The first "official" game for both teams saw why BU should be ateam reckoned
with.
 
There were in my opinion 2 real keys to this game.
1) BU had to be able to stop the Engineers from skating.  If the Engineers
speed got loose, and was able to setup offensively, then Herlofsky could
be peppered with shots and then could be scored upon.  BU shut down
the Engineers very well.  The neutral zone trap forced RPI into the
dump game, and then BU's size took over along the boards and in the corners.
Even when RPI got into the zone caryying it, the Terrier defensemen did not
let anything go by.  The Terriers have an impressive 2 way game.
 
2) The line of Askew-Perardi-Battaglia was asked to stop the Joubert-Prender-
gast-Rausch line.  It did not do this early.  Joubert scored the 1st two
goals, and then the lines matched well.  Joubert has improved his game ten
fold since I first saw him 3 years ago.
 
Other observations:  The RPI defense had a horrific game.  They were not able
to handle the defensive board play with any ability.  Poor choices on
breakout passes and skates led directly to 4 of the 5 BU goals.
The puck kept skittering off everyone's sticks.  It did not seem that anyone
was able to make a clean pass all throughout the evening.
 
A hard lesson learned for the Engineers, and a good opening game for the
Terriers.
 
Time to dig out the thermals, woolen articles, and heatpacks for the
tripp to Volpe.
 
P.S. Thanks to Neil Goldberg of the BU Daily Free Press for his help on the
radio side last night- Good job!
 
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* Jayson Moy  RPI '89 '93  *  One of the Voices of Rensselaer Engineer      *
* [log in to unmask]             *  Hockey, Baseball, Football, and Basketball    *
* The "Asian Invasion"     *  on Crystal Clear 91.5FM  WRPI, Troy *EASM*    *
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