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.