The 2006-07 Boston University men’s ice hockey season has officially begun. Midnight Mania kicked things off with a bang and now we just have to wait until Saturday night to see our Terriers in an exhibition match-up against the University of New Brunswick. Midnight Mania has set the tone for the upcoming season and based on what I saw I’m making some observations on our strengths, weaknesses and how we’ll finish this season.
WEAKNESSES
SCHEDULE: The only two non-conference teams we get here at Agganis Arena are Harvard and Yale. Although I admire that we consider ourselves peers with these schools of academic excellence, I’ve seen plenty of Harvard in the Beanpot and Yale isn’t exactly a hockey power-they finished 10-20-3 last season.
Things aren’t any better on the road: we don’t travel further west than Troy, N.Y. (Rensselaer) all season and our only potential game against a western power could come in the second round of The Dartmouth Invitational against North Dakota, should we both win or both lose our first round games.
Where are the Minnesotas, Wisconsins and Michigans? Obviously the Hockey East schedule is tough enough, but I’d really like to see us challenging ourselves out of conference. We are the only team in Hockey East that has not scheduled a single game against a team from either the WCHA or the CCHA, the two other dominant conferences.
LACK OF A SUPERSTAR: Looking out onto the ice at Midnight Mania there was no player that stood out. John Curry is great in goal, Peter MacArthur is a solid scorer and Sean Sullivan is a veteran and a leader, but none of them are superstars. Brian Boyle, although I genuinely hate him (and still think Brad Zancanaro could take him in a fight) is a superstar. For those unfamiliar, he’s the 6-foot, 7-inch, 235-pound behemoth of a forward for Boston College who scored 22 goals and added 30 assists last season. Our team has yet to have someone step up and become an elite finisher. I’m hopeful that MacArthur and/or Kenny Roche can build on their success last season, but the losses of past stars David Van Der Gulik, Zancanaro and Dan Spang will be felt.
STRENGTHS
DEPTH: Our first line may not be the strongest, but we may have the best second and third lines in the nation. There are many ways that coach Jack Parker can set up the lines and I’m sure that at this point even he isn’t sure who’ll be playing where, but here’s who I’d play as my top three lines:
Forward Line 1: MacArthur, Jason Lawrence, Roche
Defensemen Line 1: Sean Sullivan, Kevin Schaeffer
Jason Lawrence is sensational. He had by far the best moves at Midnight Mania, busting out his lacrosse skills by cradling the puck in mid-air. That alone would land him a spot on my first line, but I actually do think he will have a breakout year. I feel bad about demoting Matt Gilroy, but in the brief moments I saw Schaeffer at Midnight Mania he looked good.
Forward Line 2: Chris Higgins, Brandon Yip, Bryan Ewing
Defensemen Line 2: Gilroy, Tom Morrow
Yes, I am a Tom Morrow fan. He’s not the type of defensemen who’ll contribute to the attack, but that’s why I’ve put him next to Gilroy, our best puck-handling defensemen. Bryan Ewing is a great hitter and he may very well end up on the first line, but I want more flair from my top line guys, that’s why I’m not a coach.
Forwards Line 3: John McCarthy, Eric Thomassian, Brian McGuirk
Defensemen Line 3: Brian Strait, Eric Gryba
Thomassian and McGuirk are two of the toughest guys to place. Either could easily end up on the top line, or not get consistent playing time. They’re two veterans who do a solid job and know how to compliment teammates. I know there is almost no chance that two freshman defensemen end up on the third line together, but I’m starting them here to see how things go. One of these guys may get a chance at the first or second line early in the season.
FRESHMEN: It’s hard to estimate how much of an impact the freshmen will have, but we have a group as good as any in Hockey East. I expect defensemen Strait and Gryba to make an immediate impact. They both looked strong at Midnight Mania: Strait proved he can skate-losing out in the semi-finals of the fastest skater contest to eventual champ Chris Higgins-and Eric Gryba has the intimidating presence we need from our defensemen.
Forwards Luis Popko and Zach Cohen may need a little more time to mature but they could wind up the season as major contributors. And goalie Brett Bennett has a strong chance to leapfrog Karson Gillespie and become Curry’s primary backup, maybe even playing in a few conference games as the season wears on.
COACH PARKER: My favorite part of Midnight Mania was getting to see Parker out there skating and running the drills. As fans, we rarely get to see him on skates directing players. It’s nice to know our coach can still get around the ice and it would have made my tenure at BU if I could have seen him go in for a breakaway against Curry (this has got to be added to the list for next year’s event).
Parker also gave a brief but important talk to the crowd, emphasizing the impact the fans can have on hockey games. There is no college hockey team in the country with a better coach and that’s our biggest strength of all.
X-FACTORS
We have a couple of things going for us that other hockey programs are missing. First, the drum line. Those guys gave a performance at Midnight Mania that started off the night with a bang and got the crowd into it. Never before have I seen such nerdy-looking guys (and a couple of girls I think, I’m not sure-it was hard to see) turn into absolute rock stars. The night was just beginning, the crowd was anxious for something to cheer and the drum line knocked one out of the ballpark. They even threw their drumsticks into the crowd, injuring a few but exciting many.
X-Factor number two: Roche’s hair. It was simply marvelous Friday night. Roche has somehow stumbled on hair that finds the perfect median between being a pretty boy and being the tough guy you don’t want to mess with. If this doesn’t help win hockey games I don’t know what does.
The third and final X-factor: Chris Parks’ snazzy dressing. Parks, the leader of the Pep Band, was looking sharp at Midnight Mania with the kind of suit that made every man jealous and every girl wish they had joined the band. I’m looking forward to keeping a close eye on his attire throughout the season.
PREDICTIONS
Losing our entire first-line of forwards is going to hurt. Curry and the defense are going to have to carry this team. We’ll finish third behind Boston College and Maine in Hockey East, losing out to Maine because of a tough two-game trip to Orono in mid-January. Circle that weekend on your schedule, those will be two huge games and the team will need the support. It’s well worth the five-hour drive up, even if it means spending the weekend in sub-zero temperature.
Even though I’m picking us third in Hockey East, this Terrier team, because of depth, the maturation of our freshmen and the all important X-factors, can have success in the NCAA Tournament. Notice the four strengths and only two weaknesses. Last season we won both the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, but lost in the NCAA Tournament in the second round. This year, I’m thinking the opposite. When I came to Boston University I wanted one national championship in four years. That’s it, just one, I’m not greedy. This year is my last chance and obviously I have to start us off on the right note: BU will win the National Championship.