The hockey team sucks.
This morning on Commonwealth Avenue, fans of the Boston University hockey team are waking up to this once inconceivable revelation, because it’s safe to say this is not where the Terriers envisioned themselves during October practices.
BU started the season ranked No. 7 in the nation and No. 2 in Hockey East, and after starting a dismal 2-5-1 the Terriers had a chance to pull its record up to .500 with three wins over Thanksgiving break. Instead, BU dropped important matches with Colorado College on Saturday, the University of Denver on Friday, and Harvard University on Tuesday to fall to 2-8-1, its worst start in two years.
The Terriers have now lost six in a row — the longest losing streak since the 1972-73 season when BU had to forfeit the first 15 games of the season because of an ineligible player.
Prior to that, BU hadn’t dropped six consecutive games since the 1963-64 season under former BU coach Jack Kelley.
On top of that, the losses shut the lid on a disappointing 1-7 November.
Saturday, the Terriers closed their two-game trip to Colorado by falling to Colorado College, 5-3. BU struck first at 14:36 with a goal from freshman forward Kenny Magowan, the first of his collegiate career.
The Tigers knotted the game at 1 just 22 seconds into the second period before freshman forward Frantisek Skladany picked up the first goal of his collegiate career just 16 seconds later to put BU on top, 2-1.
But later in the second, the Tigers launched two unanswered goals to give Colorado a 3-2 lead. At 6:40 in the third, the Tigers took a two-goal lead, 4-2, before junior forward Jack Baker pulled BU to within one, 4-3, with exactly one minute to play.
BU coach Jack Parker pulled junior goalie Jason Tapp at 19:07, but Colorado forward Peter Sejna scored an empty-netter with 0:17 left to close the game at 5-3.
One night earlier, the Terriers’ misfortunes were similar, as they fell to Denver, 5-2. Denver’s scoring attack was spread out through all three periods, scoring a pair of goals in the first and second and picking up one in the third.
The Terriers fell behind 1:17 into the game when Denver forward Bjorn Engstrom tapped a shot past freshman goalie Sean Fields. Sophomore forward John Sabo tied it at 1 at 14:43 with a power-play goal, but Denver went on to score three unanswered goals to take the lead, 4-1.
Senior center Carl Corazzini picked up a goal at 4:28 in the third, but Denver would add one more to ensure the 5-2 win.
Overall, Denver goalie Wade Dubielewicz had an all-star performance, knocking away 42 of BU’s 44 shots. The Terriers outshot the Pioneers, 44-24.
Tuesday, the Terriers debuted a more physical style of play in front of a home crowd at Walter Brown Arena. But the new style did not offer new results, as BU went on to lose to Harvard, 4-3.
All seven goals were scored on power plays — BU went 3-for-7 with the extra skater while an even more opportunistic Harvard team was 4-for-7.
After the Crimson jumped to a 2-0 lead, junior forward Dan Cavanaugh scored on a pass from sophomore defenseman Freddy Meyer at 8:47 in the second to make it 2-1. With 25 seconds left in the second, Harvard pulled out to a 3-1 advantage.
BU would go on to net two more in the third, thanks to sophomore forward Brian Collins and Corazzini, but the Crimson’s third period goal at 8:00 ensured the 4-3 Harvard win.
The Terriers had four major chances to score in the waning minutes. Meyer hit the pipes with one of his shots, and senior forward Scott Perry missed an open-netter. Later in the game, officials disallowed a Terrier goal, claiming there was a hand pass. And in the third, senior forward Nick Gillis’ shot deflected off a Harvard defenseman’s skate and trickled wide of the net.
That was the kind of luck the Terriers were having.
Things did get physical, especially at 19:18 in the first period when eight roughing penalties were handed out to four players. At 15:58 in the second, junior forward Jack Baker was called for hitting after the whistle and given a game misconduct after fighting.
Overall, there were 26 penalties called, 13 in the first period.
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