Ryan Santana, 100 Percent, 100 Percent of the Time by Jashvina Shah/Staff Beat Reporter When Boston Universitys

mens hockey team scored the first point in its last regular-season game, Ryan Santana was the first Terrier to skate over and congratulate Danny ORegan on his most recent goal. Santana had been hovering near the crease during the power play, getting in Northeastern netminder Chris Rawlings way when ORegan took his shot from the left faceoff circle. Santana didnt earn an assist on the goal, but thats not why hes been a constant on one of BUs power play units since Feb. 11. Hes just 100 percent all the time, senior Ben Rosen said. Everything he does, his work ethic, his positive attitude, hes always going 100 miles per hour all the time and I think thats what his biggest asset is. Since shifting to the power play, Santana has added seven points, four manadvantage ones, to his season total. He might be scoring more, but his style of play has stayed the same. My favorite thing is I just kind of get to do the same thing that I usually do on the fourth line, which is grind it out when theres pucks in the corners or when we dump pucks in or if theres a loose puck, Santana said. I can just do my job and get in front of the goalie and kind of muck it up. Santana stood next to framed pictures of Terrier legends outside the locker room, slightly laughing as he described his role on the power play. Hes usually always smiling, whether hes recalling a favorite memory or commenting on the weather. Even when the Terriers lost to UMass-Lowell in February, Santana still honored an interview request. He stood in the halls seriously as a broomball tournament and the BU Band pushed noise down the usually quiet Agganis hallways. He couldnt hear anything so he just asked to move and shifted further down the corridor. Despite the noise and the loss, he still couldnt get through the interview without showing his smile. Its an attitude that hasnt changed, even though his power play unit which consists of ORegan, Matt Nieto, Evan Rodrigues and Ahti Oksanen has recorded eight of BUs 10 power play goals since Santana joined it.

When Im out there with those guys, if I do get the puck, I try to make sure I have my head up and Im ready to make a play just because those guys are such smart players, Santana said. I know I [have] to put in their hands and theyll take care of the rest. That power play unit also helped Nieto record the programs first hat trick in four years when the Terriers defeated Vermont 3-1 in March. Santana helped start the natural hat trick when he fed Nieto a pass from the left faceoff circle. All Nieto needed to do was wrist it past Vermonts Brody Hoffman. He does so many good things up there for our power play. He wins battles, he wins races and hes a great screen in front of the net, Nieto said after their power play unit registered three goals in Maine. When you get a hard worker like that, good things are going to happen. Santana may never have joined that power play unit if an injury hadnt sidelined Rodrigues for a game in January. To fill the right wing spot, coach Jack Parker moved Santana up to the second line to play with ORegan and Nieto. He doesnt have the cleverness and the creativeness that Evan has, but he has a big heart and he worked hard, Parker said in January. That was a no-brainer to put him there. Parker liked what he saw enough to replicate it. Hell screen goalies and hell jump on loose pucks and hes really working hard. When I played him against Providence he played the power play and looked pretty sharp so I kept that in the back of my mind, Parker said in February. He was determined to get in front of the goalies eyes and he was determined to get to loose pucks. Thats a good thing on the power play. As a fourth-line centerman, Santanas regular-shift playing time got cut when Parker decided to roll the first three lines and spot the fourth in March. I know he definitely wants to be out there, Rosen said. Hes one of those guys that wants to contribute, not for himself but for the team. He feels that when he sits on the bench he cant do that, but hes definitely very vocal about it for other guys, cheering [them] on. I think hes a huge asset, whether hes on the bench or on the ice.

The senior from Yorba Linda, Calif., has reached a few milestones this year, which include playing in his 100th game and recording double-digit points in a season for the first time in his collegiate career. Hes also seeing ice time on the penalty kill, which has altered his leadership role. [Its] mainly talking to guys and being positive and doing the right things outside of the ice, Santana said. But now that I get a chance to be out there more, [Im] trying to make sure that Im on top of my game every time I get out there and having a positive impact so I can lead by example on the ice. Its definitely easier to talk on the ice a little bit more when youre out there a little bit more too. Its definitely been a positive thing for me. It helps that the 24-year-old is playing his first full season without any major shoulder problems. He had a dislocated shoulder his freshman and sophomore year and eventually separated his shoulder sophomore year, which required offseason surgery. It forced him to miss the first half of the 2011-12 season. But it was during his injury that teammate and close friend Ben Rosen recalls his favorite moment for the fourth liner. In December last season, Santana decided to attempt the Rhetts Challenge, which is comprised of eating a triple bacon cheeseburger, fries, root beer and an eight-scoop sundae in 30 minutes. We got Sants to do it because Sants is big into his food and he thought he could handle it. We had him do it in front of the entire GSU. We had everyone go and he ended up not finishing, not due to a lack of hustle, but the food kind of came up on him. I think we were all pretty upset about it, but it was definitely one of the funniest moments weve ever had, especially with Sants, Rosen said. I wouldnt say I didnt contribute to it, but even he contributed to it. If you finish all the food you get the free meal, so he was on board for that. Even through the shoulder problems (and the failed Rhetts Challenge) Santana has recorded 22 points in his Terrier career. There are many other statistics you can count for Santana to see what hes accomplished at BU goals, games played, penalty minutes and blocked shots. But its moments you cant find by analyzing box scores that matter most to the Terriers, like BUs game-tying goal against Providence. ORegan had scored the game tying goal, but it was initially waived off by referees who saw Santana interfere with Providence goalkeeper Jon Gillies. Santana had been

in the crease, but the only reason he ended up on Gillies is because a Friar was trying to push Santana out of the way. Sants is one of the best guys on the team, the biggest, most underrated guys I think we have, Rosen said. He brings a ton to the table and without a guy like him its a totally different team. Were blessed to have him.