Boston University 2019-2020

[chickod]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

It’s puzzling to me how BU plays BC tough always and find a way to lose to other teams in HE or just tie

I'm pretty confident that what I said a couple of weeks ago applies here. "Elite" players (i.e., high draft picks) tend to step up their games when the lights are brighter. Over a long season, grinders will play more consistently. This has been the problem recently. Although talented and potentially able to beat anyone on a given night, BU always ends up behind the 8-ball with the PWR system, which rewards consistency. Being forced to win the HE tournament every year just to make the NCAA's is not a recipe for success.

<span style="font-size: 8pt; color:#ff0000">Of course, someone will say "Then how come BC is able to do it?" Well, that's the other factor. Can you say c-o-a-c-h?"</span>

 

[buoldtimer]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

Only off by 1 with 4-1 result

It’s puzzling to me how BU plays BC tough always and find a way to lose to other teams in HE or just tie

I am sure some of the out of conference games should have been W’s this year for BU

But I drove home happy because a win is a win and BC played well enough

One BU fan walked up to me before the game and said he liked Bob Knight and I corrected him by saying “You mean Spencer Knight” lol

But I have to agree he was the difference last night in keeping the Terriers at bay with his saves otherwise it would have been a totally different game

The amount of quality chances BU had were a dismay but Knight was outstanding on some of those saves

Different persons, different perspectives. Perhaps, I'm in a negative frame of mind regarding BU hockey at the moment, but at no point last night did I think BU would win. BC did a great job keeping BU away from the front of the net to a great extent. BC limited BU opportunities off the initial rush, too.

Which BC coach works with the defense?

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

Brendan Buckley. Took over for Greg Brown this year. Played for York and coached under Cav at UConn. Been a very good fit so far. The way BC played the 3rd period, they learned their lesson from the Beanpot.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

What gets you home ice? A sweep, Lowell over UConn and Providence over Maine?

 

[BCeagle]

Different persons, different perspectives. Perhaps, I'm in a negative frame of mind regarding BU hockey at the moment, but at no point last night did I think BU would win. BC did a great job keeping BU away from the front of the net to a great extent. BC limited BU opportunities off the initial rush, too.

Which BC coach works with the defense?

If you look at it, it was really a 3-1 game until BU pulled their goalie

Watching the replay on nesn now there were a number of things that didn’t help BU

On the 1st BC goal the defenseman fell down for the Newhook goal

On some of the BU scoring chances same thing the forward falls down or loses his edge or fanning on a shot

BU in the beginning outshot BC badly but BC capitalized on their few chances for 2-0 lead into the first half of the game i

Then BC started catching up on the SOG with the lead and locked down on D until the BU pp goal made it interesting

 

[ericredaxe]

If you look at it, it was really a 3-1 game until BU pulled their goalie

Watching the replay on nesn now there were a number of things that didn’t help BU

On the 1st BC goal the defenseman fell down for the Newhook goal

On some of the BU scoring chances same thing the forward falls down or loses his edge or fanning on a shot

BU in the beginning outshot BC badly but BC capitalized on their few chances for 2-0 lead into the first half of the game it

Then BC started catching up on the SOG with the lead and locked down on D until the BU pp goal made it interesting

Generally agree. I watched 2/3 of the game on NESN (kind of one of these things where the game was on but I wasn’t glued to it.)

Despite the score it didn’t strike me as a lopsided game. BC played a little more soundly across the board to earn the win and Knight made a few dandy saves..

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

What gets you home ice? A sweep, Lowell over UConn and Providence over Maine?

Yes on the BU sweep and Lowell over UConn. PC needs to beat or tie Maine.

Conversely, the worst-case scenario for BU would be BU gets swept and UNH sweeps BC. BU finishes 9th, even if PC loses @ Maine b/c PC would win the tiebreaker.

 

[chickod]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

What gets you home ice? A sweep, Lowell over UConn and Providence over Maine?

Yes. That would get us to 27 points. UConn would finish with 26 and Maine with 25. Which would make the standings thus: (assuming BC sweeps UNH and UMass beats Vermont). NU gets in because UNH won't leapfrog them if BC sweeps. Maine loses the tiebreaker with Providence.

Team	Points
BC	36
UMA	30
UML	29
BU	27
UConn	26
Providence	25
Maine	25
NU	21

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[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

Yes. That would get us to 27 points. UConn would finish with 26 and Maine with 25. Which would make the standings thus: (assuming BC sweeps UNH and UMass beats Vermont). NU gets in because UNH won't leapfrog them if BC sweeps. Maine loses the tiebreaker with Providence.

Team	Points
BC	36
UMA	30
UML	29
BU	27
UConn	26
Providence	25
Maine	25
NU	21

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In this scenario, if UNH at least splits its BC series, UNH would finish 8th (at least 22 pts) and NU 9th (21 pts).

 

[chickod]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

In this scenario, if UNH at least splits its BC series, UNH would finish 8th (at least 22 pts) and NU 9th (21 pts).

Correct. That's why I said "Assuming BC sweeps UNH." ONE UNH win COULD get them into the playoffs (where they would then have to go to Conte and play BC again.

Team	Points
BC	34
UMA	30
UML	29
BU	27
UConn	26
Providence	25
Maine	25
UNH	22

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[Aerman]

Correct. That's why I said "Assuming BC sweeps UNH." ONE UNH win COULD get them into the playoffs (where they would then have to go to Conte and play BC again.

Team	Points
BC	34
UMA	30
UML	29
BU	27
UConn	26
Providence	25
Maine	25
UNH	22

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Hey, UNH is only 10 wins (and an NU loss) away from a national title.

 

[Harry Cleverly]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

York is the better coach because he's going head to head with the other two when he's like 95 years old while the other two are in their prime. York in his best stretch blows away anything the other two have accomplished. That's not to take away from what they and Carvel at UMass do with far less resources.

I'd rank them in HE as:

1) York
2) Leaman
3) Bezin
4) Madigan
5) Carvel
6) Cavanaugh

(big gap)

7) Albie
8) Souza
9) Borek
10) Gendron
11) Sneddon.

Bazin and Leaman are currently the two best coaches in HE, IMO.
They have taken their programs beyond their schools' hockey pedigrees.

How much coaching does Jerry actually still do? He is a legend, but I am told his assistants do most of the work.
Keefe seems to do almost all of the in-game coaching at Northeastern. But like Jerry, Madigan has been an effective program leader.

Cavanaugh could be the league's Coach of the Year. If not in Hockey East, in Russia.

Carvel has kept UMass in the top tier despite losing Makar.

Maine's success is down to having the best goalie in the league. We'll see what Red does after Swayman leaves? Swayman probably saved his job and bought him more time. Knight is very good, too. But he has a much better team in front of him than Swayman.

I like Borek's scally cap. He can double as an Uber driver after games.

I wish Sneddon success selling insurance.

Albie and Souza? The jury is definitely still out. Albie has the shorter leash because the University of No Hardware is, well, more used to not collecting any hardware.

 

[chickod]

Maine’s success is down to having the best goalie in the league.

I’m guessing the Vermont people might not agree.

 

[Aerman]

Albie and Souza? The jury is definitely still out. Albie has the shorter leash because the University of No Hardware is, well, more used to not collecting any hardware.

And, of course, the UNH AD and president have just made it clear in their discussion of rink changes that they don’t care about the hockey program, so Souza should be all set regardless of the team’s performance.

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

And, of course, the UNH AD and president have just made it clear in their discussion of rink changes that they don’t care about the hockey program, so Souza should be all set regardless of the team’s performance.

At BU I feel we have a very supportive AD, but hamstrung by a President who is indifferent at best towards hockey and athletics as a whole.

 

[chickod]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

At BU I feel we have a very supportive AD, but hamstrung by a President who is indifferent at best towards hockey and athletics as a whole.

And this is news since when??? I don't think John Silber (way back in the 70s) was exactly enthusiastic about sports. I believe he was the impetus behind dropping football (which is another issue, but still). It's just that he had a powerful AD in Simpson and a world-class coach in Parker so it was in his best interests to leave it alone.

If you haven't noticed (we die-hards aside...a rapidly disappearing breed, I might add), BU is not exactly a "sports" school anymore. This is not the 50s when we were a commuter school comprised of many rapid local sports fans. It is now an international university, focused on research. Many of these students don't know anything about hockey and couldn't care less. Not to get back on the whole "declining attendance" thing again, but that's ONE of the reasons. There are issues in general with attendance at all levels, but the changing landscape at BU exacerbates those issues, perhaps disproportionately.

 

[Rover]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

Different persons, different perspectives. Perhaps, I'm in a negative frame of mind regarding BU hockey at the moment, but at no point last night did I think BU would win. BC did a great job keeping BU away from the front of the net to a great extent. BC limited BU opportunities off the initial rush, too.

Which BC coach works with the defense?

I'm with you on this. Very few grade A scoring chances (I think one shooter sent the puck through the crease) and Wise tripping over the faceoff dot when he had a clear shot at the net pretty much sums up his career (assist to BU2K for that one ). BU D and basic puck possession was atrocious. Kept getting their pocket picked including one on Fensore that indirectly led to a goal (Tucker stopped the breakaway but BC kept it in the zone and eventually scored).

This team isn't very good and they're going in the wrong direction.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

At BU I feel we have a very supportive AD, but hamstrung by a President who is indifferent at best towards hockey and athletics as a whole.

And this is news since when??? I don't think John Silber (way back in the 70s) was exactly enthusiastic about sports. I believe he was the impetus behind dropping football (which is another issue, but still). It's just that he had a powerful AD in Simpson and a world-class coach in Parker so it was in his best interests to leave it alone.

President Brown was seen at the game Saturday and it's my understanding that he wasn't happy with the way the team played.

Sean

 

[Scarlet]

Re: Boston University 2019-2020

President Brown was seen at the game Saturday and it's my understanding that he wasn't happy with the way the team played.

Sean

I'm not really sure what to make of that. Part of me is rolling my eyes. If he were the type of University President that went to more than one game a year, I think it would hold more weight. But he goes to one game and all of a sudden he's a critic? I wasn't too happy with their play either, but I go to many games as do many of us here.

Any. Way. What's done is done. Now we look forward to the last games of the regular season, losers of three straight playing a team that are losers of four straight. Both teams need points. Who is in more trouble with two losses? I'm predicting two ties. Because that would be the way to round out this season.

 

[ericredaxe]

At BU I feel we have a very supportive AD, but hamstrung by a President who is indifferent at best towards hockey and athletics as a whole.

I think that may have been more true with Silber... I’m not sure that is fair to say about Brown.