Nov. 7, 2010, was a pretty average day for the Boston University men’s hockey team. The Terriers fell behind 2–0 to Brown University early in the first period, but they battled back and a late Wade Megan goal gave them a 4–4 tie at Agganis Arena.
For Sean Escobedo, however, the game was anything but ordinary. BU coach Jack Parker sat the then-sophomore as punishment for taking game-misconduct penalties in back-to-back contests the week before. It is the only game out of 115 the defenseman has missed in his three years thus far donning scarlet and white.
“That was a big wake-up call on controlling my temper, my emotions and staying out of the penalty box,” Escobedo, now a senior, said. “Sitting out that game definitely wasn’t fun … I’ll never forget it.”
Dressed in a suit instead of his game sweater, sitting in the stands instead of being on the ice, Escobedo decided he never wanted to do that again. And so far, so good — he has yet to take a major penalty in the nearly two years since getting benched.
Cutting down on the number of penalties, his self-described biggest weakness, has been a focus since his freshman year. And while that’s not necessarily evident in the stats — he served 60 minutes last year after doing 62 minutes the year before — Escobedo said he has indeed made some changes.
“It’s been up and down, really, but I think overall I’ve improved a little bit maturity-wise on the ice, realizing situations, being able to be a little bit riskier in certain situations,” Escobedo said. “Coach Parker has definitely said a few comments to me over the years about controlling my temper and everything like that.”
For Escobedo, taking the next step forward could prove to be especially important during BU’s 2012–13 campaign. The Queens, N.Y., native is far and away most experienced of the seven Terrier defensemen, with four of the other six blueliners — freshmen Ahti Oksanen and Matt Grzelcyk, sophomore Alexx Privitera and junior Patrick MacGregor — having played 75 NCAA games combined.
Mix that Escobedo’s default influence as a senior, and he has suddenly become a leader of the defensive corps, one of many the Terriers have on the team.
“If you look at our junior and senior classes, whether it’s a letter on your chest or not, you’re a leader,” Escobedo said. “Being an upperclassman, the guys coming in look up to you, whether you realize it or you don’t … Now I definitely take a little bit more conscious effort of [being a role model] and make sure I’m doing the right things in front of [the younger players] especially.”
Escobedo said he was thrust into the role in the 2011–12 season after BU’s well-documented, mid-season departures of Corey Trivino, Charlie Coyle and Max Nicastro.
“Obviously we didn’t just lose teammates, we lost good friends of ours, so that’s always tough — especially in the middle of the year,” Escobedo said. “But it helped me mature a little bit quicker and grow up a little bit faster, and I think that was better off for me and for the team because now we know we were able to develop a lot more leaders that way.”
Escobedo hasn’t lost sight of what people know him best for — his easy-going, class-clown persona and humor — but he has learned when to cut it out, another sign of that newfound sense of maturity and responsibility.
“I have to embrace it,” Escobedo said of his reputation, his face breaking into a grin. “The stigma of having the ‘class-clown’ [label], sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but how can I not enjoy this? We’re in a great city, great school, everything like that, great atmosphere.”
If Escobedo can continue to find that fine balance, he will likely be a crucial pillar on BU’s 2012–13 roster.
Parker spoke highly of the defenseman at the end of last season, saying Escobedo was the team’s best defensive defenseman all year and that he grew up a lot on and off the ice. He also said Escobedo might have a better chance of making the NHL than other defensemen because he’s a “stay-at-home-and-play-
The coach reiterated much of that sentiment in the days leading up to Escobedo’s fourth year as a Terrier.
“He’s one of our best penalty killers. He’s made big strides here as far as how smart he is, how good he is, how competitive he is,” Parker said. “He’s got to make a big stride in his ability to stay out of the penalty box, but that’s a crowded box.”
Escobedo is entering his final campaign with the usual list of predictable goals: win the Beanpot Tournament in February. Win the Hockey East tournament in March. Then keep the momentum going to find success in the NCAA tourney, and maybe even go all the way.
What’s different this year, though, for Escobedo and what is left of the original Class of 2013 — Megan, Ben Rosen and Ryan Santana — is that it is their last chance. The group will try to avoid the unfortunate designation of being a class that failed to win any of those titles in their time at BU.
“That’s something that I know I don’t forget, and I know the rest of my class doesn’t forget either,” Escobedo said. “We’re already seniors, and it’s kind of the last hurrah for us, so it’s going to be a special year … We strive every year to win Beanpots, Hockey East tournaments and national championships, and unfortunately it hasn’t gone our way the last couple years.
“That’s definitely fuel on our fire.”