If you just saw the 7-0 final score, you might well imagine that tonight’s Boston University-Sacred Heart matchup was a bit of a dud for spectators.
That was far from the case. BU was only up 2-0 through two periods, and it easily could have been 2-2 through 40 minutes. Unsurprisingly, Pioneers seniors and linemates Evan Jasper and Justin Danforth were in the thick of both opportunities.
At 13:34 of the first, left wing Jasper very nearly scored on the second penalty shot BU goalie Jake Oettinger has faced in the young season.
“I just tried to get the goalie moving, so I started off on the left side, brought him over to the right, and tried to shoot back the way I came,” Jasper said. “I just end up pushing it a little too much and hit the post, hit off his butt and almost rolled in.”
Instead Oettinger reached back and swept the puck away as it trickled toward the goal line.
Late in the second period, the Pioneers had another great chance with two full minutes of a five-on-three advantage. Naturally, Danforth, the seventh-leading scorer in Sacred Heart history with 95 career points, was out there for the duration.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have been out there for the whole two minutes, but I was. Opportunities like that, we need to capitalize. Our leaders need to step up and score big goals for our team and get some momentum… We had our chances to get back in the game.”
Still, there were just far too many penalties and breakdowns for the Pioneers to keep it competitive for 60 minutes.
“We never gave ourselves a great chance tonight,” Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo said. “You give up power plays and odd-man rushes. … They have too much skill, and they made us pay. Special teams killed us tonight; their execution and our lack of execution.”
If tonight’s outcome was disappointing, it doesn’t take away from what Danforth and Jasper have done for the program over their four years.
“They’re the heart and soul of our team,” Marottolo said. “Those two guys are explosive skaters; they attack practice every day, never take a day off. They do things the right way and set the standard for what we want our program to be. This program has grown over the last four years, and they have a lot to do with it.”
You’d be hard pressed to find a pair of college hockey teammates with more of a personal history than the two forwards, who grew up just a few miles apart in Ontario, east of Toronto.
“His dad was my first lacrosse coach when I was about four years old,” Jasper said. “So I knew Danno from when I was about five or six.”
They became teammates in junior hockey, playing three seasons for the Cobourg Cougars, close to both of their homes. By my count, they’ve played almost 250 games together over the last seven years, and the chemistry between them has become second nature. Asked about Jasper, Danforth said, “He’s just full of speed—very fast player, thinks on the fly, improvises. I’ve played with him a long time now so I know where he’ll be on the ice.”
As for Jasper, he describes Danforth as, “an all-around player. He can put the puck in the net when you give him the opportunity, makes good heads-up plays, and a great puck possession player. And he’s on the PK, so you can count on him in the D zone.”
They’ve had a great experience at Sacred Heart. “We came down for a visit and loved the campus, the growth of the school, and the direction they were going toward,” Jasper said. “It’s been awesome for both of us.”
Over his last season, Danforth will look to close in several of the all-time leading scorers in program history, including the player with one of best-ever names in college hockey: the great Bear Trapp.
“It’s nice to be included in that category. Hopefully I can put some points up and get closer to Bear Trapp.”
Atlantic Hockey results
Air Force 5, Bentley 2
Sophomore Kyle Haak led the way with a goal and two assists as Air Force won 5-2 in a Falcons vs. Falcons matchup out in Colorado. Jonathan Kopacka, Matt Serratore, and Jordan Himley added two points apiece for the hosts, while Alexey Solovyev and Jonathan Desbiens scored the two Bentley goals.
Niagara 3, Rensselaer 3 (overtime)
With 3:14 remaining in regulation, Johnny Curran scored his second goal of the game for Niagara, as the Purple Eagles pulled out a 3-3 draw despite being outshot by a 41-33 margin. Derian Plouffe notched a power-play goal and an assist for Niagara, while Tyler Hayes added a pair of helpers.
Canisius 6, Robert Morris 3
After scoring just six goals in 37 games played as a freshman and no goals in his first four games this season, Felix Chamberlind picked up his first collegiate hat trick as the Golden Griffins scored a whopping five power-play goals in eight opportunities to beat Robert Morris, 6-3.
Union 5, RIT 2
In a game that was deadlocked 2-2 with less than eight minutes remaining, Union picked up the go-ahead goal at 12:21 before adding two empty-net goals for a 5-2 result that did not reflect the tightness of the game. Erik Brown factored in both goals for RIT.
American International 2, Connecticut 2 (overtime)
Connecticut enjoyed a lopsided shot advantage of 38-18 over American International, but couldn’t pull out a victory through 65 minutes. Yellow Jackets freshman goalie Zackarias Skog, a native of Göteborg, Sweden, made 36 saves in his first collegiate game.
Massachusetts 3, Army West Point 2
After a first period in which the Black Knights were outshot 13-1 and trailed 2-0, they battled back with two five-on-three power-play goals less than a minute apart early in the third period, but could not complete the comeback. Goaltender Parker Gahagen made 22 saves for the Black Knights.
