Charlie Coyne was a thorn in the side of UMass hockey in his year and a half at BU.
TJ Syner, of UMass is being chased by BU's Charlie Coyle on Oct. 29 at the Mullins Center. T.J. won't have to outrace him again.
photo by J. Anthony Roberts
Boston University sophomore Charlie Coyle is leaving for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and that's good news for the University of Massachusetts for the one remaining game with the Terriers this year, and the following two years as well.
In the five games Coyle played against UMass went 0-3-2, and Coyle was a factor in all but one game.
He was a game changer.
You may recall in the Oct. 28 game at the Mullins Center this season, the Minutemen jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and BU came back to tie it 2-2. Well, Coyle assisted on both goals..
The next night in the painful 5-4 overtime loss at Agganis Arena, UMass jumped out to a 3-0 lead. When it was 3-2, Coyle scored a short-handed goal to tie it at 9:51 of the second period, and assisted on the winner by Matt Nieto at 3:17 of the OT. Corey Trivino, who was kicked off the team earlier last week for an alleged sexual assault on a female student, scored the goal to put BU ahead 4-3.
That's this year, let's drop back to his freshman season. In the first meeting, Jeff Teglia's first career start in goal, the teams fought to a 2-2 overtime tie. Coyle assisted on BU's second goal. Marc Concannon had the tying goal for UMass.
In the second game, another tough 4-3 loss for UMass, Darren Rowe scored a power-play goal in the first period to give the Minutemen the lead. And guess who came right back in the second period to tie the game with a power-play goal of his own. Then with BU leading 3-2, Coyle assisted on Sahir Gill's goal to widen the lead to 4-2, making MIchael Marcou's goal at 19:41 a goal short for UMass.
And although Coyle did not figure in the scoring in another UMass 4-3 overtime heartbreaker in the final meeting, he did have a shot on goal in each period.
So in five games against UMass, Coyle had two goals and five assists for seven points.
BU coach Jack Parker said he wished Coyle well, UMass says - Good riddance!