Brett Magnus and Nathan Perry, Sacred Heart University’s goaltenders, were busy men Friday night at Agganis Arena.
After all, the No. 8 Boston University men’s hockey team threw 41 shots their way in what was ultimately a 7-0 victory for the home side. Plus, the likes of freshman forward Clayton Keller, freshman defenseman Dante Fabbro, sophomore forward Jordan Greenway and more lit the lamp in a showcase of NHL-level skill.
Upon that glance, it seems as though the cavalry pushed head coach David Quinn’s side to two points over the Pioneers (1-3-1), but the final verdict was much different. Instead, it was the Terriers’ (2-2) defense that won the battle, as well as the war.
“It’s definitely helpful to get that shutout and know our defense is pretty strong right now,” Greenway said. “Again, we’ve been working on it a lot. Last weekend, I don’t think we did as well as we wanted to defensively, so that gave us a little confidence booster.”
Even with Quinn dressing six blueliners who are NHL draft picks, it was the team’s youngest player who stood out the most. Freshman netminder Jake Oettinger posted his first shutout of the year, stonewalling 24 attempts along the way.
The defining moment occurred when Oettinger stared down an Evan Jasper penalty shot in the second period. With Sacred Heart’s senior captain striding towards the crease, Oettinger swatted a wrister off the goal line, then skated into the corner with a Tiger Woods-like fist pump.
“He’s been great,” Greenway said. “It’s a lot easier playing in front when you know you have someone as solid as he is back there. He made a lot of good stops for us tonight.”
As instrumental as Oettinger was, the penalty kill arguably kept BU’s blood pumping, as each of Sacred Heart’s seven extra-man opportunities were blanked. Two specific tests, however, were the pick of the litter.
One came late in the first period when junior defenseman John MacLeod and freshman forward Kieffer Bellows were both in the box. Against the ropes, BU bent but never broke, blocking shots and denying passing lanes left and right.
Much of the same unfolded in the second period when Keller and freshman forward Patrick Curry sat in the sin bin. Yet again, the Terriers kept the status quo and sacrificed their bodies.
“We structurally were good, we didn’t get overextended, we had good sticks, we moved when the puck moved,” Quinn said. “And you need puck luck and you need great goaltending, and we got all of that. All the stars aligned for us to kill both of those.”
As Quinn alluded to, those little moments added up throughout the contest, sparking BU’s offensive onslaught in the third period. Whether it was a blocked shot from sophomore forward Bobo Carpenter in the second period that drew a roar from the crowd or when Fabbro defended a penalty without a stick, the Terriers were constantly going the extra mile.
“It’s a tight game,” Quinn said. “Dante loses his stick and Bobo comes up with a huge play, blocks a shot. We had some good blocks tonight. We had blocks across the board tonight. … I thought we were harder to play against tonight.”
All things considered, it’s important to maintain perspective on who BU’s foe was on Friday night. The Pioneers averaged 1.25 goals a game in 2016-17 before they fell to the Terriers, and a far stiffer test awaits when No. 4 Quinnipiac University visits Saturday evening.
Still, Oettinger feels the Terriers are getting their footing back.
“Obviously [the shutout] is a confidence builder for the whole team, not just for me,” Oettinger said. “You take the positives from tonight and get ready for tomorrow night. We have a big challenge coming in with Quinnipiac tomorrow, so I know everyone’s excited.”