Ryan Fitzgerald Captures MVP At All American Prospect Game

2013 recruit Ryan Fitzgerald captured the Most Valuable Player award last night in the All American Prospects game in Buffalo, NY. Fitzgerald recorded three assist for team McClanahan, who won the game 5-2 over team Housley. Adding to his three assist, Fitzgerald also had a solid night at the faceoff dot, winning 10 of the 14 draws he was apart of. This season, Fitzgerald will play for the Valley Jr Warriors of the EJHL. He is a senior at Malden Catholic and will come to Boston College next fall.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

Frank Vatrano Out at BC

Multiple websites have confirmed our report that BC freshman forward Frank Vatrano would in fact be withdrawing from the school. While I have no details to reveal, Coach York was asked about the situation today by The Heights sports writer Greg Joyce and he replied " Vatrano has withdrawn from the university, per policy at BC, we're not allowed to discuss". Obviously, this is a tough situation for all partires involved but in the end, it is my hope that Vatrano gets everything straightened out and is back on the ice again whether it be in college hockey or some other league.

Anyway, with Vatrano gone, let's take a look at what the lineup is shaking up to be like.

Johnny G- Mullane- Whitney

Hayes- Arnold- Straight

Smith- Sit-Linell

Spiro- Brown- Silk

Here were the power play units-

First Unit- 

Johnny G- Mullane- Linell

Whitney-Matheson

Second Unit-

Hayes- Arnold-Straight

Wey- Doherty/Jeke

Yes, Vatrano leaves a little bit of a hole up front but the first two lines will be fine even if the staff decides to drop Steven Whitney down to the second line and move Linell up to first line and drop Straight with Smith and Sit. It's confusing but it's really not that different of a lineup, I kind if like the Smith-Sit-Linell combination because of the speed and the ability that all three guys have in their own end. If there are anymore changes in the next few days, I will be sure to update you as soon as I can.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

Frank Vatrano

I was surprised not to see freshman Frank Vatrano today at practice. I was told it was not an injury related issue. I am not going to speculate on rumors but I can tell you that my sense is there is more to this story. Stay tuned, I will be working on this story tomorrow after school.

Until tomorrow,

GO EAGLES !

Catching Up

We are just under two weeks until hockey season and there is some news to report about the Eagles. First of all, Destry Straight missed practice today because of an injury but he should be good to go for the start of the season. As I watch more and more practices, I can see that some guys have really improved their games since last season. Two guys that I think are skating pretty well right now are forwards Danny Linell and Mike Sit. Both guys are going to need to play at a high level for this team this upcoming year and I believe they are both very close to turning it up to that next level. With their speed, both guys have the ability to create some space and make plays so hopefully we see that out of them as the season goes on. Johnny G, Pat Mullane, Steve Whitney, and Bill Arnold have all been skating at that high level they have been at ever since they came to BC so I wouldn't be too worried about them in the early going. In terms of the freshman forwards, I believe that Brendan Silk and Frank Vatrano both still hold spots in the opening night lineup but we will see if anything changes between now and next Friday when New Brunswick comes to town.

On the defensive end, I am becoming more and more confident about this group. I don't make these predictions very often but I have to say, I think Mike Matheson will be the best defenseman in the league by the end of this year. This kid can do it all, he can skate, he can defend (although this needs the most work), he can make plays, and he can fire the puck. Very similar to some Dumoulin guy I remember from a year ago. While some people will have BC's defense as the teams biggest question mark, I wouldn't be surprised to see this unit develop into a very solid one by the end of October.

To be honest, I like this squad. I love the fact that we have four of the top seven forwards returning from last years team and have some great leaders like Mullane and Wey to help with the younger guys. This team isn't as deep as last years or the 2011 squad, but it has seven or eight guys that will be able to play night in and night out and make a big impact. The one big lineup question as of now is who will start at right wing on the first line, once that is decided on by the staff, things will be all set. October 6th can't come soon enough.

BC was selected as the #1 team in the USA Today preseason poll. 

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

Boston College Picked First by Hockey East Media

The Hockey East media came out with their preseason poll and all league team tonight. Here were the predictions.

1. Boston College

2. Lowell

3. Boston University

4. New Hampshire

5. Providence

6. Maine

7. Merrimack

8. Northeastern

9. UMass

10. Vermont

All League Team- 

F- Johnny G

F- Joey Diamond (Maine)

F- Matt Nieto (BU)

D- Chad Ruwhedel (UML)

D- Garrett Noonan (BU)

G- Parker Milner

Coach Brown Elevated to Associate Head Coach

Coach York announced today that assistant coach Greg Brown would be elevated to Associate Head Coach along with current Associate Head Coach, Mike Cavanaugh. This is certainly a well deserved title for a coach that has played a big role in the program's success over the past eight seasons.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

A Couple of Preseason Thoughts

I have been able to watch a couple of practices and at this point, the opening night lineup is becoming more and more clear. Destry Straight practiced for the first time today after suffering from back spasms last week. Interestingly, Straight was not put at left wing where he was a season ago. Right now, the staff has Straight lined up at center with freshman Brendan Silk and Frank Vatrano. While he may not be at 100 % right now, I think Straight will be all set to go for the season opener vs New Brunswick in two and a half weeks. I have a couple of observations from the first couple of practices...

1. The Johnny G - Mullane- Linell line is going to be a force in Hockey East this season. Even in practice, you could see that these three were really coming together as a line. It may take a few games for Linell to get used to playing with these guys but when he does, this could be one of the best lines in the league.

2. Forward Brendan Silk appears to have an edge in cracking the starting lineup. In the past few practices, he has been skating at right wing with Destry Straight and Frank Vatrano. This was a little bit of a surprise as I didn't think Silk would earn a top 9 spot but he looks good so far in practice. Hopefully he keeps it up.

3. The defense is not as big a problem as people say it will be. Yes, I see why people will say "BC will be weak on  D" but as it appears to me, this team could have six pretty solid defenseman for the season. I think the starting three with Wey, Matheson, and Alber are among the  top three in the league. Trust me, Matheson will win Rookie of the Year (unless of course the league screws another BC guy). Macleod and Doherty will be fine and I honestly think Travis Jeke has looked pretty solid so far. I am definitely not as worried as I was going into the first practices.

4. This team has a really good nucleus of experienced/skilled players. Skill is something that every team wants and most in Hockey East have. But combine skill and experience and you have one heck of a hockey team. This Eagle squad has some really skilled guys like Mullane, Whitney , and Wey that will help the freshman progress as the season grows older.

Here were the lines- 

Johnny G- Mullane- Linell

Hayes- Arnold- Whitney

Vatrano- Straight- Silk

Spiro- Brown/Sit- Smith

Until next time,

GO EAGLES

Full Lineup Preview

Most of you probably don't remember the lineup predictions I posted about a month ago (I myself don't remember them) so It thought it would be good to once again look at some line combinations we could see on October 6th vs New Brunswick. Here we go.

Johnny G- Pat Mullane- Danny Linell 

A real power line. Johnny G is the favorite to be Hockey East preseason player of the year and could very well be a Honey Baker candidate come years end. Mix that in with Pat Mullane who has had a solid three years during his career at BC and Danny Linell, someone who will need to step up but has the potential to be a first line guy. The one concern I would have is Linell on the wing but playing with guys like Johnny G and Mullane will certainly boost his numbers and production.


Destry Straight - Bill Arnold- Steven Whitney 

Another line the has the chance to really do some damage on the offensive end for the Eagles. I think Straight will need to adjust a little bit from last season because Chris Kreider isn't coming out of the tunnel this season and he clearly had an impact on Straight's game. Bill Arnold will continue to be the best faceoff man and defensive forward on the team while Whitney will continue to use his heavy offensive arsenal this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he leads the team in goals. This could be a fantastic combination.


Quinn Smith- Kevin Hayes- Frank Vatrano 

This line carries two players in Vatrano and Hayes that have very similar playing styles. Both are not particularly fast but have great strength and NHL caliber shots. Just by watching Vatrano for 45 minutes today, I could see that his physical strength is very evident on the ice. The reason I like Smith on this line over Destry Straight is because Quinn adds that speed dimension that Hayes and Vatrano kind of lack. I don't expect Quinn Smith and Frank Vatrano to light it up all year long but to be honest, I really look for Kevin Hayes to be a top three scorer on this team. If he can do that, this line will be real solid.

Cam Spiro- Mike Sit- Patrick Brown 

I think Brown and Sit are pretty set in stone to play this season but the left wing on this line is a big question mark. I've always thought that if one were needed at any point last season, Cam Spiro would have been the guy to go in. Hopefully, he gets his shot this year. No, this line is not going to score every game or all that often to be honest but it will comprise of guys that work hard in both ends night in and night out. Peter McMullen will also compete for a spot on this line.

Defense-

Patrick Wey- Teddy Doherty- Keep the veteran with a new, inexperienced freshman.

Patch Alber- Mike Matheson- The best defensive defenseman (Alber) with the highly skilled Matheson.

Isaac Macleod- Travis Jeke- There will be a battle between Jeke and Sullivan for this 6th and final spot. Sullivan, who is injured (but not badly), may be the odd man out.

Power Play Unit One 

Forwards- Johnny G, Mullane, Linell

Defenseman- Whitney and Matheson


Power Play Unit Two 

Forwards- Straight, Hayes, Arnold

Defenseman- Wey and Alber (Don't know about this last defenseman spot. I could see a guy like Vatrano up there)


Goalie- Milner will start with Billett being the backup.

The Saga Continues

First it was Andrew Glass getting thrown out of school, then the Saponaris, then Charlie Coyle, then Corey Trivino, followed by Max Nicastro and finally this. Boston University hockey continues it's gigantic fall from the championship heights  it achieved just a couple of seasons ago. No, this is not Vermont we are talking about here, we are talking about one of the best programs in this sports history, and one of the great coaches in this sport, going somewhere no one could have ever have imagined. Let's get one thing perfectly clear...no one dislikes BU hockey more than I do and I don't feel sympathetic for that team or that coach very often but come on. Is it really fair for a paper like the Boston Globe to call for Parker's resignation ? Some would say yes but this is not a Joe Paterno type issue here. First of all, the Globe won't even name it's sources in the BU story which landed on their front cover just this week. As a college hockey fan AND as a Boston College hockey fan,  I don't like seeing a legend of our sport getting hammered in the news like this. Do I like Parker ? No, I don't, but do I respect what he has done for college hockey ? Of course. With regards to the party and all of that madness, I don't blame Parker for the actual event because it was just typical BU stupidity out of those players. Did Jack Parker actually know that the party took place and openly lie about it ? I highly doubt it. I don't know Parker but if there is one thing Jack Parker is, it is that he is an honest man who I don't think would tell a lie like that at this point in his career.

Now, would this happen to a Jerry York run program ? Absolutely not. Say what you want about how this can happen anywhere and all that but let's be honest, the kids that come to Boston College to play hockey are not just great players but honest and responsible individuals. I am not saying that the type of players that Parker recruits are not good people but I am saying that he may need to factor in the responsibility part in looking at a future player. Come on Eagle fans ? What would a BC BU rivalry be like without Jack Parker ?

The Eagles will hit the ice for their first (I believe) practice tomorrow. I will have a report on who I think looks good and some of the line combos that will be out there so stay tuned.

Conte Forum Getting Air Conditioning

Finally. Whether it was vs archrival Boston University in 2006, North Dakota in 2007,  or even at times this season in the game vs Denver, the ice conditions at Conte Forum have had an effect on the outcome of a game. However, tonight it was announced that Boston College will input air conditioning in Conte during the summer of 2013. This will undoubtedly improve the ice conditions during hockey season, especially during the early months of the season when hockey gets underway. Yes, there are still some things that must be done to improve the conditions at Conte but none was bigger than what was announced today. Obviously, the games vs North Dakota and BU were not just disappointing as fans but also embarrassing that an event like that would happen at a school like this. Thankfully, the athletic department has stepped up and decided to input this solution that will help the ice conditions and the hockey program for a long time.

Players have arrived on campus and team meetings are underway as we are a month away from puck drop vs New Brunswick.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES

Taking a Tour of the 2012-13 Hockey East season

As the students arrive back at school, it is time to start the season previews here on the blog. I'll start with some quick, simple predictions for the season and will take BC out of the equations until the end where I make predictions for the postseason.

Best Opponent- Lowell. About 99 out of 100 times, the answer for this question would be a team other than Lowell  but this year the Riverhawks return most of their star power up front and on defense. With reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Year (I know it's laughable) Scott Wilson and captain Riley Wetmore both returning for the Hawks along with star defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, the Riverhawks are primed to make a run for a Hockey East title and a second consecutive NCAA appearance.

Best Player- Joey Diamond (Maine). Diamond is the lone returning piece of Maine's "big three" from a season ago but can no doubt be as dominant as Spencer Abbott and Brian Flynn evident by his team leading 25 goals from a season ago. Yes, many question whether Diamond can get it done without Flynn and Abbott but if some guys can step up around him, he should be a contender for Hockey East player of the year.

Best Returning Defenseman- Chad Ruhwedel (Lowell). With Tommy Cross, Brian Dumoulin, and Adam Clendening all gone from last season, Chad Ruhwedel is primed to become the top defenseman in Hockey East. Last season, Ruhwedel recorded a team high (for defenseman) 25 points and was also an anchor on defense for the Hawks. Look for Ruhwedel to have a big year for Norm Bazin's team.

Most Improved Team- Providence. With new coach Nate Lehman at the helm, the Friars hockey program seems to be back on the upswing as they bring in a top notch recruiting class this season along with returning some key players like Schaller and Brown. I look for the Friars to be competing for home ice, if not a regular season title, this season.

Team That Will Drop the Most- Boston University. Before last season the Terriers were predicted by some to be the best team in college hockey..well, look where they ended up. This year, BU loses a ton of star power in Chiasson, Clendening, and Connolly along with having to replace goalie Kieran Milan. While they have two good forwards in Megan and Nieto returning, they will need a lot of freshman to step up and be stars..doesn't work too often in this league.

Team that will be a tough out this year- Northeastern. Yes, the Huskies do lose a lot of good forwards and defenseman but they also return a good nucleus of players along with a solid recruiting class headed by Kevin Roy. The Eagles have to play two games at Matthews this season (including the season opener) and that is never an easy W.

Team that will struggle the most this season- Vermont. You have to feel for Kevin Sneddon and his staff. First, Sebastian Stalberg bolts Burlington, then highly touted recruit Zemgus Girgensons, and finally senior Matt Marshall bolts to Northeastern. Also, Sneddon lost his whole staff. Not shaping up to be a good year up in Burlington.

Team that Will Hold the Lamorilleo Trophy when it's all said and done- People will try to tell you why they won't win it and crap like that but let's face it...BC owns this league.

Hockey East teams that will make the NCAA's- BC, Lowell, and UNH.