The Terriers head into the second half of the
season with a good bit more optimism than their 6-6-5 record would suggest.
For one thing, a few key players sidelined by
injuries are back in the lineup, or will be soon. Although the team had some
disappointing performances in the first semester, they finished up with
excellent showings in their final two games – a 5-2 win over Harvard and
another over Northeastern, 6-3.
“I’m
really excited about it,” senior captain Patrick Curry said this weekend after
a 3-3 exhibition tie against the USA NTDP U18 team. “If we are able to play
with a full team, I think we’re going to have a great second half.”
That
team includes two mid-season additions, center Wilmer Skoog, a 20-year old
center from Sweden who had been playing in the NAHL, and Canadian goaltender
Ashton Abel, also 20, who spent the first half of the season in the AJHL.
“We
have a couple of new pieces coming in with Skoog and Abel,” Curry said. “And a
lot of guys returning from injury. That was a big issue for us in the first
half of the season.”
The Terriers kept on the winning track
Wednesday with a 3-2 overtime win against Brown, in which Skoog picked up the
game winner.
Coach Albie O’Connell said Skoog showed he can
make an impact in the NTDP exhibition, when the newcomer scored in the
shootout.
“He had
some good offensive plays and some good defensive plays and was pretty good
on the face-off,” O’Connell said. “He’s off to a good start so far.”
Perhaps the biggest impact will come from the
return of junior Logan Cockerill, who underwent wrist surgery after appearing
in just three games. Cockerill is expected to return this month, possibly in
time for the Boston College game on January 18. Freshmen Sam Stevens and
Jamie Armstrong also missed games in the first half but have returned to the
line-up. Junior Ty Amonte is out for the season.
Both Cockerill and Skoog will likely take
spots among the top six forwards, which will have a ripple effect by leaving
more talent and grit to fill out both the third and fourth lines.
“Getting Cockerill back will be a big
bonus,” O’Connell said. “With him and Skoog, we get two guys in the lineup who
can project a lot of speed. So, we like our chances in the second half.”
O’Connell also noted that he is looking for Ethan
Phillips, who set up Skoog’s OT goal against Brown, to take a step up and
become an even bigger contributor.
Curry said he’s looking forward to having
Cockerill back both on and off the ice. “When he talks, guys listen. So, we
missed him. Having him back is another speedy forward who plays the game right
and plays a 200-foot game.”
Another reason for optimism is that BU is
still in the hunt in Hockey East. Despite the ups and downs of the first half,
the Terriers have three fewer league losses than all but two teams – BC and
Lowell – and tied with UMass. Although BU is technically in sixth place in the
league, they are only three points out of first place, and with half of the
season remaining, they can put themselves into contention with a run of wins
over the next few weeks.
Curry said the team needs to become more
consistent than in the first half. “Sometimes in our game, it’s really good. We
need to play a little more even keel, not give up big chances and play a more
sound defensive game,” the captain said. “Upfront we have a lot of good speed.
From the back end, a lot of guys know how to move the puck well.”
Those two wins in
December against Harvard and Northeastern are strong indicators of what the
team is capable of. “Those were huge,” Curry said. “We could have gone into the
break losing those games or tying them, and instead we got four points. We know
we can beat a top 10 team even without our full lineup. That’s good for the
team’s confidence. And we’re definitely going to try to build off of that.”
BU is no stranger to
second-half hot streaks. Two seasons ago, BU appeared down and out in January
2018, but caught fire and secured an NCAA berth by winning the Hockey East
title over Providence.
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