A dream for Hanson’s Bill Sweezey as the kids get their chance at the Bruins’ season opener

But we live in Beantown and we love hockey. Even if, like on Sunday, it doesn’t bring much.

More than four months after another early playoff exit (Round 2 to the Panthers), the Bruins will look to get faster and stronger this season, especially on the forecheck. In short, they want to make life a little more difficult for their 31 opponents, especially when the Stanley Cup puck drops in April.

Some nuances of this uptempo game were evident against the Rangers, as were different forechecking techniques.

“I’d give us a C for speed,” said coach Jim Montgomery, who plans to play with kids again on Tuesday when the Capitals play their second preseason game at the Garden. “And for forechecking … a B+.”

Kuntar, 6’1″ and 200 pounds, showed the kind of grit that could keep him in training camp for most, if not all, of the seven-game tryout season. He seems to be able to play with a consistent competitive spirit and fight back when pressured, something that used to be standard in the game but is becoming increasingly rare. He scored with a nifty backhand shot from close range, capitalizing on the change left over from a shot by Patrick Brown (a former BC player).

“Hopefully I’ll stand out with my style of hockey,” Kuntar said, pondering what it will take to get the coaching staff’s attention. “I think I have a unique style of play where I like to play on the rim and also be able to score. I want to be the hardest worker on the ice, not lose battles … finish my checks and play hard and be tough around the net. Hopefully that’s what stands out.”

Kuntar attended the rookie tournament in his hometown of Buffalo last weekend (he grew up in Gronk’s Williamsville neighborhood). Before he boarded the bus back to Boston, he heard Providence coach Ryan Mougenel tell the rookies to stick around for their game here at main camp. All the kids heard the exact same thing from Montgomery.

All good. But any kid who dreams of staying in the NHL, especially of getting a spot on a team that has a chance to win the Cup, wants to do more, to do more, but without going too far beyond his steel toes.

“Obviously, I think everyone has their role,” Kuntar said. “I think coming to Boston (after last season with AHL Providence) … I just want to make sure I’m doing my job and my role, but also doing more if I can.”

Montgomery liked what he saw from Kuntar, the son of goalie Les Kuntar, who played six seasons as a junior for the Canadiens. Kuntar was drafted as a pivot, and if he makes it through training camp, he will most likely play where he played against the Rangers, as the No. 4 left wing.

“He’s a spirited, energetic winger,” praised Montgomery. “He plays with a lot of grit – we like that. Always seems to be near the puck, which is what hockey players usually do.”

Two of Boston’s best players, the much-discussed Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, had remarkably unremarkable performances. Neither hit a shot, even though that group included exactly two players in the Boston lineup. Lysell (14 minutes, 56 seconds of ice time) shot twice, but both were blocked. Merkulov’s only attempt was blocked. He played 15:29. They should be in the lineup Tuesday night. They need to do more. And fast.

Sweezey, a 2020 Yale graduate, looks like he could slot into the defensive line if needed. He signed over the summer after three years in Columbus’ system and played nine games in the NHL in 2022-23. He had played in the Garden only once before, as a member of the Blue Jackets. He attended the Bruins’ development camp as an 18-year-old before beginning his college career with the Bulldogs.

“It was surreal,” he said when asked what it was like growing up here and finally wearing the Spoked-B on Causeway Street. “Hard to say, I knew it was coming.”

The Bruins also have a strong defense. He’s ahead of many of the guys looking to move up the food chain, but most likely he’ll be wearing a Spoked-P when the season starts. Numbers.

Sweezey, 28, graduated from Yale in 2020 with a degree in biomedical engineering. In terms of difficulty, he is on the same level as former Bruin Joe Juneau, who graduated from RPI with a degree in aerospace engineering.

It’s always good for kids to have options, isn’t it?

“Not a lot of overlap, no … maybe time management?” Sweezey said when asked if there were comparisons with biomedical engineering and a sport based on a piece of vulcanized rubber. “Good four years (at Yale), I enjoyed it.”

What if Billy Sweezey from Hanson didn’t make it to hockey?

“I don’t know… I’ll probably go back to school,” he said. “Because I’ve been away for a while. Just, you know, do some research and development – work in a lab coat, put on a white coat and be a nerd.”

Children. They sometimes say the craziest things.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at [email protected].