The Wheels Come Falling Off

Terriers officially at rock bottom after loss to Merrimack
By Chris Aliano

“OVERRATED!”

Over and over again, the Merrimack Faithful chanted the word, perhaps never more appropriate than now. The Boston University men’s ice hockey team did more than just drop a 6-3 decision on the road against the Warriors of Merrimack. They were embarrassed. They were outplayed, outskated, outperformed and outclassed.

It was, in a sense, the perfect loss.


It didn’t have to be this way. Both teams took a 1-1 tie into the locker room after the end of the first period. The tempo of the game was, for the most part in the first frame, controlled by BU. Freshman forward Wade Megan netted his first collegiate goal at 12:30 in the frame. The Terriers spent most of the period in the Merrimack defensive zone. The Warriors were extremely aggressive on the forecheck, hoping to capitalize on a forced mistake by the Terriers.

Then, Brandon Brodhag gets Merrimack on the board with less than three minutes to play in the period. Sophomore netminder Kieran Millan made a good initial save, but Brodhag got a stick on the rebound to tie it up. Junior defensemen Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk were both on the ice at the time, and both watched as the puck landed in a spot just beyond each of their reach near the crease: no man’s land. The frustration was visible, but by no means was it indicative of the hellish result that would follow.

But the Warriors rattled off another four straight goals: two in the second, two in the third. They came into the second period determined to take BU’s first-period approach and throw it right back in their faces.

"I was very disappointed in my team in the second period," head coach Jack Parker said afterward.  "We became unraveled."

That they did.

Despite 3:57 seconds of defending a 5-on-3 power play, Merrimack took a 3-1 lead on goals by sensational freshman forward Stephane Da Costa and junior forward Matt Moulakelis.

"Our goalie comes out and makes a fabulous save," Parker said regarding Merrimack's second goal. "We had a chance to clear a puck, we wave at it, leave it fifteen feet out front, and one of the best scorers in the league puts it right by him."

They continued to put pressure on the Terriers, outskating BU in the neutral zone and weaving through defenders in the Terriers' defensive zone.  Time and time again a different Terrier skater was caught flatfooted, as if there was a brick of lead in their skates weighing them down.  Merrimack garnered more and more Grade-A chances (five in the second period, seven in the third).  Suddenly, the Warriors were controlling the pace of the game, a pace they would dictate until the final horn blew. 

"We wilted," Parker said.

Then, the frustration began to mount.

After four straight penalties taken by Merrimack, setting up the extended 5-on-3 opportunity that the Terriers could not convert on (NOT ONCE! IN OVER THREE MINUTES!), BU matched the Warriors penalty for penalty, sending five straight men to the box.  As the second period came to a close, Cohen was involved with some extracurricular activities after the whistle with a Merrimack player.  That would not be Cohen's last confrontation, as he was later handed a game misconduct after fighting Moulakelis five minutes into the third period.

"We pride ourselves on being mentally tougher than our opponents," Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy said afterward.

Dennehy could take pride in being mentally and physically tougher than the Terriers on Friday night.  The Warriors were not afraid to throw their bodies around, and seemed almost content with taking penalties for hitting after the whistle at one point, begging the Terriers to try and fight back, to try and make it a game.  The end result: Merrimack remaining undefeated at home on the young season.

"You have to give them a lot of credit," Parker said.  "They’re a very good hockey team."

Still, it's difficult to compare this loss to anything from recent memory, even looking back at the disappointing 2007-08 campaign.  Does that mean results like tonight's will be thematic of the defending national champions' season?
 
"It’s always a battle," senior forward Zach Cohen said afterward.  "Every season has its low points. We just have to find a way to come back the next day and be more competitive than we were the night before."

Tell that to Parker.

"[It's] rock bottom for us," he said.  "We’ve lost four games in a row, so definitely rock bottom."