Though Providence slipped to sixth in the Hockey East standings after losing three consecutive league games for the first time since Nate Leaman’s first season (2011-12) as head coach, the Friars are sure happy to have Hingham, Mass., native Jay O’Brien back in the lineup.
O’Brien missed six games in October and November due to upper-body injuries, but the Flyers’ No. 19 overall pick back in June logged a goal and an assist over his first two games after returning from the World Junior Championship with a silver medal for Team USA.
Every year, players talk about how much playing in one of the nation’s top tournaments contributes to confidence when the college season resumes. O’Brien was no exception.
“I think it was good to take a break from school and just play hockey for a little bit,” said O’Brien. “I was able to review some things I need to work on from the first half and kind of translate that to the rest of the season. Just getting the puck off my stick quicker and being quicker in the corners. There are guys who are big and strong out here, so you've really got to be quick.”
O’Brien is getting his opportunities for the Friars and played in seven games at World Juniors, although the points haven’t come as quickly as they did over the last two seasons as New England’s top prep school player at Thayer Academy.
He began the collegiate season playing with the likes of juniors Josh Wilkins, Brandon Duhaime, and Kasper Bjorkqvist, who are three of the team’s top five scorers through 24 games, proving just how special a talent O’Brien is.
Playing with other talented players leads to confidence, too.
“We’ve got a good group here, so everyone makes it easy for each other when we’re playing the right way,” O’Brien said. “It’s nice that they trust me. I'm just going to keep playing my game, try to keep producing, and hopefully they'll keep throwing me out there.”
The points will come for O’Brien, but Leaman saw progress during last Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Brown in the Mayor’s Cup. It’s a process for any freshman.
“He's getting better with every game,” Leaman said. “What he does for us is offensively and his stick, you see him get off the wall, and he can penetrate quick. He's a very good offensive talent who is learning the college game right now, but he's getting his opportunities. He got a lot of ice and I thought he made better decisions tonight.”
On the draw
Harvard’s offensive defense and talented freshman class have garnered plenty of attention this season, but both of those groups would not be able to put up the numbers they have without possessing the puck. The Crimson has won 54.3 percent of its faceoffs this season, good for seventh nationally and tops among New England teams.
On an individual note, sophomore Jack Badini has been incredible on draws as his .674 percentage (120-58) ranks second in the country. Brown freshman Michael Maloney is the national leader in that category, though he has taken only 43 draws (32-11) all season.
Runs
New Hampshire’s Liam Blackburn tied the longest point streak by a Division 1 men’s player this season as Monday’s 4-4 tie at Maine marked the 13th consecutive game in which he has contributed to the scoring. Blackburn notched a goal and two assists against the Black Bears.
The junior from Prince George, British Columbia, has scored five goals in his last four games, matching the run that Providence junior Josh Wilkins began on Nov. 10 and ended in Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Boston College. Wilkins recorded seven of his nine goals and 19 of 26 points this season in that span.
From a team perspective, UMass Lowell (5-0) and Bentley (3-0-2) are both unbeaten in five games since the 2019 calendar year began, while Brown is 3-2, UNH is 3-1-2, and Boston University is 3-1-1.
It’s all about the kids!
With a 3-1 win and 2-2 tie, Sacred Heart picked up three Atlantic Hockey points over the weekend against Air Force. Underclassmen scored all five goals in the series for the Pioneers, putting them one win behind eighth-place Bentley in a tight league race.
Sophomore Jordan Kaplan leads SHU with six goals this season after scoring twice in Friday’s win. Freshman Austin Magera had a goal and two assists during the victory before lighting the lamp in Saturday’s draw and now boasts a team-leading 14 points.
Four freshmen have logged 13 of the team’s 49 total goals this season, ranking fourth in Atlantic Hockey. Magera and Ryan Steele have each scored five times. Pioneer freshmen and sophomores average 1.41 goals per game, good for second to Niagara in the league.
Patrick honored
Vermont associate head coach Kevin Patrick was announced as this year’s recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award. The award, named after the former New Hampshire player and Bowling Green assistant coach, is presented by the American Hockey Coaches Association in recognition of a career body of work.
“Not only has 'KP' been a loyal assistant and associate coach during his six years at UVM, he also served in that capacity with me at Union College. He has also been an assistant with Scott Paluch at Bowling Green, and Mike Eaves at Wisconsin where they won an NCAA championship,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said upon nominating Patrick. “He is extremely organized, dedicated, and detail oriented. Above all else, he is someone that Terry would be proud of.”
In addition, former New Hampshire assistant coach and longtime television color commentator Bob Norton will be given the AHCA’s Jim Fullerton Award. That honor goes to an individual who loves the purity of the sport whether a coach, administrator, trainer, official, journalist, or simply a fan.
Loose pucks
― Sophomore Ty Amonte (Norwell, Mass.) and senior Max Willman (Barnstable, Mass.) became the sixth and seventh different BU players to score a shorthanded goal this season during the recent games against Quinnipiac and Merrimack. BU leads the nation with seven shorties this season, though it has now at least reached that mark in six of the last 10 years.
― Boston College senior captain Christopher Brown scored twice in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Providence. A third-period penalty shot completed his first multiple-goal game since the Hockey East Quarterfinals on March 10, 2017 against Vermont. An Eagle had not converted on a penalty shot since Austin Cangelosi on Oct. 7, 2016 against Air Force.
― Dartmouth turned in its second consecutive shutout for the first time since the 2004 ECAC Quarterfinals with Friday’s 1-0 win at Colgate. Junior Adrian Clark made 28 saves for his third clean sheet of the season and earned the win thanks to senior Alex Jasiek’s goal with 8:18 left in regulation.
― West Haven, Conn., native Eric Esposito scored the first game-winning goal of his New Hampshire career in Friday’s 5-0 win at Merrimack. The freshman has two goals in his last five games and four points on the season.
― Holy Cross senior Johnny Coughlin scored his team-leading sixth goal and 17th point of the season in Saturday’s loss to American International. Among defensemen, the Fairpoint, N.Y., native’s 16 goals and 57 points rank second and fifth, respectively, in Crusader history.
