Allright... Frank Mazzocco (via USCHO) has made his prediction. To
paraphrase, the numbers and statistics are fodder -- "UNH will sweep."
 
Just wondering what other people out there in Hockey-L world think about
this matchup.
 
It seems to me that UNH has been proving themselves this season to be fast,
powerful, offensive, and most of all, a very, very serious contender not
just for the HE title but for all the bananas.
 
BU on the other hand, seems to have been on a skid lately, and according to
the Hockey-L poll, isn't really playing at the level required to defeat
UNH. After all, they've had a poor showing in December (2-3-3 in their last
eight), including a tie games with Yale and Merrimack...
 
but isn't this what the Terriers seem to do every season?
 
Oddly enough, the frustration of seeing the Terriers crumble (somewhat) for
a month in the middle of the season is getting easier and easier to take.
Sure, the squad loses a few players to the Junior championships and
whatnot, but surely the loss of one or two players isn't the sole
contributing factor to the monthlong "sickness" that consumes the team each
year.
 
So what is it? In my 10 years of watching the Terriers, I have seen a
solid, constant occurrence (among others) with each squad -- INCONSISTENCY.
 
While the team has been consistently one of the powerhouses in the country,
consistently have some of the best scoring in the country, consistently
sent some of the highest numbers on to the pro level, consistently won
Beanpots and Hockey East titles (well, not every year) -- they have also
consistently blown the big games.
 
 
So the question is -- given BU's history of falling apart like this, do
people think that BU is on the downfall? After all, it seems that every
year, after these 6-8 game slumps, BU rolls on the rest of the season, not
picking up more than a single loss and a single tie until they're finally
knocked out of the tournament -- oftentimes in the Frozen Four.
 
Going back to 1990...
 
In January of 1996, BU goes 3-2-2. While this is not an abhorrent record,
think of it this way -- they up to that point, they had only suffered ONE
loss and ONE tie. From this month afterward, guess what? Two losses in the
regular season (Providence and Merrimack), and a loss in the finals against
Michigan.
 
In January of 1995, BU goes 3-3-0. Again, after this month, BU proceeded to
win all but one game (against Providence) -- including the National
Championship against.
 
In 1993 and 1994, BU doesn't really fall into the hole, batting about .750
during January and December. Not bad -- but BU's losses were against HE
teams playing at or below .500.
 
In 1992, BU goes 11-2-1 in December-January. Whoah! Too bad they get
knocked out of the HE playoffs in the quarters by BC, and then knocked out
of the NCAA's in the first round by a lower-ranked (but definitely pumped!)
Michigan State.
 
In 1991, BU goes 4-4-1 in January after a 4-4-0 December. Of course, BU was
considered to have one of the toughest schedules every dropped in front of
a college team; in that stretch BU lost to some "respectable" teams --
Clarkson, Michigan, UNH, Maine, BC (and one to a real UGLY team, and
exhibition game against Dynamo Riga, complete with plenty of blood on the
ice). BU suffers 8 of its 11 total losses on the season during this stretch.
... but what happens after that? ONE loss (to BC), all the way up to what
many feel is the Greatest Game Every Played (if you have to ask...)
 
In 1990, BU really gets in to the holiday spirit, going 1-6 in December and
3-2-1 in January. Not a great year for BU, but after this spurt they only
lost 2 games until the playoffs, where a few young sensations (Amonte,
McEachern, Cashman) helped the team scuff and score all the way through to
a Frozen Four semi loss to Colgate.
 
 
So, what do people think? The Terriers now stand at 10-4-3; given the
talent of the team, I don't think anyone will question them down the
stretch. Given the recent history of the team (especially considering that
a good chunk of the current players have been around for the past two or
three seasons), it's only a question of WHEN the team explodes and dominates.
 
Might it be this weekend? Or will it take a big ol' slap in the face from
the Wildcats to wake them up? After all, if they rolled through the rest of
the season after starting with a record of 10-6-3 (should UNH sweep), they
just might end up at 31-6-3... the record they had in their 1994-1995
National Championship season.
 
 
 
greenie
 
S P O O N ! !
(go BU)
 
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