Sophomore Adam Clendening leads the defensive corps in points with 21 (tied for third on the squad) and sophomore Garrett Noonan leads the defenders in goals with eight.
The Terriers, who are 12-2-0 in their last 14, made a meal out of Providence last weekend, sweeping a two-game series by a combined score of 14-1. The defensemen were stellar, generating four goals and 13 assists.
“I think it’s a mixture of things,’’ said junior defenseman Sean Escobedo. “Even when we had [Trivino and Coyle], they were obviously big parts of our team, but we knew we had to step up to be successful because you have to play from the net out.
“[Goaltender Kieran Millan] was playing good, and it was up to us to play even better for him. From that standpoint, we knew we had to start bearing down in our own zone, whether it be our communication or playing more physical and just playing overall smarter, making the easy passes instead of the fancy ones and staying out of the [penalty box], which obviously has been a big downfall for us. We’re the most penalized team in the country.’’
Escobedo said there have been more openings for the blue liners to get involved in the offense, but not at the expense of leaving their zone uncovered.
“We’ve been smarter with our chances to jump into the play,’’ said Escobedo. “Because of that, we’ve been able to be more successful. We’ve been able to capitalize on our chances and it’s worked out pretty good for us.’’
Clendening’s points are tops in the league among defensemen, and they average out to a point per game for the 19-year-old.
“I think we’re probably one of the strongest D corps in Hockey East and hopefully the country,’’ said Escobedo. “We have guys, Adam Clendening and Max Nicastro, whose offensive talents speak for themselves. They all have great shots and great vision, and those guys have obviously stepped up with timely goals and assists and they’re just leading the way.’’
