Union-BU Q&A with CHN's Mike McMahon

 by Ryan Fay

Union (10-7-1) travels to Boston University (11-3-2) for its first-ever meeting with the top-ranked Terriers Saturday at 7 p.m.

Ahead of the game, I chatted with Mike McMahon, a senior writer at College Hockey News. McMahon, who has covered college hockey since 2007, breaks down the Terriers and discusses a few players to keep an eye on.

NBC Sports Network (U.S.), NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.) and TSN3 (Canada) will broadcast Saturday's game.

RYAN FAY (RF) - How would you assess Boston University's season to this point?

Danny O'Regan has been one of BU's top
offensive threats this season

MIKE MCMAHON (MM) - Better than I think anyone over there expected, despite expecting improvement. I thought they would be a better team than last season. We projected their recruiting class No. 1 at College Hockey News before the start of the season, but I don't think anyone expected the type of impact they have had. Jack Eichel, I thought, would have around 40 points. That's a great freshman season. He's on pace to hit that by mid-January. They have exceeded everyone's expectations.

RF: What kind of style does Boston University like to play?

MM: They're fast. They possess the puck much better than last season. If you look, they're out-shooting opponents on most nights. They're really tenacious on the forecheck. They establish it early and in the games I've seen them play, they don't want to give their opponent much time to establish a breakout. They force you to make quick decisions. With the puck, there's a lot of skill, which is obvious and evident.

RF: What are Boston University's strengths?

MM: Skill and speed. Some teams have one or the other, but Boston University has both. They are fast on their skates but also with their hands and decisions. The puck can buzz around when they have it and I've seen them put teams in position where they need to chase them around the zone. Of course, they may be without Eichel, so I wonder what that does to the dynamic, but they're still a high-skilled team even without him.

RF: Where can Boston University be vulnerable?

MM: They struggle on face-offs. It's not something good possession teams generally do, but that's been an area of struggle for Boston University. If it's really tilted for Union - 65% - and they can win draws at the right time - like key offensive-zone - it could be a determining factor.

Eichel

RF: Assuming Eichel isn't back from the World Junior Championship, how would your game plan change if you were Union?

MM: I wouldn't change it whatsoever. I think they're still very much the same team, and will play the same style. BU was without Eichel for the exhibition against the WJC team two weeks ago, and there didn't seem to be anything apparent about a drastic change in style. They have their systems, and I don't see them changing much.

RF: In May, you tweeted that Terriers freshman defenseman Brandon Fortunato was down to Union and Boston University as his final two choices. What led to BU winning that recruiting battle and what are Union fans missing out on with Fortunato?

MM: I'm really not sure, to be honest, why he chose BU. But he's a smallish defenseman (5'10", 150) with terrific offensive instincts. As you would imagine, for a smaller guy, he's fast. He can skate really well. He's also underrated, I think, in his own end.

McMahon on Boston University's top players:

Freshman forward Jack Eichel (Status undetermined - World Junior Championship)
6'2", 194 pounds
2014-15 stats: 8 goals and 19 assists in 16 games 
McMahon: He's the best player in college hockey. I'm not sure anyone even comes that close.

Junior forward Danny O'Regan
5'10", 175 pounds
2014-15 stats: 12 goals and 10 assists in 16 games
McMahon: A terrific playmaker. He has a ton of skill and plays with Eichel. He has the speed that we were talking about earlier. He can fly with, and without the puck. His size leaves something to be desired, for the next level, but he's the prototypical scoring college forward.

Okasanen

Junior forward Ahti Oksanen
6'3", 207 pounds
2014-15 stats: 8 goals and 5 assists in 15 games
McMahon: It's been an interesting year watching his transition to forward. I think, in part, he's there to protect Eichel, but he's played well on that line. The role of enforcer doesn't exist in college hockey, and you can argue whether or not it's even needed in the NHL or the pro level, but Oksanen is a big body who goes beyond just the role of a bodyguard. He has a lot of skill, which was evident with his time on defense, and even more so now.

Junior goaltender Matt O'Connor
6'6", 204 pounds
2014-15 stats: 1.67 goals-against average, .941 save percentage in 13 games played
McMahon: Calm, collected, and huge. Makes all of the easy saves, and he makes a lot of the hard saves look easy.

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