Peak Performances: Terriers Enjoying Days of High Highs
February 27, 2022 | Men's Ice Hockey
by Scott Weighart, GoTerriers.com
BOSTON – If you wanted to apply the name of a television series to the last couple of games for the Boston University men's ice hockey team, you would have to go with Twin Peaks.
A week ago Monday, the Terriers won their first Beanpot since 2015, when current NHLers Evan Rodrigues and Jack Eichel set up Matt Grzelcyk for the overtime game-winner. In this year's edition, the heroes were Jamie Armstrong, Dylan Peterson, and Vinny Duplessis. Peterson tapped in Armstrong's perfectly timed pass for the 1-0 lead in the waning minutes of the nail-biter against Northeastern, and Duplessis made the goal stand up with a 19-save shutout.
After an unusual stretch of 12 days off after the long awaited Beanpot win, the Terriers resumed conference play against Boston College on Saturday night and came away with another peak performance—an immensely satisfying 6-3 win over their perennial archrivals. The win was even sweeter because the program celebrated Senior Night, as it always does prior to the final regular-season home game of the year. It was an opportunity for a big crowd to acknowledge the contributions of captain Logan Cockerill, seniors Ty Amonte and Joseph Campolieto, and graduate student Max Kaufman.
Given how tight the Hockey East standings are, Kaufman didn't begin to reflect much on what it had meant to play at Agganis Arena until he was approached after the game.
"To be honest, I didn't think too much about it—just thought about the big three points that were at hand. But looking back now, I'm just grateful for the opportunity to play for such a great program and play with such great teammates. It's been a really great two years so far and hopefully it's not over yet."
Kaufman was referring to the fact that he and his teammates still have a chance to play more games on home ice. As of this writing, only three points separate second place and seventh place in the Hockey East standings. While BU is unlikely to catch first-place UMass, the Terriers still have a very realistic chance of finishing in the top four, which would result in hosting a Hockey East quarterfinal series.
Kaufman certainly wants to make that happen, especially given the stark contrast between last season and this season. Last year Kaufman and Campolieto both joined the Terriers as transfer students. That meant that their only experience as Terriers was playing in front of zero fans at Walter Brown Arena—with no Agganis Arena and no Beanpot.
"Going into last year, we knew that it was just going to be an unknown every week, every day," Kaufman said. "Part of the decision to come back was just to experience the crowds, experience the Beanpot, experience the true rivalry we have with BC at Conte Forum tomorrow."
As a native of Rochester, New York, these experiences have been eye openers for Kaufman.
"It was something I really didn't know about until this year, growing up in New York and not New England. I was kind of unaware of how big the Beanpot was. Being able to play it and win it, I realize now how big a deal it is."
The Beanpot was no less a big deal for Peterson. Given that last year was his freshman season, he also missed out on the opportunity to play in front of the huge and boisterous TD Garden crowd.
"It was definitely difficult, looking back at it now," Peterson said, reflecting on the surreal lack of spectators last season. "It's hard to get yourself up for those games with no noise, but it was what it was, and we did a pretty good job with it. But this year has been so incredible with the support we get from the fans, and the Beanpot was super special."
Little did he know he would be the Beanpot MVP in his first tournament. "It's been incredible; I'll always cherish that moment," Peterson said.
Peterson scored with just 2:46 left in the game to break the scoreless tie. When the NESN cameras caught him on the bench a couple of minutes later, his adrenaline was palpable through the screen.
"That was the most nerve-wracking two and a half minutes of my entire life," Peterson said. "It was crazy, but we weathered the storm, and it ended up being great."
The right winger followed up his unforgettable night with two more goals against the Eagles on Saturday night. "Coming back, it felt good to get on the scoresheet, but mostly we just played a heck of a game out there."
Centerman Nick Zabaneh assisted on both of Peterson's goals—a recurring theme this season.
"Zabby's incredible," Peterson said. "Obviously, you see he's so fast and makes so many good plays. He had that breakaway today, and I wanted it for him so bad; he's so unselfish. We just seem to have good chemistry, and he just seems to find me and other guys so well. He's assisted on most of my goals this year. It's really fun playing with him."
Goaltender Vinny Duplessis played great last season when Drew Commesso was unavailable, but Terrier fans could be forgiven for forgetting about this for much of the fall semester, as he barely played. But when Commesso was tapped to go to Beijing to represent Team USA in the Winter Olympics, it turned out to be a great opportunity for both netminders. Commesso won both of his starts in the preliminary round of the Olympics, while Duplessis reeled off four straight wins—including two shutouts—as his teammate manned the pipes on the other side of the planet.
Commesso was back in uniform tonight, but Duplessis's .930 save percentage through the Beanpot earned him a chance to stay in goal. He now has six wins in a row dating back to a Dec. 31 triumph over Brown. Like Kaufman and Peterson, the sophomore netminder had never experienced big, loud crowds at the Garden or Agganis.
"It's really different, I'll tell you that," Duplessis said. "It's obviously opposites. I feel like when there's no crowd, it's a little harder to get focused and hyped up. But with big crowds, it's easier to get energy but harder to stay focused on the play itself and on the ice surface because there's so much noise. But I figured it out, obviously."
His calmness was certainly obvious. While Peterson was freaking out while watching from the bench as the clock wound down in the Beanpot, what was Duplessis thinking between the pipes?
"Just play normally, play like it's the first period," the Quebec native said. "Doesn't matter how much noise there is or how much time is left. You always have to play like it's a 0-0 game; the first minute is the same as the last minute. If I let myself get into the fan mindset where everybody's stressed…Well, I just have to ignore that and stay on my game."
After the Senior Night celebration and the big win tonight, the underclassmen had high praise for the leadership of the soon-to-be-graduated quartet, who have certainly helped everyone stay on their game.
"They're good motivators, I'll tell you that," Duplessis said. "They know what they're doing."
Peterson agreed. "All of our seniors have been great: Coxy, Ty Amonte, Kaufman, and Campo. They've really taken the reins and led every day in practice with the behind-the-scenes stuff that no one else sees. They do an incredible job of keeping us moving in the right direction. They just come to the rink with such a positive attitude about getting better. Whether it's in the weight room or on the ice, they're the one who are talking and getting everyone going."
Getting everyone going again was a bit of challenge after the layoff, Kaufman acknowledged. It was scoreless for the first ten minutes tonight before BU got the first goal and then exploded with two more goals in a 14-second span late in the first period.
"First off, we hadn't played a game in a couple of weeks, so we just had to get a feel for it again, especially against a good team like Boston College that's going to come out hard every game against us," Kaufman said. "We were playing our brand of hockey—kind of a boring game, I guess, getting pucks behind guys, shutting down guys defensively and taking advantage of our opportunities."
It won't get any easier today, as BU and BC face off again at Conte Forum. The Eagles have really struggled this semester and now just have one win in their last 15 games. But while BU was without Commesso due to the Olympics, the Eagles had to play without two of their best skaters, Marc McLaughlin and Drew Helleson. They also have had their share of injuries and are healthier now. It promises to be a tougher three points for the Terriers.
"We played well, getting points, but we can play better, and we need to play better, especially playing in their barn," Kaufman said.
If BU can get a win on Sunday and also pull off a road sweep at Maine—always a tough place to play—Kaufman and the senior class can turn this stretch of peak performances into the opportunity to be homeward bound for one more weekend.
