Previewing the Bowling Green Falcons

Tomorrow evening the Eagles will kick off the second half of the season versus Coach York's former team, the Bowling Green Falcons, in the first game of the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh. Penn State and Robert Morris will play the late game. Both contest will be played at the CONSOL Energy Center, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boston College will be without two defensemen, Steve Santini and Ian McCoshen along with goaltender Thatcher Demko for both games this weekend because of the World Jr Championships taking place in Sweden. Coach Brown is also in Sweden so he will be absent for both contest as well.

I think this game is going to show us just how much the team learned from the Holy Cross debacle. Sure, the guys played well vs UNH but let's be honest, the largest reason we stole four points was because of Billett and Demko. You can't rely on your goaltenders to make 30 to 40 saves each and every night. The Wildcats were a good team so of course BC was able to get up be ready for what were two extremely important league contest. Bowling Green doesn't have the pedigree that a team like UNH does so the question is, will BC be ready to play for a full 60 minutes? I mean we can all point to the Holy Cross game and talk about how bad a team they're and how it was just a rough game but this Bowling Green team has some talent. They tied Ferris State on the road, tied Union in Schenectady, and beat a Minnesota State team that was ranked in  the top 10 coming into the season on two occasions. They know they need a couple of big wins to boost their non-conference resume so BC has got to be ready for their very best 60 minutes of hockey. I mean look at what we let Holy Cross do, they looked like the Russian National team for a good two thirds of that game. The bottom line is BC has got to play like they did in the third vs HC and the second period of Friday's game vs UNH to win games at this point in the season.

The biggest thing I am looking for tomorrow is how many scoring chances BC can create. For the most part on Saturday night in Durham, the Wildcats completely shut down the #1 offense in the country. Actually, BC's big line of Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Arnold, was the only line that made a mark on the scoring charts. I thought the second line of Fitzgerald, Cangelosi, and Straight was pretty good on both nights vs New Hampshire, especially on Friday where they combined for six points. The biggest thing that has to improve for BC in the second half is secondary scoring. I thought Gilmour was tremendous in the first five games, he needs to get back to that. Brown has been his same old, dependable, durable, solid in both ends, self. He isn't going to put up a lot of points but as long as he succeeds in the defensive zone and faceoff dot, he will play a lot of minutes. I'd like to see Quinn Smith start scoring. To be honest, I thought he would have more than one goal at this point. BC needs guys like him and Chris Calnan to score at least seven or eight goals over the course of the next three and a half months.

When all is said and done, I think this is going to be a lot closer game than people think. The Falcons rank 22nd in the country in offense, scoring nearly three goals per game. On the other hand, they allow 2.65 goals per contest. Their power play has struggled for most of the season, ranking 36th in the country (ours is still near the bottom at 45th). Their penalty kill is also in the middle of the pack with a 83 % kill rate, good for 24th in the country. Goaltender Tomas Sholl is seventh in the nation with two shutouts. So you get the point. This is not a bad hockey team. They will give us everything they have and if BC plays like they don't want to be there, I think Bowling Green is going to have a great shot.

With Santini and McCoshen out, expect Pittsburgh native Travis Jeke to make his first appearance of the
season. I would also think that Evan Richardson would play at least one of the two games but I'm not sure on that.

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Score early and often. Holy Cross was up 5-1 on us through two periods. BC just cannot allow teams that they are so much more talented then to get out to these giant leads because they're not going to be able to make up these huge deficits each game.

2. Score. On. The. Power. Play. When was the last time we had the 45th (!!!!) ranked power play in the country ? Bowling Green takes close to 16 penalty minutes a game which is 10th is the country so look for BC to at least get some chances on the PP.

3. Need a goal or two from either the third or fourth line. BC has not lost a single game when one of Brown, Smith, Sit, Gilmour, or Calnan scores a goal.

I'm leaving for Pittsburgh tomorrow morning. First ever visit to the "Steel City"

Go Eagles !

Eagles Land 97' Defenseman

Boston College has landed a commitment from Connor Moore, 5'10/165 lb defenseman from the Brooks School. He is a high end skater with lots of offensive upside. According to reports, he was being looked at by multiple Hockey East schools including Providence and New Hampshire. Fall of 2016 arrival. Moore is from Atlanta, Georgia.

Recruiting Update

I updated our recruiting page this afternoon. The biggest change I have is that Noah Hanifin will be coming to campus next fall (per sources). I think the staff just thought that why leave him out there for another year where he could decide to go to the Q or go to another school ? Personally, I love the decision because I know that Noah is ready to play at this level. In all honesty, he could be our third defenseman as a 17 year old freshman behind McCoshen and Santini.

That brings me right into my next point. The staff has got to land one more big time defenseman for next season. I'm not going to dive into specific names because I try to stray away from the guys that are being looked at because of a whole host of reasons but the bottom line is we need one more guy that play a lot of minutes on even strength, penalty kills, and power plays.

I'm trying to revamp the recruiting aspect of the website so bear with me for these next few weeks as things might be a bit different.

Go Eagles

Updates From Sweden

Things have been pretty slow around here over the past week but here are two quick notes from the World Jr Championship which will get underway next week.

1. Ian McCoshen appeared to be a bit shaken up after taking a hard hit into the boards. He was favoring his left shoulder but he did return for the next shift. If there is anything update worthy, I'll be sure to let you know.

2. Both McCoshen and Steven Santini were in the United States' lineup for todays exhibition versus Finland. The US won 3-2.

That's all I got. Go Eagles.

Fitzgerald Cut From Junior Team

Freshman Ryan Fitzgerald was cut early this morning from the United States' World Jr Team. Ian McCoshen, Steve Santini, and Thatcher Demko will all travel tonight with the team to Sweden. Obviously, I'm pretty disappointed to see that Ryan was cut. He is a hard working, two way player that I believe will play professional hockey someday. Remember in 2012 when Johnny G got cut and came back to BC, only to torch everything in his way because he wanted to prove those coaches wrong ? I think we could certainly see a similar situation here as Ryan has been playing some exceptional hockey as of late.

I'm sure it will sting over the holidays but I hope he is able to keep his head up and come back ready to go.

Go Eagles

World Jr Camp Underway

As you probably know by now, four Eagles: Ian McCoshen, Steven Santini, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Thatcher Demko, along with Coach Brown, will be representing the United States in Malmo, Sweden later this month is the World Jr Championships. Today, practice got underway @ the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena. The head coach of the team is Don Lucia of Minnesota. Honestly, I don't know much about how good of a chance each of these guys has of making it but I'd say each one has a pretty solid chance of at least traveling to Sweden to play in the scrimmages. I'm not a huge fan of people who want these kids to be cut and come home for the Holiday tournament in Pittsburgh or the Frozen Fenway game vs Notre Dame (who also has two guys playing). These kids have a chance to represent this school on a world scale and potentially create even more roads in their hockey careers. I'm not worried about the affects it will have on this particular club. Guys are just going to have to step up. Plain and simple. 

Anyways, good luck Thatcher, Ryan, Ian, Steven, and Coach Brown. Go win a gold medal. 

Go Eagles. 

I recommend following Chris Peters on Twitter. He has all this stuff covered as good as anyone. This is his website- http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/

Notebook

I don't actually know if we're technically halfway through the season yet but honestly, I don't care. I'm calling this the halfway point so we will work from that. First of all, I think the overall outlook heading into a big month vs teams like Providence, Notre Dame, and Boston University has to be a positive one. As long as there are no injuries to anyone going to Sweden for the World Jr's, BC should have a full arsenal ready to go for a stretch that could go a long way in deciding their NCAA faith. Although there were three months of hockey, each game tough in it's own right, I thought the final weekend of the semester was by far and away the two biggest wins BC has picked up so far this season. Listen, no matter what way you want to draw it up, that loss to Holy Cross was embarrassing but for the guys to come back and (barely) escape the weekend with four points over what I think is a really good hockey team, is a huge step in the right direction. Of course, the goal of the regular season is try and put yourself in a position to win a regular season title but I think the two most important things BC has to be concerned with right now is clinching a spot in the NCAA tournament (with a big emphasis on trying to get a #1 seed) and clinching a first round bye in the Hockey East playoffs (top four teams).

Although all signs are pointing in the right direction, this team still has a lot they need to improve on. I know we've got the number one offense in the country but besides the first period on Saturday and the second period on Friday, I don't think the Eagles generated as many scoring chances as they wanted to. Of course, getting a few power plays would certainly help the cause. I like the way all the freshmen have acclimated to the system so far but I still think the staff should give Richardson a chance on the third or fourth line. He will get his chance in Pittsburgh so if he plays well, he could see some more ice time as the season goes on. I'm not a huge fan of putting the big three together but I think it would be good to give them two shifts every period. Keep the opponent guessing as to when they will come out. If BC can get some more scoring out of guys like Smith, Brown, and Gilmour, I think they have a chance to win some trophies. Three guys (G, Hayes, and Arnold) are not going to win the National Title....well maybe they can.

On the defensive end, I think the staff has to be pretty pleased with the progress everyone has made. Of course, you've got pretty much every diehard fan ranting on the message boards about Linell playing over Savage but other than that, I think everyone is happy. To be honest, I really liked the way Savage played in some games this year, particularly the ones vs RPI and BU and I think he should be an everyday guy but I don't think they will sit Linell and play him. I don't see how they can bench Doherty after this weekend but I guess you never really know. Of course, Linell, Savage, and Doherty will all play in Pittsburgh. I would expect Jeke to be the 6th defenseman.

I know we've got two weeks and we'll prepare for it after Christmas but after what happened vs Holy Cross, I don't think there is any possible way BC can walk into a rink and believe they can beat anyone just by showing up. All three of these will play their tails off vs the Eagles in order to gain some national notoriety. Hopefully BC doesn't sleep walk through the first half of the game like they did two weeks ago.

All in all, I think we've all got to be pleased with where this team is right now. I feel like we've got the two best playmakers in college hockey, the best offensive defenseman, the best defensive defenseman, and a pair of goalies that can keep us in any game when they're playing at a high level (like Friday and Saturday). The biggest surprise to me was that Johnny G has been pretty much a non-factor over the course of the last four games. Maine and UNH completely shut him down and he had one nice period vs Holy Cross but still didn't find the back of the net. BC has not lost this year when G has scored a goal. This team will go as far as he, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Arnold, can take them but I don't know if those three combined can do something like Nathan Gerbe did in 2008 when he single-handily won a National Title but I think if the Eagles can get some more support from their bottom six guys, they have a shot. And all you need is a shot.

Eagles Get Huge Sweep

Hayes celebrates his goal. Photo from Dave Arnold.

You ever hear the saying how you always you want your defense to "bend but not break" if you've got a good offense in football ? Well, this weekend there was a heck of a lot of bending from the Eagles, especially over the course of the final forty minutes tonight @ the Whittemore Center but they stood tall and defeated the UNH Wildcats by a 2-1 margin, moving into a tie for first place with the Providence Friars in the process. Sure, there we a lot of rough patches throughout the weekend. I mean, we got outshot by a 29-19 margin tonight but it seemed like UNH had the puck for twice as long as BC did. The bottom line is that no matter what the shots are or how long one team has the puck for, if you get good goaltending and block shots in key situations, you can win any game in this league. With the larger ice surface, you would think that UNH would have had a lot more shooting lanes but I thought BC did a great job, especially on the penalty kill, of getting sticks and bodies in front of white jerseys and forcing the pucks to the boards. When Wildcat shots did get through to the net, Thatcher Demko was there to make the stop as he played arguably his best game of the year tonight, making 28 saves.

When I look at the game, I'm not really sure if I loved the way BC played as they got severely outplayed for a couple of long stretches but as the game went on, they tightened  up their defense in the neutral zone and limited UNH's odd man rushes. With 1:18 left to go in the game, UNH pulled goalie Casey DeSmith but were pretty much unable to garner any real good shots thanks to some great defensive play from Billy Arnold and Austin Cangelosi. After Cango dumped the puck in (and barely missing the empty net) Arnold went in and kept the puck down there for a good fifteen seconds, giving UNH little time to push it up the ice and create a chance. The amount they have improved on their late game situations from the UMass series has been a pretty good turnaround. It's certainly a positive sign going forward.

On the offensive side of things, BC really didn't generate much. Both goals were results of brutal UNH turnovers and some slick skill from BC's top guns. I couldn't believe how UNH was able to completely take Johnny G out of the game. He was a non factor all night, even with the space he was given on the big sheet. Give them credit for that. I thought Billy Arnold played arguably his best game of the season tonight on both ends, especially in the defensive end. Kevin Hayes' goal was very similar to the one he had last night. He led a 2 on 1 rush over the blue line and snipped one low blocker side to give BC the lead with two minutes left in the second period.

Defensively, I think the staff has got to be pretty pleased with what they saw. Other than the goal, which was a total breakdown from all five guys, I thought BC did a good job of limiting UNH to a lot of perimeter shots. The best part of BC's defensive game was undoubtedly their penalty kill as UNH didn't score on four power play chances. BC, of course, had zero power plays once again. When you're killing penalties and spending a lot of time in your own end, you need your goalie to be your best player. There is no question that the best player on the ice tonight was #30 in maroon.

Overall, this was a pretty gigantic win. BC entered the weekend 11th in the pairwise standings but as of now, they sit in the 6th position. As I mentioned earlier, they now stand atop Hockey East with Providence, a team they will meet in early January @ Kelly Rink. Things still have to improve substantially but two wins over a quality hockey team will certainly make Christmas a little merrier in BC Hockey world.

Positives- 

1. Thatcher Demko. He was sensational all night long. The only reason UNH was able to get one by him was because of a horrific defensive collapse.

2. Just enough forwards played well enough. Not everyone was hitting on all cylinders but Arnold, Cangelosi, Fitzgerald, and Hayes all played real well.

3. Macleod and Linell were both +2. All in all, a pretty good weekend for those two.

Negatives- 

1. BC has got to find a way to generate more scoring chances. Maybe getting a few power plays here and there would help.

2. The UNH goal was a really bad sequence. I haven't seen the tape yet but I think BC got caught with pretty much every guy on one side of the ice, leaving a white jersey wide open in front of Demko. Highlights will be up later.

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko

Next Up- Bowling Green on December 27th in the Three Rivers Classic (Pittsburgh)

Go Eagles !

Demko To Play Game Two

Thatcher Demko will start tonight @ UNH. It is his first start @ the Whittemore Center.

A Step In The Right Direction

Photo from Graham Beck of The Heights.

There were no trophies on the line tonight. Technically, it wasn't a must win game for NCAA purposes or for Hockey East home ice proposes. In fact, we're still in the first half of the season so a lot of teams would have treated tonight as just another game. It wasn't. It was a game in which this team was going to show how resilient they were or that the first two months of the season was a fluke. The guys showed what they're made of and came out with a solid 6-2 victory over a UNH team that looked extremely shaky in all three ends. Sure, the first period was a really bad but what was displayed in the second period of tonight's game is the type of hockey that can lead this team to championships. No, it still wasn't a full 60 minute "complete game", but it was better. It's step in the right direction.

As bad as I thought the first two periods were vs Holy Cross, the opening twenty minutes tonight were equally as bad, if not worse. BC just looked flat. They looked slow and out of it. Last weekend, they didn't get the goaltending or the puck luck to avoid digging themselves into yet another deep hole. If it wasn't for some great saves from Brian Billett and a some kind bounces from the rubber tonight, I'm not sure BC comes out on top. UNH was dominating in BC's end for a long period of time when the Eagles attempted to clear it and the puck bounced over a few blue jerseys and popped right onto the stick of Johnny G who easily put it home on a breakaway. BC somehow escaped with a lead through one period.

The second period is what we like to call "Eagle Hockey". BC looked fast, they generated a ton of scoring chances, played a bit better in their own end, and were rewarded with a four goal outburst. The biggest thing I noticed was that the defensemen kept pinching up at the offensive blue line and forced turnover after turnover. When UNH was able to chip the puck out and generate an odd man rush, either BC's forwards did a good job of back checking or Billett made a quality save. I thought BC's newly formed first line of Johnny G, Hayes, and Arnold played well towards the second half of the game. UNH actually did a good job on G and Hayes for the first twenty minutes even though G had a breakaway goal. As BC was able to build up a lead, UNH started leaving lots of space through the neutral zone and the Eagles, led by Austin Cangelosi were able to take advantage. With the exception of perhaps the Wisconsin game, this was Cango's best game of the season. He was all over the ice tonight, evident by his three points and +3 rating.

On the defensive side of things, I couldn't have been more impressed with Steven Santini. He was absolutely amazing tonight. Not only did he score a goal and an assist, he led BC with a +4 rating. He is second on the team with a +15 rating for the year (McCoshen is +18). Another thing I want to address is Teddy Doherty's spot in the lineup. If he is benched tomorrow, I'll throw the fish onto the ice @ the Whit. He was great in both ends all night. Also added a pretty sweet goal. Great to see. I wasn't really surprised they sat Savage as he struggled last Friday but I would expect to see him back in there tomorrow. Not sure who will be the odd guy out.

All in all, it's a nice win but a W tomorrow night would almost completely make up for the debacle last weekend. If this team can go into the break tied with Providence for the league led in points and continue to stay seven or eight points above the Terriers, I think everybody will have a nice holiday.

Positives- 

1. Cangelosi was sensational.

2. Billett saved the game in the first period. If it wasn't for his play in the opening twenty minutes, BC would have been blown out.

3. Santini is a beast. Literally. He almost killed a guy....AND DIDN'T GET CALLED !

Negatives- 

1. Too many penalties. UNH had four power plays. BC had none.

Player(s) of the game- Santini and Cangelosi

Next up- @ UNH tomorrow night. 7 PM. It's on WBIN TV.

Go Eagles.

Billett Playing Game One Vs UNH

Brian Billett will start tonight vs UNH.

Previewing the UNH Wildcats

I'm not going to sit here and write about how this weekend is a big one because of points, pairwise, standings, all that kind of crap. No, this weekend is about a heck of a lot more than all those numbers. This weekend is about coming back from one of the most embarrassing losses in the program's storied history and showing the fans that this is still the team that smoked Wisconsin, tied Minnesota, clobbered BU, and swept Northeastern. It's time to prove to people that the guys in that locker room have heart and are willing to play a full 60 minute hockey game. Everyone seems to think last weekend's collapse will somehow wake the team up and they will play better from here on out. I've never been a believer in those type of statements. In Hockey East and college hockey in general, there should be the same level of effort and pride shown each and every game. Unfortunately with this team, those two intangibles have been pretty down as of late.

Despite all the criticism and bad comments, there will be an even larger sense of optimism surrounding this club if they can take four points from a very good UNH team this weekend. First of all, the biggest thing BC needs to do is actually show up for the first period. Playing from behind in this league vs good teams is extremely tough. Being blown out after two periods vs Holy Cross and Maine certainly is not going to help your chances of winning hockey games and making the NCAA tournament.

UNH is good club, they've got a couple of high end forwards like Goumas, Downing, and Sorkin but they also carry what is arguably the deepest defensive core in Hockey East, led by the big three of Trevor van Riemsdyk, Eric Knodel, and Brett Pesce. The Wildcats play a style not unlike BC. They're fast, they've got some big defensemen that can hit, and they have a pair of goalies that can be real hot and real cold. Look for BC to stack up on the first line with all the big guns together to generate more scoring chances. Yes, Hayes, Johnny, and Billy Arnold will create a lot of good opportunities and they should control the pace while they're out there but whether BC wins or loses depends on how their third and fourth lines play. They need guys like Brown and Gilmour to start putting the puck in the back of the net in order to win these big games. As for who is in net, I am not sure yet. Check twitter for updates throughout the night.

Scouting UNH-

Rank- 16th (9-7-1), second in Hockey East. Two points above BC.

Leading scorer- Kevin Goumas (19 points), Nick Sorkin (19 points), and Trevor Van Riemsdyk (18 points)

Team Offense- 3.35 goals per game (15th in country)

Team Defense- 2.24 goals per game (11thin country)

Power Play- 21.92 percent. (16th in country)

Penalty Kill- 79.3 percent (41st in country)

Penalty minutes- 8.53 per game. (57th lowest in country)


Keys for BC-

1. Need production on the power play. In every game that BC has lost this season, they have not recorded a power play goal.

2. Whoever is in net needs to play better. Billet's performance vs Maine and Demko's vs Holy Cross were both very concerning. I would expect Demko tonight but I'm really not sure.

3. Win the first period. The first period has been killing this team all season. Hopefully they improve tonight.


Go Eagles

Eagles Named To World Jr Team

Four Eagles, Thatcher Demko, Ryan Fitzgerald, Steve Santini, and Ian McCoshen have been named to the United States' World Jr Championship team. The tournament will take place from December 26th to January 5th in Malmo, Sweden. The guys will miss three BC games. Two in Pittsburgh and the Frozen Fenway game vs Notre Dame (unless the US doesn't make it past group play). Coach Brown will assist head coach Don Lucia (Minnesota) so he will be gone as well.

Again, great accomplishments but the last thing guys on this team need to do is go out and celebrate making the World Jr Team. They need to worry about this team and how they can avoid embarrassment at the hands of UNH this weekend. BC won't play for another twenty days after this weekend so four points would make Christmas a whole lot better.

Go Eagles.

Notes

Here are a few notes as the Eagles look to rebound vs UNH this weekend.

1. BC and Colorado College announced a deal to play each other over the next three seasons. They come here next year, we go out there twice the next two seasons after that.

2. Ryan Fitzgerald won Rookie of the Month and Johnny G won Player of the Month but the last thing this team needs right now is individual recognition. Great honors, obviously, but after last Saturday, all individual accolades should be taken and thrown out the window.

3. Mike Matheson did not make the Canada World Jr Championship team. I know that this greatly upsets Mike but it is not an indicator of his talent or skill. We all know how good of a hockey player he is. When he is able to take his game up to that next notch, he will be playing on a team a heck of a lot bigger than that country's junior team.

4. The United States roster comes out tomorrow. There will be some Eagles on it. Stay tunned to see who. Those guys on the team will miss BC's tournament in Pittsburgh and most likely the Frozen Fenway game vs Notre Dame.

5. I haven't been over to watch practice lately but expect some big lineup changes. This ship doesn't have a few cracks, it's gotta couple of giant holes and we have to figure out how to fix it. Soon.

Time to Do Some Changing

What happened at Kelly Rink on Friday evening is not really a thing of rocket science. It's not some calculus problem that we've got to try and figure out. Instead, it was one hockey team that couldn't have been more excited to play one of the top teams in the country and another team that wished they were still eating turkey and potatoes. BC just lost to Holy Cross. Let that sink in. They have won three games all year and BC has never lost to an Atlantic Hockey team. It has to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of college hockey, without a doubt.

What can I say ? That was as bad a loss as I can ever remember, in fact, I would say that is the single worst loss in the last fifteen years. The fact that BC lost that game last night because they didn't feel like playing for the first fifty minutes, has to make BC fans wonder what the mindset of this club is right now. The bottom line is BC just didn't want to be there. They didn't want to play, they didn't want to have to skate hard, and they felt like it would be cool to spot another team five goals before coming back. Nope. Awful. Just plain horrible.

Last weekend up in Maine was, in my opinion, just a blimp on the screen. You're going to have bad games once and a while. But when you lose a game many predict you should win by five or six goals, that's a different story. How do the guys come out like that ? How was so little effort shown in the first two periods ? This team obviously thinks they're this great team that's a bunch of world beaters. Guess what ? THEY'RE AN AVERAGE HOCKEY TEAM.

I don't know what the staff is going to do this week in practice but I'm pretty darn happy I'm not going to be one of the twenty seven skating sprints up and down the ice for two hours. A lot of people have told me, "well maybe it's a good wakeup call for them" or "they will be better because of this". I don't want to hear that. What happened on that ice last night was one of the most agonizing displays on hockey I have ever witnessed. This is a super proud program with tons of people that love this school's hockey team. Not one person was proud of that team walking out of the rink yesterday.

Anyways, congrats to Holy Cross. That is a program changing win, no doubt. I'm certainly going to be rooting for those guys to win their league and make the NCAA tournament because they play as hard as any team I've ever seen. Congratulations.

Demko In Vs Holy Cross/ Lineup

Thatcher Demko will start today versus Holy Cross. It is his first start since November 8th @ Boston University.

Here is the lineup-

Johnny G- Bill Arnold- Austin Cangelosi 

Ryan Fitzgerald- Kevin Hayes- Destry Straight

Quinn Smith- Pat Brown- Adam Gilmour 

Matty Gaudreau- Mike Sit- Brendan Silk 

Savage- Santini

Macleod- Matheson

McCoshen Linell

Demko

Previewing the Holy Cross Crusaders

The Eagles will look to continue their impressive streak of not having lost back to back games yet this season when they play host to ancient rival, Holy Cross, on Friday evening @ Kelly Rink. This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Crusaders since November of 2004, which was a 5-0 BC victory. A handful of fans have questioned the decision to schedule Holy Cross, especially on a Friday after Thanksgiving but I think they need to take a step back and look at the broader picture. Outside of Boston University and Notre Dame, Holy Cross is BC's biggest rival and is perhaps the schools oldest rival in football. While their hockey program may not be up to the standards of BC's, I think it's a classy move to schedule them because they don't always get a chance to play top notch competition. Also, it wouldn't be smart if BC just loaded up on playing teams like Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin every month. I don't know if I would like to see these two teams play every year, but I hope that BC continues to schedule home contest vs Holy Cross in the near future.

So far this season, the Crusaders have amassed a 3-9 record, with all of those wins coming in the Atlantic Hockey league. They are 2-6 on the road. They have played three games vs Hockey East teams (Northeastern twice and BU), they are 0-3 in those games and were outscored by a 11-5 margin in those contest. They actually played BU really tough, only losing by a goal on the road. Their three wins have come over Army, Robert Morris, and Sacred Heart. Two players from Holy Cross, Mike and Joey McNamara have a father that played @ BC in the late 80's and they grew up literally right next to BC's campus. Their mother was also BC's tennis coach for a period of time. So yea, there are a couple of connections between these two teams.

As for the Eagles, it should be business as usual as they have not lost a non-conference home game since they fell to Denver in October of 2011 by a 5-4 margin. I'm not sure of any specifics but I would expect some line changes, especially on the first two lines. I'm not sure the staff is going to keep the Johnny G, Arnold, and Cangelosi line together after they went -9 up in Orono. Coach York normally doesn't like to switch lines after one bad game so I would surprised if there is anything real dramatic but look for some changes. In goal, it will most likely be Thatcher Demko. Expect an official announcement tomorrow morning. This is will be his first game since November 8th @ Boston University. Let's be honest for a second here. BC is probably going to win by a large margin tomorrow. They are just too talented for a team like Holy Cross. The biggest thing that they have got to find a way to do is play for a full 60 minutes. It's been three weeks since they played a really good, full 60 minute hockey game. Hopefully that will change in front of the home crowd tomorrow night.

Scouting Holy Cross- 

RPI Rank- 55th

Record- 3-9, 7th in Atlantic Hockey

Leading Scorers- Tim Driscoll (2-5-7), Mike McNamara (2-4-6), and Adam Schmidt (2-5-6)

Team Offense- 2.00 goals per game, 53rd in country.

Team Defense- 3.08 goals per game, 38th in country.

Power Play- 13.16 %, 51st in country.

Penalty Kill- 80 %, 36th in country.

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Put them away in the first forty minutes. Don't let this be a one or two goal game in the third period.

2. Capitalize on the power play. For some reason, BC's power play is a heck of a lot better at home than on the road. They have 17 power play points @ Kelly Rink. They have just 6 on the road.

3. Need some good goaltending. I think it would be a real confidence booster going into a big series next weekend if Demko can go in and play outstanding.

Notes- 

1. The game starts @ 4 PM.


Go Eagles !

Milano Article

Here is an interesting article I came across this morning on next year's star recruit, Sonny Milano. 

Have a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends. 

Go Eagles. 

Staff Anounces 2014 Incoming Forward Class

Coach York has announced that four new forwards will be joining the Eagles in 2014 and man is it one heck of a class. In fact, it may be better than this years highly touted group. The group is led by projected first round pick Sonny Milano out of the US National Development Program. Accompanying Millano will be two big, strong, physcial forwards in Alex Tuch (USNDT) and Zach Sanford (USHL) The fourth and final member of the group is speedy center Tanner MacMaster. 

No matter who leaves after this season, it's pretty certain that these four guys will each find a spot in the lineup at some point next season. I expect that Millano and Sanford could be on the top two lines while Tuch will be a third line guy and MacMaster could be the fourth line center. But that's a long way away. 

Here are some quotes from Coach York on the guys- 

“This elite class of forwards is a group we are very excited about,” York said. “Much like the impact of this year’s freshmen class is having, we anticipate the same kind of results from these four next season.”

“Milano is creative playmaker whose skill set matches what we’re trying to do here at Boston College,” York said. “He will bring speed to our left wing position

“Tuch is a big and powerful forward,” York said. “He will bolster our front lines through his physical and aggressive style of play.”

“Sanford offers a great deal of size and skill to our front lines,” York said. “He is a mature, developed skater and will mesh well with next year’s roster.”

“MacMaster is a crafty centerman whose awareness and quickness will benefit our team down the road"

Reminder to Donate to the BC Hockey Toy Drive

Examining What Went Wrong On Saturday

Going into this season, I think everyone around the BC Hockey program believed that they had a team that could do some serious damage come February, March, and April mainly because there is as much talent on this roster as there was on a couple of BC's National Championship teams. Unfortunately, when you have a young team, you are prone to some really bad letdowns. In it's most basic explanation, the game on Saturday was a letdown of epic proportions. There was not one guy that was ready to play, especially BC's top guns. The first line of Johnny G, Bill Arnold, and Austin Cangelosi was a combined -9 on the night. Not only that, but they gave up a lousy goal just thirty seven seconds into the game. In order for BC to be successful on both ends of the ice, they need these three to be playing at a high level. It starts and ends with your stars and BC's just flat out didn't play like they normally do.

If there is one word to describe BC's defensive effort, it would be "exposed". Maine made BC's defense core look like a bunch of high schoolers out there. Sure, it would have helped if Santini was back there but with the way some others guys performed, I'm not sure Nick Lidstorm would have made a difference. For example, Maine's first two goals were just a result of their forwards outworking BC's two defensemen. The Eagles have to make a better effort to separate body from puck and not let guys get a free pass to the net. It seemed that there were more white shirts in front of Billett than there were maroon shirts for the majority of the night. Ok, maybe having their most physical guy back there on Friday could help just a wee bit.

Thirdly, the staff has got to figure out the power play. Yes, both units have made steps in the right direction as it seems that BC is spending a lot more time in their opponents end but still, there is too much perimeter passing and not enough quality chances. If you have no talent, then blasting bombs from the point may work out once and a while but when you have a couple of magicians up front, they why are you not generating more chances below the dots ?  You're not going to win every game, even if you have a potent power play but if you can score clutch goals on the man advantage, you are going to give yourself a chance to win every game in this league. The Eagles didn't do that on Saturday and obviously they got blown out of the water.

Lastly, a handful have emailed me about the goaltending situation and after thinking about it for a little while, I think it would be unfair to simply write off Billett. Sure, he has struggled against good teams but he played well in the games he needed to play well in. The biggest problem he has right now is his rebounding control. Everything seems to be falling out of his glove and it was the sole reason for Maine's fourth (and game clinching) goal. If he can get that sorted out, everything will be fine.

Anyways, let's hope for a big win on Friday to get back on track going into a huge home and home next weekend versus New Hampshire. Expect Demko to be back in net.

Go Eagles.

Black Bears Use Big First Period to Defeat BC

Devin Shore had two goals for Maine

For the fourth straight game, the Eagles gave what could be described as a "half hearted" effort only this time they payed the price as they were blown out of the building by the Maine Black Bears, 5-1. First of all, let's give a lot of credit to Red Gendron and his team. They played extremely tenacious in all three zones but especially in the neutral zone. They didn't give BC anything, no odd man rushes, no breakaways, no real grade A chances, just nothing. I don't know how good that Maine team will be this year but man did they play hard last night. From puck drop to the final whistle, white shirts were flying all over the ice.

As for the boys in maroon and gold. That certainly wasn't the case. How do you know your team is not ready to play ? When you give up a goal thirty seven seconds into the game on what should have been a relatively simple 2 on 2 rush. BC's defense just got beat all night in every aspect, it also didn't help that Brian Billett had as tough a night as he is ever going to have in between the pipes. You know how we were talking about how BC's first period vs Harvard was their best of the year ? Well last night was without a doubt their worst of the year. They looked liked they wanted to be somewhere else besides Alfond Arena. Their opponent on the other hand looked like a pack of gorillas that had just been released from the zoo.

Surprisingly, none of Maine's five goals came on the power play and I actually thought BC's penalty was the only bright spot on the night. When it came to the goals though, they were just awful. Not picking up guys, letting up awful rebounds, being outnumbered in front of the net, losing battles in the neutral zone...I could go on for while but I will stop. It was just an all around horrible effort in the first period and you can't beat good hockey teams on the road without playing solid for all sixty minutes.

The Eagles actually carried the play substantially over the course of the last forty minutes but Maine's goalie Martin Ouellette stood on his head. If he continues to play like that, Maine is going to be real tough come playoff time. I thought BC's second line of Hayes, Straight, and Fitzgerald was probably the only line that played somewhat OK but other than that, it was pretty horrific to watch. The defense, well, they struggled. Mightily.

At the end of the day, Maine is a tough place to win and it's just one loss. When you keep playing the way BC has, you're going to lose hockey games and when you face quality clubs and play like that, you will get smoked. That's what happened last night. If it sounds like I'm worried, I'm not. I think we have a great team this year and when Demko gets back next week, I think the goaltending situation will start to play itself out. With a young team, we're going to see bumps in the road and tonight certainly was. It's no reason to blow it all up and fix things but the Eagles certainly need to be ready to face what will be a determined Holy Cross team next weekend.

Why BC lost- 

1. The first period was awful. There is no other way to put it, no one stood out and played well in maroon.

2. Maine played awesome. They were ready to play. We weren't. End of story.

Positives- 

1. The penalty kill was fine. The Black Bears were 0/5 on the PP.

Go Eagles.

Previewing the University of Maine Black Bears

Tonight, the Eagles will travel four and a half hours to Orono for their only trip of the season to Alfond Arena where they will face the red hot Maine Black Bears. Under first year head coach Red Gendron, the Black Bears are 5-4-1 but are coming off a beautiful 7-0 drubbing of Boston University last Friday night @ the Alfond. Much like the weekend in Minnesota a month ago, tonight is all about revenge for the Eagles as they were embarrassed at home last January to what was a last place Maine team on not one, but two straight nights. The Eagles are 1-3-1 in their last five to Orono, the lone win came last November when they escaped with a 3-2 victory. Maine is 5-1 @ home this season. 

Up front, the Black Bears are led by Devin Shore, perhaps one of the most underrated forwards in all of college hockey. I would say he is certainly top three or four forwards in Hockey East, without a doubt. However, Shore is not their leading points scorer. That honor belongs to freshman Cam Brown who has recorded nine points thus far this season. On the blue line, Maine is led by sophomore Ben Hutton who is actually tied for the team lead with four goals on the year. He is 8th in Hockey East in terms of defensemen scoring. Unlike last season, it appears that the Black Bears have a pretty deep lineup both up front and on the blue line but I would expect them to match the line of Shore, Connor Leen, and Steven Swavely against BC's big first line.

Keys for BC- 

1. Get off to a solid start. Over the last three weeks, BC has been playing better hockey in the first period. Alfond is a real tough crowd so hopefully can silence it early on.

2. Keep Shore at bay. If BC can keep him off the scoring page, I think they have a great chance of winning. Look for Matheson and McCoshen to get a lot of playing time vs him.

Notes- 

1. Expect Billett to be back in net. Demko is not ready.

I'm off to Maine. Go Eagles !

Eagles Blowout Crimson

The Boston College Eagles extended their unbeaten streak to seven games on Wednesday night as they put a beatdown on crosstown rival, Harvard, by a 5-1 margin @ the Bright Hockey Center. The Eagles had goals from Johnny G (x2), Austin Cangelosi, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Destry Straight. Six Eagles, including defenseman Teddy Doherty, had multiple points on the night. Johnny G led the way with three points overall. He now leads the country in points with 23.

First of all, I don't think the final score indicates the way Brian Billett played tonight. He stopped 34 of 35 Crimson shots, including a giant onslaught early on in the second period when BC was clinging to a 1-0 lead. Unlike Friday night vs UMass, the Eagles' weapons were able to put the puck in the back of the net when they were given the opportunity and they made life very easy for their Jr goaltender. For those that thought this goaltending battle was Demko's to lose, I think you might have to think again because Billett is starting to play as well as he has ever has.

Coach York pointed out after the game that he thought the first period was BC's best of the year. I think it would be pretty hard to say otherwise as the Eagles outshot Harvard by a 15-3 margin and probably should have been up by three or four goals. Getting fifteen shots is great and all but I was really pleased with the way BC defended in the first twenty minutes. Harvard had no space and no odd man rushes to work with. Unfortunately, that all changed in the second.

Give credit to Harvard because they really took it to the Eagles in the second period. BC was standing around in their own end watching white shirts pass the puck around for almost half the period. Thankfully, BC was able to catch a break and go down on a 4-2 rush which resulted in a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play after which Destry Straight scored his second goal of the season. I think after the second goal Harvard started getting a little too aggressive and they gave BC a lot of room through the middle of the ice. That's a cardinal sin against BC, especially when Johnny G is on the ice. Watch the highlights to see what commenced.

To put it in the nicest possible way, the third period was not a fun twenty minutes of hockey. Harvard's main goal over the course of the last period was to hurt BC's best players, particularly Johnny G. After the Crimson's Kevin Guiltinan leveled "G" from behind in the corner, Billy Arnold responded by coming to blows with the Crimson defenseman. I'm sure the staff is a bit disappointed that Billy was assessed a game misconduct but I think he did the right thing by standing up for his teammate. This wasn't just an ordinary hit from behind. Guiltinan clearly lined Johnny up in the corner and had every intent on harming him. Hopefully the ECAC steps in and hands down a severe punishment. A Mike Matheson boarding penalty shortly after resulted in Harvard's only goal of the night. If you give a team like Minnesota or Providence five power plays, they're going to blow you out of the building. For some reason, BC just won't stop taking dumb, useless, penalties.

All in all, it's always great beating those guys by that margin but it wasn't by any means a perfect game for the Eagles. The first period was as good as it's going to get but the second and third were both below average periods that may be ignored because BC was able to capitalize on their chances in the offensive end. Anyways, a win is a win and I'm sure it's going to be a pretty confident group of guys traveling up to Orono on Friday night.

Positives- 

1. The first line of Johnny G, Bill Arnold, and Austin Cangelosi played it's best game of the season. Arnold and G are always going to be playing at a high level but the staff has to be very pleased with the way Cangelosi has played of late.

2. Brian Billett played exceptionally well. Make that three straight games where he has given BC a chance to win even though they might not be playing at a high level at all times.

3. Teddy Doherty played great. Probably BC's best defenseman tonight.

Negatives- 

1. The Eagles were outshot by a 32-17 margin in the second and third periods.

2. Power play was 0-4 but they moved it around great. They're certainly moving in the right direction. I'd like to see them put Cangelosi on the second unit though.

Notes- There is a chance Demko is back on Saturday night @ Maine. He practiced this morning. Santini is out for one more game so Doherty will go again.

Players of the game- Johnny G and Brian Billett

Next Up- Saturday night @ Maine.

Previewing the Harvard Crimson

For the first time since December of 2009, the Boston College Eagles will travel four miles down the road to faceoff against cross-town rival, Harvard, tomorrow night at the Bright Hockey Centre. The Eagles and Crimson faced each other in the first round of last seasons Beanpot, of course, Boston College came away with a 4-1 victory. Before we dive into all the numbers and stuff, I love it that these two teams have restarted their regular season series. Back in the 50's and 60's, believe it or not, Harvard was BC's chief rival. If you haven't seen the Eagles make the trip the Cambridge, I would highly recommend it because it's a pretty cool place to watch a hockey game, especially when BC is in town.

Anyways, Ted Donato's club is off to a bit of a rough start as they're 3-4-1 on the season with wins over RPI, Princeton, and Bentley. They have lost to Union, St. Lawrence, Clarkson, and Quinnipiac. They also tied RPI. I'm sure none of those teams jump out at you as a powerhouse but Clarkson, Union, and Quinnipiac are all really good hockey teams that could be contending for a spot in the Frozen Four come April. I wouldn't call any of those "bad losses". The one common opponent between the Eagles and Crimson is RPI, whom the Eagles trounced 7-2 in October.

Up front, Harvard is led by Nashville Predators draft pick Jimmy Vesey, who has recorded six goals and two assist thus far this season. Also leading the way for the Crimson are Brian Hart (6 points), and Kyle Criculuo (7 points). On the blue line, Harvard is relatively young as they have two freshmen, Clay Anderson and Kevin Gulilitian who have played in all eight games. Aiding the young guys are seniors Danny Fick and Dan Ford. Whether their numbers are good or not, the Crimson have a bunch of really talented guys that can skate well and put the puck in the net. Some of these forwards like Vesey and Kerfoot could cause some major problems for BC if the Eagles allow them a lot of space.

As for the Eagles, the biggest thing they have to do is finish their chances in the offensive end. They garnered a lot of high quality opportunities against UMass on Friday night but they just were not able to pull through. BC is at it's best when Johnny G is flying around the ice, making out of this world passes, and scoring goals. Even though he had two points this weekend, he was not as big of a factor as he normally is in the offensive end. I look for him to have a "bounce back" game tomorrow night. As I noted on Monday, Santini will be out due to his suspension which means Teddy Doherty will be back in the lineup. Hopefully he can continue to play at a high level like he did Thursday @ UMass.

Lineup Notes- 

1. Calnan will be back in. Matt Gaudreau will not play. Expect Billett in net.

Scouting Harvard-

RPI Rank- 38th.

Leading scorer- Jimmy Vesey (8 points)

Best win- vs RPI

Projected starter- Raphael Girard (1.52 GAA) could also be Steve Michalek (2.72 GAA)

All time series- Boston College leads 70-44-5 and currently holds an eight game winning streak vs Harvard.

Keys for Eagles-

1. Capitalize on good chances. Get Johnny G the puck in space.

2. Stay out of the box. We would have had four points last weekend if it wasn't for so many penalties. This team won't lose a lot of hockey games if they stay out of the box.

Go Eagles.

Weekend Thoughts

Instead of writing a full recap of a game that took place almost 48 hours ago, I'm going to kind of summarize where I think this club is at this point in the season. First of all, let's forget about the officiating on Friday night. You know as well as I do, the performance those refs put on was something that probably shouldn't have taken place Coach York would never, in a million years, say something like that but I think, deep down, the staff was really upset about some of the events that took place on Friday. Anyways, let's forget about all that crap.

First of all, I thought Brian Billett was really good both Thursday and Friday. He still needs to work on his rebound control as he almost let a couple of real bad ones slip by him but at the end of the day, he gave the Eagles a chance to win on both nights. That's all you can ask for out of a goaltender. I would expect him to go on Wednesday because Demko is not fully healed from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for this weekend.

On the offensive side of things, I thought UMass did a fantastic job of shutting down Johnny G. Yes, he had two points this weekend but he is always going to have his points. It's when you keep him under control and don't give him space, where he is not much of a factor. I thought BC's third and fourth lines were solid for the most part but I'm still a little confused about the X's and O's going on. I thought Matty Gaudreau played great on Friday and I believe he deserves to start again this week. However, I don't agree with putting him on the third line. The decision to bench Calnan was a little troubling considering the fact that he played fine on Thursday (in my opinion). I would expect there to be a few changes on Wednesday night.

The biggest issue that needs to be addressed with this team is the penalties. Whether you liked the way the refs called the game on Friday, there is nothing you can do about it and a penalty is a penalty. The PK has been really good statistically but they're not going to kill off fifteen straight penalties against what was the #4 power play in the country. Guys like Mike Matheson and Steven Santini are two of the most valuable players on this club. They need to be logging a lot of minutes. It doesn't help when your best +/- guy (Santini) gets tossed in two consecutive games and has to sit out another two. Whether it was a penalty or not (and it wasn't), guys don't need to be trying to take people's heads off with under five minutes to play in a league game.

Overall, I like where this team is at. It would have been great to get four points this weekend, but considering the fact we had to kill off a five minute major with three minutes to go in regulation, I'm just fine with three points. I was extremely pleased to see the staff put all the big guns on the first power play unit for the first time since the Minnesota series. The result was some scary good puck movement and a goal that was called back for some reason I can't explain. If you would have told me that through eleven games we would be sitting a point out of first place, at 6th in the pairwise, and haven't lost a league contest yet, I would be pretty darn pleased.

It also helps when you land a once in a lifetime talent.

Go Eagles.

Eagles Land Biggest Recruit In Years

Remember how I stated a few weeks ago that it's been a little out of the norm that BC only has two commits in the past like three, maybe four months ? Well they changed that in a huge way on Saturday morning when they received a commitment from Sonny Milano, a former Notre Dame recruit. Milano is rated an "A" skater by the NHL Central Scouting Service. He currently plays for the US Under 18 team and has recorded 33 points (!) in 20 games played.

To say the least, this is one of the biggest recruits the staff has ever landed. This kid is sensational. Absolutely unbelievable. BC beat schools such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Boston University to get Milano's commitment. That gives you a sense of just how good this guy is.

Forget everything I said earlier. He is coming in 2014/15.

UMass recap will be up later.

It's a great day to be an Eagle.

GO EAGLES !!

Eagles Escape Amherst With 2-1 Win

Simply put it, that was one heck of a hockey game. As is usually the case @ the Mullins Center, the UMass Minutemen gave the #6 Boston College Eagles everything they had but thanks to phenomenal penalty killing, a standout performance from Brian Billett, and a nice ruling from the officials, the Eagles return to Chestnut Hill with their 5th straight win and their 4th in Hockey East, catapulting them into first place. 

Last weekend, we saw a BC team that dominated two sub-par opponents from start to finish. Tonight was a different story. I think it's fair to say that UMass isn't on the same playing field talent wise as BC but man did they play their hearts out tonight. They badly outplayed BC for much of the first period and were rewarded with a tap in rebound goal with just a 1:48 left in the stanza. I haven't seen the tape yet but it looked like UMass just got a nice bounce in front, maybe they just won a battle for the lose puck, and tapped it by Billett. It could have easily been a two or three goal lead for the Minutemen because BC was flat out lethargic for the whole first period. The only guy that looked like he was ready to play was in net. 

The second period was much better, especially the middle part of it where it seemed BC had possession of the puck below the UMass blue line for five straight minutes. They cycled the puck well below the dots and forced freshman Mac Haight to make some pretty spectacular saves. The Eagles finally broke through when Isaac Macleod made a nifty pass to the front of the net where Johnny G was able to bang it by Haight. Bill Arnold did a good job of winning the faceoff, Macleod made a intelligent play to pinch in and "G" just did what he always does. The second BC goal came just four minutes later on the power play when Kevin Hayes banged home a rebound. It was BC's first power play goal of the season on the road. I thought the PP was average tonight. They had a couple of chances late in the second period to make it a two goal game but UMass made the plays when they needed to. The staff switched Teddy Doherty in for Ian McCoshen on the first unit for BC's final two power plays. I thought Doherty, as he usually is on the power play, was good. 

The third period felt like it took three hours to complete. BC, like they have done way too often lately, got in some penalty trouble all period (four in the third) and UMass appeared to capitalize on Mike Matheson's third penalty of the night, just three minutes into the third. After Coach York called a timeout and asked the refs to review the play, they called it no goal. Micheletto and the rest of the UMass bench went absolutely nuts. During the post game press conference he asked the media to direct all questions about the no goal to the refs and he also stated that he would explore all options with the league. That's pathetic. You lost the game. Two guys were offsides by three feet, blame them, don't blame the refs. I can 100% assure you that if that happened to us, Coach York would not say anything like that. Just take it and move on. 

Anyways, what I should really be talking about is Coach Ayer's penalty killing unit. They were sensational tonight, especially in the third period. Once Ian McCoshen took a tripping penalty with 1:30 left in the game, UMass called a timeout hoping to draw up a play for the game tying goal. BC had other ideas as they didn't allow UMass to enter the zone until there were nine seconds left in the game. They blocked eight shots in the third period, nineteen in total. Guys like Bill Arnold, Austin Cangelosi, and Isaac Macleod all played really well when BC was a man down. 

All in all, it's a win but it sure as heck wasn't a "good" win. The biggest thing that I take away is that even though BC brought their C/B- game, they won a game in a tough environment. That wasn't the case a year ago. BC is a young team that is going to go through some tough times but it is extremely encouraging to me that they are finding way to win games, especially these league games. It's only a game and it's just two points but when you play like that against an inspired opponent and come away with a W, then you have to feel pretty good. 

Positives- 

1. Brian Billett. This was without a doubt his best game of the season. He may go again tomorrow depending on how Thatcher Demko’s hamstring is feeling. He didn’t dress tonight because of it. 
2. The penalty kill. They killed off all seven UMass power plays, including four in the third period. 

Negatives- 

1. Too many penalties. I hate calling guys out but Mike Matheson has got to stay out of the box. He took three penalties tonight, one for an embellishment. The other two were just totally unnecessary. Hopefully he can cut down on them. 
2. Need more sustained pressure. There were two times tonight where BC constantly pressured UMass in their end for a good chunk of time. Other than that however, there were not a lot of odd man rushes or quality chances. 

Player of the game- Brian Billett 

Next Up- UMass tomorrow @ Kelly. 

Previewing the UMass Minutemen

The first place Eagles will look to extend their four game winning streak tonight out in lovely Amherst as they take on Hockey East foe, UMass. This is the first meeting of two meetings between Boston College and UMass this season. The other will come tomorrow night @ Kelly Rink.

This has been a season of ups and downs for the Minutemen so far as they have a 3-6-1 record with wins over Maine, and Michigan State (x2). While they do have those three victories, they're coming off a humiliating 9-0 loss @ home to the UNH Wildcats last Saturday night. They also lost 4-1 in Durham on Friday night. As of today, the Minutemen sit in 8th place in Hockey East with three points (a win and tie vs Maine). If you're into the common opponents stuff, the only Eagle opponent UMass has faced is Boston University, whom they lost to on opening night by a 3-1 count.

The big problem for the Minutemen right now is their goaltending situation. Starter Steve Mastalerz was injured on Saturday night and it is unclear whether he will go tonight or not. From what I have gathered, even if he does play, he could be in some extreme pain. Not to mention he is facing the best offense in the country, averaging exactly five goals per contest. If Mastalerz does not go, UMass has two freshmen in Alex Wakaluk and Mac Haight ready to fill in. Combined, they gave up nine goals on thirty three shots versus UNH on Saturday. If they play like that against BC tonight, I don't even want to consider what guys like Johnny G and Kevin Hayes could potentially do. 

The last couple of years, the Mullins Center has not been kind to the Eagles but they do have a 23-6-1 record there since it's inception. Like UNH and Minnesota, the Mullins is an olympic ice surface which should give both teams a lot of room to skate north and south. For BC, they have got to limit UMass' chance on their side of the red line. If it becomes a skating contest, that is fine but I would like to see BC get out to an early lead, much like they did last weekend, and force the Minutemen into some offensive zone turnovers that will result in a bunch of odd man rushes for the Eagles.

No Hockey East game, especially on the road, is a walk in the park. With BC playing real well right now and UMass struggling just to keep pace in Hockey East, this is a perfect trap game. If BC is not ready to play, like they sometimes haven't been in this building, then UMass has a chance. If BC can get it going early and continue to capitalize on the power play, I like their chances.

Scouting UMass- 

Rank- Not ranked. 8th in Hockey East.

Team offense- 51st (2.10 goals per game)

Team defense- 49th. (3.70 goals per game)

Power play- 4th (28.57 %)

Penalty Killing- 44th (78.2 %)

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Just continue to do what they have been doing. Playing uptempo, Eagle hockey. It sounds cliche, but it is true.

2. UMass has a good power play. BC has got to stay out of the box.

3. Pressure these young, inexperienced goaltenders. Make them win the game for UMass.

Go Eagles

Support The BC Hockey Toy Drive

This is the first of many notes I will post over the next few days, reminding you of the BC Hockey Toy Drive. It will be headed by Brian Billett, Billy Arnold, and Kevin Hayes. It is a certainly a great initiative and I hope that you will bring gifts for the drive to the following games-

November 29th vs Holy Cross and December 6th vs New Hampshire.

Santini Officially Out Of Thursday's game/Doherty To Play

BC defenseman Steven Santini has been suspended one game by Hockey East for his contact to the head penalty on Sunday afternoon versus Army. It was certainly a questionable call, to say the least, but there is nothing BC can do about it. They cannot appeal the decision according to Hockey East rules.

Teddy Doherty will start in place of Santini on Thursday night @ UMass. Santini will be back for Friday's game.

Go Eagles.

BC vs Army Highlights

Eagles Trounce Black Knights

Matty Gaudreau records his first goal. Photo by Dave Arnold.

If you thought BC's Friday night blowout of Boston University was bad, you wouldn't believe what happened last night @ Conte Forum. The Eagles absolutely annihilated the Army Black Knights by an 11-0 count in front of a pleasant crowd of 5,492. It was the first time Boston College has scored eleven goals since November 19th, 1984 when they put the same number up on Holy Cross. I'm going to keep my analysis of this game short and sweet because it's all summed up in one sentence, that game was a group of men versus a group of boys, on the ice. Off the ice however, I thought it was extremely classy for BC to have a moment of applause for all those Army kids. I wish nothing but the best to that team and their coaching staff. Thank you for serving our country each and every day.

Of course, Johnny G did his thing and made the Army defenseman look like a bunch of traffic cones but the thing I was most pleased with was BC's power play. Sure, it was against an inferior penalty killing unit but they moved it around well and finally, potted a few goals. They finished at three for five on the day. It's their second multi-goal game of the season on the power play. The biggest question mark surrounding this club over the summer was the freshmen class and how much they could come in and contribute. As a group, they were terrific last night as Matthew Gaudreau recorded his first colligate goal, Adam Gilmour, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Austin Cangelosi all picked up three points, and the defense did a fantastic job, evident by the zero shown on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Lost in all the goals and celebrations however was a game misconduct given to Steven Santini in the third period for contact to the head. I left after BC made it 7-0 so I didn't actually see the hit but from what I have heard, the Army player was on the ice for a good period of time. The worst part about this whole situation is that Santini will now have to sit out BC's game @ UMass-Amherst on Thursday night due to the fact that he was given a misconduct. Given that it was the third period in an 8-0 hockey game, it probably wasn't the best move to go out there and try to take someone's head off.

Anyways, a win is a win and the process of becoming the best team in college hockey by April continues but there is no doubt that both games this weekend were two huge steps in the right direction. BC played some excellent hockey teams like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Northeastern, and RPI early in the season and obviously, that has prepared them well for the lesser teams such as BU and Army. Many have questioned why BC scheduled this game but in reality, I don't think you want to go against the powerhouses like Minnesota and Michigan night in and night out. The fact that this team has gotten to this point in the season with this record, to me, is impressive. All is well in Eagle Hockey land.

Positives- 

1. Johnny G was out of this world. I'll post the highlights right after this post. Watch. Also, he was named Hockey East player of the week.

2. The power play was excellent. Loved the way they moved it, Fitzgerald's goal was the prettiest goal by either unit this season.

3. Billett continues to make this a competition. Sure, it's Army but a shutout is a shutout. He will play next Friday.


Negatives- 

1. Santini's game misconduct in the third period of a 8-0 game. Since he is out Thursday, Teddy Doherty will go.

Player of the game- There were a lot but I'll go with Johnny G.....it was also nice to see Matty Gaudreau pick up his first goal in his first appearance. Certainly a nice day for the Gaudreau family.

Next Up- @ UMass on Thursday night.

Previewing the Army Black Knights

After a gigantic 5-1 beat down of arch rival Boston University on Friday night, the Eagles will look to pick up their 4th straight win vs the lowly Army Black Knights. So far this season, the Knights are 0-5, and currently rank dead last in the college hockey RPI (ranking percentage index) at 59th. Actually, the Knights fell to former BC assistant coach Mike Cavanaugh and UConn a few weeks back. It was Coach Cav's first ever win as a head coach.

In terms of statistics, the Black Knights rank 57th in goal per game, currently averaging 1.60 goals per contest. On the other hand, they have allowed 4.20 goals per game, good for 56th in the country. On special teams, the Black Knights have the 55th best power play in the country to go along with the 43rd ranked penalty kill in the nation. I think you get the point. If BC were to lose this game, it would be a good old fashion pairwise killer. Right now, BC has some really strong wins over some good clubs but losses like these can kill you come tournament time. For example, last season BU lost two games to a Harvard team that won ten games all season. If BU wins both of those games, they have a great chance to make the NCAA tournament. Basically, a loss today to a team ranked 59th out of 59 teams in college hockey would be flat out embarrassing and it would greatly decrease BC's chances of getting a #1 seed in March.

As for the Eagles, they played fine on Friday but they can do a lot of things better. First of all, this would be a good time to do some fine tuning to the power play. Currently, BC has scored just four goals on the power play this season. That ranks 47th in the country. When was the last time we had a power play that was ranked outside of the top 20 ? As you have probably noticed, this team is stocked with talent up and down the lineup. It's not like they don't have the firepower to have a potent power play. Heck, they probably have the two best distributers of the puck in college hockey. Last weekend vs Northeastern, neither unit had sustained zone time. I thought that changed on Friday as both had a lot of time under the other teams blue line but they did not get enough pucks to the net. There was way too much perimeter passing or looking for the perfect shot. Credit BU, they blocked a good amount of shots and they killed well  but I still think the Eagles' power play should be a lot better than it currently is.

Scouting the Black Knights- 

Record/RPI rank- 0-5-0, 59th.

Leading Scorers- CJ Reuschlein (3 points), Mac Lalor (2 points), Willie Faust (3 points)

All Time Series vs BC- Boston College leads 36-3-1, BC is on a 24 game winning streak vs Army.

Last Meeting- 1994, 9-3 win for the Eagles.

Notes- 

1. Army is one of four college hockey teams without a win this season.

2. If you can't make the game, you can watch it live on the BC athletic website.

3. Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Fitzgerald, Mike Matheson, and Bill Arnold are all riding three game point streaks going into today.

Go Eagles !

Utter Domination

Some hockey games are fought between two evenly matched teams but a lot of times the score won't indicate it. On other occasions, the lesser team may catch the favorite on a bad night and sneak one out. Other nights, there is one team that is clearly more talented, faster, smarter, and just flat out better. That was the case tonight @ the Jack Parker Rink as the #8 Boston College Eagles embarrassed the #19 Boston University Terriers by a 5-1 count in front of a sold out crowd. Going in, I was confident that BC was the more skilled team but no matter how good BC is our how bad BU is, you know the Terriers are always going to bring their best vs the Eagles. Tonight BU was flat out awful. BC wasn't tremendous by any stretch of the imagination. They're just the better team at this point in the season.

We could go through all the X's and O's and we'll dive into a few of them later on but the bottom line is that Johnny G was too nifty for BU. He made some of those defensemen such as Noonan and Grzelcyk look like orange cones out there. The pass he made to Billy Arnold on BC's third goal was just something I don't think any BC player, ever, could have made. Not Gionta, not Gerbe. Only him. He's that good. Last weekend, Northeastern did a great job of taking time and space away from him. If you're going to give "G" space, then you've got to have a lot of quick guys that can catch up with him and be physical. Teams like Minnesota have that. BU certainly does not. They failed greatly in trying to contain Johnny Hockey. 

Other than Johnny G, I was very pleased with the way Ryan Fitzgerald, among others, played tonight. He was +1 on the night but played a vital role in some key BC penalty kills. He's got that nice mixture of offensive firepower and defensive intelligence. A lot like Billy Arnold, just a great two way player. I'm not sure many people expected him to have six points in eight games. Not to mention that slick pass he made to Kevin Hayes to put BC on top 4-1. Speaking of Billy Arnold, I thought he played his best game of the year tonight, evident by his +3 rating and three points. You know Hayes and Johnny G are always going to bring it on the offensive end but when Arnold brings his offensive skill set with him along with his already tremendous defensive zone play, it equals a dangerous combination. 

It's no coincidence that just days after I write a few paragraphs on the third D pairing of Isaac Macleod and Danny Linell, they go out and play their best games of the season. Both guys were +3 tonight. When BU started to press late in the second period, I thought these two, especially Macleod, were tremendous. Isaac is not a great skater but his extra long stick makes him a big asset on the penalty kill. He must have had three or four really key poke checks that eventually led to momentum killing clears. The key to BC's transition game is the breakout. Nobody did a better job of starting those breakouts than Danny Linell did tonight. He has come a long way this season. Give him credit. 

Finally, I thought Thatcher Demko played sensational. Sure, BC's defense was really tight but BU had a ton of power plays, including a full minute of 5 on 3 with three minutes left in the second, down just two goals. Thanks to a couple of blocked shots and one or two big glove saves from Demko, the Eagles were able to maintain their two goal lead going the third. 

All in all, it doesn't get any better than humiliating that team and their fake fans @ that rink. BC is now 10-3-1 @ Agganis since 2005 when it was built. This team is starting to play some really good hockey and tonight was another step in the right direction but remember, it's a process. Sunday is another step in that process. Awesome win. See you Sunday. 

Positives- 

1. Johnny G was Johnny G. If there is anyone in the country that doesn't think he is the best player in college hockey, they ought to check into a hospital. 

2. Penalty kill/Demko came up big when they needed to. If BU scores on that 5 on 3 late in the second, it's a different game. Once BC got out of that, there was no looking back. 

3. The Macleod/Linell defensive pairing. They get criticized a lot but they played their best in the biggest game. That's all the staff ask of them. 

Negatives- 

1. Any time we beat that team @ that rink by that score, there won't be any complaints from blogger. PP was better, still not good. 

Notes- 

1. BC moves into first place in Hockey East with the win. 

2. Billy Arnold recorded his 100th point as an Eagle tonight. Congrats Billy ! 

3. Johnny G is good at hockey.

4. BC only allowed 6 shots when the teams were both at even strength 

Player of the game- "G"

Go Eagles !!!!! 

Previewing the Boston University Terriers

For the 263rd time, the Boston College Eagles will faceoff against their ancient rivals, the Terriers of Boston University, however this time there is a bit of different feeling surrounding the matchup. For the the first time since 1973, the red and white will be without their legendary head coach, Jack Parker. I don't know about you but I think it's going to be a really weird feeling looking across the ice at their bench and not seeing him with his arms crossed, finger pointed at the refs, and screaming at the top his lungs. Whether you want to admit it or not, this rivalry is not the same without him.

Anyways, as Coach York told the media today, it's still the maroon and gold vs the scarlet and white, and that's all that matters. The Eagles are looking for some revenge after last season's embarrassing 6-3 loss to Terriers in the Hockey East semifinals, one in which BC had a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. Only to give up five unanswered goals. That was last year however as the Eagles are a faster, more physical, and deeper team this time around while the Terriers have been limping out of the gate with a 4-4 record so far. All four of those wins have come at Agganis Arena.

Thus far, BU has been led by their highly talented defensemen such as Ahti Oksansen (9 points) and senior captain Garrett Noonan (8 points). Up front, the Terriers have some pretty quick forwards such as Danny O'Regan (6 points) and Cason Hohmann (7 points). Here is thing, up front, we have a big advantage. Outside of those two guys, BC is a faster, more skilled team and once they get over the red line, they should be able to create a lot of odd man rushes. The one thing they need to do is keep these defensemen on their heels. In the two losses last season, we allowed these guys to get too involved with the play and they capitalized. Oksanen, Grzeylck and Noonan can skate and are highly potent offensive weapons but they are liabilities in the defensive end. I want to see BC be aggressive on the forecheck. Don't give them anything for free. Be physical and create turnovers. Much like Saturday.

If you have watched BC vs BU for as long as I have, you'd notice that just about the winner of each game is the team that comes out on top in the power play battle. Historically, both teams have had great power plays. I don't know about their new system under Quinn but I do know that so far this season, BC's power play has been a non-factor. The good news is that BU's penalty kill has struggled so far this season as they rank 34th in the nation. Hopefully the Eagles can take advantage of that and pounce on any chances they have on the man up.

On paper, BC is the better team but as you know, when it comes to this rivalry, paper means zip. Both teams are young and there may be a bit of a feeling out period at the start of the game. There have been a handful of times where BU just hasn't been ready to play vs BC @ Agganis. If that happens with their young, inexperienced forward group tomorrow night, look for BC to get it going early and often.

Keys for BC- 

1. BC has allowed 10 goals in the first period this year. More than any other team in Hockey East. they can't keep pulling off these miracles late in the third period. It'd be nice to be up a goal or two heading into the final stanza tomorrow.

2. Stay out of the box. When it comes to 5 on 5. I think the Eagles have a substantial advantage. If they take penalties, BU will have a great chance to win.

3. Make it a run and gun game. BU will have a shot if it's a low scoring, defensive game. If BC can get out in space, score early and often, then I think they should be able to bring it home. Demko has played well this year when he has a lead. BC is the superior skating team. They gotta show it.


Scouting BU- 

Record/Rank- 4-4...ranked 17th in the USCHO poll.

Top line- Rodrigues-O'Regan-Baillargeon

Leading Scorer- Ahti Oksanen

Best Win- Vs Providence

Worst Loss- @ Michigan State

Notes- 

1. BC is 5-1 in it's last 6 games @ BU

2. Coach York is 37-38-7 vs BU

3. It's a 7:30 game.

Projected Lineup- 

Check Wednesday's post.

GO EAGLES !!

BREAKING: Coach York Extends Contract Through 2020

Coach York, in accordance with BC athletic director Brad Bates, has announced that he will remain in Chestnut Hill until the end of the 2020 hockey season, or at least that is when he latest contract will run up. Obviously, this is big news for the program but more importantly, it sends a message to recruits that the man who recruited them will be around for their time at BC. Of course, Coach York probably doesn't want anyone talking about this announcement....he'd rather talk about tomorrow nights war with the Terriers. Preview will be up later. 

Congrats Coach and Go Eagles.