Ever since Boston University men’s hockey coach Jack Parker took over at BU 38 years ago, seemingly every Beanpot bounce up for grabs had gone the Terriers’ way &-&- at least if you ask those who have stood in the stands and watched BU Terriers roll to 21 Beanpots under Parker’s patrol.
Monday night at the TD Garden, the karma train finally arrived, and it decked Parker and BU in fiery fashion. And then it backed up and leveled them again, and again, and again.
Perhaps no players were struck harder than sophomore netminder Kieran Millan and freshman defenseman Sean Escobedo.
In the first period, the Eagles tested Millan with eight shots, which in and of itself is not a daunting number. Four of those shots, however, came with BC on an odd-man rush &-&- and on every one, Eagle players looked up to find daylight was nowhere to be found &-&- Millan had the net covered pipe to pipe.
“He was outstanding,” said junior defenseman Colby Cohen. “If it wasn’t for Kieran, it’s a different game. With their goalie, it was just two great goalies going at it.
“I think they both should’ve gotten the MVP &-&- I don’t think you can single out Muse in that game.”
Then, in the second period, Lady Luck turned on the Terriers, and, aided by a talented and buzzing BC squad, helped the Eagles’ roll off three straight second-period tallies to take a 3-1 lead.
Each of the first two goals came off Escobedo.
On the first, Escobedo went down in front of BC winger Steve Whitney about five feet in front of the BU cage. Escobedo was precisely where he should have been on the play, but the puck deflected off his stick and popped upward, knuckling it’s way over Millan’s shoulder and into the BU cage.
BC’s second goal came first off the stick of defenseman Carl Sneep. Working from the right point, Sneep fired a shot at net. Millan was poised to defend the shot, and there was no direct window for Sneep to put the shot.
However, Escobedo, who had been brought to his knees defending the puck behind the net, had just gathered himself and was looking for a body to box out in front of the BU cage. As he turned toward the play, Escobedo was met head-on by Sneep’s shot. The puck deflected off Escobedo’s body &-&- which was positioned wide of the far post opposite Sneep &-&- and skipped cleanly into the Terrier net to give BC a 2-1 lead.
“When it goes off a guy and goes in the net, it’s not his fault,” Cohen said. “[Escobedo] gave a great effort tonight and we’ve all put them in our own net &-&- I’ve done it. He was just as solid as he always is.
“He’s got thick skin. He’ll be able to forget it. I’m sure he’ll think about it a little bit tonight but he’ll get over it. He plays a lot for a freshman so he’ll have to get over it.”
Millan wound up making 28 saves on 32 shots, but because of two poor bounces, wound up on the losing end of a 4-3 contest.
“Normally, it’s not too bad, but it’s been happening a lot this year,” Millan said of the bad luck. “We’re just not getting the bounces. Last year, it seemed like that kind of stuff was few and far between, but this year, I don’t know.
“It’s tough to take when you’re working hard and trying to do everything right and things still go in the net. It’s pretty frustrating.”
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