Ice Hockey, Sports

No. 5/7 men’s hockey takes on Northeastern at Matthews

Before the start of the 2009-10 season, Jack Parker, coach of the No. 5/7 Boston University men’s hockey team, said he’d be happy if his team could squeak out three wins in its first five games.

After five games against nationally ranked opponents, the Terriers sit at 2-3 (1-2 Hockey East), and will look to jump back to the .500 mark Friday night at Northeastern University at 7 p.m.

The Terriers’ haven’t lived up to Parker’s preseason proviso, but more than the results, Parker is frustrated with his team’s focus and determination – flaws the team will look to improve against the Huskies (2-3-0, 0-2-0).

‘It isn’t just the fact that we didn’t win three out of five,’ Parker said. ‘It’s about the fact of the way we’re playing ‘-‘- I don’t like the way we’re playing. I don’t think we’re playing as focused and intense and as hard as we need to play.

‘I don’t think we’ve outworked any teams we’ve played this year. I don’t think we’ve dominated a team for a period, let alone 60 minutes. This team is not playing as well as it could play.’

BU’s lack of focus and intensity has directly affected its play in a number of facets, Parker said. Chief among the Terriers’ problems this season have been struggles to win 1-on-1 battles for loose pucks, poor passing and an abysmal .431 showing in the faceoff circle. The faceoff troubles came to a climax in a 19-for-60 showing against the No. 8 University of Massachusetts-Lowell last Saturday night.

‘When you’re not ready to play, you don’t win faceoffs, your passing game is horrible, your receiving game is horrible and you wind up out of position a lot ‘-‘- you look slow,’ Parker said.

Last season, when the Terriers went through rough stretches, goaltender Kieran Millan often enhanced his game to pick up the slack. However, through five games this year, the sophomore has failed to live up to last year’s standards.

Millan’s save percentage has dropped from last season’s .921 clip to an .888 mark, and his goals-against average has risen by more than a goal-per-game to 3.04.

At the same time, Millan’s workload has been more strenuous in 2009-10, as BU’s defensive shortcomings have given opponents boundless opportunities from below the faceoff circles in dangerous scoring areas.

‘I think in general I’d give him a B to a B-minus grade,’ Parker said of his netminder. ‘He’s been left out to dry a lot and there were goals against that he didn’t have a chance on, but I also think he’s played a little casual with the puck and he’s not as focused as he should be stopping pucks for us, setting pucks up for us, and sometimes isn’t as focused as he should be on some rebounds.

‘I’m sure he’d like to have a few of his goals back that weren’t getting by him last year, but in general, our problem has not been anywhere near goaltending, I think it’s been every place but goal.’

Warsofsky likely out with hip injury

Sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky will probably not be in the lineup for BU Friday night after injuring the adductor muscles in his hip. The injury occurred when junior Eric Gryba accidentally leveled Warsofsky while hitting a Lowell player behind BU’s net Saturday night.

Warsofsky finished that game, but the injury has limited him to non-contact skating drills this week, leading to his likely absence on Friday. Parker said he is hopeful Warsofsky, the returning Hockey East Player of the Week, will be back for Sunday’s game at the University of Maine.

Freshman Ben Rosen will take Warsofksy’s spot in the lineup if the sophomore is unable to play.

Matthews sells out before game day

Newly renovated Matthews Arena is known as one of the most hostile environments in Hockey East, and Friday night figures to be no different.

For the first time ever, Northeastern sold out the arena for a hockey game before gameday. With over 5,000 Husky faithful in attendance, BU can expect to get the full Huntington Avenue experience.

When asked if his freshman would be prepared to handle Matthews and its inhabitants, Parker paused and pondered the thought for a full 15 seconds before offering the following:

‘I don’t know why they would be,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying we should expect them to wilt because of it, but there’s no saying, ‘Well, there all over any of that kind of stuff.’ Juniors could be jumpy in a hostile building some nights.’

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