Now a seasoned veteran, Boston University sophomore forward Shane Lachance is thrilled to share the ice with highly touted freshman Cole Eiserman, even if that means fearing for his own safety a little bit.
“Sometimes it’s a little scary — he shoots it pretty hard,” Lachance said about Eiserman, a 6-foot-0 forward from Newburyport, Mass. “So if I’m standing in front, it might hit me a couple times but (he’s) just a great threat over there.”
For Lachance, and presumably the rest of the Terrier team, it’s worth the risk. Boston University is off to a 2-0 start this season and will open Hockey East play Friday night at home against Connecticut (7 p.m., ESPN-plus).
In a 4-1 win over Union (ECAC Hockey) last Saturday, the Terriers got a goal from each of its four lines, with no goal scorer older than sophomore. The Terriers got a goal apiece from Lachance and Eiserman, as well as Alex Zetterberg (freshman) and Jack Harvey (sophomore).
“We have a lot of depth up front,” said BU third-year coach Jay Pandolfo. “We have a lot of good forwards, a lot of talented forwards. All four of our lines are capable of contributing offensively.”
The Terriers’ scoring prowess will take pressure off goalie Mathieu Caron, but then again Caron’s play so far will take pressure off the scoring lines. So far Caron has made 65 saves, for a save percentage of .956 in two starts. Last year, Caron started all 40 games with a .915 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.35.
“He’s been excellent,” Pandolfo said about his senior goaltender. “He’s got a ton of confidence. He’s got really high expectations for himself. He’s been really good.”
Caron’s proficiency in BU’s two games, including a season opening 5-2 win vs. Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey), has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“In both those games, if Chewy wasn’t on his game in the first period, we could be looking at two different outcomes,” Lachance said. “Chewy’s been rock solid so far. He’s going to have to be going forward. To go far, to have success later in the year, you need a goalie to step up for you, and he’s been awesome so far.”
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for BU. Following the win over Union, Pandolfo lamented what he saw as a sluggish start by the Terriers. Despite leaving the ice with a 3-0 lead, Pandolfo didn’t like the fact his team allowed 17 shots in the frame.
“We have to make sure we’re having better starts,” Pandolfo said. “(We) definitely need to tighten up. I like some of the things we’re doing, but we’re a little loose out there as a group.”
Lachance said he’s confident improvement on defense will come, and he’s not all that worried about BU’s potential to generate offense.
“We just have to keep doing that,” Lachance said. “We have to clean it up defensively. I think we’ve had a couple mistakes that can definitely be fixed. But those are kinks that you gotta iron out the first couple weeks. As we get going here we have to stop making those mistakes. But I think we’re always going to be a team that’s not struggling to score. Or at least I hope not.”
Given the Terrier’s fast start, you can’t blame the newcomers for enjoying the results.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Eiserman said. “You play the game because it’s fun. When you get to college hockey, that makes it even more fun. That’s something I’ll never forget — however many college games I play. The next one could be the last one. You never know how the game works.”
