Weekly Roundup: UConn earns hard-fought split with No. 10 BU

Welcome to the UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.

Weekend thoughts

• On paper, UConn’s season is off to a great start at 2-1-0 but the Huskies will definitely feel like they could be 3-0-0 after leading the Terriers for all but six minutes on Friday night.

• It’s hard to find too much fault in the loss. BU is one of the best teams in the conference (and country) and is always difficult to sweep. The Terriers held a sizable advantage in shots (45-34) and UConn only led 1-0. BU did enough to earn some points and made the plays when it counted to secure that win.

• The biggest source of frustration lies with Carter Turnbull, who needlessly boarded a BU player with 5:10 left in a 1-1 game. He was lucky to only get a minor penalty for it but it still didn’t matter, the Terriers scored the game-winning goal on the ensuing power play — not a mistake that a senior captain should make.

• More importantly, UConn responded as well as it could on Saturday. After a close first period, the Huskies pulled away for a commanding win. They got a few lucky bounces — the carom off the net on Marc Gatcomb’s goal, Darion Hanson’s insane spinning save, the disallowed goal due to a crosscheck — but BU got a lucky bounce off the net and an equally amazing save from Drew Commesso on Friday night. It goes both ways and UConn deserved the win regardless.

• Speaking of head-scratching mistakes by a senior, Jonny Evans’ roughing penalty was another avoidable mistake. Luckily, UConn killed it off (thanks in part to the aforementioned save from Hanson) but those are the type of plays that will hurt a team more often than not.

• A few of UConn’s goals on Saturday seemed like the universe paying them back for Friday. In the first game, the Huskies had a lot of odd-man opportunities with a player open on the other side of the ice but they just couldn’t get the puck to them. On Saturday, UConn’s first two goals were from passes across the net.

• The Huskies’ power play had a brutal weekend. The unit went 0/7 and never threatened at any point. For as good as UConn looked during its one power play against Sacred Heart, it looked equally bad with the advantage against BU. That needs to be an area of focus in practice this week.

• On the bright side, the Huskies’ penalty kill has started strong. They’re 9/10 on the season — though the lone goal proved to be the game-winner on Friday. The Terriers certainly had their chances with the extra skater on Saturday but a combination of strong defense, good goaltender, and some luck left them empty-handed.

• Let’s talk about Darion Hanson. He made saves of 72 of 75 shots in the series and has a 2.02 goals against average and .945 save percentage through three games. Even with those numbers, it’s hard to have full confidence in him. Hanson has been shaky in all three games and doesn’t corral the puck very well. In fact, BU’s only goal on Saturday came off an avoidable rebound while the disallowed score was also on a second chance. UConn is lucky that opponents haven’t put away more rebounds this season.

• At the same time, Hanson certainly isn’t the reason the Huskies lost on Friday — they probably would’ve gone behind earlier if he wasn’t in net — and came up with clutch saves in big moments both nights. He’s been good more often than he’s been bad and should continue to get more comfortable as the season goes on after sitting out all of last year.

• Agganis Arena has to be one of the least intimidating atmospheres in Hockey East. In the Huskies’ last two trips there, they’ve won 5-1 and 6-1. Also, a U-C-O-N-N chant rang through clearly on the broadcast at one point as well. That rink is the perfect example of how too many seats can be a bad thing.

• Nick Capone returned to the lineup after missing the season opener with an upper-body injury while Logan Terness sat out both games with an ankle injury. On Friday night, Cassidy Bowes got the nod over Sasha Teleguine but the two players switched spots on Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see if Mike Cavanaugh and the staff continue to rotate them game-to-game, similar to how they handled the abundance of defensemen last season.

• Through three games, Ryan Tverberg leads the team with three goals, five points, and 10 shots. He’s been electric.

• Jonny Evans and Jachym Kondelik have both recorded a point in every game and each has one goal and three assists to their name so far.

• Artem Shlaine’s production woes have carried over from last season. He has nine shots and has played well but doesn’t have a goal or assist yet.

• Carter Turnbull took five shots against BU after taking zero against Sacred Heart.

• Harrison Rees leads the team with eight blocks — twice as many as the next closest player.

Links

• Ep. 30: UConn Hockey Hub Podcast

• Preview: UConn vs. No. 10 BU

• Video: Mike Cavanaugh pregame availability (BU)

• UConn men’s hockey looking to cut down unforced errors

• UConn men’s hockey drops heartbreaker to No. 10 BU, 2-1

• Photo gallery: Boston University Terriers @ UConn men’s hockey

• Video: Mike Cavanaugh postgame press conference (Friday)

• UConn men’s hockey takes down No. 10 BU, 5-1

• Video: Mike Cavanaugh postgame press conference (Saturday)

In the news

• Darion Hanson was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Week for his performances against BU.

• UConn picked up 50 votes in the USCHO Poll. The Huskies are three spots outside the top 20.

Three stars

Each week, we’ll highlight UConn’s top performers from the weekend.

First star: Darion Hanson

Whether or not Hanson’s numbers are sustainable remains to be seen but the Union transfer was a workhorse in net this weekend. He faced 75 shots in the two games against BU and allowed just three goals, earning him Hockey East Goaltender of the Week. Hanson also made an amazing save early in the third period to preserve UConn’s 3-1 lead.

Second star: Ryan Tverberg

The sophomore continues to impress after scoring two goals on Saturday. Tverberg turned on the burners to get behind the defense for his first score and then showed off his skill with a tough shot to the far post on the second. He has been spectacular through three games and is already just one goal and one assist away from matching his totals from last season.

Third star: Marc Gatcomb

In the preseason, Cavanaugh highlighted Gatcomb as one of the team’s most improved players and through three games, the senior has shown why. After an empty-net goal against Sacred Heart, Gatcomb recorded a goal and an assist in the win on Saturday and has constantly put himself in dangerous spots on the ice. He’s taken nine shots — tied for second on the team — and has blocked four shots — most of any forward. Gatcomb has already proven himself to be one of UConn’s most indispensable players this season.