Oilers Chick
11-08-2003, 01:51 AM
NEW HAMPSHIRE vs. BOSTON UNIVERSITY:
In a battle of two of Hockey East powerhouses, this was a game that had all of the ear-markings of a great game. This game featured two teams who have a combined 25 NHL prospects on their teams, however not all of them played tonight.
Instead, it was UNH who thoroughly dominated BU, throughout much of the game, with some very sound defensive play. The Terriers still have not found a way to beat UNH netminder, Mike Ayers (CHI) who extended his dominance over BU by shutting out for the 3rd consecutive meeting dating back to last season. He made 38 saves, some of which were phenomenal, for the win and shutout.
In the first period and for much of the night, particularly early on, UNH was winning all of the battles to the loose pucks. If it wasn’t the stifling defensive play and aggressiveness of the UNH skaters, it was the solid as a rock netminding by Ayers that thoroughly frustrated the Terriers. UNH, would score the first of their four goals on the night at the 9:19 on the Power Play. Junior forward Preston Callander, who deflected in a shot taken by Sophomore Dman Brian Yandle, notched the goal for UNH. Yandle would draw the only assist. BU was assessed a Too Many Men on the ice penalty at the 8:18 mark, that gave UNH the Power Play. While UNH would not score again in the period, they did continue getting their chances at they outplayed, out-hustled and outworked the Terriers. The area where BU did excel was in winning faceoffs.
The 2nd period was more of the same for BU as they continued to lose the battle for loose pucks. BU netminder senior Sean Fields, who was exceptional, despite the final score had to make some big saves throughout the contest to keep BU in the game. However, from time to time he did manage to get some defensive help from the guys in front of him. Such was the case on a great scoring attempt by UNH sophomore Eddie Caron (EDM). Junior forward David Klema (PHX) made an absolutely great heads up defensive play to sweep the puck out just before it crossed the goal line. Midway thru the period BU did manage to get some good scoring chances as well as some Power Play time. One of note, was what was arguably the save of the night. Junior forward Matt Radoslovich skated in on UNH Goalie Mike Ayers and tried to get a goal by firing a low shot. Ayers with the great reflexes that he possesses, robbed Rasoslovich of what appeared to be a sure goal. He slid across the crease and managed to get a leg up to make the save. The stingy UNH defence was once again up to challenge. A big part of the Terriers’ problem with their Power Play tonight was the fact that they failed to get players to the front of the net. At the 18:15 mark, BU sophomore David VanderGulik (CGY) was asssesed a tripping penalty. With UNH on the Power Play, BU would suffer another setback. At the 19:08 mark, senior forward Steve Saviano would extend UNH’s lead to 2-0. Saviano receives the puck from senior forward Nathan Martz (NYR) and manages to slide a nice backhander between BU netminder Sean Fields’ pads. The scoring chance (and eventual goal) would result from another BU defensive breakdown. This time it was sophomore Dan Spang (SJ). Martz was credited with the lone assist on Saviano’s goal.
In the 3rd period, BU continued to get their chances but even with a 2-0 lead in the final stanza, the Wildcats weren’t gonna back down. One great scoring for the Terriers came early in the period when sophomore forward John Laliberte (VAN) fired a shot at Ayers and stayed with the play. He followed up his initial shot with some nice hustle to the front of the UNH net to retrieve a loose puck. Laliberte then tried to jam it past Ayers, who was with him every step of the way and denying Laliberte each time. At the 6:07 mark, UNH would extend their lead to 3-0 thanks to a very nice play by senior forward Tyler Scott (NYI). Senior Dman Tim Horst, took the initial shot from the point that made it’s way into the crowd in the slot area where Scott would eventually get the puck and spin to unload the shot off. With the traffic in front of Fields, BU’s defensive coverage not only broke down but the players were scrambling. Scott stayed with the play and the puck. After a few attempts at jamming it home, it finally made it’s way past Fields. The goal was unassisted. At the 14:06 mark, sophomore Eddie Caron would put the final nail in the Terriers coffin. Caron goals came on an outstanding individual effort. After receiving a nice cross-ice feed from junior Dman Tyler Teplitsky, Caron skates in on Fields untouched. He makes a nice fake on Fields and showed tremendous patience with the puck by waiting until Fields had committed to slide around a sprawled Fields to slip the puck into the net. A few moments later, the Terriers got another golden opportunity to get on the board. This time it was freshman Kenny Roche’s (NYR) turn. He went one-on-one with Ayers, hoping that Ayers would commit on the deke he put on him. Once again, Ayers stood his ground. Roche eventually got the shot off and thanks to some great acrobatics (ala Dominick Hasek) by Ayers, the puck managed to somehow stay out. After the save, things started to get very chippy as the Terriers were becoming unravelled and their frustration very high. Even with the frustration level, BU kept pressing and kept coming. Once again, if it wasn’t the UNH defense then it was Ayers who was shutting the door on BU. The game would end 4-0.
What won the game for UNH was some solid defence, top notch netminding by Mike Ayers and seizing the oppotunities when they came. BU, lacking a bonafided sniper (even with the enormous amount of offensive talent that they possess) couldn’t breakthrough the defensive stranglehold of the Wildcats. BU failed miserably at getting players in front of Ayers to create some chaos on Power Plays. They also failed in winning the puck battles and the lost the speed/skating battles as well. But above all, BU couldn’t find a way to get some rubber past Mike Ayers.
Despite the loss however, several BU players were impressive. Aside from Sean Fields, who was magnificent, even with the loss, junior Dman Ryan Whitney (PIT) showed why he is such a highly touted prospect. Whitney is blessed with tremendous skating ability. He’s very fluid in his skating. He’s also got some great hands and uses them very well. Whether it’s a point shot, or a soft pass. He uses his 6’4/202 frame very well too, making it difficult to get around or through. Another player who played very well for BU was Mark Mullen. The Terriers captain was just a thorn in the Wildcats side for much of the night, either making plays or creating chaos.
For UNH, Mike Ayers was hands down the best player. In fact, he was the best player for either team period. His cool as a cucumber composure, intensity, fantastic ability to stay with the play and stopping shots made him the biggest thorn in the Terriers side. He was nothing short of perfection in this game, although at times his play and saves made, were rather unorthodox.
There were 3 other players who were exceptional tonight. Senior Steve Saviano, who has to be one of the hardest working players in the NCAA, was superb. He’s a very sound two-way player who plays alot bigger than his 5’7” size on most nights. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for with his heart and his hard work.
Sophomore Eddie Caron (EDM), could become an Edmonton Oilers fan favourite someday, if he continues to play like he did tonight. Caron had an outstanding game for UNH. What Oilers fan will like about Caron is his great forechecking and how well he uses his 6’3/225 frame. He’s strong and hard to move off of the puck. He’s also a grinder who works hard, particularly along the boards and is opportunistic. He seizes his opportunities whenever they present themselves, even if they don’t always result in a goal.
Finally, a player who could get some serious draft consideration in 2004 is freshman Jacob Micflickier. He posted a 4 goal game already this season. While his size may be scare away some scouts (5’8/175), his quickness/shiftiness and blazing speed will be impressive to others. This kid is a real waterbug. He moves extremely well and finds openings that somehow just don’t exist. He sees the ice very well and seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. In addition to quickness and speed, he’s also an excellent goal-scorer. While he didn’t score tonight he did get his chances and some of them were real beauties.
In a battle of two of Hockey East powerhouses, this was a game that had all of the ear-markings of a great game. This game featured two teams who have a combined 25 NHL prospects on their teams, however not all of them played tonight.
Instead, it was UNH who thoroughly dominated BU, throughout much of the game, with some very sound defensive play. The Terriers still have not found a way to beat UNH netminder, Mike Ayers (CHI) who extended his dominance over BU by shutting out for the 3rd consecutive meeting dating back to last season. He made 38 saves, some of which were phenomenal, for the win and shutout.
In the first period and for much of the night, particularly early on, UNH was winning all of the battles to the loose pucks. If it wasn’t the stifling defensive play and aggressiveness of the UNH skaters, it was the solid as a rock netminding by Ayers that thoroughly frustrated the Terriers. UNH, would score the first of their four goals on the night at the 9:19 on the Power Play. Junior forward Preston Callander, who deflected in a shot taken by Sophomore Dman Brian Yandle, notched the goal for UNH. Yandle would draw the only assist. BU was assessed a Too Many Men on the ice penalty at the 8:18 mark, that gave UNH the Power Play. While UNH would not score again in the period, they did continue getting their chances at they outplayed, out-hustled and outworked the Terriers. The area where BU did excel was in winning faceoffs.
The 2nd period was more of the same for BU as they continued to lose the battle for loose pucks. BU netminder senior Sean Fields, who was exceptional, despite the final score had to make some big saves throughout the contest to keep BU in the game. However, from time to time he did manage to get some defensive help from the guys in front of him. Such was the case on a great scoring attempt by UNH sophomore Eddie Caron (EDM). Junior forward David Klema (PHX) made an absolutely great heads up defensive play to sweep the puck out just before it crossed the goal line. Midway thru the period BU did manage to get some good scoring chances as well as some Power Play time. One of note, was what was arguably the save of the night. Junior forward Matt Radoslovich skated in on UNH Goalie Mike Ayers and tried to get a goal by firing a low shot. Ayers with the great reflexes that he possesses, robbed Rasoslovich of what appeared to be a sure goal. He slid across the crease and managed to get a leg up to make the save. The stingy UNH defence was once again up to challenge. A big part of the Terriers’ problem with their Power Play tonight was the fact that they failed to get players to the front of the net. At the 18:15 mark, BU sophomore David VanderGulik (CGY) was asssesed a tripping penalty. With UNH on the Power Play, BU would suffer another setback. At the 19:08 mark, senior forward Steve Saviano would extend UNH’s lead to 2-0. Saviano receives the puck from senior forward Nathan Martz (NYR) and manages to slide a nice backhander between BU netminder Sean Fields’ pads. The scoring chance (and eventual goal) would result from another BU defensive breakdown. This time it was sophomore Dan Spang (SJ). Martz was credited with the lone assist on Saviano’s goal.
In the 3rd period, BU continued to get their chances but even with a 2-0 lead in the final stanza, the Wildcats weren’t gonna back down. One great scoring for the Terriers came early in the period when sophomore forward John Laliberte (VAN) fired a shot at Ayers and stayed with the play. He followed up his initial shot with some nice hustle to the front of the UNH net to retrieve a loose puck. Laliberte then tried to jam it past Ayers, who was with him every step of the way and denying Laliberte each time. At the 6:07 mark, UNH would extend their lead to 3-0 thanks to a very nice play by senior forward Tyler Scott (NYI). Senior Dman Tim Horst, took the initial shot from the point that made it’s way into the crowd in the slot area where Scott would eventually get the puck and spin to unload the shot off. With the traffic in front of Fields, BU’s defensive coverage not only broke down but the players were scrambling. Scott stayed with the play and the puck. After a few attempts at jamming it home, it finally made it’s way past Fields. The goal was unassisted. At the 14:06 mark, sophomore Eddie Caron would put the final nail in the Terriers coffin. Caron goals came on an outstanding individual effort. After receiving a nice cross-ice feed from junior Dman Tyler Teplitsky, Caron skates in on Fields untouched. He makes a nice fake on Fields and showed tremendous patience with the puck by waiting until Fields had committed to slide around a sprawled Fields to slip the puck into the net. A few moments later, the Terriers got another golden opportunity to get on the board. This time it was freshman Kenny Roche’s (NYR) turn. He went one-on-one with Ayers, hoping that Ayers would commit on the deke he put on him. Once again, Ayers stood his ground. Roche eventually got the shot off and thanks to some great acrobatics (ala Dominick Hasek) by Ayers, the puck managed to somehow stay out. After the save, things started to get very chippy as the Terriers were becoming unravelled and their frustration very high. Even with the frustration level, BU kept pressing and kept coming. Once again, if it wasn’t the UNH defense then it was Ayers who was shutting the door on BU. The game would end 4-0.
What won the game for UNH was some solid defence, top notch netminding by Mike Ayers and seizing the oppotunities when they came. BU, lacking a bonafided sniper (even with the enormous amount of offensive talent that they possess) couldn’t breakthrough the defensive stranglehold of the Wildcats. BU failed miserably at getting players in front of Ayers to create some chaos on Power Plays. They also failed in winning the puck battles and the lost the speed/skating battles as well. But above all, BU couldn’t find a way to get some rubber past Mike Ayers.
Despite the loss however, several BU players were impressive. Aside from Sean Fields, who was magnificent, even with the loss, junior Dman Ryan Whitney (PIT) showed why he is such a highly touted prospect. Whitney is blessed with tremendous skating ability. He’s very fluid in his skating. He’s also got some great hands and uses them very well. Whether it’s a point shot, or a soft pass. He uses his 6’4/202 frame very well too, making it difficult to get around or through. Another player who played very well for BU was Mark Mullen. The Terriers captain was just a thorn in the Wildcats side for much of the night, either making plays or creating chaos.
For UNH, Mike Ayers was hands down the best player. In fact, he was the best player for either team period. His cool as a cucumber composure, intensity, fantastic ability to stay with the play and stopping shots made him the biggest thorn in the Terriers side. He was nothing short of perfection in this game, although at times his play and saves made, were rather unorthodox.
There were 3 other players who were exceptional tonight. Senior Steve Saviano, who has to be one of the hardest working players in the NCAA, was superb. He’s a very sound two-way player who plays alot bigger than his 5’7” size on most nights. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for with his heart and his hard work.
Sophomore Eddie Caron (EDM), could become an Edmonton Oilers fan favourite someday, if he continues to play like he did tonight. Caron had an outstanding game for UNH. What Oilers fan will like about Caron is his great forechecking and how well he uses his 6’3/225 frame. He’s strong and hard to move off of the puck. He’s also a grinder who works hard, particularly along the boards and is opportunistic. He seizes his opportunities whenever they present themselves, even if they don’t always result in a goal.
Finally, a player who could get some serious draft consideration in 2004 is freshman Jacob Micflickier. He posted a 4 goal game already this season. While his size may be scare away some scouts (5’8/175), his quickness/shiftiness and blazing speed will be impressive to others. This kid is a real waterbug. He moves extremely well and finds openings that somehow just don’t exist. He sees the ice very well and seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. In addition to quickness and speed, he’s also an excellent goal-scorer. While he didn’t score tonight he did get his chances and some of them were real beauties.