BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

[cridge]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Kurker was a huge disappointment. A lot is posted about players leaving too early (Bowers most recently). Kurker may have arrived too soon, and screwed himself up, but good.

I have no knowledge of his character or dedication. But from what we could see, he ticked a lot of positive boxes. When he went back to juniors, that was a chance to reset his career. But he never got it done at Northeastern, either.
Was it too much too soon? Were the scouts that wrong about him? Or some of both??

In my opinion, it has to be both. I would not go near a player who plays high school hockey (Excluding Minn HS and Prep). There is a major drop off between MA high school hockey and Prep hockey. If I was Parker I would not have even let him come to BU unless he played juniors or at least prep for a year. Even his performance in the USHL shows his play does not live up to his draft position. Never a PPG player in junior A as a 20 year old 2nd round pick. So definitely both played a part

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

I've uploaded the rest of the 2009 tournament games to my Google drive along with the 2007 Beanpot semifinal:

2007 Beanpot Semifinal BU vs NU
2009 Beanpot Championship BU vs NU
2009 Hockey East Semifinal BU vs BC
2009 Hockey East Championship BU vs UML
2009 NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinal BU vs OSU
2009 NCAA Northeast Regional Final BU vs UNH

I also uploaded a Jack Falla tribute that was on the tape after the Hockey East championship game.

Sean

 

[Cross Check]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

In my opinion, it has to be both. I would not go near a player who plays high school hockey (Excluding Minn HS and Prep). There is a major drop off between MA high school hockey and Prep hockey. If I was Parker I would not have even let him come to BU unless he played juniors or at least prep for a year. Even his performance in the USHL shows his play does not live up to his draft position. Never a PPG player in junior A as a 20 year old 2nd round pick. So definitely both played a part

Do take note that Kurker's linemates at Malden Catholic were Mike Vecchione and Ryan Fitzgerald, both who went on to have very good NCAA careers at Union and BC respectively.

 

[srsterrier]

I've uploaded the rest of the 2009 tournament games to my Google drive along with the 2007 Beanpot semifinal:

2007 Beanpot Semifinal BU vs NU
2009 Beanpot Championship BU vs NU
2009 Hockey East Semifinal BU vs BC
2009 Hockey East Championship BU vs UML
2009 NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinal BU vs OSU
2009 NCAA Northeast Regional Final BU vs UNH

I also uploaded a Jack Falla tribute that was on the tape after the Hockey East championship game.

Sean

These are fantastic. Thank you!

 

[Cross Check]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Do take note that Kurker's linemates at Malden Catholic were Mike Vecchione and Ryan Fitzgerald, both who went on to have very good NCAA careers at Union and BC respectively.

I just realized that I mixed Kurker up with Brendan Collier, though Collier's career turned out quite similar to Kurker's. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be to Colin Blackwell, who also went to SJP, and was a solid, though injury prone player for Harvard.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

These are fantastic. Thank you!

I'm glad some people are watching and enjoying the games. I've just uploaded another 4 HD games to my Google drive:

2005 Beanpot Championship BU vs NU (edited)
2013 Hockey East Quarterfinals game 2 MC at BU
2014 Feb 28 NU at BU (Jack Parker #6 retirement ceremony)
2015 NCAA Midwest Regional Regional Final RIT vs UNO (missing first 10 minutes & edited)

That makes 100 games I've converted and uploaded in the past 2 weeks, 79 which are BU games. I've also added more additional material
Boston's Great 80's
Brendan Walsh remembrances
BU by the Numbers

Everyone who remembers the Boston sports scene in the eighties should watch Boston's Great 80's.

Sean

 

[mookie1995]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Thanks again Sean

 

[buoldtimer]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

These are fantastic. Thank you!

Yes, thanks, Sean.

I just watched the 1994 NCAA QF game vs. Wisconsin. The 1993-94 and 1994-95 BU teams may be my favorites of the 50+ years I've followed Terrier hockey.

Consider:

Two year record - 65-13-3
Two HE Reg Season Titles (one shared)
Two HE Postseason Titles
Two Final Fours
Two Appearances in NC Title Game
One National Championship

There may have been BU teams with greater talent (see 1989-90, 1990-91, 2008-09), but these were teams on which future NHLers Jay Pandolfo and Shawn Bates skated the third line each season.

Each of these teams was solid through all three zones.

Each team had an identity because no one left after 1 or 2 seasons. Through these seasons only 1 player, Mike Pomichter, left after 3 seasons. For the most, the lines and defense pairings were consistent throughout each season. You pretty much knew what you'd see from game to game.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Sean, do you happen to have the 2001 and/or the 2004 Beanpot Final?

I am uploading the edited 2002 and 2004 Beanpot championships to my drive. The full version of the 2002 Beanpot championship should be available at a later date.

Sean

 

[Boston22]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

I am uploading the edited 2002 and 2004 Beanpot championships to my drive. The full version of the 2002 Beanpot championship should be available at a later date.

Sean

Thank you, Sean. For someone not exactly technically savvy-- how do I watch your Google drive? Do I need a subscription? A password? Thank you.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Thank you, Sean. For someone not exactly technically savvy-- how do I watch your Google drive? Do I need a subscription? A password? Thank you.

If you have a Google account, you should be able to view it without anything else. This link takes you right there and you can scroll through and click on any game to watch right there.

I think you may even be able to access it without a Google account but I'm not positive.

 

[srsterrier]

When I watch these mid-80’s games, I wonder what happened to Jeff Sveen? A pretty solid player as a Freshman and Sophomore but then his play started to drop off and he hardly played at all by the end of his Senior year.

 

[wysi]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

When I watch these mid-80’s games, I wonder what happened to Jeff Sveen? A pretty solid player as a Freshman and Sophomore but then his play started to drop off and he hardly played at all by the end of his Senior year.

These days he's a golf pro in Alberta (I'm friends with him on FB). But yeah, he wasn't playing nearly as well as his career went on.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Thank you, Sean. For someone not exactly technically savvy-- how do I watch your Google drive? Do I need a subscription? A password? Thank you.

If you have a Google account, you should be able to view it without anything else. This link takes you right there and you can scroll through and click on any game to watch right there.

I think you may even be able to access it without a Google account but I'm not positive.

Available to all, just click on the link.

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Yes, thanks, Sean.

I just watched the 1994 NCAA QF game vs. Wisconsin. The 1993-94 and 1994-95 BU teams may be my favorites of the 50+ years I've followed Terrier hockey.

Consider:

Two year record - 65-13-3
Two HE Reg Season Titles (one shared)
Two HE Postseason Titles
Two Final Fours
Two Appearances in NC Title Game
One National Championship

There may have been BU teams with greater talent (see 1989-90, 1990-91, 2008-09), but these were teams on which future NHLers Jay Pandolfo and Shawn Bates skated the third line each season.

Each of these teams was solid through all three zones.

Each team had an identity because no one left after 1 or 2 seasons. Through these seasons only 1 player, Mike Pomichter, left after 3 seasons. For the most, the lines and defense pairings were consistent throughout each season. You pretty much knew what you'd see from game to game.

I would expand it to include both the 1995-96 & 1996-97 teams:
Four season record - 121-29-12
Four HE reg Season Titles (two shared)
Three HE Tournament Titles
Four Frozen Fours
Three Appearances in NC Title Games
One National Championship

I also really liked the 2005-06 team.

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

When I watch these mid-80’s games, I wonder what happened to Jeff Sveen? A pretty solid player as a Freshman and Sophomore but then his play started to drop off and he hardly played at all by the end of his Senior year.

These days he's a golf pro in Alberta (I'm friends with him on FB). But yeah, he wasn't playing nearly as well as his career went on.

The last I knew he was married to Coach Parker's daughter Allison. As for his playing career at BU, he was a streaky player his freshman and sophomore seasons and never got going as a junior or senior. He played 17 of the first 18 games of his senior season and then didn't dress the rest of the season. If I recall correctly it was a mutual decision, but I could just as easily be thinking of another player.

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Thanks, Sean. Just watched the 1986 HE Championship Game. A great night for the Scarlet and White. I may be wrong, but after Jeff Sveen's second goal of the game, which was BU's 9th goal of the game, the camera scanned the crowd and I think I saw a very young Sean P.

You have better eyes than I do. After checking my ticket stub to see where we were sitting so I knew where to look in the crowd I do believe I saw a young Sean P. as well.

Sean

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

Only three games uploaded to my Google drive today:

1994 Beanpot CHampionship BC vs Harvard (edited)
2005 Last Game 2 Jan Minnesota at BU
2005 First Game 3 Jan Minnesota at BU
and and bonus
A Season of Champions

Sean

 

[buoldtimer]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

The last I knew he was married to Coach Parker's daughter Allison. As for his playing career at BU, he was a streaky player his freshman and sophomore seasons and never got going as a junior or senior. He played 17 of the first 18 games of his senior season and then didn't dress the rest of the season. If I recall correctly it was a mutual decision, but I could just as easily be thinking of another player.

Sean

It's been so many years that my memory may be faulty, but I recall that JP Felix Ungerred Sveen and Eric Labrosse midway through the 1988-89 season. Perhaps the Lappin brothers, also.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: BU Off-Season: Forward to the Past

It's been so many years that my memory may be faulty, but I recall that JP Felix Ungerred Sveen and Eric Labrosse midway through the 1988-89 season. Perhaps the Lappin brothers, also.

Close, but two different season. Eric Labrosse played in 15 of the first 17 games of the 19987-88 season, before not dressing for 9 straight and 12 of the next 13, before finishing up playing in the last four games of the season. Coach Parker made the decision on/after BU's trip to the upper peninsula (18 & 1/9). Labrosse played the first game and then sat for a month while Sveen DNP the first game before playing his last game for BU the following night.

The Lappin brothers each played 27 of the first 31 games of the 1988-89 season. Chris missed the second games at Michigan State on 11/19, both games the following weekend (11/25 & 11/26) vs NMU & MTU and the game vs Maine on 11/29. Mike missed the 2 SIT games (12/28 & 12/29) and the 1/3 game at NU (World Juniors?) and then the 1/21 game vs Minnesota (when Chris scored the only goal of the game). Their last game in BU scarlet was the 2/18 game vs PC as they DNP the last 5 games of the season.

Sean