Through the previous eight games of the No. 6 Boston University men’s hockey team’s schedule, one constant for BU has been the personnel on the top two lines. BU was led in those games by a top unit of sophomore wing Matt Nieto, senior captain Chris Connolly and junior assistant captain Alex Chiasson, while the second line showcased junior winger Wade Megan, junior center Ben Rosen and sophomore wing Sahir Gill.
But following a 3-2 double-overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire on Friday night, BU coach Jack Parker said he was shuffling lines because he wanted to find some way to spark his offense. As one of his changes, Parker reinstated a second line in which Gill centered Nieto and freshman Evan Rodrigues.
When they were reunited on Saturday afternoon, the trio turned in immediate results. The line combined for five points (two goals, three assists) in the Terriers’ 4-2 win over the UNH in Game 2 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
“They’re guys that are the straw that stirs the drink for us, so to speak,” Parker said. “They have to get things done for us. And that second line tonight got a lot of things done for us.”
The Nieto-Gill-Rodrigues line last played together during an eight-game stretch in January. BU went 5-2-1 (the tie came in an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 team) during that span, and the trio compiled 15 points in those eight games. The line was broken up, however, after BU was swept at home in a weekend series against Maine.
Gill said that despite the time apart, the threesome continued to share the chemistry that worked for them in January.
“I thought this is a line where we kind of worked well right off of each other and didn’t really miss a beat as far as chemistry,” Gill said. “Matt’s a great player. His speed really helps out and creates a lot of opportunities. Evan did a great job of getting pucks.”
Both Nieto and Gill scored goals Saturday afternoon to break a previously tied game. Gill’s goal broke a 1-1 tie at 17:16 in the second period. The sophomore split the defense and charged in on UNH netminder Casey DeSmith, then somehow nudged the puck through DeSmith despite being held and dragged down by Wildcat defenseman Eric Knodel.
Nieto’s goal, the eventual game-winner, came just 50 seconds after UNH tied the game, 2-2, in the third period. Nieto caught a pass from Rodrigues as he was entering the offensive zone, then lifted a shot off the inside of the post and past DeSmith to give the Terriers a 3-2 lead.
The biggest star of the night, however, was Gill. After a minus-1 performance Friday night in a game in which Gill committed multiple turnovers and struggled to skate well, the sophomore earned first star honors Saturday night for his three-point, six-shot game. In addition to his goal and an assist on Nieto’s game-winner, it was Gill’s hustle in the third period that created the 2-on-0 rush with junior forward Ryan Santana that led to BU’s fourth goal of the night. Gill admitted that his improved performance was a result of a personal commitment to improving his play.
“It’s been a few games that I haven’t really contributed offensively I guess,” Gill said. “It’s something I wanted to make sure that I was just working hard, hoping that bounces went my way. I thought tonight, we got a couple of good bounces. It mostly just stems off of working hard.”
Gill also played in a different position Saturday night, as he moved from wing to center. Gill replaced a struggling junior forward Ben Rosen, who moved from the second line down to third line center after a no-shot, minus-1 performance Friday night.
“I thought we were struggling playing down low with the puck so I thought I would get Gill back at center because I thought he was better defensively than Rosen is in some areas,” Parker said. “I wanted to get him in that position to play against the other team’s top two lines.”
It did not seem as if Gill missed a beat Saturday, as he turned in a team-best 8-and-5 performance in the faceoff circle and was effective for the Terriers both on the forecheck and backcheck.
The centerman position carries a bit of controversy for Gill, as Parker has mentioned multiple times in the past that Gill has asked to play center. Gill denies ever asking Parker to play center, but the sophomore acknowledged Saturday night that he feels comfortable in the position.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said [I want to play center] to [Parker] but he seems to think that I love it there,” Gill said. “I definitely do. I like playing there, but I like wing as well, so whatever he throws me I’ll play.
“As of today, maybe [I prefer] center, but that might change.”
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