PLUS/MINUS: 4 Takeaways from BU vs Harvard

By: Dan Shulman

  • Third Period Play Continues to be Strong

The #11 Boston University Terriers entered the third period trailing the #4/5 Harvard Crimson 3-2, and being outshot, 29-10. With 10 minutes to go in the game, BU was down 5-3 and looked to be heading toward a loss. But the Terriers mustered all the strength and determination they had, scoring three goals in the final four minutes of regulation to steal a road victory. The Terriers have now outscored opponents by 17 goals in the third period this season, and proved once again that they just know how to win games.

  • Need to Play a Full Game

Despite BU’s excellence in the third period, the other 40 minutes of the game were subpar for the Terriers. At first, it seemed BU was just shaking off the rust, but it took BU two full periods to get anything going on offense. The Terriers had very little zone time in the early going and let Harvard dictate the pace of the game. BU needs to play a full sixty minutes because as it stands now, the Terriers are good. If BU puts in a full game effort, they can be elite.

  • Madsen is Human After All

Harvard goaltender Merrick Madsen had been stellar entering Thursday’s contest. With off-the-chart numbers such as a .956 SV% and a 1.32 GAA, the sophomore net-minder looked tough to beat. That didn’t stop BU. Earlier in the season, BU had brought a few opposing goalies back down to earth, including Denver’s Evan Cowley, Cornell’s Mitch Gillam, and Quinnipiac’s Michael Garteig. Madsen was the Terriers next victim as BU put six goals past the second best goaltender in the nation. The offensive prowess was on full display for BU on Thursday, proving the Madsen is, too, a human.

  • Clog up the Neutral Zone

Hobey Baker candidate Jimmy Vesey and the rest of the Harvard Crimson displayed their excellent transitional play. However, the Terriers allowed Harvard to move from offense to defense way too easily. The Crimson gave the Terriers a tough time getting through the neutral zone but BU backed off as the Crimson found it all too easy in transition. BU needs to find a way to dominate the neutral zone in order to prevent scoring chances for opponents.

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