On Mon, 26 Oct 1998 10:52:10 -0700 Greenie wrote:
> All I know about this matchup was what one could gleam from the box:
>
> BU blew a 5-3 lead.
> 42 total penalty minutes.
> UVM was 5-7 on the PP, BU 2-13.
> UVM scored 8 goals on 18 shots.
> Only 5 of the 14 total goals were scored even-strength.
> BU took out Laroque after 2 and put in Jason Tapp, who tallied a sv% of .500
>
> Was there anyone at this game, maybe who at least listened to it on the
> radio, than can shed some light on this?
>
> Was the BU defense that bad, did they give up too many breakaways, or was
> Laroque simply rusty? Are Jason Reid and Matt Sanders of UVM that good?
>
> Enquring minds want to know...
What I saw on Saturday night was two bad hockey teams in the beginning of the
season both trying not to lose. Someone had to, and it might as well have been
BU. They took an early lead, and then gave up three first period goals despite
seeing only six shots in the first 20 minutes. Simply put, BU has nobody on the
blue line (freshman Pat Aufiero is out four weeks with a broken hand), and the
Catamounts have no offense. It looks like UVM is still looking for a second
line to complement Perrin-St. Louis-Ruid.
Because BU is wafer thin and inexperienced on defense, they will depend heavily
on Michel Larocque this year. On Saturday Larocque played perhaps the worst
game of his collegiate career. He flat out stunk, giving up six goals while
facing only 14 shots in two periods. He got yanked for the third period, and
deservedly so. If BU is to be a factor in any game this year, Larocque needs to
show up. Freshman Jason Tapp saw his first action for the Terriers in relief.
He faced a whopping four (4) shots, and let in two (one while BU was down a
man). Vermont's 8th goal was scored when the BU defense completely collapsed
and allowed Philippe Choiniere to skate in unaccosted.
What really hurt the Terriers was the timing of the goals UVM scored. The third
goal of the first period was scored with 0:00.9 on the clock. You could tell
that was a real deflater to bring into the locker room, and the fans were
extremely encouraged to see BU do its best to overcome that in the second
period. BU scored four times in the second to take a 5-3 lead. Then everything
fell apart. If giving up a goal in the final minute (actually final second) of
the first period was bad enough, the Catamounts scored twice in the final minute
of the second period. Game over.
The problems on specialty teams remains a left-over from last year. BU went
2-13 on the power play, while UVM connected on 5 of 7. That is just miserable
all around. I like the idea of Albie O'Connell on the point on the power play,
but I have my doubts about Juha Vuori playing first line right defense. He is
slow and has no shot.
For UVM, hat's off to Jason Reid. Marty Phillips made a bunch of good saves,
even though he gave up six goals. But their offense is atrocious. 18 shots for
the game, and they scored 8 times (5 on the power play). There is some fine
goaltending in the ECAC this year, and I can see the Catamounts losing a bunch
of games by 4-1 scores.
Everyone I spoke to at Walter Brown Arena on Saturday night agreed on one
thing: this is a rebuilding year, and that for BU the 1990's are over. With
only six skaters and one goalie that are juniors/seniors, this team will be hard
pressed to make a .500 record. The last time that happened was back-to-back in
1987-88 and 1988-89, when they could muster only 14 wins both seasons. Since
then the Terriers hold the second best overall record in college hockey behind
Michigan. The bright side is that everyone I spoke with said they are looking
forward to seeing how the underclassmen will develop and progress over the
year. The fans want to see if this is a team that will be one to bear watching
in the next two years. It's nice to hear such optimism. I just hope that
people hold that thought come February, when BU may look like the 4th place team
in the Beanpot. Will there be hooting in the stands, that is if the stands are
occupied? We've been spoiled these last ten seasons, and everyone else in
Hockey East is waiting to say what goes around comes around (sound familiar,
Minnesota and LSSU fans?).
The pressure is on associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Brian
Durocher. This is his third season in the position, and the classes of 2002 and
2003 are going to be very interesting to watch. Blaise MacDonald did a
tremendous job during his years on Commonwealth Avenue, and it remains to be
seen whether Durocher can fill his shoes.
--
Edward N. Moller
Controller
Mount Ida College
Newton Centre, MA 02459-3323
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Tel: (617) 928-4515
Fax: (617) 928-4706
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