defkit's Terrier Takeaway--BU 2 UVM 1

 

defkit's Terrier Takeaway 

- Overall, an ok weekend for the Terriers. They looked much better over the last two periods than the first four, even though the goals were hard to come by. While the freshman class is not large, there are some key guys that are getting a lot of minutes, which should pay dividends as the season progresses.

- Yegorov is off to a great start to the season, as we all hoped he would be. His numbers are excellent and the team defense in front of him is also helping.

- On defense, Wang continued to impress. He had a couple whiffs on keep-ins at the blue line over the two games, but otherwise looked excellent. He has impressed the most of all the freshmen. Amico has also played better, though he similarly had a couple bad plays on the puck leading to opportunities. We need to remember he played very little at BU last season, so he is virtually still a freshman too. 

- XV had a tough first half to the game, but finished strong. The Power Plays in the first period couldn't get anything going. And he seemed to be trying puck moves that just aren't going to fool players in D-1. But he seemed to find another gear over the second half of the game and picked up assists on both huge goals.

- At forward, it was good to see Ritchie rise to the occasion (Kudos to Roukounakis for the screen on the first goal). We've seen his skill in the past, if he can contribute more consistently, that will be a big lift for the team. 

- Lawrence is clearly the best forward on the team at this point, not a surprise. Malhotra will get going after around 10 games in my opinion. You can see that he has the tools. But similar to Lawrence last season, most good players need an adjustment period. We've been spoiled with guys like Eichel, Celebrini, and Lane H. that just step in and look like the best players right away. But D-1 is a big step up. And while the ceiling may not be as high for guys like Aaram-Olsen and Norringer, I think we'll see them adjust as well. 

- Merrill had a very uncharacteristically tough game Friday night. He looked more like himself last night. 

- Credit to Vermont. I think they are a better team than expected. They played a great structure and blocked a ton of shots, which frustrated BU. 

- Overall, taking 3 out of 4 on the road to start the season is a solid start, even if the caliber of the opponent was not expected to be strong going into the season.  

defkit's Terrier Takeaway--4-0 win at AKF

 

defkit's Terrier Takeaway 

A much better showing for most of the game last night for BU. The first period was their best of the weekend. When it was still scoreless after 2, I thought - that's unfortunate, they are playing better, and yet they may not win.  

- I thought BU's breakout and play through the neutral zone was the big difference. Much better flow getting the puck down to the Alaska end of the ice. 

- Norringer was a late replacement for Ritchie who was apparently sick and he looked good out there. He plays a physical game and showed some speed too. I could see him pressuring for a spot in the lineup. 

- Congrats to Yegorov on a great weekend. One goal in two games.  

- Team defense was also very good. There were several times where a shot would come in and the rebound would end up to Yegorov's right, and it seemed like it could result in an easy tap in goal, but BU was tying up their guys effectively. This is why having four centers that play an effective two-way game will help this team. 

- Great to see Wang get rewarded for an impressive first two games. It seems the toe-drag move is one of his favorites - he did it at least three times over the two games. 

- I hope Roukinakis is ok after that knee-on-knee hit. They never showed a replay. He did come back for a couple shifts, so that should be a good sign;  fingers crossed that he is completely fine.