BU 4, UNH 2
Walter Brown Arena
 
One thing is certain about this weekend's series: Both teams have made it
known that the second you you give them an inch, they'll score.
 
Neither team seemed to come out with all jets burning at the start. This
isn't surprising for UNH, as after a big win on home ice defense needs to
be tantamount in the early goings... but BU? I would think they would have
stormed on to the ice making good on their Terrier moniker; after all, it
was a bunch of dogs against cats.
 
Most of the first period saw (heard, in my case) the puck move up and down
the ice, without too many fantastic scoring chances, key saves, or big
hits. Ross Bartlett put BU up 1-0 with his first goal of the year.
 
The second period saw two very different teams come right out at each
other. This doesn't mean that the quality of play improved; in fact, it
seemed to be a bit sloppier than the first period. While both teams did
convert on a few chances, none of these came as a result of fine playmaking
at full strength; rather it was quick counterstrikes that succeeded against
the other team's mistakes. When BU sat back on their heels, it was UNH and
their speed that swooped in for a pair of tallies. When UNH sat back,
stickhandling and positioning allowed BU a pair.
 
Drury put the Terriers up 2-0 on the powerplay, taking a nice feed from
Sylvia (I think) that Matile had no chance on. This was a fast, skating
strike that caught the UNH defenders out of position.
 
Even the usually boisterous Walter Brown fans could tell the Terriers were
not playing solid hockey however, and nobody was surprised when UNH knotted
it up by scoring twice within one minute.
 
Fittingly it was Mowers who put the first UNH puck into the net, as he once
again proved himself as one of the premier players in D1, flying towards
the BU defense who simply watched him skate right by with little response.
Laroque had no chance, and it was 2-1.
 
Then BU takes a stupid, stupid penalty (sorry, didn't catch who it was,
probably DiPenta) and Bekar takes advantage of a disjointed penalty killing
unit, pulling the Blue even at 2-2.
 
After a few more minutes of slophockey, it was Chris Drury whose play -- as
he did so often last season -- began to excite the fans and [surprise!] his
teammates. On the next BU powerplay Drury took advantage of an open lane to
the goal and put BU ahead for good, scoring the winning goal, his second of
the game and 90th of his career. While there was some skill involved, it
was primarily the UNH defense caught on their heels that allowed Drury to
split them for the golden opportunity. Matile had no chance.
 
About 45 seconds later, with their heads were still hanging from Drury's
goal, Quebec had the puck to Matile's side and making a quick move around a
defender (who didn't really react, according to the radio) stuffed the puck
in five hole on Matile. At least according to the Corbett, it's a goal that
Matile should have stopped -- a goal that reflects the Matile that
opponents have been more familiar with (as compared to Friday's performance).
 
At the end of the second it was 4-2 BU, which is the way it stayed through
a fairly uneventful third period. Both teams had a few chances, both
powerplay and otherwise, but neither was able to convert.
 
Throughout the night BU showed however that they're still not an entirely
focused squad. Within a few minutes of playing spectacular hockey and
taking the 4-2 lead, DiPenta takes a stupid interference penalty -- this is
becoming to be a habit for him -- to allow UNH a four-on-three powerplay.
 
It is apparent that UNH wasn't entirely focused either, as they did not
jump forward and threaten, yet alone capitalize, on BU mistakes and power
play opportunities. Laroque made a few good saves for the Terriers, but
ultimately it was the lack of offensive spark and cohesion that kept UNH
off the board.
 
So what did this series prove?
 
It seems that both teams have developed an early season tendency to remain
unfocused for stretches during a game, running both hot and cold.
Unnecessary penalties, misguided passing, and lackluster performances were
seen by both teams this weekend (moreso by BU).
 
Both teams have also showed that when they're hot, they're unstoppable.
Witness the 5-0 blanking of BU by UNH and the 6-0 blanking the Terriers
dealt to Maine. When these two teams have their offenses rocking, their
defenses seem to step up the play as well. However, there is a significant
matter of inconsistency to be considered here.
 
If UNH hadn't suffered the losses to BC last week, perhaps this evening's
loss to BU could have been brushed aside. Likewise, if BU hadn't played
with such a hot/cold lackluster manner tonight, perhaps Friday's
shellacking could have been swept under the rug.
 
Did one team prove better than the other? Not really. All these two teams
proved this weekend is that neither belongs at the #1 spot in the country
-- and perhaps don't belong in the top 3.
 
Both teams should play all season long, and should wind up facing each
other for the HEA chapionship. Maine and BC have also proven they can run
both hot and cold... as has Lowell, Merrimack, and now Northeastern. The
way Hockey East has been shaping up this year, who knows?
 
Parker and Umile better know, or else they'll miss out on the Fleet Center
and a hometown crowd.
 
 
 
 
 
Jason Kekoa Greene
http://www.kekoa.com
 
now a member of...
Parsons Brinckerhoff
4D Imaging multimedia group
http://www.pb4d.com
 
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