We last left Justin Maiser in March, when officials were leading the Boston University forward to the dressing room after his first-period ejection. His teammates would follow suit a few hours later, skating off downtrodden as the University of Maine skated on to the Frozen Four, 4-3, winners in the NCAA East Regionals at the Worcester Centrum.
But now, more than six months later, Maiser and the Icedogs are back, ready to reintroduce themselves to Terrier Nation and Walter Brown Arena when they take on Canada’s Concordia College tonight at 7 p.m.
“From the day we lost the last game, [the first game] is something we’ve waited for,” said Maiser, a sophomore. “We’ve been working hard these past couple of weeks, and we’re all very excited to put it all together.”
Although the Terriers have waited anxiously for tonight, not much has changed since March 24. Sure, BU’s top two scorers and its defensive stalwart graduated in that time, but the team maintained the No. 5 ranking it held at the end of last year, and its core remains essentially the same starting from the back with goalie Sean Fields.
This season, BU Coach Jack Parker’s 30th behind the bench, does begin a bit differently, however. While last year’s Terriers (25-10-3) exceeded expectations by finishing second in Hockey East and coming within a game of college hockey’s final weekend, this year’s Icedogs are expected to succeed. BU received six of the nine first-place votes from Hockey East coaches, finishing atop the league’s preseason poll. Last year, the Terriers were tabbed for fifth in the conference. This year, it’s fifth in the nation.
“We’re No. 5? I didn’t know that,” said junior Kenny Magowan, wondering who comprised the top four. “Last year we had nothing to lose, but we showed the country we have a great team with a lot of great guys coming back.”
Among the returning veterans is senior defenseman Freddy Meyer, who will wear the “C” this season as the Terriers’ captain. He’ll be assisted by classmates Brian Collins and John Sabo, both forwards.
“Brian and John and Freddy were all good friends with [former captains Chris] Dyment and [Mike] Pandolfo, and the leadership has just carried over,” Maiser said.
Senior blue liners Mike Bussoli and John Cronin are also back, along with a talented crop of juniors, including Magowan, that made huge strides last off-season and will this time be expected to contribute even more. As one of BU’s most clutch players last season, Maiser, the Beanpot MVP, will again be looked to as a power forward with a knack for scoring a critical goal.
Brian McConnell and David Klema also return up front, while Bryan Miller and Ryan Whitney will again patrol the blue line. Whitney’s return will be delayed at least a week, however, as he remains shelved with a sprained ankle. He reportedly sustained the injury at the end of a team workout, though he is back on skates and his status remains uncertain for the season opener next weekend at Wisconsin’s Ice Breaker Tournament.
Any time Whitney is out could force BU to use any or all of its three freshman defensemen. Dan Spang, a second-round pick in this June’s NHL Draft, is the most highly touted, though Adam Dunlap and Jekabs Redlihs may also get a look.
“Any one of them can step in, and will step in and have an important role,” Maiser said. “They’re all up to the task and looking forward to it.”
Tonight may be that task. Or it may not. Problem is, BU isn’t too familiar with Concordia. “We can’t really prepare because we’ve never really seen them and we have no game film,” said Magowan, who switches from uniform No. 25 to No. 15 this season. “It’s just an exhibition game, and the point is to test ourselves and see how we look in a game against a quality Canadian university. As long as we take care of what we do, that will show how we stand up for the start of the season.”
Maiser said a win could go a ways in building the team’s confidence heading into next Friday’s season opener against Northern Michigan University.
“We want to get the win; that’s most important,” he said. “Also, we want to play together, get our systems in order, get loose, have fun, and start preparing for the following weekend.”