItZVqnv

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) February 16, 2019

Q. Besides the usual targets of winning Beanpot, conference and NCAA hardware, what are your goals for the team this season? 
A.  Obviously, you touched on our main goals, but I think to achieve those we need to attack every day with no egos and having players know their roles and acting accordingly. Another goal, as I touched on previously, is getting off to a good start. This will be crucial for the confidence of our younger players. On top of that, we want to win hardware at Madison Square Garden as well as acquire an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. Missing the NCAA tournament last season left a bad taste in a lot of our players’ mouths. 

Q. Coach O’Connell is in his second season as head coach. What are you seeing so far in his approach and systems that is different for last year? 
A.  In comparison from year to year there is definitely a bigger emphasis on accountability and guys bringing their best every day. He is less hesitant in getting on guys whether they are in the line-up or not. He understands that last year was unacceptable and everyone needs to be held to a higher standard and be engaged everyday

Q. For the past three seasons, BU has had a middle of pack penalty kill percentage among Hockey East teams. What changes are needed to improve that critical part of the team’s game? 
A.  I think we need guys to buy in. The biggest things on the penalty kill are compete and desperation and if we are able to combine these two our kill will be successful. Penalty killing is a mindset that requires minimal skill and if we have players who take pride in it, we will see a direct correlation to a better kill percentage. 

Q. We always ask this in the captain’s Q&A: which returning player (or players) will surprise BU fans by taking his game to a higher level? 
A. I think BU fans will be very pleased with sophomore forward Jake Wise. I have spent both summer sessions training with Jake in Boston. He has one of the best work ethics on the team and it was clear to see how devastated he was after his shoulder injury sidelined him last season. It was a big loss for our team. I feel as though he will come back hungry and be a key piece in our success this season.