Brave new world

The Boston University men’s hockey team’s story isn’t new or unique.

Win the title, take in the after-season glory, and then start prepping for the next season, only to find that, in actuality, the championship season never ended, and that shiny new banner hanging in the rafters will spend the next year haunting the remnants of that title team.

In the last five years, Michigan State University is the only team to rebound from a national championship with a return to the NCAA Tournament. The fact is, BU was doomed for a downturn after the D.C. Miracle.

The good news for Terrier Nation? There’s reason to believe next year could bring a return to form at Agganis Arena.

“They’ll be a lot hungrier next year because of the way they played this year,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “That’s a positive for next year.”

For inspiration, all BU needs to do is take a gander down Commonwealth Avenue, where its archrival, Boston College, is thriving the year after a post-title hangover led to a disastrous 18-14-5 regular season that ended short of an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Of course, if the Terriers looked down the street for the Eagles this week, they wouldn’t find them&-&- BC is in Detroit prepping for its fourth Frozen Four appearance in the last five years.

As Parker and his staff turn to next season, it all starts in net for BU. If the Terriers were college hockey’s Jekyll and Hyde in 2009-10, then sophomore netminder Kieran Millan was the team’s transforming potion.
For the majority of the season’s second half, Millan’s focus was notably sharper than it had been in the fall, and not surprisingly, when he was on his game, so were the Terriers.

Millan will once again battle with classmate Grant Rollheiser for playing time next fall, and odds are, the two will begin their junior seasons in a rotation, with the hotter hand getting the bulk of the starts down the stretch.

The plan will likely be the same in 2011, except for the addition of a freshman goalie Parker says the team will recruit for that season.

Offensively, the Terriers will be down four of their top six point scorers from this season, as Zach Cohen, Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen are all playing for the Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League, while Nick Bonino is already getting playing time with the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL.

The two among those top six who will return are current sophomore forwards Chris Connolly (10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points) and Vinny Saponari (12, 18, 30). Both players made tremendous jumps last season, with Connolly improving from .667 points per game to .861 and Saponari spiking to .789 from .386 the year before.

While the pleasant surprises were few and far between for BU in 2009-10, junior forward Joe Pereira and redshirt freshman forward Ross Gaudet both emerged as wind-“em-up and watch-“em-go wingers that should continue to provide energy &-&- and possibly even more offense &-&- to the team in 2010-11.

Pereira broke out with 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists), and as the team’s only senior likely to see regular playing time next year, he could find himself taking first-line shifts on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, Gaudet proved himself worthy in many ways, and though his breakout campaign will be remembered mostly for his 10 goals, his versatility as a winger and center was critical when sophomore forward Corey Trivino, who himself emerged as one of Hockey East’s best defensive centers, was lost to injury near the end of the season.

Then, of course, there was this year’s freshmen class. Parker had rave reviews for most of his freshmen in the season’s opening months and regularly pointed to the rookies as the guys who seemed most ready to play on game nights.

“I thought in general, the freshmen played pretty well,” Parker said. “The only thing bad about the freshman class’ year this year is they came into a team and they think, “This is the way BU Hockey is supposed to run.’ They’re going to get a rude awakening, and they contributed to that. They were jumping on the bandwagon, too.”

Max Nicastro and Sean Escobedo were both very steady on the BU blue line, especially considering the way the team’s upperclassmen struggled all season with defensive responsibility.

At forward, Alex Chiasson showed flashes that suggest he could be a quality top-six guy, while Ryan Santana and Justin Courtnall both saw plenty of action on the back end.

Forward Wade Megan, meanwhile, made a big turnaround in the second semester after struggling through the season’s first half.

“Megan was really in and out, not looking like he was going to contribute much his first semester,” Parker said. “He was weak and he was out of shape and sick a couple of times with a flu bug. Then it was almost like he had asthma-type problems or something.

“I thought second semester, with the exception of one other time when he got sick a little bit, I thought he got better and better as the season progressed, and he looks like he’s going to be a good hockey player for us.”

On the horizon, BU has already decided it will bring in four freshmen for next season, with at least one more defender likely to come as BU looks to fill Colby Cohen’s vacated spot on the roster.

At forward, Matt Nieto and Charlie Coyle both come to BU as legitimate NHL prospects. Nieto is among the most dangerous offensive threats on this year’s U.S. Under-18 team, while Coyle is the 18th-ranked draft-eligible skater in North America, according to the NHL Central Scouting.
Joining Nieto and Coyle will be forward Sahir Gill, who has 26 points in 26 games with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, and Adam Clendening, who has nine goals and 24 assists in 52 games played with the U.S. U-18 squad.

With all that in mind, nothing will be more crucial for the Terriers in 2010-11 than a shift in attitude. Steps are already being taken to ensure that happens.

Unlike previous seasons, the players will not vote on BU’s captains &-&- instead, Parker and his staff will choose them.

“I think we need to be more diligent in making sure they are disciplined,” Parker said about the way his staff will handle the team. “We need to be more alert and in tune, and not take for granted, “This is what’s expected, and this is what they’re doing.’ We have to make sure they’re doing it.”

No matter who the leaders are, it will be up to the entire squad to shift the team back to a “BU hockey team” . . . you know, if they want to keep copying their rivals down the street.