Photo by: Rich Gagnon
Home Cooking Helps BU Enjoy Pre-Thanksgiving Feast
November 23, 2023 | Men's Ice Hockey
by Scott Weighart, GoTerriers.com
BOSTON – Even before Thanksgiving arrived, Boston University has been enjoying plenty of home cooking lately.
The No. 5 Terriers have now enjoyed four straight wins at home, including a sweep last weekend against then-No. 9 Maine. Better still, BU rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to beat No. 3 Quinnipiac, 3-2, on Wednesday night. It was a thrilling win featuring the top two teams in the PairWise rankings, with the Bobcats just ahead of the Terriers going into Wednesday's action.
It also was a game that tested the poise and showcased the resilience of this year's BU squad. The Terriers took a penalty almost immediately and were in the sin bin for 4:00 out of the first 4:25. Thanks to a strong penalty kill and superb goaltending, BU played through 40 minutes level at 0-0.
When Quinnipiac scored twice early in the third, it looked like all of that would go for naught. Instead, BU's second line of sophomores Ryan Greene, Jeremy Wilmer, and Devin Kaplan chipped in all three goals, including Greene's game winner with just 1:51 remaining. It was an extremely satisfying victory against the defending national champion.
"It's probably our biggest win this year," said senior Luke Tuch, assistant captain and first-line left wing. "Anytime you beat a team that's number one in the PairWise, it's obviously huge, and for us to come back from 2-0 down with I don't how many minutes left just shows our will, determination and the way we play for each other."
What does Tuch think has been the key to the team's uncanny ability to come out on top in tight games against quality opponents over this homestand?
"I think a big thing for us is trusting each other. When we go down in those moments, we can't get too low, and the highs can't be too high. We just stay even keeled, keep the energy up on the bench. I think we have a resilient team."
The team-first concept shows up in this year's t-shirts that the BU players often sport after a game. The slogan on them states "SURRENDER THE OUTCOME."
"It's from a book called Chop Wood Carry Water (by Joshua Metcalf)," Tuch revealed. "We all read it in the offseason. It's just the motto we go by, and I guess you can interpret it any way you want. It's just about putting the team above you. When there's team success, there'll be individual success. So it's blocking shots, getting the puck out late in the third, being resilient as a team. There's a lot of messages from that motto, and I think it's pretty cool. Not a lot of people know about it."
According to Metcalf, author of Chop Wood Carry Water, "Surrendering the outcome is about having peace with that which is outside of our control without sacrificing the effort or care of what is inside of our control…Until you surrender the outcome, you will always be the greatest enemy to your own success."
Mathieu Caron is certainly taking care of what he can control - which is stopping the puck. The junior netminder, a transfer from Brown, just seems to be getting better by the week.
"Yeah, he gobbles everything up, makes the big saves for us," Tuch said. "And we trust him back there. When we have a defensive breakdown, he's going to be there for us. He's really good at playing the puck. He's got a lot of poise. It was probably his best game of the season."
Caron wasn't sure that he would agree with that assessment.
"I think honestly the Maine games were probably my best in my opinion," Caron said. "Today I got in front of the puck. It wasn't always pretty at times but definitely feeling good with my performance throughout this past month and how it's how it's progressing."
Caron agreed with the hypothesis that he might have been trying to do too much in his first BU games.
"When I'm somewhere new, maybe in a new situation and new level, I try to use my athleticism a little too much," Caron said. "I see myself as a very calm, laid-back goalie in terms of personality, I like to play with that smoothness to my game. I find I'm at my best when I make it look like I'm not being athletic, which Is almost a harder thing to do."
Caron decided to transfer because he was looking to prove what he could in a bigger environment. But when he entered the transfer portal during the offseason, it was an interesting test of that laid-back approach.
"It was a pretty chaotic weekend," Caron said. "As soon as I entered the portal, I talked to a lot of teams, Quinnipiac being one of them. It was a very wide variety of teams, a lot of options. Academics for me is extremely important. I'm a biology major so for me that helped me narrow it down."
Caron talked to a great many of his friends and acquaintances across the college hockey community before making the decision to come to BU. Agganis Arena fans have started chanting his nickname, Chewy, a moniker which goes back to a coach from his high school days.
"Being French Canadian and growing up in Vancouver, no one could really say my name," Caron said. "They would say 'Muh-chew.' And my coach just shortened it to Chew, and then Chewy was catchy and easy to say. It stuck, and it's a fun nickname."
Not nearly as fun as the prospect of playing at Madison Square Garden against Cornell on Saturday night, however.
"My first taste of a bigger, rowdier crowd was my freshman year at Cornell," recalled Caron. "So that was my first taste of a real college atmosphere. And I've always loved the big crowds, the big rinks from college or juniors. So I'm very excited to play Cornell. They're a hell of a team. It's always fun, playing them, especially knowing a few guys on that team. That makes it more, 'Okay, let's do this!'"
Tuch talked about the balance between savoring the big stage and being in the moment.
"You've just got to focus on your first shift," Tuch said. "You're playing at MSG. It's probably the most historic ice rink and sports arena in the world, but you've got to treat it like any other game. You've got to soak it in after your first shift; you'll probably get a bump in the first shift that will put you right in the game."
On Saturday, the Terriers will keep the focus on "surrender the outcome," controlling what they can and accepting what they can't. They won't be at home, but they will look to keep cooking.
BOSTON – Even before Thanksgiving arrived, Boston University has been enjoying plenty of home cooking lately.
The No. 5 Terriers have now enjoyed four straight wins at home, including a sweep last weekend against then-No. 9 Maine. Better still, BU rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to beat No. 3 Quinnipiac, 3-2, on Wednesday night. It was a thrilling win featuring the top two teams in the PairWise rankings, with the Bobcats just ahead of the Terriers going into Wednesday's action.
It also was a game that tested the poise and showcased the resilience of this year's BU squad. The Terriers took a penalty almost immediately and were in the sin bin for 4:00 out of the first 4:25. Thanks to a strong penalty kill and superb goaltending, BU played through 40 minutes level at 0-0.
When Quinnipiac scored twice early in the third, it looked like all of that would go for naught. Instead, BU's second line of sophomores Ryan Greene, Jeremy Wilmer, and Devin Kaplan chipped in all three goals, including Greene's game winner with just 1:51 remaining. It was an extremely satisfying victory against the defending national champion.
"It's probably our biggest win this year," said senior Luke Tuch, assistant captain and first-line left wing. "Anytime you beat a team that's number one in the PairWise, it's obviously huge, and for us to come back from 2-0 down with I don't how many minutes left just shows our will, determination and the way we play for each other."
What does Tuch think has been the key to the team's uncanny ability to come out on top in tight games against quality opponents over this homestand?
"I think a big thing for us is trusting each other. When we go down in those moments, we can't get too low, and the highs can't be too high. We just stay even keeled, keep the energy up on the bench. I think we have a resilient team."
The team-first concept shows up in this year's t-shirts that the BU players often sport after a game. The slogan on them states "SURRENDER THE OUTCOME."
"It's from a book called Chop Wood Carry Water (by Joshua Metcalf)," Tuch revealed. "We all read it in the offseason. It's just the motto we go by, and I guess you can interpret it any way you want. It's just about putting the team above you. When there's team success, there'll be individual success. So it's blocking shots, getting the puck out late in the third, being resilient as a team. There's a lot of messages from that motto, and I think it's pretty cool. Not a lot of people know about it."
According to Metcalf, author of Chop Wood Carry Water, "Surrendering the outcome is about having peace with that which is outside of our control without sacrificing the effort or care of what is inside of our control…Until you surrender the outcome, you will always be the greatest enemy to your own success."
Mathieu Caron is certainly taking care of what he can control - which is stopping the puck. The junior netminder, a transfer from Brown, just seems to be getting better by the week.
"Yeah, he gobbles everything up, makes the big saves for us," Tuch said. "And we trust him back there. When we have a defensive breakdown, he's going to be there for us. He's really good at playing the puck. He's got a lot of poise. It was probably his best game of the season."
Caron wasn't sure that he would agree with that assessment.
"I think honestly the Maine games were probably my best in my opinion," Caron said. "Today I got in front of the puck. It wasn't always pretty at times but definitely feeling good with my performance throughout this past month and how it's how it's progressing."
Caron agreed with the hypothesis that he might have been trying to do too much in his first BU games.
"When I'm somewhere new, maybe in a new situation and new level, I try to use my athleticism a little too much," Caron said. "I see myself as a very calm, laid-back goalie in terms of personality, I like to play with that smoothness to my game. I find I'm at my best when I make it look like I'm not being athletic, which Is almost a harder thing to do."
Caron decided to transfer because he was looking to prove what he could in a bigger environment. But when he entered the transfer portal during the offseason, it was an interesting test of that laid-back approach.
"It was a pretty chaotic weekend," Caron said. "As soon as I entered the portal, I talked to a lot of teams, Quinnipiac being one of them. It was a very wide variety of teams, a lot of options. Academics for me is extremely important. I'm a biology major so for me that helped me narrow it down."
Caron talked to a great many of his friends and acquaintances across the college hockey community before making the decision to come to BU. Agganis Arena fans have started chanting his nickname, Chewy, a moniker which goes back to a coach from his high school days.
"Being French Canadian and growing up in Vancouver, no one could really say my name," Caron said. "They would say 'Muh-chew.' And my coach just shortened it to Chew, and then Chewy was catchy and easy to say. It stuck, and it's a fun nickname."
Not nearly as fun as the prospect of playing at Madison Square Garden against Cornell on Saturday night, however.
"My first taste of a bigger, rowdier crowd was my freshman year at Cornell," recalled Caron. "So that was my first taste of a real college atmosphere. And I've always loved the big crowds, the big rinks from college or juniors. So I'm very excited to play Cornell. They're a hell of a team. It's always fun, playing them, especially knowing a few guys on that team. That makes it more, 'Okay, let's do this!'"
Tuch talked about the balance between savoring the big stage and being in the moment.
"You've just got to focus on your first shift," Tuch said. "You're playing at MSG. It's probably the most historic ice rink and sports arena in the world, but you've got to treat it like any other game. You've got to soak it in after your first shift; you'll probably get a bump in the first shift that will put you right in the game."
On Saturday, the Terriers will keep the focus on "surrender the outcome," controlling what they can and accepting what they can't. They won't be at home, but they will look to keep cooking.
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