The Darkest Days

I walked out of Schneider Arena this evening with a couple of thoughts that have never crossed my mind when it comes to BC Hockey. I've never, ever in the hundreds of thousands of miles I've traveled watching this team and their recruits, wondered if this program would fall from it's place atop the college hockey food chain. Over the course of the past 15-20 years, this has been the dominant program in this league and in this sport and if you ask me, BC Hockey is right up there with dynasties such as Duke basketball and Alabama football. Unfortunately, we have entered perhaps the worst days this program has ever had to endure, certainly since the mid 90's when Coach York was just getting started. There is no other way for me to say it anymore, this program is in a really, really bad spot but it isn't because guys are not giving their very best out there. Trust me, if I didn't think certain guys were playing at 100% each and every shift, I'd write about it. They know this isn't good and they're doing everything they can to get it done but you can't win a horse race if you don't have the horses. We simply don't have the fire power that other teams do anymore, which is something I never thought I would see. Well, I've seen Minnesota and Michigan have some more talent then us maybe every five or six years but I never thought I would live to see the day where Providence has more skill than BC does. I never thought I'd see the day where Harvard would have so much more skill than we did. I never thought I'd see the day where BU had such an edge on the recruiting trail such as they do at the moment. 

But that day has come. 

Knowing the way Coach York operates, I can tell you that this team will battle in each game from here on in but trust me, it's going to be a rough last three months. It's going to be awesome sitting in a seat next fall and looking out at a lineup that includes two of the best players in the history of the NTDP along with the best player I've ever seen in the ISL but unfortunately, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, not just this year but for the foreseeable future. They need to completely overhaul the way the recruit, as I have explained over and over again. I'm not worried about Miles Wood, Jeremy Bracco, Colin White, Alex Tuch, and Zachary Sanford turning into high quality college hockey players within the next two or three years. I am worried about BC's lower tier forwards developing into a group that this program can rely on game after game. We don't just need those three recruits mentioned above to come in and provide top end scoring, we need Chris Brown, JD Dudek and hopefully a couple of others to come in here and provide some bottom six scoring. 

If you know me and what I'm all about, you'd know that I would run through a brick wall in order for this program to succeed but I simply cannot sit here and say that I'm not worried about the path that Boston College Hockey is headed down. Look, I have a lot of respect for UConn, Harvard, Providence, and Lowell but losing to these teams on a consistent basis isn't something that is acceptable at BC. You don't see Alabama losing to Kentucky or Duke losing to NC State on a consistent basis. We have the reputation, we have the coaching, we have the school, we have the talent, we have the facility (for the most part), we have the support from the administration, we have everything in place to be just as good as we were in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 but for whatever reason, we are losing week in and week out to teams that we simply should not be losing to. I know Providence is good this year and that Lowell is on a good run but those programs don't have half as much as we have. Minnesota, Michigan, BU, and perhaps North Dakota are the only four programs that have ever been able to recruit somewhat as well as BC has so I can deal with losing to them every once in a while (except for BU). However, I cannot deal with Providence recruiting just as well, if not better than we do and programs like Lowell and Vermont being on top of the league when they don't have half the ability to acquire talent like BC does. 

I have nothing else to say except for this is really, really bad. They just need to focus on developing guys like Calnan, Gilmour, Cangelosi, Tuch, and Sanford so that they can be top end scorers by next season. Heck, even if they're not the top guys next year, put them in a position so that they can use their strengths to help Bracco, White, Wood, and hopefully Matthews or Boeser. 

Better days are ahead. I just don't know when. 

Gophers Roll

Before I get into my post, let me first start off by saying the better hockey team won  but I thought BC played really hard for a long time tonight but in the end, their talent level is far superior to ours, which is what I want to talk about. In 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and perhaps 2014, we had the best forward core in the country, were more skilled and more talented than anyone else and very rarely did we get outplayed by a "more skilled" opponent. Unfortunately, the talent gap between the Gophers and Eagles is mind blowing, something that drives me absolutely crazy. I don't expect to get every single 5 star prospect there is but I do expect to have the best top end talent year and year out because that's what we have had for so long. I don't see that anymore, especially up front. I can't ever remember seeing a team come into Kelley Rink and look so much faster, so much more skilled, and completely dominate BC like Minnesota did tonight. Those guys are absolutely loaded and I would be shell-shocked if they don't bring home the National Title in April.

I can't blame the effort because it was there. BC could have packed it in when UM went up 3-0 late in the second but instead they battled back and came within a shot of tying the game midway through the third period and for that, I think the team should be applauded but the fact that fans and perhaps maybe even players and coaches are expecting to lose before games, such as me and many others were before tonight, is something that should never happen at Boston College. Everyone talks about how it's just a down year and how they'll be better next year. I could care less about next year right now. Every fan, player, alumni, coach, etc should have the expectation that we should be the best team in the country year in and year out talent wise because that's the bar that has been set by those that have come before. You look down Minnesota's line sheet and you see fourth liners that are NHL draft picks, much like you saw on our rosters in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 but for whatever reason, we don't have the horses on offensive this year.

Look, I love having a great defensive core and I think we have four guys that will go on to play in the NHL for a long time but the formula around these parts revolves around high powered offenses. I could care less about the old "defense wins championships" adage. We won three titles in five years because of our superior offensive capabilities, not our defensive prowess. Don't get me wrong, I think the staff should still try and bring in the best defenseman they possibly can but speed, skill, and talent up front need to be the priorities from here on out. Cam Atkinson, Johnny G, Brian Gibbons, Joe Whitney, Kevin Hayes etc, proved that you can win a lot of hockey games because of pure skill up front and there is absolutely no reason why world class college hockey players shouldn't be coming out of this program each and every season. Look at that Minnesota team, they have 8 or 9 forwards who I would consider "top end" guys. We have maybe 3 or 4.

This team will continue to fight and tomorrow vs Providence is another huge test but the difference in talent displayed tonight is completely unacceptable. This isn't UMass or Vermont. This is a program that has attracted some of the best players in our sport over the course of the past 15-20 years. Starting next fall, that needs to continue.

Go Eagles.

A Huge Opportunity

Last weekend was all about saving the season from going into all out free for all mode and without a doubt, the team accomplished that by defeating UMass and Maine relatively handily to pick up 4 crucial Hockey East points. Seven days later, we're looking at a chance to take down a team that I believe is undoubtedly the best in college hockey, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Don Lucia's club is skilled, big, fast, and deep but surprisingly, they have dropped three straight games with one of those being an exhibition at home vs the USNTDP U18 squad. They were swept by rival Minnesota-Duluth the previous week. Part of the reason for the Gopher's struggles can be attributed to their injuries as star defenseman Brady Skjei and forward Travis Boyd have been out for extended periods of time. The latest reports had both of them slated to be in the lineup vs BC tomorrow night but Boyd could be a game time decision.

No matter who skates for Minnesota, we know they're going to be coming at us 100%, especially after three straight losses. They have three lines that can score at will, with their top trio being Leon Bristedt- Justin Kloos- Hudson Fasching. Amazingly, UMN only lost two forwards from last season's national runner-up squad and returned their two star blue liners, Skjei and junior Michael Riley. Ok, you get the point, they're really good.

The best thing BC can do is get off to a hot start, something they've done a much better job of lately. Sure, they gave up that early goal @ UMass but they responded with a heck of a period and they also thoroughly dominated Maine for the first 20 minutes last Saturday and while these guys are a lot more skilled, it's still going to be about BC's ability to forecheck hard, stay out of the box, convert on the power play, and finding a way to get an early lead. Like BC, the Gophers are struggling to put the puck in the net as they scored just a goal in 120 minutes of hockey vs Duluth. If the Eagles can find a way to get out to that all important first lead, then Minnesota will become more aggressive which could lead to some odd man rushes for the Eagles.

Obviously, it's going to be a great test but if BC can play as well as they did Saturday vs an albeit weak Maine team, then they could come out with a crucial victory tomorrow. Minnesota has all the talent in the world so the more power plays they get, the worse it will be for BC. If the Eagles are aggressive on the forecheck and get the Gophers running around in their own end, then they'll be the ones on the man advantage. This game cannot turn into a high scoring, penalty filled affair because I think the Eagles will be out gunned. If it's a low scoring, slow paced, physical but within the lines type game, then BC has a chance to change the outlook of their season in 60 minutes.

BC is at 100% except for Santini. Here is Minnesota's projected forward lines.

Bristedt-Rau-Fasching

Warning-Kloos-Cammararta

C.Reilly-Boyd-Ambroz 

Lettieri-Isackson-Michaelson

Support the BC Hockey Toy Drive

Starting tomorrow night vs Minnesota and continuing next weekend vs UNH and the following Saturday vs Michigan, the program is asking for your help in supplying toys to Children's Hospital in Boston.

They ask that the toys be unwrapped toys, books, games, or gift cards for children. Any donation would certainly be much appreciated.

Minnesota preview later. Go Eags.

Recruit Update

Let's take a look at how BC's recruits are performing so far this season. It's nice to be back in the swing of things, eh?

Jeremy Bracco- He broke Patrick Kane's USNTDP assists record this weekend and leads the U18 team in assists and points. His current line is 12-31-43 through 23 games....that's absurd.

Colin White- Not to be outdone by his teammate mentioned above, White has recorded a solid 10-10-20 line through 18 games this season. He missed a few due to a virus.

Casey Fitzgerald- From all accounts, he has fast-tracked in his progressions through the NTDP and has recorded 7 points in 17 games thus far. As of now, he is the staff's only defenseman lined up for next season which means they're banking on the fact that three of Matheson, Hanifin, Santini, and McCoshen will stay....that is a scary thought.

JD Dudek- In 15 games played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), Dudek has recorded 4 goals and 1 assist.

Chris Brown- In 16 games played for the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) Brown has a team high 5 goals and 8 assists.

Chris Shero- In 8 games played for the South Shore Kings, he has recorded 0 points.....not sure if he is still playing there because the team has played 25+ games.

Miles Wood- Nobles begins their season next Wednesday versus Pomfret.

Chris Birdsall- 3.25 GAA and a .886 save percentage in 8 games played for the Youngstown Phantoms, he is splitting time with their other goaltender.

Go Eagles.

We Like To Win

From Eston Photo

If you had a measurement system regarding my feelings towards this team and the program as whole, with 1 being as mad as ever and 10 being on cloud nine, it would have been on -5 after the Harvard game and it has now bounced back to a 7.5 or 8, I mean, what a turnaround. Last Tuesday, I sat on my desk drawing up lineups for next season while we still had 20 games left to play, but once again, I've been taught the lesson of never doubting Coach York. If you were out at UMass or in the building tonight, you can just see how much quicker, smarter, and more disciplined they're playing. Heck, they didn't take a penalty all night until the 8:56 mark of the third period when the game was all but decided. It's not anywhere near a finished product, but it's two games that this team absolutely had to have and they got the job done.

Obviously, I need to start put by congratulating Destry Straight on perhaps his best game in a BC uniform. No matter who you're playing, three points on four goals is pretty darn good in this league and most importantly, it continues the trend of BC's senior class stepping up and making big plays in pressure situations. Even Danny Linell, who didn't have any points or make any "flashy" plays, was solid all weekend long, evident by the staff deciding to go with him instead of Travis Jeke as Ian McCoshen made his return to the lineup after a virus sidelined him for the game vs UMass. I never felt like Maine created a lot of "grade A" scoring chances and the amount of 2 on 1's/3 on 2's they had compared to how many Harvard had was like night and day as BC was solid in both the neutral zone and defensive zone all night (Maine had just 23 shots).

A big reason for Straight's success can be attributed to the stellar play of his linemates, Adam Gilmour and Chris Calnan. The two Nobles kids had without a doubt their best weekend of the season, combining for 6 points. Also putting the cherry on top of his fantastic two game stretch was freshman Alex Tuch who ripped home a nasty wrist shot early in the third to send the Black Bears back to Orono with their 5th straight loss. I thought those guys did a great job of shutting Maine's breakout down at certain points in the game as the black and blue looked like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off in their end and surprisingly, BC never took the foot of the gas in terms of pressure throughout the night.

Not to much to report in the special teams department expect for the shorthanded goal given up. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal because it was just a bad turnover by a BC defenseman deep in his own end but those are the types of things that the team largely avoided for the majority of the weekend so I wouldn't worry to much about that. PK only had to kill off one Maine power play which is a huge plus in and of itself. I worry about BC's ability to compete in high scoring games vs quality opponents so the less power play chances, the better.

All in all, exactly what the doctor ordered heading into what is without a doubt the toughest week of the year. Look, I know Minnesota and Providence are good teams but you can't tell me you don't fell a heck of a lot better about this team now than you did 48 hours ago. Like I said in the first paragraph, the guys that were struggling at the start of the season are starting to really turn the corner. I couldn't name one guy that I thought was "bad" tonight, or last night for that matter. When your forwards play quick, your defenseman avoid mistakes, you stay out of the box, and your goalie makes some key stops, you can win any game.

Onto the Gophers.

Why BC Won- 

1. They stayed out of the box. Anytime you give any team one power play, you have to like your chances.

2. Straight, Gilmour, Calnan, and Tuch were dominant up front. Nearly all 12 forwards are playing at a high level right now. I would say 2 played at a high level vs Harvard.

3. BC didn't give Maine much in the offensive end. I still miss Santini though.

Problems- 

Giving up a shorthanded goal is never good but that's it.

Player of the game- Destry Straight

Next up- Minnesota on Friday @ 6. Huge.

Even when blogger says blow it up, never doubt Coach York.

Go Eagles

Eagles Skate by Minutemen

After the long two hour drive rom Chestnut Hill, I walked into the Mullins Center feeling as pessimistic as ever and hearing that Ian McCoshen was out with an illness upon my arrival didn't help things one bit. I walked over to the concession stands, purchased a popcorn and a coke, found a seat just in time for puck drop, and thirty seconds into that game, that popcorn was on the ground while my face was as red as a cherry, I almost got up and punched the UMass fan sitting next to me, I felt as if this team had hit rock bottom.

But in typical Coach York fashion, the Eagles responded with their biggest win of the season over a UMass team that just wouldn't go away. The Minuteman goal 46 seconds into the game was just bad gapping by BC's defensemen, in fact, the Eagles controlled the play in the first 30 seconds but Minuteman forward Ray Piggozi found a hole in the defense and converted on a semi-breakaway to give UMass the lead. If BC finds a way to turn things around this season, I think we could look at last night's first period as one of the turning points because immediately after they scored, BC turned up the heat and controlled the play for large chunks of the period. For the first time since Halloween night out in Denver, the maroon and gold tallied a power play goal when Chris Calnan redirected a Scotty Savage shot past freshman goaltender Henry Dill. Exactly one minute later, Cam Spiro showcased his immense skill when he scored his third of the season, a tally that went unassisted.

BC continued to carry the play for the majority of the second period but they weren't rewarded until Quinn Smith fired home a pass from Noah Hanifin with under 5 minutes to go. At first look, I thought Hanifin's pass redirected off a UMass players skate and into the net but apparently that wasn't the case. Of the five senior forwards (including Linell), I think Smith has made the biggest jump from his first three years to his senior year. While he isn't the most skilled guy on the ice, he's the type of guy that opponents hate, he's fast, he relentless on the forecheck, and every once and a while, he finds a way to put the puck in the net.

The third period was a bit of headache as UMass and their coach just wouldn't go away. They capitalized on a couple of failed BC clearing attempts on the PK and recorded a power play goal of their own. It's always tough to kill penalties but the olympic ice magnifies it as teams have a lot more room to make plays and often guys miss their assignments. Historically, BC has a hard time on the PK at UMass, UNH, and Minnesota because they know how to use that big ice. Shortly after that, Chris Calnan made perhaps the play of the year as he took the puck from end to end, made a power move driving to the net, and slid puck past Dill to regain the two goal cushion. The two teams traded goals again just 32 seconds apart but it wasn't without controversy as UMass head coach John Micheletto "challenged" BC's fifth goal (scored by Hanifin). Last year, Michelletto almost killed Joe Bertagna after the officials called an offsides on a play in which they scored (it was vs BC). This time, he thought he could compel the refs into changing the call but after a short review, it was ruled no goal. UMass also had a previous goal called back due to a hand pass in the second period. In Jack Parker type fashion, he blamed the officials after the game, and refused to give BC any credit.

Obviously, huge win for the boys, mainly because they gained some ground in the Hockey East standings but also because they jumped a few spots in the all important pairwise rankings. With McCoshen out, I thought Scotty Savage played his best game of the season while Hanifin and Matheson were also outstanding. If McCoshen returns to the lineup tonight, I assume he will be placed back on the power play but you could certainly make the case as to why Savage should remain there. He was terrific. On the offensive side of things, Alex Tuch, Chris Calnan, and Adam Gilmour were dominant. I talked about how BC needed their big guys to get going as soon as possible and they answered the call last night. BC played fast, they played aggressive, and most importantly, they executed in the offensive zone. The power play moved the puck around very well and was rewarded with a goal while the PK was able to kill off 4 of 5 Minutemen power plays. All around, very solid performance from the boys in maroon last night. HUGE game vs Maine this evening @ Kelley Rink.

Why BC Won- 

1. Their big guns looked dominant up front. Tuch, Gilmour, and Calnan seem like they're beginning to recognize their roles on this team. I thought they were tremendous last night.

2. Hanifin, Matheson, and Savage all played exceptionally well. Watching Matheson and Hanifin skate in open ice is a thing of beauty.

3. Secondary scoring continues. Smith and Spiro. Also thought Matty G looked really good.


Negatives- 

1. Bad start but other than that, I liked the way BC played. Fast, fast, fast....we like fast.

Players of the game- Hanifin and Calnan

Next- Maine tonight @ 7

Link to highlights- http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-hockey/recaps/112114aac.html

Biggest Weekend Of The Year

In case you haven't noticed, I have stopped previewing individual teams because I believe that the best thing I can do here is to talk about what BC needs to do in order to be successful each night. Tomorrow presents a unique challenge for this club as they will head out to Amherst for the first and only time this year to take on a UMass squad whom they beat 4-1 @ Kelley Rink just over a month and a half ago. I always talk about how BC struggles out in Amherst but actually, they had a 16 game winning streak there from from 1995 to 2005 and have also won back to back on the Olympic sheet for the first time in a while.

I cannot stress enough just how important this game is to BC's confidence, fight for home ice, and most importantly, their bid for a 6th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Win this game tomorrow, they have a chance to pick up some crucial ground in league play and in the all important pairwise, lose it, then the downfall continues. These are the type of games that Coach York seems to always get them going for because he knows just how much the games in November impact the games in March and April. This isn't one of those games where we can just mark up as another win not only because of the recent struggles, but because of the way UMass typically plays against us in their home venue. Just take a look back at 2012, they blew us out twice in their own building just a few months before we went on to win a National Title. It's a brutal place to play (and to drive to). 

While I was very pleased at the output by Quinn Smith, Mike Sit, and Matty G last weekend, I still think BC needs guys like Adam Gilmour, Chris Calnan, and Alex Tuch to start putting the puck in the net. These were the guys that the staff brought in to produce, not to play as third and fourth line grinders. If they don't start putting the puck in the net, then it will be nearly impossible for this team to win games week in and week out. We've talked a lot about the big guys and how they fit into this system but there isn't anything the staff can do right now except try and find a way to put these guys in the best situation to use their talents. I keep wondering why they don't try Tuch on the point on the second power play unit because he's got the best shot on the team without a doubt. I also think that if those guys are going to be playing against UMass' top line, then BC needs to throw in a guy with speed (Cangelosi) to accompany them. I think that if Cangelosi plays with Tuch and Gilmour, he will start producing more and so will they. 

Obviously, my biggest concern is the power play. The Eagles are 1-5 in games where they haven't scored a power play goal, that one win came last weekend at Michigan State last weekend. My solution for the power play would to change up the personnel and switch to an umbrella style, with three guys spread across the top of the zone. They have to get Matheson and Hanifin on the same unit although I like the way McCoshen has been playing as of late so maybe that isn't such a pressing concern. Last year, we saw Scotty Savage play a big role in what was a potent unit but they haven't even tried him on the second unit this season. Trust me, I know he has struggled but the kid can shoot the puck as well as anyone in hockey East, why not give him a look? I would rotate Doherty, Savage, and McCoshen, see who works best and go with the two hot hands. They must get the PP fixed in order to do anything this season. 

They have to win tomorrow, no ways around it, they just have to find a way to win. I don't care if they outshoot them 400-1, it doesn't matter. Everyone keeps talking about how we outshot UConn and BU but still lost. Since when have we been a program that cares about shots? It's about winning, nothing but winning, winning, winning. 

Go Eagles. 

Big Target Back On The Market

Today, Andy Johnson of Bucky's Fifth Quarter (a Wisconsin blog) reported that top Badger recruit Brock Boeser has decommitted from Wisconsin and will look at other NCAA options. The 5'11 forward out of Burnsville High School (MN) currently leads the USHL in goals (10), he has recorded 19 points in 13 games played. He is a projected first round pick in the 2015 NHL draft

This is exactly what the program needs to get the recruiting momentum back in the long running recruiting war with BU. Add Boeser to a group that includes Colin White, Jeremy Bracco, Chris Brown, Joey Dudek, and Miles Wood, and we're looking at a loaded front 12 for the maroon and gold.

Expect Minnesota to be the front-runner.

What a get this would be. Come on.

Go Eagles.

There's One

After fielding over 1,000 questions this week about what the heck is wrong with BC Hockey, I think I can go to bed knowing next week won't be the same thanks to a hard fought 3-2 win @ Michigan State. I did not make the trip out to East Lansing and the highlights are only the MSU goals so I don't have much to go off of but it's nice to see the guys get of the snide. Is Michigan State the best team in the Big Ten? No but they will certainly win their fair share of games with that first line of Berry, Ferrantino, and Cox, a trio that certainly impressed Coach York. I said this after the BU game and I'll say it again here. We don't have the most talented forward group in the country but come March, we will have the most talented D core (knock on wood) and in my opinion, we have without a doubt the best goaltender in college hockey, when he is at 100%. Apparently, he had a painfully high temperature prior to the BU game as well but was given the OK to start. Shows a lot about his toughness.

From what I can gather, BC continued to get pucks deep and attack MSU's defense, especially in the first period in which BC outshot MSU 14-11 and scored two goals in the first 12 minutes of the game, including one just 39 seconds in by Zach Sanford, his first career goal. While the comeback BU had was tough to watch, I feel a lot more comfortable about this team when they're ahead by goal as opposed to when they're down. As we saw vs Harvard, they can tend to be over aggressive and try to create something out of nothing and it can come back to hurt them. While the power play didn't get many chances (o for 1), the penalty kill seems like it came up big in key situations as MSU was 0 for 4 and was held off the board for the final two minutes of the game in which they had a 6 on 5. Certainly a step in the right direction for that particular special teams unit. 

Perhaps the brightest spots for the Eagles were the facts that Matthew Gaudreau recorded a goal in his second straight game, cementing his spot in the lineup and senior Quinn Smith had a goal and a team high five shots on goal. The three freshmen all had a point and combined for +2 rating. Michael Matheson, Ian McCoshen (who has drastically improved in Santini's absence), and Noah Hanifin all recorded assists from the back end. 

Obviously, this was as much of a "must win" as any BC Hockey team has had in the regular season in a long time. Like I said, if they take it one game at a time, focus on playing better team defense, and start executing on the power play, then they will be able to win some hockey games. They have a chance to win two games next weekend vs a pair of struggling Hockey East teams in UMass and Maine so if they can find a way to go out to Amherst and come back with two points on Friday night, maybe things will settle down before a huge non-conference tilt vs the University of Minnesota. 

It's great to finally write about a win. Go Eagles ! 

Technical Problems

With one fourth of the season already past us, I think the best thing this club can do is take what they can from it and try to play one game at a time from here on out. These first 9 games have taught us a few things but mainly it has showed our lack of depth, it's highlighted the power play and penalty kill struggles, but most notably, it exposed this team's lack of depth and speed. I'm not trying to sound like the Devil's advocate here because I know there is a way this team can win games but it is going to involve a totally different style of hockey than what we are used to. For this first quarter, I think the staff thought they could "push" these guys into the previous system and obviously, it hasn't worked. That's not their fault at all, there is a system that has been in place here since the early 2000's and it' been highly effective throughout the years. Unfortunately, the personnel on this club isn't built to play that high octane, north/south style. I do however, think this team can be successful if they do the following things.

1. They have to change up the power play both systematically and player wise. We've always had three forwards low and two defenseman high and it's obviously worked well for a long time because we had forwards that could make plays like no one else in the country could. Things are different this year. We need to use our mobile defenseman in an umbrella formation that basically allows a right shot at his one-time position (Tuch), a guy with a powerful shot at the top (McCoshen), and a left handed one time guy in his one time spot (Hanifin). Too often, there are three left handed shots at the top of umbrella, when they do go into that formation. That won't lead to goals. I think the two units should be #1- Fitzgerald, Gilmour, Tuch, Hanifin, and McCoshen. #2- Sanford, Cangelosi (he has struggled), Spiro, Matheson, and Doherty.

2. They have to get more aggressive on the penalty kill. If you look at the tape of Harvard's first power play goal, you'll notice that Kerfoot had all day to walk in and fire a wrist shot top shelf. That should never have happened. BC is trying to pack the zone and block shots instead of jumping out to the perimeter and forcing the defenseman to make quick decisions with the puck. We need to start attacking our opponents like they attack us. The more aggressive team won on Tuesday, it won on Friday, and it won on opening night.

3. They have to start rolling three lines at important junctures. For some reason, they had the Cangelosi line out against Harvard's top guns, all NHL draft picks and it resulted in a 10 point night for Vesey, Kerfoot, and Crisculio. It should be Calnan's line against the other team's top line with McCoshen and Hanifin, every time. In the third period of close games, just roll three lines as much as you can. It sounds stupid but the more the "higher end" guys are out there, the better chances we have of scoring goals but those higher end guys have to start playing like "high end" guys or the staff will have nothing to work with.

4. I expect BC to have a very passive forecheck tomorrow night @ MSU because I know for a fact they're looking to change up their style of play after these past four games. We shall see how it works but it's not going to do anything if guys get lazy in the neutral zone and forget where their man is. It's all about match ups, in my opinion. I will be interested to see how they approach the forecheck tomorrow night.

I am not out in East Lansing but I'll certainly be keeping track from Chestnut Hill. Let's pray they get a win tomorrow. They need it....badly.

Go Eagles

Back To The Basics

It's amazing if you look back at the past 15 years of BC Hockey and look at all the amazing games those teams had. the Beanpots and National Titles are things that coaches, fans, and players will never forget. It was arguably the greatest run in the history of college hockey, I mean, those teams were loaded, year in and year out. That time has come to an end.

The Eagles were flat out humiliated by an inspired Harvard Crimson club that looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins out there. Vesey looked like Malkin, Kerfoot was like Crosby, and Criscuolo was reminiscent of Chris Kunitz. The fact of the matter is that Harvard and BU have surpassed BC in the ranks of college hockey in Boston, at least at the moment. Both teams look (much) faster, stronger, and unfortunately, way more inspired than the maroon and gold do. BC looks slow and lifeless. The days of the speedy playmakers are over. I don't understand why they got away from a style of hockey that worked so well for fifteen plus years. Smaller, faster, players thrive in this system and vice versa. This system is not built for big, tall guys that can't skate well and I have no idea why would want to stick to a style of play that obviously doesn't work. The best big forward we have had here is Hayes and even he had a tough time in his first couple seasons. It's not a system built for bigger guys unless they have an enormous amount of speed (Miles Wood, Chris Kreider). 

I don't want to forget Harvard because whatever Ted Donato and his staff are doing, they're doing a heck of a job. I've never seen a Crimson club look so fast, so skilled, and so aggressive. They made BC look like a high school JV team, even our top players looked lost in the mist of their super aggressive forecheck. I've always been a fan of Donato and I hope he gets the ship righted over there. They're certainly on their way. 

The program, in my opinion, is in rough shape. The players look lifeless out there. I'm sure they're trying but they just don't have that pop like other teams had. Remember when guys like Pat Mullane and Brian Gibbons would fire everyone up with a big play on the ice or with words on the bench? I don't see that anymore. I see a team that looks slow, lifeless, uninterested, and vastly lacks in the skill department.

Here is what I think must be done to fix the obviously broken program. 

Change up the recruiting. It is obvious that there are a lot of guys on this team that probably shouldn't be playing hockey at this school. Stop going after the "best" players and start going after the "right ones". Just because they're big, skilled, and have good shots doesn't mean they're going to be good skaters who can distribute the puck. Even the high end recruits the staff has brought in over the past two seasons, they're just not getting the job done offensively, mainly because they aren't the type of guys that have made this program succesful over the course of the past 15 years. They need to go back to the foundations of what made this program so good. There are three aspects that the staff should evaluate. #1 Skill (always first) #2 Speed #3 Heart  right now it's #1 Skill and #2 Height. It isn't working. At all. 

For whatever reason, it seems we want to get the bigger guys than the smaller, quicker, more skilled forwards. Look at Vesey, Kerfoot, O'Regan, Hohmann, Shore, and Hinostroza, those are the type of forwards BC needs. Are they undersized? Maybe. Would they thrive in BC's system? 100%. I think BC has some forwards that have skill but they don't have the speed to accommodate that skill. In the ISL, your height and weight is a huge advantage because you're already playing against kids that are underaged and undersized, for the most part. That skill is apparent in the ISL but it isn't noticeable in the NCAA because the speed isn't there. I saw some of these guys play in the ISL. They were tremendous because they were so much bigger and so much stronger than everyone else, not because they were 100 MPH faster. 

Look, I hate to break it to you but this year is a bust. The best thing the staff can do is continue to go out and recruit kids that FIT THE SYSTEM. Just because Player A is the best player in high school league B, doesn't mean he can come in here and the same player. We won National Championships because we had guys that could win every race with their speed and creativity but for some reason, they wanted to get away from that path. It needs to change. Immediately. 

Lastly, they need to start over recruiting, much like BU does. When you lose five forwards, such as BC did coming into this year, you need to have a loaded back up plan so you can test what works and what doesn't. Experience tells us that bigger, stronger, high school aged forwards don't thrive right away in Hockey East.  The smaller, faster, more inspired player does. I want to have guys that are going to run through a wall to put on that jersey. It isn't a right, it's a privilege that I wish to God I could have but obviously, I'm the one sitting here typing. 

I believe Coach York will fix this by this time next year but they need to continue to recruit. While the class looks very good, the more SPEED the better. Hockey is a game of speed, speed, speed. Not size, size, size. 

Pray for me. 

Update- Barone Making First Career Start

Senior Brad Barone will make his first career start tonight versus Harvard. He has looked great in practice so hopefully that can translate into a real game.

Go Eagles!

Billett Takes Leave of Absence

Senior goaltender Brian Billett has taken a leave of absence from the team, according to the club's official twitter account. The staff has since called up goaltender Alex Joyce, who's name is not listed in the club team's official roster so I am not quiet sure what the deal is there. Billett's leave is because of personal reasons and has nothing to do with any violation of team rules.

Obviously, I wish Brian the best in whatever he is dealing with. Over the course of the past few weeks, his backup role was overtaken by fellow senior Brad Barone, who performed terrifically in the exhibition game vs New Brunswick. Hopefully Brian takes care of what he needs to and returns to the team as soon as possible.

Harvard tonight @ 7. Go Eagles.

Looking Back/Looking Ahead

Let me first say that it stinks having your friends come up to you and ask "what the heck is wrong?", "is the golden age of BC Hockey really over?". It's no secret, everyone that pays attention to the program is deeply concerned about the direction this club is headed in after a disappointing loss @ Hockey East newcomer UConn and a terribly upsetting come from behind loss versus arch rival Boston University. 

As for Wednesday's game, credit UConn's goalie and the always reliable Mike Cavanuagh penalty kill. They made one more play than BC did even though the Eagles had more than a minute of 5 on 3 and outshot the Huskies by more than a 3 to 1 margin over the course of the final two periods. To be honest, I'm still in the state of shock that BC lost that game mainly because those are the type of games that they used to always find a way to win. The Huskies continued to give the Eagles chances to comeback and tie it up but for whatever reason, the maroon and gold couldn't put the puck in the back of the net. Congrats to UConn on not just a great, program changing win, but a terrific start to a new era. 

Friday was a flat out collapse. The main pillars of this club were totally invisible. The goaltending wasn't up to where it had been, the power play continued to be completely inept, and perhaps most shockingly, red and white jerseys were given free passes to walk right in and take any shot they wished. I'll bet that there won't be another time all year in which Noah Hanifin is out there for all four opponent goals and Thatcher Demko allows a pair of goals from practically behind the goal line. When I look back at it, this team will lose to BU 10 out of 10 times when they go 0 for 4 on the power play especially when a couple of those power plays came at times in which BC held a one goal lead. As for BU, I thought they looked like the faster, stronger, and much more physical team from the get go. For large portions of the game, especially in the third period, they vastly outplayed the Eagles and eventually capitalized on some quality scoring chances. What a turn around by Coach Quinn and his team. We'll see them again in January. 

Look, I'm really concerned about where this team is at in so many aspects. They don't play as a collective unit, they can't get anything from the senior class, the defenseman are not helping out on the score sheet, the lack of depth is a lot more apparent than it was a couple of weeks back, and unfortunately, if they don't get their act together soon, there may not an NCAA tournament berth. Tomorrow presents a chance for this team to pick up what I believe will look like a quality non-conference victory by years end. Harvard has played just three games so far this season but they boast one of the most talented rosters in the ECAC, which includes star forwardsJimmy Vesey, Alex Kerfoot, and Patrick McNally. It's going to be a tough game and if BC doesn't show up, they're going to get run out of their own building. This team doesn't have the ability to win games based on talent alone because this team does not have the talent that last years team had. Like I said Friday, losing is the worst thing in the world. It's awful. There is nothing worse, at least from my perspective. At one point or another, Coach York is going to get them going but if that time doesn't come sooner rather than later, it may be to late. Let's hope they can get back on track with a solid win at home tomorrow vs a quality opponent. 

Go Eagles 

Mediocrity ?

I really don't have a whole lot to say about tonight's loss or Wednesday's. I am in the state of shock at where this team is at right now. All I see on the internet is "they played hard" or "they gave it all they had", "it's a step in the right direction."

I want to make one thing 100% percent clear to every single person that reads this blog or follows this program.

Losing to Boston University has never been and will never be a positive for this program. Losing in general will never be considered OK for this program. Blame it on the depth, blame it on the youth, blame it on the recruiting, blame it on the moon, blame it on whoever you want but don't ever walk out of a rink thinking a BC hockey team made steps because they played hard but still lost. I don't know what is happening to this club. They just collapsed, there is no other way to say it. Just a full on collapse that I don't have any answers for.

I'll dive into more specifics later (maybe) but no fan, player, coach, booster, administrator, whoever, should ever accept mediocrity from this program. When you put on the jersey, the expectation is to win, nothing more, nothing less. I don't care if they played great for 50 minutes and neither should you, they lost.

UConn Preview

If you look down BC's schedule, the non-BU games that jump out at you are Denver, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine etc and perhaps those are the games that you look most forward to because of the opponents pedigree. For me, tomorrow night's game against UConn, the newest and perhaps least heralded team in the league, is as intriguing as any game the maroon and gold will play this year. If you walk into Conte Forum, you'll see five banners with the words "National Champions" inscribed on them, four of which have come within the past 15 years. You'll see countless Beanpot, Hockey East tournament and regular season titles, and a newly minted Hobey Baker award winner banner, which includes the names of two guys that helped bring BC Hockey to it's modern day prominence amongst the college hockey world. None of those banners or trophies would be anywhere close to that rink if it weren't for Mike Cavanaugh. Not only was he a terrific coach, recruiter, and teacher, but he was always very good to me and my blog throughout his time at BC and for that, I will always be thankful.

But I still want to beat him. 

Whether you're a fan of it or not, the Eagles will travel down to the XL Center in Hartford Wednesday evening to take on the Huskies for the first time in program history. 7 games into this young season, the Huskies are 1-4-2 but their one W is an impressive one, a 4-1 victory over a Quinnipiac team that has been a factor on the national stage for quiet a few years now. As close as Coach York and Coach Cav may be, you know the student will do anything and everything he can to bring home what would be a monumental victory for his up and coming programing. Coming off a long road trip against a highly ranked opponent and with You Know Who looming on Friday, this has trap game written all over it for BC. While I have all the respect in the world for Coach Cav and the Huskies, if they take any points away from the Eagles tomorrow night, it will be the biggest disappointment of the season to this point. 

When I look at this game, the biggest thing I want to see out of BC is some scoring. While they created some chances out in the Mile High city, it certainly wasn't enough, especially on the power play where they were 1 for 13 on the weekend. It's no secret that one of BC's strength is the skating ability of their defenseman but it seems to me like they're not getting involved enough on the power play. For whatever reason, not only are they not scoring, they aren't getting the type of looks that will challenge a goaltender or a penalty unit. To me, everything looks stationary and they aren't moving the puck around quick enough, forcing the defense to constantly move and thus, creating gaps for the offense to pounce on. The good news is that Cav's main duties outside of recruiting while @ BC included a penalty kill which constantly ranked in the top 10 nationally. I'm thinking Coach York and Coach Brown may know a little something about the way he wants to kill off BC's power plays. 

I can't stress how important this game is to BC's hopes for a regular season championship and more importantly, a good position in the national spotlight come years end. You may be asking, "how does a win @ UConn have any impact on our national standing?" UConn is going to have plenty of opportunities to beat some quality opponents this year and pick up some valuable pairwise points if they're able to do so. The revamped pairwise system puts an emphasis on road wins, whether that victory is conference or non conference doesn't matter that much, as long as you find a way to win on the road. It is very rare for a Coach York team to overlook an opponent heading into a bigger game in the near future and I don't expect them to tomorrow, especially considering the guy running the opponents bench. We can't lose to Cav !!

Scouting UConn- 

Record- 1-4-2, 38th in pairwise 

Leading scorers- Spencer Naas (2-2-4), Shawn Pauly (0-3-3), Corey Ronan (1-1-2) 

Team defense- 2.57 goals allowed per game (28th) 

Team offense- 1.71 goals allowed per game (51st) 

Power play- 5.26 % (55th) 

Penalty kill- 85.7 % (24th)

Penalty minutes- 11.14 penalty minutes per game (36th) 

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Find a way to put the puck in the net. If they go 0 for 8 on the power play again I might collapse. 

2. I'm looking for a big game from Scotty Savage. The reason I'm saying this is because I saw how good the kid can be last season. Thus far, he hasn't reached that point. Hopefully, he starts tomorrow. 

Injury update- Mike Sit (hand) will play

Go Eagles 

Tough Loss

Just 24 hours after picking up their biggest win of the season, the Eagles responded with another great effort but fell just a few plays short as Denver scored with under a minute left in OT to take game two of the series. Obviously, the expectation is always to win and losing or tying are unacceptable but as mad as I am about the power play and final two minutes of OT, I believe the Eagles fly home a better team than they came out. Demko was outstanding, the PK killed off 12 DU power plays on the weekend, and overall, I think everyone had their moments over the course of these past two games. Unfortunately, you can't go 0 for 8 on the man advantage and expect to beat good hockey teams. We are not going to score many even strength goals this year and the only way we beat good teams is by taking advantage in those type of situations, especially on the road. You just have to find a way to capitalize, just once. BC couldn't find a way. They haven't had two set units all season and for some reason they broke up the Matheson-Hanifin first unit pairing but I'm sure they'll get to work on it and fix it for Wednesday.

The first period was another solid 20 minutes of defensive hockey for both teams but the highlight was undoubtedly BC's lengthy 5 on 3 penalty kill, something they have now done in two straight games. There are three things I am NOT worried about right now. Number one, our PK, it looks tremendous, 100x better than it did earlier in the season. Secondly, I think we've got the best goaltender in the country who gives us a chance to win every game. He was outstanding once again. Lastly, BC continues to play smart in their own end and in the neutral zone. I can't recall any bad turnovers or Denver having a bunch of odd man rushes. McCoshen in particular made some significant strides this weekend.

On the other hand, as you can tell, I'm really worried about our power play. When I say worried, I mean really worried. Ever since Coach Brown took the reins in 2004, our man advantage has been one of, if not the best, unit in the country year in and year out. Having guys like G, Atkinson, and Gibbons doesn't hurt but it's not like we're playing with a bunch of stiffs right now. I think they'll figure it out eventually but maybe they could give Spiro and Calnan shots on Wednesday but they won't take Straight out because he had arguably his best weekend of the year (besides the OT goal). I don't know how they're going to fix it but maybe load up on the first unit with 5,7,12,14,19 and then 4,3,11,26,24 on the second unit. I think that could work.

All in all, it's going to stink flying home tomorrow morning after a loss like that but no one can say that BC didn't play their hearts out for 125 minutes this weekend. Denver is a great team and I'm 100% convinced they will be a factor come March so credit them on a fantastic game and a hard fought weekend of hockey. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn't allow for any down time as the Eagles travel to Hartford on Wednesday to take on Coach Cav and the Huskies before the biggest regular season game in BC hockey history on Friday.

Why BC lost-

1. Power play is as bad as it has ever been. Coach Brown will get it fixed, no worries.

Injury Update- Mike Sit suffered a left arm injury in the first and left the game. He had a cast on.

Next up- @ UConn on Wednesday.

I'll post my thoughts on Denver tomorrow night. Awesome trip.

Go Eagles

Big W

Ryan Fitz had two goals vs DU

Just when it seemed he couldn't break anymore records (and even though he probably could care less) Coach York broke another mark Friday evening @ Magness Arena, capturing his 500th victory as head coach for the Eagles as his team defeated Denver 2-1 in front of 4,559 fans. There really isn't any other way to say it other than it's an absolutely huge win for this club, by far and away their biggest victory of this young season. All I talked about from June to September was how this team was going to win games by defense and goaltending, something that fans were going to have to get used to. Five games into the 2014-15 campaign, it's hard to imagine BC's D and goalie Thatcher Demko can be much better. Some of the saves #30 made down the stretch tonight are the type of stops elite goaltenders make. Big saves in clutch situations. The fact that BC held DU to just 26 shots and an 0 for 6 mark on the power play are significant indicators of the progress the maroon and gold are making in their own end. 

The first period was as defensive and boring as it gets but let me make it clear, that isn't a bad thing. We aren't going to beat the Denver's, BU's, and Minnesota's of the world with 6 or seven goals like we have in the past. It's going to be solid all around play from the goaltender out. That's exactly what took place tonight. I can't recall DU getting anything in the offensive end in the first twenty minutes but give them credit because they also held us off the board. The only way BC gives up more than three goals in a game this season is when they shoot themselves in the foot with either penalties (although the PK has significantly improved)  or bad turnovers. Although part #1 needs some work, the guys have made enormous improvements in the turnover department. 

All seemed good and well until DU struck 28 seconds into the middle stanza, catching BC half asleep in their own end. Again, I have to watch the whole tape but here is a nice GIF from the boys at BC Interruption. It appears that their forward won a little battle behind BC's net but the Eagles are still in somewhat OK position until they forget to pick up one of DU's top D, Nolan Zajac who comes flying in from the point untouched and gives the Pios a 1-0 lead. Sanford looks like he's got his stick in between the passer and the receiver but it slides through him and the rest is history. BC's response to the goal was as well as they've responded to adversity all season as killed off a Cangelosi penalty and capitalized on a DU hooking call to tie the game up. Once again, Ryan Fitzgerald has proved to be the new "go to" guy as many predicted he would before the season started. Here is the replay. It's simple, Straight and Cango combined to win a puck battle and Cango turns it into a 2 on 1 down low with Fitzgerald. BC's power play is at it's best when they're penetrating the zone and creating odd number situations down low rather than up high. They try to do that by  constantly swinging the puck from left to right but in reality, the best way to create those type of situations is winning a battle on the boards and catching the defense off guard. Perhaps the biggest moment of the game besides the game winning goal was Denver's inability to capitalize on a 1:20 of 5 on 3. Don't get me wrong, they had their chances but Demko continues to manifest why he is the top goalie in college hockey. Credit Coach Ayers and his PK unit as they have killed off 10 of their past 11 penalties. 

It was apparent in the third that BC really built up a lot of momentum from that kill late in the second. They came out as the faster, more aggressive, team in the final period but once again, they killed that momentum with bad penalty midway through the period and Denver nearly cashed in. BC's penalty killing philosophy is a lot different than it was during the Cavanaugh era (he ran the PK)  but it continues to pump out positive results, which is all that matters. Immediately after Sanford's holding the stick call expired, he bolted out of the box and caught a long pass from Quinn Smith before having it fall off his stick and into the corner. However, he stayed with the puck, won a battle for it in the corner, and made a sick pass out front to guess who, Fitzgerald, who gave the Eagles their first lead of the night. Here is the replay. 

The lead was great but the maroon and gold still had to hunker down and find a way to hold DU off the board for the final 5 minutes. Thanks to more spectacular saves from Demko and a little bit of puck luck, they were able to do just that and land their first "landmark" victory of the season. 

Winning on the road in college hockey isn't easy, especially when you're playing 2,000 miles away vs a team who's season you ended five months earlier but the staff has to be extremely proud of the way their team play tonight. For the past 10-15 years, BC has won the majority of "big" games by overpowering their opponents with speed, skill, and depth up front, not necessarily their defensive prowess. Is this team different? Very. Does it matter as long as the results are the same? Not one bit. 

Why BC Won- 

1. Demko continues to be the top goaltender in the country. Heck, he might be the best player in the country right now. Oh, I'm forgetting someone. We will see him on Friday.

2. Coach Ayers' PK gave DU nothing on the power play. The Pios could have blown that game wide open with a couple of 5 on 3 goals late in the second but the Eagles held up. 

3. Fitzgerald's development has exceeded anyones expectations. I knew he would improve with more playing time but to be honest, I didn't see 5 goals through 5 games. 

Negatives- 

1. Although they had a goal, I'm still not crazy about the power play. They aren't creating enough "grade A" chances, it's a whole lot of cycling down low but not getting anything in between the circles.  

2. The penalties are ridiculous at times. 

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko 

Next up- vs DU tomorrow. 9 PM EST

Congrats Coach ! Go Eagles