At 9:04 PM 9/23/95, Patrick Abegg wrote:
>As an individual player, there is no question. O'Sullivan should play
>defense, which he did from time to time last year in penalty-killing
>and four-on-four situations. BU returns four proven defensemen, plus
>Jeff Kealty who never adjusted to the collegiate level last year. So if
>Kealty or freshman Dan Ronan isn't ready to go, Coach Jack Parker has a
>decision to make.
 
And if *both* are not ready, then there are real problems.  Even the
addition of O'Sullivan would only give BU five proven Ds, barring injury.
Comparing to last year, it's legitimate to say that O'Sullivan = Linna and
Coleman = Brennan.  But Coleman was a very key third D last year, and it is
a stretch to say that either Johnson or Wood can equal Coleman of last
year.
 
I felt that one of the big things that made BU strong last year was that
all six Ds played solidly.  The third set was able to play good D and
occasionally spark the offense, which wasn't even as necessary as it may be
this year.  And the ability of Rausch to step in and do the job cannot be
underestimated.  If opponents are able to attack that third set of D, it's
going to be tough.
 
>BU has been at its best in recent years when defense comes first, so I
>would not be surprised to see Parker strengthen the blue line corps at
>the expense of the attack. Remember, BU lacks a second proven goalie so
>either Noble will have to play every night or the freshman Michel
>Larocque will need a confident defense in front of him.
 
On the other hand, Noble played consistently enough that an increase in
playing time for him isn't a bad thing.  There is latitude here such that
Larocque doesn't have to play that much if he doesn't develop as quickly.
But Parker does like to get his freshman goalies in there right away, so
Larocque should get an early chance to show what he can do.
 
>Mike Grier does not need Chris O'Sullivan playing the opposite wing.
>What he needs is a center who can get him the puck the way Steve
>Thornton did last year and defensemen who can use his bulk as a screen,
>which O'Sullivan will do wonderfully. Hopefully Mike Sylvia can be that
>center.
 
Thornton is perhaps the toughest guy BU has to replace.  I don't think any
of the returning Fs can play both ends as well as he did.  And, it would
surprise me to see Sylvia put on Grier's line as his center.  If the goal
is to find a guy who can get the puck to Grier, then Drury or Pandolfo seem
to be more likely candidates.  It's a lot of pressure to put on Sylvia, but
then again maybe he is up to it.  Sylvia will have to have a good year to
help the offense get close to matching last year's performance.
 
>This BU team will likely struggle...
 
I think so too, although the definition of "struggle" for BU is far
different than it is for most other teams.  All it means is that first or
second place in HE is not guaranteed, and although an NCAA appearance seems
likely, BU will be hard-pressed to win the national title again.
 
BU will be tested early on, with their first seven games coming against
North Dakota, Vermont, Northeastern (2), UNH (2), and Maine (away).  But
Parker's teams tend to get better and better as the season progresses, and
I won't be surprised to see them get off to a rough start but pick it up
later on.  On the other hand, a slow start in HE could open the door for
one of the lower teams to challenge, especially if Maine also has trouble
with its defense.
 
>But
>however things shake out, I expect this team to be ready to defend its
>"Triple Crown" of Beanpot, Hockey East, and National titles.
 
Opponents have never needed an excuse to get up for BU, but now it will be
tougher than ever for the Terriers.  Every game will be a war.  They will
lose some of them, maybe more than people expect, but the key is how
prepared they are in March, and I wouldn't bet against Parker at that time
of year.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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