Terriers expect big test from U.S. Under-18 team

It can be dangerous to put too much stock into early-season play for any team, but 20 goals in two games is a hard statistic for Boston University men’s hockey coach David Quinn to ignore.

When adding in the fact that the Terriers’ (1-0, 1-0 Hockey East) roster consists of 17 underclassmen, Quinn said he was surprised at how quickly the team has clicked on offense.

“You never know what to expect when you’ve got a bunch of lines that have never been together,” he said. “I guess a challenge, from a coaching standpoint, is finding the right combinations, and sometimes you stumble upon the right combinations. That’s kind of what happened with some of our injuries earlier this year and putting guys into positions that you were just doing to see what would happen, and all of the sudden, guys start clicking.

“Sometimes, the best coaching moves are the lucky ones. So far, obviously, two games, so you don’t want to get to ahead of yourself, but we can only judge ourselves based on the games we’ve had and so far, we’ve been pretty successful offensively.”

The Terriers will look to continue their offensive outburst Saturday night, when the team hosts the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team in an exhibition match.

BU is coming off an 8-1 win at University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Oct. 10 — the team’s most disproportionate season-opening victory since the Terriers dismantled Dalhousie University by a score of 12-1 during the 1983-84 season.

While BU’s first-line unit of freshman forward Jack Eichel and junior forwards Danny O’Regan and Ahti Oksanen did most of the heavy lifting in the third period, accounting for four of the team’s six goals over the final stanza, Quinn saved his biggest praise for the second line of sophomore forward Robbie Baillargeon and senior forwards Cason Hohmann and Evan Rodrigues.

“They could have had three or four goals in the first two periods,” Quinn said. “They were dominant every time they were out there. You’ve got three really good players, so we’re not surprised as a staff, and they’re really excited about playing together. They all have a proven track record at this level of having success offensively, and I just think their best hockey is ahead of them.”

While Saturday’s game will only count as an exhibition, Quinn said he does not expect to make any tweaks to his team’s lines or defensive pairings.

“When you win 8-1, I don’t think you mess too much with the lineups,” Quinn joked. “I’m not going to overthink this. There certainly seems to be some chemistry amongst all four lines, so in all probability, you’ll see the same lineup.”

While most of the Terriers will go out on the Agganis Arena ice Saturday night, junior goaltender Matt O’Connor will likely not suit up, as the Toronto native is still recovering from a lower-body injury that he suffered in practice on Oct. 9.

“He’s still iffy for Saturday,” Quinn said. “It’s a slow process. It’s a lower-body injury. It is getting better, but it’s going to take a little bit of time.”

Quinn also noted that junior forward Mike Moran, who took a big hit during the team’s exhibition match against St. Thomas University on Oct. 4, will also likely be out for Saturday.

While the USNTDP consists of a young group of skaters, the team cannot be overlooked. The U-18 team has already faced off against three NCAA teams this month in No. 11 Miami University (Ohio), No. 10 University of Michigan and No. 5 Providence College, earning a decisive 3-0 victory over the RedHawks (1-1) on Oct. 4.

On offense, forward and Boston College recruit Jeremy Bracco leads the USNTDP team and has registered 19 points in 11 games. The Terriers will also need to keep an eye out for forward and University of Notre Dame recruit Matthew Tkachuk — the son of NHL All-Star and former BU forward Keith Tkachuk. The St. Louis native is second on the U.S. team with 15 points throughout 11 games.

Saturday’s game will also allow the Terriers and their fans to get a closer look at the future of the team, as U-18 forward Jordan Greenway and defenseman Charlie McAvoy — two BU recruits — are expected to play.

While Saturday’s game may not factor into records and conference standings for the Terriers, Quinn acknowledged that his team could not underestimate its opponent.

“This is not an exhibition to our guys. It’s certainly not an exhibition in my mind,” he said. “We’re playing this game to win. You can’t turn a switch on and off. We need to build what has happened within the first two games, and I know our guys will take this game very seriously. It’s not exhibition in our minds.”