‘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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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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