For the past six games the No. 3 Boston University men’s hockey team seemed like it could do no wrong. While the Terriers (15-5-2, 8-2-2 Hockey East) came out with a 4-1 win against the University of Maine, they didn’t play like the same team that shut out Boston College just five days earlier.
They weren’t the exact same team. Despite the cliche but consistently true saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” head Coach David Quinn shuffled up the lines prior to the matchup.
Freshman Patrick Curry moved up to the first line, freshman Kieffer Bellows got pushed to the fourth and senior Nick Roberto shifted to the third line.
“I just wanted to mix things up a bit,” Quinn said of the decision.
However, not long into the game against the Black Bears (8-12-3, 2-8-1 Hockey East) on Friday night, the Terriers were struggling. The first period started fast paced and physical but eventually died down. The second period, despite a goal from freshman forward Clayton Keller, was just as disappointing.
Quinn doesn’t point to the line changes as the culprit behind their slow start.
“I think overall we just weren’t sharp,” he said. “We weren’t fully in the moment and it showed.”
Quinn said he liked the balance of the new lines and was still happy with how Curry and Bellows played in their new roles.
Curry, who normally puts up one, two or occasionally three shots a game, contributed six on the night. He has eight points on the season and scored the game-winning goal in the 3-0 victory over the Eagles (15-9-2, 10-3-1 Hockey East). He showed he has the potential to tally up some more points if he were to stay on the top line.
Quinn is unsure if the lines will look the same when the Terriers travel to face Maine Saturday.
Bellows also performed steadily against the Black Bears. The young winger has become more of a playmaker than a scorer, but that role is necessary to have alongside forwards like sophomore Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson.
Although each member of the second line, Keller and sophomores Jordan Greenway and Bobo Carpenter, scored a goal against Maine, Quinn was particularly impressed with the third line.
“I thought the third line (junior Nikolas Olsson, sophomore Ryan Cloonan and senior Nick Roberto) was really good in the third period. They scored a great goal,” Quinn said. “I just thought there was a little more balance to our lines.”
Olsson, who scored the fourth and final goal for the Terriers, said he doesn’t believe the line changes effected the game much.
“It kind of felt almost normal again,” Olsson said, “because I played with Roberto for a long time so I don’t really notice too much. I love playing with [Roberto]. I love playing with Curry as well.”
Regardless of who is beside him, he says their role remains the same.
“We want to come out and provide energy for the guys and just play the right way, get pucks in, spark the team if we’re a little dry,” said Olsson. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
