Kornacki: Boo Nieves Finding His Beat with Wolverines
12/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Dec. 12, 2015
Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves gives U-M the lead for good Friday
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Momentum had shifted to Minnesota, but it was back in Michigan's hands almost as quickly as you could say Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves.
Nieves scored a gritty goal only 34 seconds after the Golden Gophers tied the game midway through the second period. He busted through the defense and broke in on goalie Eric Schierhorn toward his stick side, hesitating for just an instant to freeze Schierhorn before flicking the puck past him just inside the post.
And so before Minnesota could continue its roll and take control, Nieves reversed the game's direction. The Wolverines scored three goals in 3:55 beginning with that one, and freshman sensation Kyle Connor had the next two en route to his first collegiate hat trick Saturday night (Dec. 11) at Yost Ice Arena.
But there's no doubt that Nieves' goal was the most important one in an 8-3 win for No. 9 Michigan (9-2-3) in the first meeting between the schools since the Gophers won the Big Ten championship game last March at Joe Louis Arena.
"That was huge," Wolverine head coach Red Berenson said. "It's an individual effort, but when Boo got through their defense and scored that changed [everything]. You could feel it pick our team up, and sure enough we scored on the next shift, and away we went."
Nieves, who has four goals this season, also scored the game's first one in last Saturday's (Dec. 5) win over Wisconsin. The senior center is beginning to step up and make a difference in big games, and he is certainly capable of that.
Nieves was the second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2012, after his senior year at The Kent School, a prep school in Connecticut. Nieves said he didn't feel he put too much pressure on himself as a result of that, but he's never scored more than eight goals in three previous college seasons.
Berenson is beginning to see Nieves click now, though, and he could be a key player in getting the Wolverines back to the NCAA Tournament.
"He's starting to get that senior sense of confidence and urgency and realizing what he can do as a player," said Berenson. "I've always thought that he's a better player than he thought he was, and I think he's going to live up to my expectations here in the second half of the year."
When hearing Berenson's comment, Nieves nodded upon hearing it.
"Yeah, definitely, for sure," said Nieves. "It's been great here, but it's also been frustrating at times because I haven't been playing to my potential. And the best part about playing for Red is that when you think you are playing well, he's always there to push you to give more. It was hard to understand some times, but I started to wrap my head around it, and I can give more and make plays like this (goal) both here and at the next level.
"I had a good start to my career here, but I had a slump my sophomore season. Then last year, I got back to where I was my freshman year. This year, I'm just trying to take off. It's tough being a senior because college is almost over, and at the same time you are relied on a lot."
He noted that the other seniors on the team -- injured goalie Steve Racine and linemate Justin Selman -- feel that same need to "come through for the younger guys" that they sensed from Michigan seniors they've played with.
Nieves and Selman are alternate captains behind junior captain JT Compher, and Nieves treasures the "A" stitched to his maize and blue sweater.
"When I first got here," said Nieves, "I saw those letters on the jerseys, and they stand out every night in their roles. Those are guys who are going out tough. JT's obviously the best leader on this team, and we've all done a really good job of keeping the team close and making sure we get going in these big games."
Nieves' goal, a display of sheer determination, exemplified that attitude.
"It was a pretty simple play," said Nieves. "I took it to the net, and it ended up going in."
Nieves also had a big impact on the game during faceoffs, which determines possessions, which provides the potential to score. He matched Compher by winning 11 faceoffs, but his .688 success percentage on 16 opportunities was much better than any other player in the game.
Nieves ranked sixth in the Big Ten in that category headed into Friday night and increased his overall percentage for the season to .587.
"Every Wednesday and Thursday our coaches harp on us to take faceoffs," said Nieves, a left-hander. "They make sure I go against JT and Cooper (Marody), who are righties, and Shooey (Max Shuart), who is a lefty. We get to experiment a lot against each other, and communicating is one of the key parts to our success. We talk about it a lot together."
There's a certain beat in the faceoff circle, one that a drummer surely understands. Nieves is a musicology major and is adept at playing the drums, piano and guitar.
"Hockey does end eventually," said Nieves, "and I'd definitely like to continue on the drums. The drums are my favorite. I'm self-taught since I was 13 or 14 years old, and it came naturally to me.
"My dream after hockey would be to become a studio drummer for bands or just show up for a track with an artist and perform in the studio."
His nickname will work as well in the music world as it has in hockey, giving him a catchy moniker. It was given to him as a young boy by his parents, Joanne and Rafael, who interestingly are among the few who now call him Cristoval.
"They wouldn't tell me the whole story about 'Boo' until I was older because it was pretty embarrassing," said Nieves. "They started calling me 'Bugaboo' when I was younger, and then 'Boo' stuck when I was 5 or 6, and it's been my name ever since."
When asked who still calls him Cristoval, he said, "My parents and my teachers -- that's it."
A bugaboo is something that causes worry or fear. If that's what Nieves brings out in opponents, it would be all Berenson could ask for and all "Boo" could want.
