BU Parts Ways with Bennett

While I don't understand this move because the kid beat my club in Madison Square Garden, I applaud the coaching staff for being stand-up guys in cutting the kid. I'm thinking the same thing might happen here in Ithaca this summer.
May 7 2008, 4:07 pm by MCS, Ithaca NY

What's the back story? Did the kid get in trouble somehow? If not, I don't see how cutting him makes the coach a "stand-up guy." It only makes Parker look like a jerk.
May 7 2008, 4:49 pm by JM, Minny

After watching BU all season, and for thirty-plus years, it was obvious that Bennett was not what they were looking for in net. Bringing in two freshman goalis was a clear signal of that dissatifaction. Parting company now allows Bennett more options to hook up with another school or junior team for next season. That would be a better scenario than being burried as third or fourth string. Bennett has good reflexes, but poor positioning and constantly left rebounds right out in front. He needs an opportunity where he is confident and can give his team and fans confidence, and that wasn't happening at BU, and was unlikely to change in the future. Good luck to Bennett, now lets see what Millan and Rollheiser can do.
May 7 2008, 7:49 pm by DC, Mass.

Well, I guess dumping the goalie gives Coach the alibi he needs for the fact that his whole team under performed this year. Where was the team's focused intensity when they swooned at the skates of the Vermont Catamounts in the Hockey East Semi final?
May 8 2008, 5:59 pm by Tim Holland Ayer MA

Even worse than cutting the kid, Parker threw him and graduating senior Karson Gillespie both under the bus in the latest quotes regarding this stunt. Nice to see Jack is being accountable for the program's utter failure over the past decade! I'd laugh hysterically if these two kids coming in are worse than Bennett, which is very very possible given that NCAA teams weren't stumbling over themselves to recruit these kids. Jack can blame the goalies all he wants, and yes Bennett was horrible, but look at Gillespie's stats to see the story on the ice. He had great stats a year before Sullivan and Schaeffer graduated. The next year they bring in offensive defensemen that are clueless in their own end (in addition in Gilroy, who is average in his own end at best) and both goalies get lit up. Hmmm. Jack got so concerned they couldn't score he brought in PP guys and now they can't keep the puck out of the net. Irony is fantastic - 1 goal vs. UVM in an elimination game.
May 9 2008, 9:29 am by Matty (Maine)

Ok, well you must not know much about college hockey because no one was running to sign Curry either, and now look at him, one of the best goalies in the "A" this year and was a pretty darn good college goalie too! You also are very clueless by saying that Gilroy is average and clueless in his own end, because if that was true why are every NHL club fighting to sign him, he's got offers from almost all the clubs, and when he wants to leave he can virtually sign anywhere he wants, and my guess from just that is he will probably go straight to the show. I'm not making up excusses for BU, they struggled this year, and the fact is they were not very good, even though they had a good end of the season run they were just not a good team, and maybe it was goaltending or maybe it was they just had so many talented individuals that they just could not put it together as a team. The goaltending was very weak, and all three of their goalies last year were very scary in net.
May 9 2008, 2:40 pm by known, btown

So you think these kids are going to be All Americans like Johnny Curry? Fat chance. Possible but let's be honest, with Muse around for 3 more years these guys have to fight each other for the starting spot and hope to be the 2nd best in the East behind Muse for an AA slot. Gilroy has played both forward and defense at BU, illustrating his offensive ability and his average ability on defense. He does ok in his own end, but he doesn't pick up sticks all the time, isn't a physical presence and gets beat along the wall. He's ok at defense. Fantastic with the puck. He's an All-American and NHL prospect because he scores points and moves the puck w/ avg. defense, not because he's a great defender. NHL Clubs hope to develop his defensive game with a year or two in the AHL. Rob Scuderi was never an AA but he was the opposite of Gilroy and he's in the show. Gilroy is Tom Pock with slightly less stability in his own zone. That facepaint mixed w/ tears must be in your eyes.
May 9 2008, 3:46 pm by Matty (Maine)

BU hockey began to slip when Rick Dieptro left BU hockey program. I really wanted Rick to stay another two years with BU hockey. Rick Dieptro was the best goal keeper for Boston University Hockey. College Hockey has changed to much. It has gotten alot faster and much more aggressive. For example, look at BC players. It reminds me early 70's,80's,90's ( BU hockey). In late 90's -2007. BU hockey has been slippin. I don't blame nobody. Not the coach or players. It's the style has changed tremendously BC, UNH, Maine, Providence, Vermont. ( These teams has alot hungrier then BU hockey). In ways BU hockey has gotten little soft over the years. BU hockey needs to get back to the roots. BU hockey needs to bite hard to win. Hockey East League has gotten alot tougher for BU hockey to sit back and relaxe and win. Those years are over. BU hockey needs to be alot more tougher and aggressive. It has been along time for BU winning major tournament. I really hope in 2008 season BU hockey can win.
May 10 2008, 9:35 am by korea4one, Seoul, Korea

Is this pro hockey? So Bennett I assume is also let go as a student? Granted, he wasn't strong this year, but Parker's statement sounds like a GM from a pro team, not a college program. "We're going in a different direction?" I guess college hockey is changing..there are no more "student athletes."
May 10 2008, 9:48 pm by WJ - Rochester, NY

Bennett was never a member of that team, a fact he made clear during his putrid 2 years there. Yes they struggled defensively this year but shcek your facts BC fans, they top of this list scorers for all of Hockey East and a runner up for Player of the Year, so leave Muse out of this. Rob Scuderi is another fine BC player but again, has NOTHING to do with the Bennett situation. Why don't you ask the line of NHL scouts lined up at Gilroy's locker how good they think he is? Pull that super fan t-shirt off from covering your eyes. Or better yet, take it off.
May 12 2008, 1:56 pm by Hockey East, MA

Bennett is still a student at BU and his scholarship stands. He was let go for the betterment of the team.
May 12 2008, 2:05 pm by Hockey East, MA

So what you're saying is that he was not a "team" player in addition to not playing well. There's obviously more to the story than them "moving in a differtent direction." That's the fist time I've heard that term used to remove a college player. It's still wrong. How about, Bennett and BU decided mutually for him to move on to other opportunities. It still smacks of a pro hockey club and not a not a college one, which is what it is.
May 12 2008, 5:04 pm by WJ - Rochester, NY

Contrary to erroneous mediareports, Bennett's scholarship remains intact. If he leaves BU for another college opportunity, junior hockey or minor league hockey, the scholarship ends. BU is hardly the only school to cut an underperfoming player. BC, Harvard, North Dakota and Minnesota have done the same thing. Happens in college football at every D1 school. Other issues contributed to Bennett's poor performance and convinced BU he shouldn't continue as a team member. Goaltending wasn't BU's only problem, but it was the most glaring one. A switch in defensive system at the start of the season backfired; when the old system was reinstated, BU's defense improved. That and some player motivation issues can be laid at the feet of the coaches.
May 12 2008, 6:12 pm by AD Danbury, CT

First, remember most of all that they are all student athletes. Parker is big on education. Bennett was given choice to stay on at BU with his full scholarship but off team. Bennett chose to leave. Second, it wasn't just one thing that cause BU to falter this past year. Goal tending certainly played a roll. And, neither Gillespie or Bennett seemed to rise to the occasion with the exception of some minor bright spots. Bennett was a good guy but did not show up enough with the right moves to make a difference for BU. Maybe he will excel somewhere else. So, Parker admits they had a not so great year and he and his coaching staff look to fix it. Thus, he not only fulfilled his obligation to educate Bennett, he is fulfilling his obligation to put together a team that plays on each other's strengths enough to win games.
May 13 2008, 3:25 pm by ShermG, MA

Parker had to go man-on-man defensively to compensate for the subpar goaltending of Bennett & Gillespie. The later graduated, so Bennett was clearly not the solution. Goes to show you that even scholarship players can get cut for poo performance. Parker is rolling the dice with 2 freshman netminders. If this does not work, he may be out of excuses.
May 15 2008, 3:53 pm by MSE, Hartford, CT

Ok, first off to all those super fans out there who think Muse is the be all and end all of goalies you are so clearly mistaken. Muse is an average goalie, his weaknesses were shown during points this past season and he is just very lucky that he had such good offence infront off him, and a good d-core that dident break down enough to show his weaknesses more. Hell if you saw him play at all this year you would have seen him almost get beat 9-10 high glove. I'm not saying he's not a good goalie because clearly he is by the simple fact he's in d-1 and just won a national title, something cory s. Dident accomplish and he is far superrior to Muse. Next year muse's weaknesses will show up more and people will see he is really just average between the pipes. Oh and if gilroy is really that weak then the NHL would not be salivating all over him knowing their going to have to pay big bucks for him now, huge bidding war for him after next season and he'll be rolling in millions next year.
May 15 2008, 10:46 pm by Boston