UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

One can only imagine the implications had this happened to a Coach Umile-led team in the postseason ...

Very insightful, Chuck. Thanks for taking the time and I'll try my best to give my "interpretation." A bunch of us were sitting behind the BU bench "debating" about "do you pull him?" The consensus was, if this happened in the first period, maybe. The problem is, you had ONE goalie who had essentially played most of the minutes all year. It's not as if there was even a semblance of "sharing" the load. LaCouvee barely played all year, and it would have been completely unfair to throw him into the National Championship game, and NO chance of doing so with 8 minutes to go in a game where you have just melted down. Why do I bring this up? I think it helps explain the reaction. What could Quinn do or say? Taking O'Connor out was not an option, so they HAD to take the attitude that "it's one of those things...let's try to put it behind us and focus on the next five minutes." Even though you and I both know that could most likely not happen. The coach is trying to settle his team and have them approach it as if it was just a "bump" along the way. Did we see this coming? Of course. It wasn't just the semi-final game, either. It was four games. He had a gaffe against Yale in Manchester, and then that goal against Minnesota-Duluth where he reached up, the puck ticked off his glove and fell behind him and before he even knew where it was, it had trickled into the net. I would not have wanted to be Quinn...he had no options. To see the person who was one of the backbones for your team all year melt down in the four biggest games of the year had to be excruciating. But by that time, it was too late to do anything. I think part of the reason that they imploded so badly was almost because they knew in the back of their minds that this had happened in the previous THREE games (not just 48 hours before), and they're probably thinking, "We can't keep surviving this. Eventually it's going to bite us." I can't imagine being more demoralized. You know, it's not like he "misplayed" the puck. And, although there was probably some "rationalization" to his responses, he is partially right. It WAS a "different" set of circumstances. But the bottom line is that all of these gaffes were most likely the result of indecision. It was right in front of me, and no matter how he describes it, he clearly started to drop the puck to keep the play going (it WAS a power play, after all... who wants to take a face off in their own end?), but then he had second thoughts and pulled it back in. Then he started this moving the glove back and forth like he was "faking" dropping it because the fore checker was coming in. I think he should have just held the thing. When he was moving the glove back and forth seems to be when he "lost control" of it and then he didn't know where it was. What was inexplicable was why, at that moment, he decided to turn his glove over and open it up. Then it dropped to the ice and the rest is history. The point is that he does this a million times instinctively without thinking. So why, this time, all the histrionics? One reason. Nerves. We all do things under pressure that we don't do when we're calm. It's human nature. As you said, some people step up, some can't. It happened to me on my high school golf team. One down on the last hole...tie match. Both teams have everyone standing around the green watching us come in. I have a six-iron to the green and top it about 50 feet. Match over...game over. I've never done that before or since. Pressure does funny things (that's why Billy Joel wrote a song about it). There's really nothing you can say.

You're last line is interesting. I just don't see how (and I have seen people on these threads bashing Quinn about letting Eichel take the faceoff, etc) you can blame the coach. At some point you have to trust the players. You know how it works...if you win the coach is a genius, if you lose he "can't get his players to execute." Like he's the one out there making the plays. If Umile wins one (and I really hope he does...I really do, and so does my sister who is big UNH fan and my uncle who is a graduate who maybe will live long enough to see it - he's 89), I can tell you exactly what will be said. "He finally got that break...a perennial top-notch program led by a classy, hard-nosed coach that has been snake-bitten." There won't be any of "the guy never wins the big one." Because all of that stuff is frustration talking. Saturday was a good lesson for all of us. We "rediscovered" how difficult it is to win this thing. Even with the "best" talent (and I don't know anyone who is arguing that Providence had the talent that BU did), it takes the intangibles to win it. Providence had more experience, and it showed. We were sitting there before Providence took and lead and agreeing that they were going to tie this game up anyway, fluke goal or not. You could just see it. They were coming in waves and we were scared and unable to counter. That's nerves. Period. This is a team that has stepped up all year when they have had to. And this isn't the first time this stuff has happened with O'Connor. We were also discussing how we felt he played better last year when McGuire was challenging him for the starting job. This year he seems to have had long "lapses" where he just played poorly. The scary thing was that these "swoons" would last several games. Then he would get red hot and everyone would forget about the bad games. But it was always lurking there. What's troublesome about that is that you knew that it could rear its ugly head at any time, and I can't speak for anyone else, but it was always in the back of my mind and when we got to the FF all I was thinking was "I hope it's not a one-goal game because I can see this coming." And if I felt that way, the team must have had it in the back of their heads, too. But you have to dance with the girl you brought.

I wish the kid the best. I have no idea if he comes back or not. And I don't think it's a good idea for him to make that decision immediately anyway.

Sorry for rambling on...it was tough to watch. But my lasting impression is this: after we all felt sorry for ourselves and got it out of our systems, I keep seeing this image burning in my head of the BU players sprawled on the ice, some of them unable to even stand up for a full minute. That told me all I needed to know (not that I doubted it) about the commitment these players have made to the program. And that told me all I needed to know about the coach. This program is back to stay.

[Greg A]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Yes. The winner of the ECAC tournament got the only "automatic" bid. The second team to represent the East (remember, they went right to the Final Four, as it was called then) was ALWAYS selected by a committee. It's just that they almost always selected the team that lost the championship game. In this particular scenario, BU was far and away the best team in the country and everyone knew it. They played a stinker and lost in the semifinals. The committee felt that they wanted to send the two teams with the best chance of winning (remember, the East/West thing was insanely fierce at that time - I'm sure you remember the year before when UHN lost on a shot off the face-off, I believe). They couldn't just say, "Sorry, Providence, you made the finals but we're not letting you go. So they set up this "playoff" (which, according to the ticket, was officially called an "NCAA Qualifier Game") at Schneider Arena. I have to say that there weren't a lot of PC fans there and BU won rather easily. You can argue all day about whether it was "fair," but it WAS within the rules. The committee could have just selected BU outright and there would have been outrage in Providence. But NOBODY could argue that PC was better than BU. And as long as that "window" was open, the committee exercised the option. Obviously, as a BU fan, I agreed with the decision. Also, they proved that they were the best and got the committee off the hook by coming through, beating Wisconsin and then BC (in Providence, ironically enough). That was the Wisconsin team with Mike Eaves..they brought 4000 fans to the Providence Civic Center and their full band, all wearing the red cowboy hats with the white "W" on the front. That BU team had Craig, O'Callahan, Silk and Bethel. It was one of the best teams in BU history. One could say, "Yeah, but they didn't win when they had to." Well, not really. If there were a Pairwise then, they would have been a #1 seed. Sort of like this year, where they were the only team that didn't HAVE to win the Hockey East tournament to get to the NCAAs. It brings up the whole concept of the "conference tournament." Which is another discussion for another time. But look at it this way...it's like the B1G conference getting 201 teams into the NCAA basketball tournament when the Patriot league gets one (and if the regular season winner doesn't win their conference tournament, too bad). So not selecting BU that year was basically saying, "Why do we even play the season? Let's just have the tournament - two semi-finals. Why even have the final? The two teams that win the semi-finals go to the NCAAs. You may think this is cynical, but I don't at all. BU proved over the body of work of the long season that they were far and away the best team, and they were given the opportunity to prove it. And they did.

That's a lot of verbiage to excuse what happened. I'll start off by saying that UNH lost the NCAA semifinals to Wisconsin in overtime on the face off play (by Mike Eaves btw) so whatever argument you were making there has not relevance. But to say that the ECAC "almost always" selected the runnerup is incorrect. They "always" selected the runnerup. The only time the runner up didn't go was Clarkson, I think in the late 60's but that was their choice not the ECAC's. I sat with a bunch of BU fans at JW Hills before the Friday regionals in Manchester. They brought up the issue of what they called "the min-game", not me. They went on about how BU deserved to go in 1978 because they were better than PC and proved it by winning it all. My rejoinder was to ask them about the 1974 UNH team, which entered the ECAC playoffs #1 in the country. Of course they had no memory of that team but I reminded them that it wound up losing in OT to RPI, mostly because their All-American goalie Cap Raeder was injured and barely played in the game. I don't recall the ECAC saying, well UNH is clearly better than this team or that team, let's have them play a play-in game. Well, that's different, they said. Sure was. One team was BU, the other was UNH. You know, I wasn't rooting against BU on Saturday night. I was glad that it was a HE final. But I wasn't sad when they lost either. Just a bit down because PC got their title before UNH, that's all.

[Greg A]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Not to make this a BU thread but one sequence in the game that I have not seen discussed is how PC scored off a BU timeout. At the time, I thought Quinn's decision to call a TO was wise. His kids were reeling after the O'Connor gaffe, the crowd was vocal, and their was a face-off in his own end. Great draw by Rooney (whose father scored the OT winner vs. BC in the Terreri game 30 years ago). But what got me when I watched the replay is how BU did not adjust to the PC overload on the slot side of the face off circle. Those adjustments are made countless times in a game whether it's the first of the season or the championship final. I'm not going to blame this on Quinn but his players certainly didn't execute when it counted.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

That's a lot of verbiage to excuse what happened. I'll start off by saying that UNH lost the NCAA semifinals to Wisconsin in overtime on the face off play (by Mike Eaves btw) so whatever argument you were making there has not relevance. But to say that the ECAC "almost always" selected the runnerup is incorrect. They "always" selected the runnerup. The only time the runner up didn't go was Clarkson, I think in the late 60's but that was their choice not the ECAC's. I sat with a bunch of BU fans at JW Hills before the Friday regionals in Manchester. They brought up the issue of what they called "the min-game", not me. They went on about how BU deserved to go in 1978 because they were better than PC and proved it by winning it all. My rejoinder was to ask them about the 1974 UNH team, which entered the ECAC playoffs #1 in the country. Of course they had no memory of that team but I reminded them that it wound up losing in OT to RPI, mostly because their All-American goalie Cap Raeder was injured and barely played in the game. I don't recall the ECAC saying, well UNH is clearly better than this team or that team, let's have them play a play-in game. Well, that's different, they said. Sure was. One team was BU, the other was UNH. You know, I wasn't rooting against BU on Saturday night. I was glad that it was a HE final. But I wasn't sad when they lost either. Just a bit down because PC got their title before UNH, that's all.

Well, that's fair. I'm not going to argue about it. (the faceoff play was the year before - I wasn't using it as part of any argument - I was just saying that we understand there has been a lot of heartbreak. That same night was the game when the ref skated over to Parker before he pulled the goalie one down against Michigan and said "You better not leave the bench early." As soon as Parker pulled the goalie he called too many men on the ice - talk about pre-meditated).

I get the animosity towards BU. I have a hard time with it sometimes, but I understand. Personally, if there is any team I would like to see win the whole thing (if it isn't us) is UNH. I was just basically explaining the scenario for those who weren't aware of the process at that time. IMO, the committee choosing BU in '78 wasn't "wrong" - they had that option. The fact that they were probably wrong in '74 doesn't have any bearing on what happened four years later, but I get it. I know people hate it when someone says "I know how you feel," so I won't say that.

So, in closing, it wasn't a lot of verbiage to "excuse" what happened, because they didn't need an excuse. It was within the rules. Was the committee's "authority" inconsistently wielded? Yes. And that's probably ultimately why the whole pairwise thing evolved, to take ALL of the subjectivity out of it. I don't want to harp on this and I'm not trying to be antagonistic (I've done plenty of that on other threads). I was just trying to answer his question.

I feel like the Patriots fans in 2000 who said that they finally got "payback" for Ben Dreith and the roughing the passer call against the Raiders. I know a lot of people out there are happy that BU blew this. Whatever. I can't control what others think. It is what it is. Personally I don't revel in other people's disappointment or failures. Resentment is a very negative emotion and usually doesn't result in much good. I'm not speaking directly to you...just to the incredible display of euphoria by all the BU haters. It's a little over the top to me. I'm sorry, but I was surrounded by North Dakota, Lowell, Cornell, Harvard and BC fans. They were NOT cheering FOR Providence. They were cheering AGAINST BU. So if I sound defensive, after 45 years of going to these games, it takes its toll.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Not to make this a BU thread but one sequence in the game that I have not seen discussed is how PC scored off a BU timeout. At the time, I thought Quinn's decision to call a TO was wise. His kids were reeling after the O'Connor gaffe, the crowd was vocal, and their was a face-off in his own end. Great draw by Rooney (whose father scored the OT winner vs. BC in the Terreri game 30 years ago). But what got me when I watched the replay is how BU did not adjust to the PC overload on the slot side of the face off circle. Those adjustments are made countless times in a game whether it's the first of the season or the championship final. I'm not going to blame this on Quinn but his players certainly didn't execute when it counted.

Correct. Nerves. They didn't react to almost anything the rest of the game because they were still in shock. The bigger question mark is why Eichel even TOOK the draw. He had lost every draw in the period up to that point (and it's not one of his strong points anyway). And after he lost it he didn't even go after the man. He just froze. They all froze. They were done after that previous goal and we all knew it. And in reference to the bolded words above, it's NOT the same. It just isn't. You can't compare the two.

So my response would be that Quinn did what most coaches do...he reverts back to what he has the most confidence in. You try to keep things as familiar as possible in pressure situations. As he said after the game (and I paraphrase) "The one thing we needed in that situation was the one thing we didn't have - experience." You can't teach experience in anything in life. You have to live it. And it's a good thing, too, because if that were not the case, a lot of us that are my age (over 30 ) wouldn't have jobs.

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

@MikeMcMahonCHN: Clarkson and St. Lawrence will come to UNH and Merrimack on 10/16 and 10/17. MC and UNH go north in 2016-17.

[Greg A]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Well, that's fair. I'm not going to argue about it. (the faceoff play was the year before - I wasn't using it as part of any argument - I was just saying that we understand there has been a lot of heartbreak. That same night was the game when the ref skated over to Parker before he pulled the goalie one down against Michigan and said "You better not leave the bench early." As soon as Parker pulled the goalie he called too many men on the ice - talk about pre-meditated).

I get the animosity towards BU. I have a hard time with it sometimes, but I understand. Personally, if there is any team I would like to see win the whole thing (if it isn't us) is UNH. I was just basically explaining the scenario for those who weren't aware of the process at that time. IMO, the committee choosing BU in '78 wasn't "wrong" - they had that option. The fact that they were probably wrong in '74 doesn't have any bearing on what happened four years later, but I get it. I know people hate it when someone says "I know how you feel," so I won't say that.

So, in closing, it wasn't a lot of verbiage to "excuse" what happened, because they didn't need an excuse. It was within the rules. Was the committee's "authority" inconsistently wielded? Yes. And that's probably ultimately why the whole pairwise thing evolved, to take ALL of the subjectivity out of it. I don't want to harp on this and I'm not trying to be antagonistic (I've done plenty of that on other threads). I was just trying to answer his question.

I feel like the Patriots fans in 2000 who said that they finally got "payback" for Ben Dreith and the roughing the passer call against the Raiders. I know a lot of people out there are happy that BU blew this. Whatever. I can't control what others think. It is what it is. Personally I don't revel in other people's disappointment or failures. Resentment is a very negative emotion and usually doesn't result in much good. I'm not speaking directly to you...just to the incredible display of euphoria by all the BU haters. It's a little over the top to me. I'm sorry, but I was surrounded by North Dakota, Lowell, Cornell, Harvard and BC fans. They were NOT cheering FOR Providence. They were cheering AGAINST BU. So if I sound defensive, after 45 years of going to these games, it takes its toll.

I was at the games that weekend in Detroit and I remembe the TMM call distinctly. Was Craig the goalie, can't remember, but he was quite a way from the bench when the BU extra attacker cam on the ice. I didn't like the call at the time but, if Parker was warned, he should have heeded.

And I will reiterate, I was not rooting against BU vs. PC. But leading up to the game I told many people who were hockey fans but had little more than a casual interest in the game that BU had flaws defensively, from the goalie on out. And these flaws could come back to bite them. And they did, at the worst possible time. Reminds me of Brian Boyle playing defense for BC when they lost to Michigan St. in 2007. I remember sitting next to an old time BC fan in Manchester while the Eagles were playing. His take was that York could get away with playing Boyle on defense but, at some point, it would come back and bite him. And it did, at the worst possible time.

[Greg A]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Correct. Nerves. They didn't react to almost anything the rest of the game because they were still in shock. The bigger question mark is why Eichel even TOOK the draw. He had lost every draw in the period up to that point (and it's not one of his strong points anyway). And after he lost it he didn't even go after the man. He just froze. They all froze. They were done after that previous goal and we all knew it. And in reference to the bolded words above, it's NOT the same. It just isn't. You can't compare the two.

So my response would be that Quinn did what most coaches do...he reverts back to what he has the most confidence in. You try to keep things as familiar as possible in pressure situations. As he said after the game (and I paraphrase) "The one thing we needed in that situation was the one thing we didn't have - experience." You can't teach experience in anything in life. You have to live it. And it's a good thing, too, because if that were not the case, a lot of us that are my age (over 30 ) wouldn't have jobs.

Regarding Eichel, I saw him enough this year to know that he needs to improve defensively. Let's just say that Claude Julien would have worries about him. So, question. Does he stay or does he go? Since there is precedent for #2 picks staying (Toews and JVR) in college it might not be a slam dunk. I guess it comes down to how big the bonus is.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

But leading up to the game I told many people who were hockey fans but had little more than a casual interest in the game that BU had flaws defensively, from the goalie on out. And these flaws could come back to bite them. And they did, at the worst possible time. Reminds me of Brian Boyle playing defense for BC when they lost to Michigan St. in 2007. I remember sitting next to an old time BC fan in Manchester while the Eagles were playing. His take was that York could get away with playing Boyle on defense but, at some point, it would come back and bite him. And it did, at the worst possible time.

You are 100% correct. We said that all year. Our freshman defensemen would continually get trapped or were unable to get the puck out of their own end all year. Goaltending was intermittently "shaky." It just got to the point that we survived it all year and it was a shame it imploded in the LAST game. But, you're talking about a team with a large number of experienced, 23 year-old players that knew how to retain their composure when it mattered most. We also said that we need to stop depending upon third period comebacks and get ahead in these games. Well, the ironic thing thinking back is (and I'm dead serious about this), I think we would have been BETTER OFF not being ahead going into the 3rd. I think the team played better all year in that situation (and I know they were 19-0-0 when leading after two, but that's because they were more talented than most of their opponents). You could see it coming that they would lose their composure on this stage in this situation. But, you have to admit, it's the NATURE of "that" goal that would have shaken anyone. I know there are people out their saying that "an experienced team would have regained their composure and found a way to win." Really? Have any of those people seen a "goal" like what happened. Have you? I have never seen anything like that in 50 years of watching hockey. Did they not cover on that faceoff? Sure. Were they still in complete shock (timeout or no timeout)? What do you think?

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Regarding Eichel, I saw him enough this year to know that he needs to improve defensively. Let's just say that Claude Julien would have worries about him. So, question. Does he stay or does he go? Since there is precedent for #2 picks staying (Toews and JVR) in college it might not be a slam dunk. I guess it comes down to how big the bonus is.

Just spoke to a buddy of mine with close ties to the team. It's not a done deal that he's gone. Given the recent track record of BU players that have left early, you could certainly make a case that a second year would be highly beneficial. Regarding Julien, he didn't like Phil Kessel either so I assume that comment was in jest...

[JB]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

And I will reiterate, I was not rooting against BU vs. PC. But leading up to the game I told many people who were hockey fans but had little more than a casual interest in the game that BU had flaws defensively, from the goalie on out. And these flaws could come back to bite them. And they did, at the worst possible time. Reminds me of Brian Boyle playing defense for BC when they lost to Michigan St. in 2007. I remember sitting next to an old time BC fan in Manchester while the Eagles were playing. His take was that York could get away with playing Boyle on defense but, at some point, it would come back and bite him. And it did, at the worst possible time.

I was rooting for a good game. I thought BU would win on the talent gap. I was torn between BU getting a 6th and a new champion not named UNH. It pains me when there is another new winner and that UNH seemingly has be on the wrong side of every bounce (including injuries) not all years but many, 74,77,99 Noeth, etc.

I have watched BU more than a couple times this year and I thought they had significant issues on D and in goal, offense covered well most of the year. The D seemed to be a combination of young D-men and disinterested stretches in the D zone by (young) forwards. I felt that was why many times BU need a crazy come back, 40 minutes of disinterested D-zone play can cause that. It seemed that late in the year the skaters had a handle on the 60-min and play in there own end, not amazing but good enough. O'Connor never seemed on, in 3 years I am not sure he has ever been the goalie to win you a game. Seems like every game I have seen he gives up a soft goal. Seemingly good position but just not good at the details, handling the puck, getting down at the right time, consistent rebound control, etc. I would describe him as a big guy that can read a play. Put it this way if I was a pro scout I wouldn't be interested.

As to the play itself. When I watch the reply I am not sure O'Connor was ever sure the puck was in his glove. It looked like from the moment he caught the puck he was looking for it. He even said he didn't see it in his glove, most goalies don't look for it in the glove they just know it is there. His entire set of reactions look like a goalie with no clue where the puck went, even to the point of going down and getting big at the goal line and ultimately pushing the puck in the net. I am not sure anyone can say what really happened in that moment, at this point even for O'Connor it is probably a nonsensical blur.

[JB]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

I know there are people out their saying that "an experienced team would have regained their composure and found a way to win." Really? Have any of those people seen a "goal" like what happened. Have you? I have never seen anything like that in 50 years of watching hockey. Did they not cover on that faceoff? Sure. Were they still in complete shock (timeout or no timeout)? What do you think?

I have seen lots of crazy goals. Never one where the puck was in the glove. The bouncing puck from center ice that eludes the goalie or the one that hits the glass bounces off the top of the net in off the goalies back/head, or mishandled behind the net by goalie (couple years back UNH goalie played up the boards right to I think a Lowell player who shot it in the open net) or even the fake clear in - shot in the empty net (Bruins got one that way last couple years). Of all those crazy "bad" play goals I am not sure before BU this year I have ever seen the team scored on "that way" win. See one of those goals seems like you can write game over in the book.

From "that" goal on Saturday night it seem inevitable PC was going to win. Honestly on Thursday North Dakota just ran out of time, another 5-10 (game) minutes of that game and BU doesn't make the Championship. ND just dug to deep a hole.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

I have watched BU more than a couple times this year and I thought they had significant issues on D and in goal, offense covered well most of the year. The D seemed to be a combination of young D-men and disinterested stretches in the D zone by (young) forwards. I felt that was why many times BU need a crazy come back, 40 minutes of disinterested D-zone play can cause that. It seemed that late in the year the skaters had a handle on the 60-min and play in there own end, not amazing but good enough. O'Connor never seemed on, in 3 years I am not sure he has ever been the goalie to win you a game. Seems like every game I have seen he gives up a soft goal. Seemingly good position but just not good at the details, handling the puck, getting down at the right time, consistent rebound control, etc. I would describe him as a big guy that can read a play. Put it this way if I was a pro scout I wouldn't be interested.

100% correct...we knew it was a matter of time...we were just stunned when we made it to the 41st game and it hadn't happened yet...

As to the play itself. When I watch the reply I am not sure O'Connor was ever sure the puck was in his glove. It looked like from the moment he caught the puck he was looking for it. He even said he didn't see it in his glove, most goalies don't look for it in the glove they just know it is there. His entire set of reactions look like a goalie with no clue where the puck went, even to the point of going down and getting big at the goal line and ultimately pushing the puck in the net. I am not sure anyone can say what really happened in that moment, at this point even for O'Connor it is probably a nonsensical blur.

That's what's troubling. It happened Thursday as well. "Self-imposed" is how I like to think of it. NOBODY was anywhere near the puck...it bounced off the boards and as he was skating back it got caught in his skates. But it's almost as if he didn't know where it was then, either. It's inexplicable how that happens. I don't understand it, but I don't have to. HE does. And that's the problem....

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

From "that" goal on Saturday night it seem inevitable PC was going to win. Honestly on Thursday North Dakota just ran out of time, another 5-10 (game) minutes of that game and BU doesn't make the Championship. ND just dug to deep a hole.

Agreed JB. I didn't see the previous two BU tourney games when O'Connor apparently let up a pair of other catastrophic goals. So it's even less surprising it happened again. My impression from what I'd seen previously from him was that he was a weak link back there, but the BU defense wasn't doing him any favors with their overall defensive zone coverage. And as others have pointed out since, it's one of those things that sometimes you can slide by with, but it will eventually catch up with you at some point - probably at the worst time.

Regardless, you gotta think Coach Quinn will learn and probably avoid putting too many eggs in one (goalie) basket in the future. He really did not have an option of pulling the kid at that juncture. Considering the rave reviews he's gotten for his recruiting in recent years, it seems in retrospect like he missed an important piece of the puzzle.

[chickod]

Re: UNH Wildcats TD Garden and Beyond 2015

Regardless, you gotta think Coach Quinn will learn and probably avoid putting too many eggs in one (goalie) basket in the future. He really did not have an option of pulling the kid at that juncture. Considering the rave reviews he's gotten for his recruiting in recent years, it seems in retrospect like he missed an important piece of the puzzle.

I could be wrong, but I don't believe Quinn recruited him. He was gone after 2009 (when they won the NC) to the NHL. True...you couldn't pull him. Initially we were all sitting there asking that same thing and pretty much agreed that if it had happened in the 1st period...MAYBE. But you can't put in a guy who played about three games all year in the biggest game of the season. Not fair.