Departments
Sports
|
Week of 27 February 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 22 |
Sports
|
Defense and youth set this hockey team apartGame Preview by Brian Fitzgerald Hockey fans don't chant the word "defense" like their counterparts in football and basketball. But when BU hosts UMass-Amherst on February 28, spectators at Walter Brown Arena might want to start shouting these two syllables in tribute to the Terriers' success this year.
This is a team that allowed Providence just one shot on goal in the first period of their February 21 game, and a total of 17 in the entire 60 minutes. And the Terriers' four shutouts so far this season are the most since Boston University's 1971-72 campaign, when BU blanked four opponents all year. In their first 25 games this year the Terriers allowed just 53 goals -- their best defensive start since the 1970-71 season, when Boston University won its first national championship. That year BU allowed only 45 goals in its first 25 games. In contrast, BU's 1994-95 national championship team, a more offensive-minded squad, gave up 75 goals through its first 25 games. What also sets this year's Terriers apart from past teams is youth. Incredibly, 13 of 27 players on the 1997-98 team are freshmen. At the start of the season, Coach Jack Parker knew that he had one of the biggest incoming classes ever, but now it's clear that the freshmen have quality as well as quantity. "We thought we had a great group of freshmen who would contribute quite a bit during the year," says Parker. "But they're getting a lot more confident now." Freshman forward Nick Gillis (MET'01), for example, after scoring the winning goal in the Beanpot Championship game against Harvard, tallied two goals and three assists in the last four games. His goals in the second periods of the February 21 and 22 Providence contests turned out to be the game-winners. After sweeping Providence, BU moved from fourth to third in the national rankings. However, this team isn't averse to scoring. Although Chris Drury (CAS'98) is the only player on the team to score three goals in a game -- he has done it seven times in his career -- there are six underclassmen who have enjoyed two-goal games. Freshman Juha Vuori (MET'01) already has a pair of two-goal efforts. Parker attributes the fine freshman classes over the years to great recruiting by his assistant coaches. "We get great players because we've had great recruiting coordinators like Brian Durocher, Blaise McDonald, Ben Smith, and Toot Cahoon," he says. "They've groomed a lot of players to come here, and that's why we've had so much success." |
Athletes of the Week
Joey Beard, Kevin Murphy, and Ann Kovalsky
Men's basketball cocaptain Joey Beard (SED'98) scored only two points in the first half of the Terriers' February 21 game against Delaware. But since the game was played on his 23rd birthday, he decided to score 23 points in the second half.
His game-high 25 points, along with 7 rebounds, helped BU beat the Blue Hens and enabled the Terriers to share the conference's regular-season title. The Reston, Va., native also helped Boston University gain momentum in the second half by pleasing the home crowd with four slam-dunks.
Indoor track runners Kevin Murphy (SED'98) and Ann Kovalsky (SAR'99) earned outstanding performer awards in the America East Championships on February 21. Murphy placed first in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:48, establishing a new meet record. Kovalsky placed first in both the 1,000-meter race (2:59) and the 3,000-meter race (10:12).
Murphy, from Weymouth, Mass., earned All-America honors at last year's indoor track NCAA Championships. Kovalsky, a native of Ridgefield, Conn., earned the cross country team's MVP honors in 1996.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||