Even with the Boston University offense lighting the lamp at a higher rate than anyone in Hockey East, it’s becoming clear that the team’s success begins at the blue line.
The No. 1 Terriers saw what comes with careless defensive play and intermittent effort in Friday’s 5-1 loss at the No. 20 University of Massachusetts-Amherst, then witnessed consistent pressure on the puck to produce a 3-0 blanking of No. 7 Northeastern University last night at Agganis Arena.
It was a weekend of stark contrasts at the defensive end of the ice for BU. The building blocks of winning hockey were difficult to master against UMass ‘-‘- breaking out of their own end, completing passes and simple decision making were all a challenge. Last night’s game brought a renewed defensive focus on limiting opportunities and taking care of the puck. The changes showed on the scoreboard.
BU skated into Amherst with the No. 1 national ranking attached to its name for the first time in two seasons and skated out with its first lopsided loss of the year, largely the fault of the defensive breakdowns that supplied the Minutemen life.
The Terriers opened with guns blazing, sending shot after shot at UMass goaltender Paul Dainton but,’ before they were able to get on the board, a mistake behind their own net allowed the Minutemen to grab a lead. Sophomore Colby Cohen lost control of the puck trying to reverse the ice, as sophomore James Marcou picked his pocket from behind and sent a pass in front where senior Cory Quirk easily beat BU freshman goaltender Grant Rollheiser.
Four minutes later, the Minutemen capitalized on another BU turnover that started a 2-on-2 rush. UMass senior Alex Berry carried the puck up the right side and dipped into the middle of the slot. Neither BU defender stepped up to force him off the puck, so he lifted a backhand floater over Rollheiser’s glove and into the net.
‘At the end of the first period I thought we made a couple of real horrible turnovers that gave them goals,’ BU coach Jack Parker said. ‘In general, it was mostly just lackadaisical play by key guys. I didn’t think we were mentally as sharp as we have to be.’
The mental lapses carried into the third period to keep the game out of the Terriers’ reach. Sophomore Marc Concannon held the puck behind the BU net and used misdirection to draw the defensemen away from senior Scott Crowder, who slid the puck past an out-of-position Rollheiser.
‘I thought we really just lost our coverage. All three guys just didn’t look like they cared to cover anybody. The goaltender lost where he was in the net, didn’t know where the puck was. All of a sudden it pops out to Crowder with an open net and nobody on him,’ Parker said.
It was another instance in a long night of defensive miscues that will almost certainly strip BU of the top spot in the national polls. But in the 48 hours between UMass and Northeastern, there was a sea change at the blue line that saw all six defensemen turn up the pressure and tie down the Huskies’ attack.
Physicality played a large part in last night’s effort, as several Terriers delivered big hits to Northeastern forwards, reminding them that chances wouldn’t come easy against a team that normally prides itself on defensive consistency.
BU made crisp, tape-to-tape passes in its own zone, rarely struggling to clear the puck. Weak-side help was readily available no matter which defensive pairing was on the ice, allowing the Terriers to swing the puck behind the net and start their breakout.
With the breakout working to perfection, they managed to create several odd-man rushes that sparked the offense en route to victory. All three scores began in the defensive zone before moving toward the Northeastern net.
‘They were very solid defensively. They wouldn’t let us penetrate and whenever we turned pucks over they did what they do best, they transitioned up the ice,’ Northeastern coach Greg Cronin said. ‘They’ve got six [defensemen] that can all get up the ice. We must have given up a dozen [odd-man rushes] tonight.’
After the game, Parker attributed much of the difference between the two games to a stronger effort from his defensemen.
‘They wanted to play defense,’ Parker said, repeating it a second time for emphasis. ‘They got their legs going and they went after guys.’
With the talent BU possesses on the blue line, Friday’s performance will likely be an anomaly as the season carries on. The Terriers are too fast and too strong on the puck to lose many more games in that manner.
What the Terriers saw against Northeastern was the complete defensive showing that limited opponents to two goals or less for the first six games of the season. And they saw that if they are going to enjoy a successful campaign, it will begin with consistency in their own end.
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