UVM goalie Shawn Conschafter stole the show in BU's home opener tonight,
making 42 saves as the Catamounts and Terriers played through a 1-1
overtime tie.

Mark Mullen scored for BU on a deflected point shot by Freddy Meyer in
the first period, and Jeff Miles returned the favor for UVM on a 4-on-3
power play early in the second.

BU goalie Sean Fields was very sharp, but his opposite number was
absolutely fantastic. BU had several breakaways, several point-blank
chances, and a number of terrific opportunities to score, but failed to
convert against Conschafter.

The fans appreciated the effort by the visiting goalie. After recovering
from a pileup with 20 seconds left in OT, he received the longest
ovation I have ever heard for a visiting player at Walter Brown Arena in
my 20 years as a fan. He even got significant applause when he was
announced as the #1 star.

BU outshot UVM 43-26, and was 0 for 7 on the powerplay to UVM's 1 for 4.

The ice at Walter Brown was in awful condition (maybe the worst I can
remember in years at BU) and this definitely hurt the quality of the
game. I would have loved to see these two teams on a big rink with great
ice.

The speed-up rule had little impact on the game, although UVM did miss
one faceoff (down two men, to make matters worse). Jack Parker had his
team prepared for the new rules, which probably comes to a shock to
those who remember Parker as one who took maximum advantage of the
delaying tactics allowed in the old rules. But Parker has always
understood the rulebook perfectly (and played it to the limit with the
less confident officials).

First impressions by a long-time BU fan are that this could be a
powerhouse team come second semester. The defense is very fast and
mobile - one of the highlights of the night was Freddy Meyer chasing
down a UVM forward on a breakaway. With the exception of Fields, who has
yet to give up a non-power play goal this year, there are no stars on
this team. The team misses the senior leadership that graduated, and it
will take time to come together. But once they do, there are 12 forwards
on the ice who are interchangeable, as are the six defensemen, which
will provide major headaches to teams trying to stop them. The best sign
was that the freshmen looked at least as good as the returnees. This
team lacks flair and attitude (John Sabo and Freddy Meyer combined for
no penalties and no after-the-whistle scrums, to my memory) which is
unusual for a Jack Parker team, but it may well be one of the most
enjoyable to watch.

Patrick Abegg