Inside the Glass With Troy Power

Feb. 4, 2015

This past week flew by as we only had one game on the weekend against the #2 Boston University Terriers. Heading up to play BU is always an enjoyable trip because we are treated with unbelievable food and accommodations as we prepare for an important Hockey East game.

Our schedule was a little different in our preparation for the week because our game against Merrimack was moved to Sunday afternoon. In order to feel at our best come the weekend, the coaching staff decided to have a positional split practice on Monday and gave us Tuesday off to relax and regenerate. Coming back to the rink on Wednesday we had a longer day that was filled with both flow drills and systems work. Before you knew it, Thursday was upon us and after a quick practice at the Mullins Center we were off to Boston. We were fortunate enough to enjoy another amazing meal at the Stockyard which included the best steak tips I have ever tasted, mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, pasta, as well as soup and salad. Once the meal was over hopped back on the bus and headed to the BU rink to hang our gear in the locker room so it was nice and dry for our pregame skate. Our final stop on the night was at The Colonnade hotel, which in a personal favorite of mine on the road.

Waking up on Friday morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel and headed to the rink for a quick pregame skate that consisted of three drills. After about twenty-five minutes we stretched as a team and hopped on the ice. Once returning to the hotel we had a little bit more time to kill before lunch due to the 7:30 p.m. start time that night. While some guys chose to relax and put their feet up, others walked across the street to grab a coffee and check out some of the stores the mall had to offer. When lunchtime rolled around we enjoyed another great meal prepared at the hotel and went back to our rooms to rest up and nap for the game.

Coming into the night we had a lot to prove to BU. Earlier in the year they defeated us during our home opener and guys were eager to show them the improvements we have made since then. Unfortunately, we didn't get off to the best start and they took advantage of a power-play goal just minutes into the first period and followed that up with another goal just shortly after another penalty ended. Being down 2-0 on the road is a hole you never want to dig yourself into, but we responded well and put one on the board less than a minute after they scored their second of the night. We headed into the locker room down 2-1 and feeling good about our game.

BU again came out strong and captured a goal in the first two minutes of the period. However, we remained composed and stuck to our game plan and tallied a power-play goal of our own to keep the deficit at 3-2 heading into the third period.

After BU took a five-minute major on the first shift of the third, we had the chance to gain momentum on the power play and tie the game up. We did just that with goals from Shane Walsh and Frank Vatrano and, for the first time in the game, took the lead 4-3. The penalties continued to take over the game and minutes later they tied the game back up 4-4. Like we had done all game, we responded yet again by regaining the lead on a goal by freshman Riley McDougall. Being up 5-4 on the road with eight minutes left in the game is exactly where we wanted to be. Unfortunately we were undisciplined and gave Boston University's power play numerous chances to take over the game and they took full advantage. The game ended with a final score of 9-5.

Although it was a very disappointing loss, there were many positives to look at moving forward. We played our game for the first 53 minutes and took it to the No. 2 team in the nation in its own rink. However, if we want to have success in this league we need to play a full 60 minutes and keep our foot on the gas in crunch time. Moving forward, it is important for us to stay on track and continue to improve every game. Our schedule does not get any easier and Hockey East points become more and more valuable as the end of the season nears. This weekend we play two games at home against Northeastern and UMass Lowell on Friday and Saturday night. Hope to see you all there! Go UMass!

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