And that's the other thing that I think someone also mentioned. The winning streak had to end sometime. It was just a bad time, but I also think that's why they came out jittery because they sensed that there was a lot of pressure on them. Jaffe said "BU is definitely the best team in this tournament, but you never know what can happen." So I don't think this is going to start a "slide," but I DO agree that it's concerning how this team seems to play in "big" games. In a single-elmination situation (1st seed or no 1st seed), that's dangerous. I was hoping that the large junior/senior contingent would provide the leadership to get over the top this year (not that they won't, but they haven't shown it up to now).
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BU: '22-'23 Season: Sail The Boats
- Thread starter Terrier86
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And that's the other thing that I think someone also mentioned. The winning streak had to end sometime. It was just a bad time, but I also think that's why they came out jittery because they sensed that there was a lot of pressure on them. Jaffe said "BU is definitely the best team in this tournament, but you never know what can happen." So I don't think this is going to start a "slide," but I DO agree that it's concerning how this team seems to play in "big" games. In a single-elmination situation (1st seed or no 1st seed), that's dangerous. I was hoping that the large junior/senior contingent would provide the leadership to get over the top this year (not that they won't, but they haven't shown it up to now).
I blame the building. There's some kind of curse. A good friend of mine who is a band director (and was in charge of the music for the closing of the original Boston Garden) told me he actually asked Rene Rancourt "Do you want me to slow down in the middle of the National Anthem to follow you?" Rancourt said, "What are you talking about? I don't slow down."
Wanna bet??? Ha ha ha. The thing starts to slow down at "By.......the dawn's early light" and then grinds to a halt in the middle, as it does with Todd Angily and did last night with Barbara. I swear that singers trained in opera seem to always "drag it out." Meanwhile, the players are wobbling back and forth on their skates, thinking to themselves, "Let's get this OVER with so we can play!"
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Sean Pickett
2009 NCAA Champions
I remember Rene singing the National Anthem at Walter Brown before Barabara started singing it.
Sean
Yeah...remember the organ in the top corner near the "mezzanine" balcony?
3 in CHN, but looks like 4 in USCHO. Differ by a few RPI points in the 4th decimal place. Don’t know why they are different, but I think CHN said in an article some mistakes creep in from time to time. Both took Stonehill out, as the NCAA said they have too few D1 games played.
I’m still bummed about last night. Very rarely have our elite teams not made the final in the history of this tournament. The only Frozen Four bound team I remember not making the final was the 93-94 team (ironically the last 20 win team going into the tournament). We made the NCAA final losing that awful game to Lake State. All of our National Championships have been preceded by a Beanpot Championship that year. Hopefully this will be a first when that didn’t happen.
defkit
New member
My general thoughts.
- Yeah, tough night...for Barbara.
- We aren't as good as our Pairwise, and Northeastern is not as bad as theirs. I think we are the better team by a bit, but they have the best goalie in the country (when he is on at least) and remember, this team was picked to be #1 in HE. So I don't think that a virtual 1 goal loss (ENG) to a good team means this team played a terrible game, and it doesn't lower my expectations. In fact, it might even raise them - given that they generally have a weaker schedule the rest of the way, I hope this angers them enough that they finish strong.
- Have to give the coaching edge to Keefe. We weren't able to adjust until the third period. Need a quicker response in the playoffs.
- I do feel bad for the many Seniors to have to play the first game next week. But again, let it give them that extra drive to bring 100% every night.
- Greene seems to be upping his game back to where he was early on in the season. He has looked better the last couple games, not that he ever really fell off.
- I agree with whoever mentioned it - I don't think Jarman had a shift all night. Perhaps if we had a big lead he would have seen a couple shifts.
- I thought McCarthy looked a little tentative. Hopefully one game was all he needs to get back into a groove.
- I have never skipped a consolation game involving BU (assuming I live in the area). If I have a ticket, I am going - it's still a BU hockey game, and now with the Pairwise being the selection criteria, every game matters. The most memorable was the 8-0 pasting of Northeastern in 1994. Side note: I have a photo from the first round game against Harvard that year of a face-off with Shane Johnson (when he wore #6), Rich Brennan (#7), Billy Pierce (#8), Shawn Bates (#9) and Jon Jenkins (#10). Since it is from the balcony, you can see everyone's number. It's not a high quality shot, but one of my favorites...
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- Yeah, tough night...for Barbara.
- We aren't as good as our Pairwise, and Northeastern is not as bad as theirs. I think we are the better team by a bit, but they have the best goalie in the country (when he is on at least) and remember, this team was picked to be #1 in HE. So I don't think that a virtual 1 goal loss (ENG) to a good team means this team played a terrible game, and it doesn't lower my expectations. In fact, it might even raise them - given that they generally have a weaker schedule the rest of the way, I hope this angers them enough that they finish strong.
- Have to give the coaching edge to Keefe. We weren't able to adjust until the third period. Need a quicker response in the playoffs.
- I do feel bad for the many Seniors to have to play the first game next week. But again, let it give them that extra drive to bring 100% every night.
- Greene seems to be upping his game back to where he was early on in the season. He has looked better the last couple games, not that he ever really fell off.
- I agree with whoever mentioned it - I don't think Jarman had a shift all night. Perhaps if we had a big lead he would have seen a couple shifts.
- I thought McCarthy looked a little tentative. Hopefully one game was all he needs to get back into a groove.
- I have never skipped a consolation game involving BU (assuming I live in the area). If I have a ticket, I am going - it's still a BU hockey game, and now with the Pairwise being the selection criteria, every game matters. The most memorable was the 8-0 pasting of Northeastern in 1994. Side note: I have a photo from the first round game against Harvard that year of a face-off with Shane Johnson (when he wore #6), Rich Brennan (#7), Billy Pierce (#8), Shawn Bates (#9) and Jon Jenkins (#10). Since it is from the balcony, you can see everyone's number. It's not a high quality shot, but one of my favorites...
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Northeasterns style of pack it in and block shots (they had 21 block shots) is tough vs the BU run and gun system. You don't get any odd man rushes or chances off transition since they always have plenty of players back so you need to get pucks on net and rebounds and that's not how BUs offense thrives. They like to score on the transition and lets skill take over. Northeastern clogs the middle so you can get an entry with any speed and they don't give space to get creative they just want to keep the puck on the outside and block shots then counter. Levi is a good goalie but that system is what makes him good. He gets a lot of clean looks and then makes an average save look great with his flair for the dramatic. Quinnipiac is a similar style where Perets has unreal stats but sees low quality shots all the time. These teams that play this type of system will give BU fits come tournament time - they need to adapt and get tougher and take pucks to the net and get rebounds - they won't be able to score from outside like they normally do.
Well, scoring from the outside was the way they scored their only goal. 
I was more concerned about lack of face off wins, overskating/underskating the puck, missed passes and whiffing on shots. I don't know how much NU's style of play lead to those things. If none of those things (or much fewer of them) happened, I think it would have been a better game. Not saying they would have won, but it would have been more interesting. I didn't hold out any hope of them puling this game out because they were so out of sync, jittery, whatever.
I was more concerned about lack of face off wins, overskating/underskating the puck, missed passes and whiffing on shots. I don't know how much NU's style of play lead to those things. If none of those things (or much fewer of them) happened, I think it would have been a better game. Not saying they would have won, but it would have been more interesting. I didn't hold out any hope of them puling this game out because they were so out of sync, jittery, whatever.Well, scoring from the outside was the way they scored their only goal.
LOL. The goal was a 6 on 5 shot on the ice that finally didn't get blocked! I agree - at no point during that game did I think BU was in control or going to win. They were really out of sync which was odd for a veteran team. They have to start faster. NU wanted it more and that was clear from puck drop.
Harry Cleverly
New member
Jeez. Nobody cares about the Arizona tournament beyond it being two non-league games. Nobody. What tournament plays the consolation game after the final?!?
In the Beanpot, Northeastern came out of the gate stronger, outworked BU during the first period, got the all-important (in this game) first goal, then turned it over to Levi.
Was that Pandolfo's fault? The seniors? Overconfidence?
Northeastern is a tough out because they have Levi, the best goalie in the country, and they work hard. Overall, BU is more fluid team with much better depth, up front at least. Commesso is a top shelf college goalie, but he is not as consistently as good as Levi.
BU should be a better team for the loss, knowing they can't afford to turn it on when they want. I suspect Pandolfo will have them more fired up from the start in the playoffs. The seniors need to step up there, too.
And poor Babs Green. The "Singing voice of Terrier hockey" ... that's like Jarman, Page or Driscoll being the poster boys for the defensive corps.
I along with many NHL scouts think Commesso is a far and away better goalie than Levi. If you swapped teams and systems commesso would have better stats than Levi. BU plays a wide open style whereas the defense is part of the offense and that system tends to give up a lot on the defensive side of the puck. NU plays a sound defensive scheme where they pack it in and block shots and keep offenses on the outside. Rarely do they ever give up odd man rushes. Goalie stats are massively misleading. The difficulty of shots commesso saved vs what Levi saved in the beanpot was an example of this. Levi’s toughest save was a glove save where the shot went right into his glove - sound positioning but he sold it with some extra windmill flair. Commesso was busy saving 3 on 1s. In both NU victories verse BU this season the huskies blocked 20 and 21 shots. That’a impressive and makes the life of a goalie real easy.
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defkit
New member
I don't disagree that Levi benefits from a more defensive system, but I would adjust your first statement to say "many NHL scouts think Commesso projects to be a better NHL goalie than Levi". There a significant size difference and we know that size for goalies has become almost as important as for d-men when it comes to scouting. I mean Levi won the Richter award last year. I don't think any college goalies are "far and away" better than him.
The Richter is a stat based award - Jack lafontaine won it the year prior of that tells you anything. Perets at quinnipiac puts up incredible stats too in a similar defensive system. Is he a great goalie or just a result of a great defensive team system?
I don’t think you have seen enough NU games then
Let me clarify...when NU is playing their style and system properly they don't give up many odd man rushes. BU when playing their style and system properly will still give up odd man rushes because they basically have 4 forwards on the ice at all times.
Barbara Green has sucked for 30 years. It ain't the building.
Don't shun me from BU hockey fandom, but I've never gone to a Beanpot consolation game. In my defense, they've only played in 6 since my first pot in 1985. But I'm going on Monday! Let's meet up in the Loge and watch together with 400 of our closest friends. : )
I blocked my work calendar off so I could head to the game should it happen (just in case) but naturally I had to schedule a creative presentation call yesterday with, like, 11 people and the only available time was 3:30-4:00. I am going to bolt as soon as its over but will most likely miss the beginning of the game. Which will cause that shift in my universe because I am not in my seat for puck drop which I have to be or otherwise bad things will happen. So if they wind up losing, I'm afraid it will be on me.
This would probably lead to more shots on Commesso, which isn't the case. Levi has 793 saves, Commesso has 525 or something like that. And with all the shots NU blocks, you would think Levi would have even less work to do. In addition, BU has tons of NHL level talent, so Commesso is called on to be a smaller part of each win.
" Is he a great goalie or just a result of a great defensive team system?"
Please go back and look at the highlights from our December "gauntlet"........we didn't play a lick of defense from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.
In spite of all of its defensive shortcomings, NU does seem to get up for BU, strangely when the game is away from Matthews , and sometimes without its best players............ inexplicable.
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