BU Bests BC, Barely, In Nation's Best Rivalry

Terriers Take 3 Points in Home and Home Series

For fans of college hockey, there is nothing quite like Boston University against Boston College. The old clash of Commonwealth Avenue rivals rarely disappoints, and this weekend’s set of contests was no different.

The first weekend of December this season showcased the Eagles at second in the nation and the Terriers sitting at seventh. Coming into the weekend, the Terriers had not defeated BC since the days when Johnny Curry patrolled between the pipes for the Scarlet & White almost two years ago.

BU’s Agganis Arena was the site of the first game of the home-and-home series. Proving that the teams could not possibly be any closer, the Terriers and Eagles skated to a one-one tie in a game marked by the intensity and physical play the rivalry is famous for.

Captains from each squad got on the board Friday. The Terriers kicked off the scoring at 11:09 of the first period. Rushing into the Eagles’ zone, Brandon Yip drew a delayed penalty on a hooking call. Yip kept his composure, however, and held on to the puck under pressure from the BC defense. Yip tossed it out in front for an un-marked John McCarthy who flicked it over John Muse for the goal.

Perhaps the Terriers celebrated a bit too much though, as just 19 seconds later BU was caught napping. Brian Gibbons zipped a pass to a streaking Brock Bradford. Bradford snuck in behind the defense on a breakaway, finding himself face to face with freshman goalie Kieran Millan. The nation’s leading scorer showed why he has 14 tallies on the year as he beat Millan to tie the game at one.

That’s exactly where it would remain for the rest of the contest. Despite the best efforts of the Terriers’ offensive unit, Muse held strong. The Terriers fired 36 shots on goal, including one from Chris Higgins off the left iron early in the third period.

Both teams had chances throughout, but neither could find the back of the net, and they packed up to be continued on Saturday.

Down the road at Conte Forum in Game 2, the Terriers unleashed some of their pent-up frustration early on. Freshman Corey Trivino made his first collegiate goal a memorable one, finding a Matt Gilroy rebound in front of Muse and pounding it home to give BU a 1-0 lead.

Freshman Chris Connolly kept the youth movement going in the second. Colby Cohen found Connolly breaking behind the BC defense on a breakaway. Tommy Cross mugged Connolly and was immediately whistled for the infraction resulting in a penalty shot.

Connolly acted like he had been there before on the penalty shot, gliding in and crossing up Muse, sneaking it past him to double the BU lead.

The Eagles would make it closer than the score indicated. They came out soaring in the third period, as Matt Price cut the lead to 2-1 at 6:01 in the third.

The BC onslaught continued, as they spent the majority of the final frame in the offensive zone. Aided by a few lucky breaks, Millan was able to keep the puck out of the net and keep his team in the lead.

Nick Bonino added an empty netter with less than a second remaining to make it 3-1 Terriers.

Millan has officially made his case to be named full-time starter. After a stellar weekend, the freshman goalie is now the proud owner of a 7-1-1 record with a 1.77 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Coupled with Grant Rollheiser’s sore groin, it certainly seems as if Millan will be the main man for Jack Parker for some time.

BU is now 3-0-1 in their last four games after picking up three points in a huge weekend. They move to 10-4-1 on the year, including five wins against teams ranked in the top ten nationally.

BC falls to 9-5-2 on the year after a disappointing performance, especially on home ice. After two exhibition contests against New Brunswick, the Eagles will renew Hockey East Action at Vermont on January 9.

Things are looking up for the Terriers, who are sure to move up the ranks in the National Polls on Monday. They will have a chance to gain two more points in Hockey East on Friday at Agganis Arena against UMass Lowell.

--Phil DiMartino

Two Faces, Two Teams, Two Outcomes

The New York Jets seem to be having as much trouble figuring out what they’re all about as the rest of the football world is.

A week after what appeared to be a signature win over the Tennessee Titans, the Jets came home for a match-up against the equally befuddled Denver Broncos.

The only thing standing between the Jets and a six-game winning streak would be the Broncos with their battered secondary and inconsistent offense. The subway Superbowl was within sniffing distance for New York football fans.

Who knew “trap game” was spelled “j-a-y?”

Jay Cutler led a Broncos passing attack that gutted the vaunted Jets defense. Cutler bombed the ball all day through a driving rain at the Meadowlands, connecting for a total of 357 yards and two touchdowns.

Cutler exploited the weaknesses in the defense that New England exposed, but Tennessee ignored. And while the lack of an ability to respond to a mid-level passing game did not come into play for five straight weeks, it certainly burned the Jets on this Sunday.

This is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that Cutler found his tight ends Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham a whopping 13 times in the game for 149 yards.

Time and time again Scheffler, Graham and the rest of the Denver receiving core bobbed and weaved through the Jets’ shaky zone coverage as if it were Swiss cheese.

Gang Green’s run defense didn’t fare much better, yielding 129 yards on the ground to Peyton Hillis. The un-drafted rookie from Arkansas, who is listed as a fullback, had carried the ball just 38 times for 156 yards all season prior to this game.

Now the Jets, and specifically quarterback Brett Favre, have a serious identity crisis on their hands.

And it truly is up to Favre to decide how far this team can go. In eight Jets wins this season, the old gunslinger has been stellar, amassing a 101.7 passer rating and tossing 15 touchdown passes. However, in their four losses, Favre has been more like Mr. Hyde, with a 71.7 rating and six picks.

To become one of the league’s elite teams, the Jets need their biggest off-season acquisition to start acting more like Dr. Jekyll week in and week out.

Favre and the Jets will have a perfect opportunity to bounce back next week on the West Coast against the lowly San Fransisco 49ers.

With just four games left in the season, and a slim one-game lead over both the Patriots and Dolphins, it may finally be time to see what this Jets team is really made of.

And if the Jets want to prove that they are worthy of the praise they have received for the better part of this season, they will need Favre to be at his best down the stretch.

For the Jets’ sake, let’s hope Favre is a little more Jekyll, and a little less Hyde.

--Phil DiMartino

Finally, A View From the Top

“The New York Jets have officially blown out the undefeated Tennessee Titans!”

Bob Wischusen, the Jets radio play-by-play man has not had a chance to get this excited about Gang Green in quite some time. But Lyons and the rest of the Jets’ family had plenty of reasons to get out of their chairs and shout yesterday afternoon. And the rest of the football world now has every reason to open their eyes and begin to take this team seriously.

Just 10 days after conquering their equivalent to Kryptonite, the New England Patriots, the Jets made another tremendous statement, beating the previously 10-0 Titans. The win was the team’s fifth in a row after losing a heartbreaker to Oakland in overtime in week 7.

The Jets won by a final count of 34-13, and that almost does not even justify how much they dominated play in this game, especially in the third quarter.

Titans’ quarterback Kerry Collins barely got his hands on the rock for the third fifteen minutes of play, as the Jets started the quarter with a seven minute drive resulting in a chip shot field goal by Jay Feely. On the first play of Tennessee’s next drive, Abram Elam pounced on rookie tailback Chris Johnson and knocked the ball loose. Lineman Bryan Thomas scooped it up to set up a short field and a Jets touchdown.

The Titans managed to hold on to the ball for the final three minutes of the period, but the first 12 were far more indicative of the Jets’ dominance in this one.

Throughout the game, the Jets adapted to what has been referred to as the best defense in the league by attacking them head on with a hard-nosed running game led by Thomas Jones, mixing in some big plays by the change of pace back Leon Washington.

Add to the confident rushing attack the expert arm of Brett Favre, who limited his mistakes by throwing 26 of his 32 passes to receivers less than 10 yards away.

And while Favre played a huge part in the Jets victory, Gang Green proved that they are a legitimate contender more by the play of those less spoken of.

The best teams depend on not only their stars, but a solid supporting cast, and the Jets’ other players deserve all the credit in this one.

It was rookie tight end Dustin Keller sneaking and slithering to first down yardage seemingly every time the Jets faced a third down. It was blocking back Tony Richardson taking just his second handoff of the season for a whopping 14 yards to put the Jets in the red zone of a scoring drive. It was Eric Barton patrolling the middle third of the defense, amassing seven tackles in the game and shutting down the Titans’ potent rushing game.

The Jets are for real. Their offense is for real. Their defense is for real. And you better believe their special teams are for real.

But Brett Favre isn’t ready to wear any crown or accept any trophy just yet.

"I'm not going to sit here and say we've established ourselves as the best team in football," Favre told reporters after the game. "All it says is I think we beat the best team in football today, definitely if you go by record and the way that they've played.”

Number four and his surprising bunch will finally head home to the field turf of East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday to battle the Denver Broncos. Fireman Eddie and the rest of the Jets faithful will be there in full force, and they finally have reason to ditch the pessimistic attitude that has plagued this franchise for so long.

Come Sunday there will be talk of trap games and let-downs. But until then, Coach Eric Mangini may have re-gained the title “Man-Genius.”

Happy Thanksgiving, Jets fans. It’s going to be one hell of a December.

--Phil DiMartino

Player quotes courtesy of ESPN.com

Winning Isn’t Everything

Northeastern Hockey Fans Continue Support Despite Inconsistent Teams

Editor's Note: I wrote this piece for Jack Falla's sports journalism class after the first round of the 2008 Beanpot Tournament. Professor Falla passed away in September, but he would have loved the enthusiasm Northeastern fans came with to Agganis Arena on Sunday night to support the visiting Huskies. He certainly also would have appreciated the stellar goaltending on both sides of the ice. This piece may be dated, but it is still a good indication of just how rabid and relentless Northeastern Hockey fans are.

(February, 2008)
At 11:30 PM on Monday night, chants of “Let’s Go Huskies” resonated from sections 309 – 313 of the balcony of T.D. Banknorth Garden. Although Northeastern had fallen 3 –1 to Harvard nearly four hours earlier, a contingent of fans remained deep into overtime of the late game in the first round of the annual Beanpot tournament.

Many of the students among the Northeastern Hockey faithful were not born in time to witness their team’s last Beanpot Championship twenty years ago. Those who were alive probably don’t remember it.

Despite a tradition of inconsistent annual tournament play and league competition, new generations of Northeastern fans have continued to rally behind their school’s hockey program and cheer for their Huskies. This year, the 1,500 tickets allotted for Northeastern students sold out in a record six hours.

Before the opening face-off, the resurgent Huskies squad, ranked nationally this year as high as seventh, was expected to put up a strong showing in the tournament. But not everyone who calls Matthews Arena home anticipated victory. “Any Northeastern fan has zero expectations. We’re just along for the ride. We had a three win season two years ago, and that humbles you a lot,” says Dave Luca, NU ’04. “We haven’t tasted success in a while, so we’re cautiously optimistic for this year.”

Luca is among the Northeastern fans who remain devoted despite repeated dashed hopes. Like many other students, Luca did not follow hockey before going to college. However, upon arriving at Northeastern, he started attending games. As he says, “Once you’re hooked, even if your team’s not doing what you want them to do, you keep coming back.”

The team didn’t exactly do what fans hoped for Monday. Seven minutes into the game, the Crimson had already scored three goals on Northeastern goaltender Brad Thiessen. Throughout the first period, the Huskies played sloppy hockey, turning the puck over in their own zone, and taking penalties while they were on the power play. With each miscue, the Northeastern “Dog House” got a little bit more restless. After the third goal, the students voiced their displeasure, chanting in unison, “Wake the **** up!”

The Huskies just one came with 28 seconds remaining in the second. The Northeastern fans remained until the final whistle, desperately trying to will their team to score. Despite strong student support, Northeastern lost the game 3-1, ensuring yet another year without a Beanpot championship.

But it would take more than a first-round tournament loss to take out this battle-hardened crew. Not only have the Husky fans been denied the Beanpot for two full decades, but their team hasn’t put up winning season since 2001 – 2002. Since then, over the past five seasons, Northeastern has posted a record of 52 – 87 – 27, including the record team-low three win season two years ago.

Still, fans continue to fill the seats, home and away, donning the Black and Red, in dogged support of their team, support that former Husky winger and current Northeastern Assistant Coach Joe Santilli says is invaluable to the team. “It’s been great, it’s been the buzz around campus. For the players it’s great to know the fans will be there. We go to Maine or U-Mass Lowell and the fans are there,” Santilli says. “They follow us and they support us through the ups and downs. They know hockey, and they root hard, and it’s important for the players.”

But what keeps these faithful fans coming back year after year, even in the absence of championship banners and Beanpots?

Santilli believes the close ties between students and collegiate athletes help rally a campus around a team. “In professional sports, it’s just your home-team, and you root for them, but there’s no interaction,” he says. “Here you know the kids on the team. I knew a lot of kids in the dog house when I played. They’d come up to you in class and talk to you and you form a lot of good relationships as well.”

Many students are drawn into the world of collegiate sports just by attending a few games. Phil Goldhar, a NU freshman, didn’t follow hockey before coming to school, but he hasn’t missed a home game this season. “I think just being there, the atmosphere gets you hooked,” Goldhar says. “Northeastern doesn’t really have a lot of competitive sports, so the fact that we can rally around something, especially because they’re doing so well this year is really a big incentive. It really brings everyone out on a Friday night.”

Senior Lisa Donnelly says that even a losing team doesn’t drive their fans away. “The whole experience keeps me coming back. Our fans are some of the best fans I’ve ever got to cheer with,” Donnelly says. “It’s just the whole spirit of the fans and the team and everything. It makes the games fun even when you’re losing.”

Mike Biglin, Sports Editor of the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, and Northeastern class of 1991, credits the continued support to hope that things will turn around. “They’ve had some tough times, and they’re just starving for a winner,” Biglin says. “The hockey team has been awful for years, but I feel like they sense a bit of a rebound… There’s a ground-swelling, and it feels like things are on the upturn.”

Biglin was a freshman at Northeastern the last time they took home the Beanpot, and like so many other students, he has passionately rooted for his team since arriving on campus. He thinks events like the Beanpot can help keep a collegiate fan base strong. “The Beanpot is a unique thing. It really brings people out sort of like a homecoming football game,” he says. “We gather and share memories and watch the game.”

Collegiate sports teams have the advantage over professional teams in that while they retain their old fans and alumni, they also gather a boost of energy every year from a fresh incoming class of freshmen.

Collegiate ticket pricing is also a selling point for students. Most colleges, including Northeastern, offer students free tickets to home games. According to Forbes, the average price of tickets for Boston Bruins home games is over fifty dollars, beyond the reach of many students.

Combine economy with the community and loyalty that evolve rooting for fellow classmates, and college sports gains yet another bonus over the pro-game. “I think the collegiate game is a lot more exciting for some reason,” senior Craig Malcolmson says. “I think with the fan support and the student sections, it’s just much more exciting than going to an NHL game.”

Biglin, who covered Huskies hockey for The Northeastern News from 1989 – 1991, acknowledges that the Beanpot consolation game is a let-down, especially when fans enter the arena with high hopes for a first round win. “If the dog pound does show up next week, I will be shocked, and I will have a lot of respect for them, because there is nothing worse on the planet than the consolation game in the Beanpot,” he says. “I will think they’re completely insane, but I will have a lot of respect for them.”

But freshman K.C. Mancuso believes that even though fans are disappointed, they will still turn out in force for the consolation game on Monday. “Although I do think some students sold their tickets, I think for the most part students here will still go,” she says.

She also admits that there is an added bonus to this particular consolation game. “It would be awesome if we could put BU in fourth place. Obviously BU and NU is a big rivalry. We just want to beat the guys who always win,” Mancuso says. “But even if we lose in the consolation game, students will still feel a sense of pride for the Huskies and stand by them.”

Coach Santilli agrees, saying, “I think there will be a lot of fans there. I know there’s a lot of loyalty here towards the school and the team, and I don’t think one loss is going to affect that, even if it is in the Beanpot.”

Even after twenty years and untold disappointments, don’t expect the Huskies fans to go home any time soon. Fans agree the chants from the Northeastern corner of the Garden won’t subside until long after third place is settled. They might be insane, as Mike Biglin says, but they are certainly dedicated.

--Phil DiMartino

Change We Can Believe In

In the first National Poll since last week’s historic election, the voters have spoken, and they have called for change.

The Boston University Terriers have catapulted to the top spot in the USA Today and the USCHO.com polls, gaining the number one spot for the first time since March 2006 just before the NCAA Tournament began.

It is also the first time the Terriers have found themselves at number one during the regular season since the days of Chris Drury during the 1998 campaign.

BU has steadily moved up the ladder since being ranked at number nine in the pre-season polls. Although rival BC dropped to fifth, Hockey East is still off to an outstanding start, with UNH sitting at sixth and Northeastern University ranked seventh in the nation.

The Terriers have won on the strength of sophomore stud Colin Wilson. Wilson has been particularly explosive recently, tallying nine points in BU’s last three games.

Their most recent victory came in dramatic fashion on the road at U-Mass Lowell. In a rematch of last season’s Hockey East Quarterfinals, the Terriers found themselves in an unfamiliar position; trailing late in the third period.

But the Terriers showed some toughness, coming back from down four to three as Chris Higgins scored a goal from Wilson and Jason Lawrence to tie the game with just 2:14 remaining in the third.

Wilson took matters into his own hands two minutes later, grabbing a puck at the point and picking his spot over River Hawks’ backup goaltender T.J. Massie’s shoulder with just 14 seconds remaining in the game. Wilson had a total of four points on the night.

Carrying the Terriers to victory in dramatic fashion was enough to earn Wilson Hockey East Player of the Week honors.

Wilson and teammate Nick Bonino currently sit atop the leader-board for points in Hockey East with 12 apiece. Those numbers are also good enough to put the star sophomores at third nationally.

Strong goaltending has also helped push the IceDogs to their current standing atop the College Hockey world. Freshmen goalies Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser have played outstanding in the two-man rotation system, combining for a 2.00 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

The Terriers will look to expand on their success with two games against ranked opponents this weekend. BU travels to #20 U-Mass Amherst on Friday night for the final game of their three game road swing. Then the Terriers return home for the first time in more than three weeks when the host the #7 Northeastern Huskies at Agganis Arena on Sunday Night.

--Phil DiMartino

Iverson Not The Answer for Detroit

Allen Iverson despises practice.

Anyone who follows sports even casually remembers Iverson’s classic rant to the media bemoaning his disdain for pre-game preparation.

“I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re in here talkin’ about practice,” the then Philadelphia 76er said. “Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin’ about practice.”

This came after Iverson, the team’s leader and one of the faces of the league skipped out on, you guessed it, a mandatory team practice and was disciplined by coach Larry Brown.

“How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing?”

That was 2002, and this is 2008, but we are still talking about the same Allen Iverson.

The Detroit Pistons acquired “The Answer” in a trade with the Denver Nuggets, parting ways with long time point-man and consistent clutch player Chuancey Billups. Detroit also gave up big man Antonio McDyess in the deal.

Iverson’s numbers put him among the most prolific scorers in the history of the game. He is undeniably one of the most talented players in the league. But that does not mean that The Answer is the right answer for a Pistons team hoping to get over the top and take the step from contender to champion.

Even if his attitude has improved from the days of wondering why practice is so important, Iverson has always been more concerned with the name on the back of the jersey than the one on the front. More importantly, he lacks the one thing that truly defines greatness: a championship.

His team-second attitude does not mesh with the ideals that have defined the Pistons franchise for the last decade. The Pistons have been a collection of talented players who come together and play well as a team. There are fiery personalities and big egos yes, but they are always able to keep the team’s goals first. It is a mindset that has propelled the team to six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

It also helped them earn a Confernce title in 2005, and a Championship in 2004. But the rings have run dry since then, and the Pistons hope Iverson’s knack to find the net can return them to the winners circle.

In his career, Iverson averages 27.7 points per game with 6.3 assists. Put that next to Billups’ 14.8 points and 5.5 assists and it seems like a no-brainer.

But there is more to winning than flashy numbers. Just ask Alex Rodriguez, or Dan Marino. They will go down in history in their sports among the greatest individual athletes to play their positions. Marino will never get a ring. And A-Rod, much like Iverson, is still trying to mesh individual success with team results. Until they can find a way to do this, they will never be remembered as winning players.

Perhaps the change of scenery and the sunset on the horizon of his career becoming visible will motivate Iverson to put his new teammates first and help him grab that elusive ring.

But playing in the same conference as the three-headed monster that is the Boston Celtics is a serious road-block to achieving a conference title, and Iverson will have to do more than practice to knock off the defending champs.

In fact, Detroit fell to Boston Sunday night. This after they lost to the lowly New Jersey Nets in Iverson’s debut last week. The Pistons are 0-2 since nabbing Iverson, and while they certainly won’t go winless for the rest of the year, it could be a bad omen of things to come.

Only time will tell whether or not Iverson fits in with the Pistons’ system. But it doesn’t take time to realize that you can’t teach winning. Chauncey Billups knows how to win. Allen Iverson doesn’t.

The answer seems obvious. Detroit made the wrong decision.

--Phil DiMartino

#6 BU Dominates #5 Michigan, 7-2

Revenge can be sweet.

Almost a year to the day after BU travelled to Michigan and lost two straight games to the Wolverines, the Terriers showed the hockey world that this season would be much, much different.

Before the game, Coach Jack Parker told the Daily Free Press, “We don’t want to wipe it out of our memory. It was not a good trip and it left a bad taste in our mouths. We’re anxious to see if we can play a lot better against a real good team.”

Well Jack, this must have exceeded expectations.

In front of a sellout crowd at Agganis Arena, the sixth-ranked BU Terriers rebounded nicely from their first loss of the year, putting up a seven goal outburst on the number five Michigan Wolverines in the type of game that could prove to be a signature win for this BU team.

The win was BU’s fourth in a row at home to start this season, and ninth in a row at home in regular season games dating back to last year.

The two teams combined for a whopping 30 penalties total in the game, including matching fighting majors and game disqualifications for Michigan’s Ben Lebler and BU’s Vinny Saponari.

But penalties weren’t the story for BU in this contest. The Terriers will remember this game for their offensive explosion and strong goaltending. Jay Lawrence continued his strong senior campaign, tallying two power-play goals in the game. Sophomore star Colin Wilson added three assists for BU, bringing his season points total to six.

Chris Connolly and Kevin Gilroy each scored their first collegiate goals, while Colby Cohen and Brian Strait notched their first goals of the year. Sophomore star Nick Bonino boosted his team-leading points total to 8 with a goal and an assist in the game.

BU was outstanding on the power play, converting on 5 of their 9 power play opportunities. The Terriers now have 8 power play goals on the season.

The Ice Dogs also held strong when down a man, despite playing shorthanded for more than 22 minutes of the game. BU allowed just two goals on twelve Michigan power plays.

The Terriers’ defense was strong throughout, allowing a mere 17 shots to trickle through to rising fan favorite freshman goalie Kieran Millan, who made 15 saves to win his third game in three starts.

The top-ten teams skated without a goal for the first 15 minutes of play. But with 5 minutes left to play in the first period, Kevin Gilroy gave the Terriers a one-goal lead, and they would never look back.

By the end of the second period, the Terriers were up by four goals on Michigan, knocking star goalie Billy Sauer out of the game after just forty minutes of play. Sauer was a stud for Michigan last season, posting a 1.95 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. But BU got to him on this night, as Sauer could manage just 19 saves on 23 shots.

The scoring would not slow down in the third period. Just four minutes after Michigan’s Robbie Czarnik scored a power-play goal to pull the Wolverines within three, Jay Lawrence put home his second goal of the game to put BU back up by four. Bonino made it 6-1 in favor of the Terriers when he scored at 12:52 of the third.

Michigan and BU would each add a power-play goal apiece before the extra curricular activities took over the game. With 21 seconds left to play, frustrations boiled over as the teams fought after a whistle. Lebler and Saponari were suspended a game apiece for dropping the gloves, and Terriers Junior Eric Gryba was given four minutes for cross-checking and hitting after the whistle.

The Terriers will look to take their momentum on the road, as they will play three consecutive games away from Agganis Arena. The Terriers’ next contest will be in Vermont on November 1.


The Terriers were 1-1-1 against the Catamounts in the regular season, but fell to Vermont in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, ending the Terriers’ playoff push. After falling to Boston College over the weekend, Vermont sits at 2-1-0 on the year.


--Phil DiMartino

Perfect No More: BU Falls to UNH in Penalty Filled Contest, 2-1

The new NCAA two referee system and the BU Terriers aren’t getting along.

However, until their matchup with the University of New Hampshire on Sunday, their aggressive tendencies were yet to catch up to them. But it finally cost them their perfect record on Sunday, as BU took nine penalties and they paid for it, as UNH cashed in with two power play goals. BU has now committed 19 penalties in their last two games alone.

The Wildcats defeated the Terriers by a count of 2-1 at the Whittemore Center on Sunday afternoon. The loss marks BU’s fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of UNH dating back to last season. It also dropped BU from fifth in the national polls to sixth. With the win UNH vaulted from sixth to fourth nationally.

BU is now 3-1-0 on the year, while the Wildcats remain undefeated at 3-0-0.

Forwards Joe Pereira and Brandon Yip have been the biggest penalty offenders thus far, taking a combined 11 penalties during the Terriers’ first four games. The two also seem to have a knack for finding their way into the box at the same time.

Pereira spent four minutes in the sin bin in the first period alone on Sunday, and the ‘Cats grabbed a one-goal advantage at the tail end of his second indiscretion. With big-man Eric Gryba sitting next to him, Pereira watched as right winger Phil DeSimone beat rookie goaltender Grant Rollheiser.

UNH would strike again at 5:32 of the second. With assistant captain Brian Strait in the box, sophomore star James van Riemsdyk showed some speed as he beat Matt Gilroy down the ice on a breakaway and beat Rollheiser again to give UNH a 2-0 lead.

The goal came on UNH’s only shot of the second period.

Despite taking the loss, Rollheiser played well, making 22 saves, and keeping BU in the game with clutch saves throughout the third period. He stayed cool under pressure during a penalty kill with about five minutes to go in the game.

BU did make a run, but UNH Junior Goalie Brian Foster was too much. Foster made 31 saves, including 17 in the second period. His only blemish on the day came with BU on the 5 on 3. Colby Cohen and Colin Wilson took advantage of three ‘Cats penalties in a two minute span, setting up Jay Lawrence for a goal to cut the lead in half.

Despite some good chances, Foster would shut the Terriers down for the remainder of the game, showing that UNH has little to worry about minus last season’s MVP Kevin Regan. Rollheiser spent the final minute and a half watching from the bench as BU sent an extra skater on searching for the equalizer. But the UNH defense held off BU by blocking several crucial shots in the waning moments of the game.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Terriers this weekend. They will clash with the #5 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday at Agganis Arena. Michigan dropped from second in the nation after splitting a two game set with CCHA Rival Northern Michigan over the weekend.

Coach Jack Parker has not yet made it clear which of his goalies will be between the pipes against the potent Wolverines’ offense. However, conventional logic would lean toward sticking with the one on and one off rotation, which would give Kieran Millan the start.


--Phil DiMartino

Game Preview: #5 BU Terriers vs. #6 New Hampshire Wildcats

Home ice doesn’t mean a whole lot when BU and the University of New Hampshire face off.

The Terriers and Wildcats have a tendency to step up on the road. While BU has been unable to defeat UNH at Agganis Arena in six chances, they have dominated play at the Whittemore Center, posting an 8-5-5 record all time there. Further, since the 2003-2004 season, the road team is 9-1-4 in the series.

However, the Terriers failed to secure a point at The Whit last season, dropping the one contest they played there.

BU will have a chance to get back on a winning track in Durham, as they visit the sixth ranked Wildcats in a late afternoon game on Sunday.

The Terriers are off to their best start since 2001-2002, and have received offensive contribution from all of their lines. They have already defeated two ranked teams and a conference opponent on the young season, and have every reason to feel confident as a team.

However, it won’t be easy for BU in their first road game of the year, as they will have to contend with a Wildcats team that is also yet to drop a point on the season.

Despite the departure of 2007-2008 Hockey East Player of the Year Goalie Kevin Regan, UNH is off and running out of the gate. After winning 8-4 in an exhibition game against St. Francis Xavier, the Wildcats have settled in nicely, defeating the then #14 Wisconsin Badgers a week ago before beating RPI on Friday.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise for UNH has been Regan’s replacement, Junior Goaltender Brian Foster. The Florida Panthers draft choice has been outstanding in two starts this season, allowing just one goal over two games. Foster has turned away 47 of the 48 shots he has seen this year.

Foster also has a potentially explosive offense in front of him, headlined by last year’s leading scorer James van Riemsdyk. After posting 34 points in his freshman year, van Riemsdyk has recorded three points in the Wildcats’ first two contests. Van Riemsdyk also put his mark on the Terriers’ season last year with a highlight reel goal through two defenders and a goal-keeper to help the Wildcats defeat BU.

The man attempting to stall van Riemsdyk and the rest of UNH will be Freshman Goalie Grant Rollheiser. “Rollie the Goalie” is currently splitting time with fellow freshman Kieran Millan between the pipes for the Terriers. His turn in the rotation is up, and he has a tough act to follow, as Millan made 23 saves on 25 shots in Friday night’s game.

Rollheiser allowed just one goal in his lone start of the year against Michigan State in a pressure-packed 2-1 BU victory. Every start for the young goalies could be crucial in Coach Jack Parker’s eventual decision for full-time starting goalie.

The solid goaltending has been a tremendous change for BU. To start last season, BU allowed two or more goals in 17 of 18 games, often wasting solid offensive efforts with shoddy goaltending. In their three games this year, the Terriers have been nothing short of stingy, holding their opponents to a total of just four goals.

Seniors Matt Gilroy and Chris Higgins have each recorded six points in their careers against UNH, leading current Terriers in scoring against the Wildcats. Sophomore phenom Colin Wilson also grabbed four points in just three games against UNH last year.

BU defeats Merrimack College, 5-2

For about three minutes during the second period of Friday night’s contest between Boston University and Merrimack College, the Terriers were playing on their heels.

For the other 57 minutes of play, the fifth ranked BU squad seemed to be skating downhill, dominating play in a 5-2 victory over the Warriors of Merrimack at Agganis Arena in the teams’ first game of conference play.

Senior wing Brandon Yip scored twice for BU, his first tallies of the young season, to lead the Terriers to their first 3-0 start since the 2001-2002 campaign. Coincidentally, the Terriers earned their third win of that season over Merrimack as well.

Sophomore forward Nick Bonino also continued his strong play, assisting on three of the Terriers goals.

In a game marked by physical play, the Terriers’ special teams shined. The two teams combined for 19 penalties, and the Terriers were exceptional short-handed. BU killed 9 of the 10 penalties they faced, including a lengthy 5 on 3 that delayed the Warriors’ first goal of the game.

The BU power play also showed good puck movement, controlling the flow of the game and shifting the momentum to their end during the man advantage. The Terriers scored on 2 of their 9 man advantages, and created quality scoring chances on most of their power plays.

Yip was especially effective on special teams, scoring both a power play goal and a short handed goal during the game.

Freshman goalie Kieran Millan played strong as well, earning his second collegiate victory in as many starts. Millan saved 23 of the 25 Warriors shots. Merrimack goaltender Andrew Braithwaite saved 23 of 28 BU shots in the game.

BU didn’t wait long to jump on the visiting Warriors, as Freshman Vinny Saponari pounded home a rebound for his first collegiate goal just 1:22 into the contest. Fellow first-year Terrier Corey Trivino also earned his first career point on the play, earning an assist.

The Terriers increased their lead to two when Yip scored on the power play at 7:07 of the first. Yip showed off some speed, skating from the corner to the top of the left faceoff circle and into the slot, putting him in position to flick a wrist shot over Braithwaite’s shoulder.

Yip would score the next Terriers’ goal as well. With the Terriers on the penalty kill, Nick Bonino took a pass from Colby Cohen at his own blue line, and carried it into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush. Bonino drew Braithwaite off his line and found Yip in front of a wide-open net. Yip buried a one-timer to put the Terriers up 3-0.

However, Merrimack would fight back, albeit briefly.

After BU killed off a long Merrimack two man advantage, Warriors’ Sophomore Chris Barton scored twice in a span of just over two minutes.

BU stumbled into the third period with a one-goal lead, but re-gained their footing thanks largely to the strong play of their young goalie. Millan made a habit of smothering rebounds and snagging pucks out of the air to keep the Terriers on top.

Luke Popko and Co-Captain Matt Gilroy added goals to seal the victory for BU in the third period.

Despite the short lapse during the second period, the Terriers played solid hockey from end-to-end against the Warriors on Friday night. Yip stepped up and showed that he can assume a position of leadership as an upperclassman on a young team when he’s needed to, and Nick Bonino continued to show that he is among the upper-echelon of players in all of college hockey.

Also making his presence felt was Freshman forward Chris Connolly. Connolly demonstrated an ability to apply controlled pressure on the fore check during one of BU’s many penalty kills. Showing speed and poise, Connolly earned more than a couple of “wow’s” from the packed house Friday night.

It is also starting to become evident that Jack Parker has a wonderful problem – he seems to have two young goaltenders that can stand up to the pressure of Hockey East competition and beyond.

Parker is sticking with his goalie rotation for now, as Grant Rollheiser will start between the pipes on Sunday afternoon against the sixth ranked University of New Hampshire. The game will be at 5 pm in Durham. UNH is also perfect on the young season, after they shutout RPI on Friday, 1-0.

BU will look to move to 4-0 on the year, and 2-0 in Hockey East play when they visit the Wildcats.

--Phil DiMartino

Game Preview: #5 BU Terriers (2-0-0) vs. Merrimack Warriors (1-0-0)

The Boston University Terriers are coming off of one of the most impressive opening weekends in recent memory, having defeated the #5 North Dakota Sioux 5-1 and the #11 Michigan State Spartans by a count of 2-1. They did it with strong goaltending, fundamentally sound defense, and a flashy offense.

This Friday night, at Agganis Arena, BU faces an opponent that should be a walk in the park compared to their nationally ranked foes from last weekend. However, far too often good teams make the mistake of looking past a team that they are “supposed to beat.”

Call it a trap game. Call it a hangover game. Call it a potential let down.

Just don’t call it automatic.

The Merrimack Warriors (1-0-0) visit the Terriers Friday, on the first weekend of conference play in Hockey East for the 2008 campaign. They are coming off a 3-1 win over Robert Morris in their season opener.

Conventional logic would call the Terriers the vast favorites in this game. BU went 3-0 against the Warriors last season, putting up a monstrous 15 goals and yielding just 7 over the three contests.

Further, the Terriers have dominated the Warriors for the past four seasons, winning each of their last 12 contests. To find the last time BU dropped a game to Mack, you have to look all the way back to February 12, 2004.

In addition to the past, BU has the present on their side. Right now, the Terriers are on top of the world. Their two best players, Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy, put the NHL on hold for another year in scarlet and white, and that decision seems pretty good right now.

Add to that one of the best classes of freshmen in the nation, and the fact that the Terriers returned 5 out of 6 of last year’s starting defensemen, and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot for Coach Jack Parker to worry about.

Might as well start worrying about the big match-up in Durham, New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon, right?

Wrong.

A loss to Merrimack in the first conference game of the year would deflate not only the team, but the cautiously optimistic fan base that is still licking their wounds from last year’s disappointing finish.

And the Warriors will certainly bring their A Game to Agganis on Friday. Despite last year’s 12-18-4 finish, Goaltender Andrew Braithwaite played well behind an offensively challenged team.
In 25 games Braithwaite posted a .922 save percentage and an above average 2.38 goals against average. However, his teammates managed just 2.1 goals per games throughout the campaign.

If the Warriors want to upset the Terriers, players like sophomore forward Francois Ouimet will have to continue to step up. Ouimet scored two goals in Merrimack’s win over Robert Morris. Braithwaite was also solid between the pipes, recording 23 saves on 24 shots.

Without a doubt, Merrimack is not North Dakota, Michigan State or New Hampshire. But by no means does that mean that the Terriers can take this team for granted. If BU wants to make it thirteen in a row over Mack, they have to maintain the focus that got them to 2-0.

Any team playing in Hockey East can steal one on any given day, especially when they catch an opponent napping.

If the Terriers look past Merrimack Friday, they could very well become the latest in a long line of good teams who play down to their opponents.

However, if they play as well as they are capable of, BU could turn this contest into the type of confidence booster they need to carry them into an even bigger game on Sunday afternoon, and beyond. It could even be the type of runaway win a team draws on all season as a positive. It could end up being a trademark of the entire Terriers season.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.


--Phil DiMartino

The Most Frustrating Story in Sports

“Throw him out of the league,” pleaded Chris “Mad Dog” Russo during one of his patented rants. “He’s got a rap sheet as long as Al Capone!”

Mad Dog was referring to NFL resident bad boy Adam “Pacman” Jones after the rising defensive star was involved in a scrap with the law in February of 2007.

At the time, Russo’s remarks seemed extreme. Kick a player out of the league for poor behavior off the field? Russo’s sentiments were easy to write off; after all, this is a man who once promised the baseball gods his first born child in exchange for a San Francisco Giants championship run.

But now, a year and a half later, it seems that Russo may have been right on target.

Jones has officially given a bad name to second, third and fourth chances, and has effectively reinforced the concept that stupid people never get smart.

On February 19, 2007 Jones was carousing at a Las Vegas strip club with an entourage. According to reports, several rappers were throwing hundreds of dollars on the stage. In order to prove his own wealth, Jones joined in the fun, helping to make it rain by dropping thousands of his own dollars as well. However, when the strippers tried to collect the money, Jones decided he wanted it back.

As usually happens when people throw tens of thousands of dollars around in public, a fight broke out. One of Jones’ friends left and came back to the club with a gun, several people were shot, and one ended up paralyzed. As a side note, Jones wasn’t too worried about an additional 15 grand he spread around Vegas as hush money to keep his name out of the fray.

Unfortunately for him, his name got out, and Jones was suspended from the league for one year.

At first glance, a full year off came across as excessive. Players are only suspended for four games when they test positive for steroids for the first time, and this took place off the field.

However, upon further review, Jones has been involved in 12 legal incidents dating back his being drafter in 2005. While his rap sheet may not quite rival legendary gangsters as Russo suggests, it is quite impressive. Jones’ indiscretions include, but are in no way limited to: Involvement in an additional nightclub shooting in Atlanta, a confiscated Cadillac involved in drug trafficking, and arrests for assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and felony vandalism.

However, Jones got a year off, and he pledged to do better. He routinely appealed his suspension, and even complained that he was not given a fair shake in the proceedings. He went on air with Bryant Gumbel and pleaded his innocence for all the world to see.

And low and behold, it worked. The NFL gave Pacman another chance.

And low and behold, he blew it.

Over this past weekend, Pacman got drunk and started a fight with the bodyguard assigned to him by the NFL to keep him out of trouble.

Jones has been suspended again, this time for “a minimum of four games,” according to commissioner Roger Goddell.

Perhaps it is finally time to heed Russo’s ranting. It is time to stop giving Pacman Jones chances to redeem himself.

He is a mediocre cornerback at best, and proved it in what may have been his final game with Dallas as he was routinely burned by All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

But more important than his lack of skill at his position is his incredible lack of judgment and apparent lack of intelligence.

Why should a man with such blatant disregard not only for the law, but also for human life be allowed to continue to represent the NFL? In case the world has forgotten, playing football for a living is not a god-given right, but a privilege. There is no place in such a great game for such a bad person.

Pacman has lost his right to play football for a living. He does not deserve another chance. Even if another team is inexplicably stupid enough to waste their money on another Pacman experiment, it is indeed time for Goddell to throw him out of the league.

Simply put, it should finally, and mercifully, be game over for Pacman Jones.



--Phil DiMartino

It Ain't Over Till It's Over...Or At Least Until It Starts

Baseball is a wonderful game.

With Exhibit A, I give you the 2008 ALCS. Who in their right minds would have ever predicted the series would go as it has to this point? Who could have imagined that Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield would all get tagged by a team that has never even tasted the postseason before a week ago? Who would ever think that the defending champion Red Sox could look so unbeatable against, The LA Angels of Anaheim, a team they were supposed to lose to, and so flat against the Tampa Bay Rays, a team they should beat?

No one could have predicted any of these chips could have fallen the way they have. Fans and analysts spend countless hours crunching numbers from spring training all the way through game 162, but at the end of the day, the whole house of cards can crumble for any team in a span of four short, cold October nights.

And that is why baseball is so great. The old saying reminds us that momentum is only as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher. Each day, one man has the golden opportunity and the heart-stopping pressure of putting an entire team and organization on his back. If he does well, his team’s success should follow. Should he fail, his team will not stand a chance.

This type of responsibility cannot be matched by any other player in any other sport. The quarterback in football and the goaltender in hockey are close, but they can always be picked up by their teammates. In the great game of baseball, this isn’t always the case.

The loneliest place on earth oftentimes is a small mound of dirt in the middle of a field a mere 60 feet and 6 inches from the adversary. Ironically, this Fortress of Solitude is located in a stadium filled with 50,000 screaming fans, ready to pounce.

For Beckett, Lester and Wakefield, the game that has been so good to them in the past has suddenly turned. Instead of bringing the momentum for their own club, their play has turned the tide and given all the positive energy to their opponent.

In their three consecutive starts, the Sox pitchers have combined to give up a whopping 18 runs on 23 hits in just 12 2/3 innings pitched. For those of you scoring at home, those numbers do not exactly set the defending champions up to make another run at the World Series.

But momentum is only as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher. The Sox next best hope is Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has been a stud for them all year long to the tune of a 2.90 regular season ERA. He also tossed a brilliant seven scoreless innings against these same, explosive Rays in Game 1.

When Matsuzaka takes the lonely walk to the mound at Fenway Park in Game 5, his job will be to fend off elimination and send the series back to Tampa Bay.

The beautiful thing about baseball is that when he takes the hill, anything can happen.

But the best part about baseball is that you just can’t predict these things.


-Phil DiMartino

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