‘08-’09 Mid-Year Report Card: Defensemen - Part I

Continuing with our ratings for the Terriers for the first half of the season, we take a look at some of the defensemen. If you haven’t already, check out our mid-year report card for the goaltenders as well.   The Boston University defense has been a very integral part of the overall team success this year, limiting opponents to just under 23 shots a game.  This is especially helpful to the freshmen goaltenders, who face less pressure with BU’s stifling defense.  BU has 8 defensemen on the roster, so let’s take a look at a few of them right now.  For simplicity, we’ll go in numerical order based on the numbers they wear:

#2 Eric Gryba (16 GP 0-1-1, 24 PIM, +5)

Eric Gryba has always been the Terriers’ big, stay at home defenseman.  This year, he has continued on that trend, and is doing an ok job.  He is good at laying down big hits and playing the body.  I’ve also noticed that he is drastically improving on breaking the puck out of the zone.  However, my criticism of him (as it has always been) is that he doesn’t use his size to his advantage.  He does not play smart with what he has, and instead is often called for holding/boarding penalties when he plays in the corners.  He should instead use his size to push guys off the puck instead of killing them into the boards (as fun as that is to watch).  Being paired with Warsofsky, he must be more defensively minded and take care of his own end.  He is +5, which shows that he has been successful in this so far, but I think he can be better.

Grade: B-

#3 Kevin Shattenkirk (16 GP 3-8-11, 14 PIM, +9)

After a first half freshman year which left much to be desired, Shatty has really come into his own this year.  Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen make up one of the best offensively minded d-men pairings in the nation, which is great considering they’re both Colorado Avalanche draft picks.  He has played very cool and collected, manning the point well on the PP.  He has also gotten much better defensively, and while he is still primarily offensive minded, I feel ok with him coming back on defense.  He plays the puck well, is able to disrupt passes, breakaways,  and has great vision when passing.  I hope that his time at the WJCs will help him further develop his confidence, and continue with his excellent play thus far.

Grade A-

#4 Ryan Ruikka (0 GP 0-0-0, 0 PIM, Even)

Here’s one of the defensemen that we will likely be seeing at the Denver Cup.  Ruikka has yet to play in a game this season, and has been nursing an injury for a majority of the first half.  He has decent size at 6 feet and 187 lbs, but will need to adapt quickly.  I’ll be very interested to see how the defensive corps will look if Ruikka is successful in his play.  Like Adam Kraus though, you can’t really judge him after not seeing him play yet, so he gets a passing grade/

Grade: C

#5 David Warsofsky (16 GP 0-6-6, 10 PIM, +6)

Coming into BU very highly touted, and a high draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, Warsofsky has been very impressive.  He plays much bigger than his small frame seems to allow.  Very good at controlling the puck and breaking out of the zone, he has shown great tenacity on the shorthand, often controlling the puck back into the offensive zone all on his own, and setting up some great shorthanded opportunities for the Terriers.  It’s been said that his size is all that’s keeping him from going to the NHL next year, and I’m very grateful for that.  I would like to see him get some more time on the PP, as I think he would excel there.  Overall though Warsofsky has been very impressive, and has fit right into the BU system.  An offensive defenseman, he still does manage to take care of the defensive end as well.

Grade: A-

Let’s take some time to digest what we have here, but I can say with confidence that the Terrier defensive corps is a solid bunch.  However, with just 8 defensemen on the roster, it will be tough if there are any injuries.  It’s been shown that having hurt defensemen really hurts.  It happened with Michigan when they came to Agganis, most of their defensemen were hurt and it really showed.  That being said, the loss of Shattenkirk for the WJCs will really show how deep the d-men are.  I’m excited to see what will happen.

Stay tuned for Part II of the Mid-Year Report Card for the defensemen!

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‘08-’09 Mid-Year Report Card: Goaltenders

With the Terriers off for Finals and holidays, I’ve decided to take this time to reflect on how the first half has been, and rate the players based on how I think they’ve been doing.  It’s been a very good first half for BU, and it is all built around goaltending.  If you followed the Terriers last year, then you know that BU had weak goaltending, and thus lost many games that should have been won.  With the dismissal of Brett Bennett, this year is quite different, with two goalies who could contend for the #1 position.

The Goaltenders

Kieran Millan - Freshman - (10 GP, 8-1-1, .922 Sv %, 1.79 GAA)

Starting out the year as one of two starters, Kieran Millan has displayed an impressive ability to make timely saves.  What really has helped him is that BU always manages to find a way to play well in front of him, blocking many shots, and allowing few quality chances.  However, Millan does move fairly well from side to side, and can snap his glove to make a spectacular save.  He is very cool under pressure, playing breakaways very well.  However, he can become lazy at times, not playing the angles when he should, and has also displayed periods of nervousness and indecision.  With the recent injury to Grant Rollheiser, Millan has seen the majority of the playing time, but has not cemented himself as the true #1 yet.

Grade: B+

Grant Rollheiser - Freshman - (6 GP, 3-3-0, .885 Sv %, 2.52 GAA)

Hailing from Chilliwack, BC, Grant Rollheiser was a late signer to BU, but caught the eye of some NHL teams, being drafted by Toronto.  He has very good size which has allowed him to cover large areas of the net.  Rollhesier is pretty effective in the butterfly, controlling the puck fairly well. He has suffered from weaker team defense in front of him, which explains his low save percentage, since BU does not allow many quality chances.  He has been blitzed a few times, notably a 5-1 loss @ UMass. A recent injury has allowed Kieran Millan to play a lot recently, but Rollhesier should be getting a start in the Denver Cup after having some time to recover.  Overall, he has been a decent starter, who needs to develop more confidence and use his size to his advantage.  The skaters also need to trust in his abilities, allowing them to play better in front of him.

Grade: B-

Adam Kraus - Sophomore (0 GP,0-0-0, 0.00 Sv %, 0.00 GAA)

There is not too much that can be said about Kraus right now.  He has yet to get a chance to play this season, with Rollheiser and Millan getting all of the time.  Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t seem like this will be changing this year.  Kraus was unimpressive in his few starts last year, and will likely not get a chance this season (or ever) at BU.  However, I can’t fault him for something he hasn’t done, so I’ll give him a passing grade.  Barring a miracle, I doubt we will see Kraus in anything but mop-up time.

Grade: C

Overall Grade: B

I have been very pleased with the outlook on goaltending this season.  When Brett Bennett was released before the season started, I worried that having no one at this position with experience would be an issue.  Adam Kraus had a few starts, but was unproven and didn’t exhibit the skills of a number 1 goalie.  However, with the way that both Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser have been playing, I am very confident that goaltending will not be an issue this year.  The players have already shown that they are confident in the abilities of their starting goaltenders (more so for Millan than Rollheiser so far), and have limited grade “A” chances.

That being said, there is still room for improvement.  I expect both netminders to develop further this season, and tandem a majority (if not all) of the way.  Goaltending should be a strength for the Terriers the rest of the way.

We’ll work our way out.  Next, we’ll take a look at the Defensemen.  Be on the lookout for that!

Image Credit: BU Athletics

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Men Move Up One more, Women down Three

With just a few games being played last week, the polls did not move around much.  The Men’s team, following a win against UMass Lowell, moved up to the #3 spot in the nation.  The women had a tough loss against BC at home, and moved down to #9 in the women’s poll.  There was actually only one new entry into either poll’s top 10, and that was Wayne State on the women’s side.  Read more

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Game 17 Recap: BU 3, UMass Lowell 2

The fourth line provided the fire tonight as the Terriers took down UMass Lowell, 3-2 in front of a crowd of 4520 at Agganis Arena.  BU would be playing from behind for quite a bit of time tonight, but managed to generate a good deal of pressure and get a few nice bounces. Read more

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Red Sox Reveal New Uniforms

I was checking over at Boston.com, and had completely forgotten that the Red Sox revealed their new uniforms today.  Just taking a quick look at them, I’m not sure how I feel about it.  I really liked the Red Sox uniforms as they were, and I’m not sure that they needed a change. Read more

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Game 17 Preview: #4 BU v. UMass Lowell

On Friday, BU will be taking on the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell for the second time this year.  For those of you who may have gone to the last game in which these two squads met, UML gave BU all they could handle, and then some.  The Terriers barely managed to eke out a 6-4 win, but couldn’t have done so without the help of Colin Wilson having an incredible third period, and Carter Hutton going down for Lowell with an ankle injury.  How well do the clubs match up this time?

Both offensively and defensively, we’ve got some very good clubs.  BU is scoring more, with a 3.4 GPG, while UML is at 3.2.  However, the defense is exactly the same, both allowing 2.13 goals per game.  Not bad at all.  Of course, injury may play a factor in this game.  UML has a whopping 4 guys out of this game, with the biggest one being Carter Hutton still out with an ankle injury.  His backup has proved to be quite capable though, so BU still can’t take this game lightly.  BU has to come out strong in the beginning, and maintain the pressure.  They can’t be expected to dig themselves out of the same hole as last time, as incredible as that was.

Who to Watch Out For

Kory Falite - The Riverhawks’ leading scorer, Falite is always a threat to score.  He’s already got 10 on the season, and is tied for third in the league.  Expect UML to try to get the puck to him whenever he’s on the ice.  The defense will need to be sharp and contain him.

Nevin Hamilton - While he is officially the “backup” when Carter Hutton returns, the numbers that he has put up are nothing to complain about.  He has a nice 2.13 GAA, and he’s faced a pretty tough schedule.  Two games against UNH, Northeastern, Massachusetts, and Vermont… and a few more in there too.  To come out of that stretch with just a 2.13 GAA is not too shabby at all!

Other Considerations

UML is coming off a sweep at the hands of UNH.  I’m sure that the Riverhawks want to prove that they can hang with the big boys right before going on break, so expect them to try to come out with speed and intensity.  BU will need to match this, and not allow UML to try to run past them.  I really like the way the Terriers are playing right now, and believe they will play very well.  Also, the Riverhawks have to remember the comeback that BU had at Agganis last year too, and they definitely don’t want that to happen again.  In both of those games, UML had a nice cushion before BU went on a scoring frenzy and won.  Blaise McDonald will likely try to bring back those memories and use it to generate some energy for hs club.

Game time is set for 7pm at Agganis Arena.  You can catch the BU broadcast online from BU’s official website or on AM 1510.  UML’s broadcast can be found on 91.5 FM, or online here.

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Game 16 Recap: BU 3, BC 1

Yes, this game recap is extremely late but I thought I’d take the time to write it anywho.  Last Saturday, BU earned a 3-1 victory over BC at Conte Forum.  It was an excellent game, with BU controlling the play for the first two periods, and surviving a BC onslaught in the third. Read more

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Terrier Hockey: WJCs and Goalies

It’s the last week of college hockey for most schools this week, and here at Let’s Go Terriers, I’d like to catch up and discuss some news that I’ve missed over the past few days.  There are a lot of goings on in the world of BU Hockey… some really great stuff.  I’d also like to comment on the goaltending situation at BU right now, and hear what you have to say about it. Read more

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Men Leap to #4, Women Stay at #6

After taking 3 points from BC this weekend, the BU Mens’ Ice Hockey Team rose to #4 in the national rankings. The women, on the other hand, remained at #6 after losing a decision to Vermont, but beating UNH in the shootout. Let’s take a look at the rest of the mens’ poll. Read more

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Game # 15 Recap: BU 1, BC 1

The Terriers and the Eagles met at Agganis for the first time this season on Friday, and it was a real barn burner, with neither team emerging victorious.  After 65 minutes of play, BU and BC ended up knotted 1 to 1.  John McCarthy got the lone goal for the Terriers, while Brock Bradford scored for the Eagles. Read more

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