Previewing the Boston University Terriers

Tomorrow night, one of college sports' oldest stories will open a new chapter, #264 to be exact, as the Boston University Terriers will travel three miles down Commonwealth Ave to take on the #2 Boston College Eagles. This will be the second meeting of the season between BC and BU, the good guys came out on top in game one on November 8th @ the Jack Parker Rink by a score of 5-1. Since then, the teams have gone in two completely opposite directions. The Eagles are unbeaten in their past seven games and hold a two game lead in the Hockey East standings over Providence and Northeastern. On the other end, BU hasn't won a game since November 30th and were embarrassed last weekend @ Fenway Park by the University of Maine Black Bears. Another extremely unfortunate blow for the Terriers came to light this afternoon when it was announced that star defenseman Matt Grzelyck is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Actually, he is not the only Terrier out of tomorrows game. Forwards Evan Rodriguez, Jake Moscatel, and Dillion Lawrence will all be shelved with injuries. Sophomore Sam Kurker left the team earlier this week, becoming the 21st Terrier to leave in the middle of the season or shortly after it since 2010. Yup. Tough times down there.

When I look at this game, I, like everyone else, knows that BC has a huge edge in talent and depth both up front and on the blue line. If this was Merrimack or Providence, then I would tell you there was no chance. BC would blow them out of the water. There just isn't enough talent on this BU team. But that's the key. Unless they come out with some new jersey tomorrow night, the front of those sweaters will still have "Boston" written on it. It doesn't matter whether it's David Quinn or Parker behind the bench, they will come out and play their tails off tomorrow night. They know they only have two things left to play for this season. A win tomorrow night and a Beanpot trophy next month and they will do everything they possibly can to get there. It's Boston College vs Boston University. You seriously think they will just roll over and give us a win ?

That being said, I think we've got a great shot to win tomorrow night if a few things happen. Number one, BU's will has to crushed in the opening period. If they have any sort of momentum heading into the second stanza, they will build on it. BC has got to find a way to get out to an early lead, get the crowd into the game, and force those guys into some dumb penalties. As young a team as we are, BU might be even more inexperienced, especially on the blue line where they will have guys that don't even play the position out there. When guys like MacAfee and Somerby step onto the ice, just attack. Attack, attack, attack. These guys will have no idea what to do with themselves if they don't have time and space, especially on the road. If BC is relentless in their pursuit of the puck, especially on this D core, good things will happen.

As you may or may not have seen, the staff has made a few key changes to lineup. First and foremost, they moved Danny Linell back up to forward to play alongside Mike Sit and Quinn Smith. I'm a huge fan of this move for two reasons. First of all, that gives us a solid third line that has speed and vs bad skating teams like BU, speed needs to be a factor. Second of all, it allows the staff to insert Teddy Doherty on a nightly basis. Thank God. With Linell moving back to forward, the odd guy out is Destry Straight who will be benched for the first time this season. I'm not really sure where I stand on that particular move. I mean, Destry had a hatrick vs Penn State and played OK vs Providence last weekend. I guess they thought he really struggled vs Brown.

Anyways, It's BC-BU. Go Eagles.

Scouting Boston University

Pairwise rank- 45th

Best win- vs Wisconsin

Worst loss- vs Bentley

Leading scorers- Ahti Oksanen (3-13-16), Danny O'Regan (6-9-15), Garrett Noonan (4-11-15)

Team offense- 2.40 goals scored per game (49th)

Team defense- 3.25 goals allowed per game (41st)

Power play- 22 % (7th)

Penalty kill- 83 % (25th)


Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Stay out of the box. BU doesn't score a lot of goals but they do have the 7th best power play in the country. It's the only way they scored in the first game @ the Jack Parker Rink. Keep them off the man advantage

2. Attack these defensemen. Forecheck aggressively. In two years, BU's defense will be very good. Right now, it's a disaster. A passive forecheck will give them time and space. No need to give them that.

3. Need some scoring from the second line. I think Pat Brown will add some much needed toughness and grit to that line, along with a much improved offensive game the captain brings along.

Notes- 

1. This is the largest win total difference between BC and BU since the 2004 Beanpot meeting.

2. Coach York is 38-38-7 vs Boston University.

3. Game is on NESN. 7 PM puck drop.

Go Eagles.

New Lines for BU Game

Some major shakeups by the staff for tomorrow nights huge tilt versus Boston University.

Johnny G- Arnold- Hayes

Fitzgerald- Brown- Cangelosi

Smith-Sit-Linell

Calnan-Gilmour-Silk

Savage-Matheson 

Macleod-Santini

Doherty-McCoshen 

Move Linell up to forward. Great move. Bench Destry. Tough call considering the fact he had a hatrick three weeks ago. 

Insert Doherty. Awesome. 

Go Eagles. Beat BU. 

Preview up later tonight.

Hanifin Officially Coming Next Season

Sources confirmed to me this afternoon that Noah Hanifin will be arriving @ Boston College next fall. Hanifin is without a doubt one of, if not the, best recruits to ever come out of this area and is probably the highest ranked ranked recruit BC has ever landed under Coach York (along with Marty Reasoner).

The news of Hanifin's arrival is probably a sign that the staff believes Mike Matheson will depart after this season because BC has very little scholarship money remaining after signing Sonny Milano in November. Hanifin is the only defenseman on the books for next year.

Go Eagles. Beat BU.

My Top Five BC vs BU Moments

You won't meet a group of people that disagree on more things in this world than BC people and BU people. It's like Republicans and Democrats. The two groups just absolutely hate each other and I know hate is as strong a word as there is but when it comes to college hockey, these two fan bases literally hate each other. If you play hockey in this area you are immediately forced to pick a side from a young age. You either support the maroon and gold or the evil scarlet and white. It's as much a rivalry of two totally different universities as it is a rivalry between two great hockey programs.

I think that one thing, perhaps the only thing, that BC and BU fans agree on is that this is the greatest rivalry this sport has to offer. Minnesota vs North Dakota, Michigan vs Michigan State, UNH vs Maine, they're all great but all those universities are extremely similar places that are located far away from each other and are rivals only because they play each other so often. Try being located three miles down the road from one another and competing in an annual tournament every February that even the modest college hockey fans pay attention to.

If you read this blog on a consistent basis, you know how much fun I like to have with this rivalry. I think it is the best, most intense, most important aspect of our hockey program. Of course, we want to win National Titles, send kids to the NHL, have high graduation rates, but the most important aspect of being a BC Hockey player is beating that other school down the street. I don't care if BC went 4-25-0 for a whole season. If those four victories came against BU and included a Beanpot victory, I think everyone would be somewhat pleased.

Here are my top five moments from the rivalry.

5. Ryan Murphy's overtime game winner in the 2004 Beanpot final. BU goalie had made like 200 saves that evening and it seemed that history would just repeat itself and the Terriers would walk away with the victory but thanks to a shot from the point by Ryan Murphy, the Eagles delivered the Beanpot back to the good side of Comm Ave.


4. BC spolis Olympic night @ Agganis Arena in 2009. BU, the defending National Champions, had one of the largest crowds in their history just a few months after they won the National Championship and were about to introduce the four Terriers on the 1980 Olympic team. The crowd erupted when BU scored early in the game and carried the momentum late in the second period before Carl Sneep put home a power play tally late in the period. After the Olympians were introduced in the second intermission, the Eagles answered with three unanswered goals including the only goal of Edwin Shea's carrer and won the game.

3. Ben Smith/Nathan Gerbe combine for four goals and three assist as BC defeated BU @ the Jack Parker Rink in December of 2008 to complete a weekend sweep of the Terriers. If I remember correctly, Gerbe made a couple of Terrier defensemen look like chickens with their heads cut off in that game. It was fun to watch. Like always.

2. Billy Arnold's overtime winner in the 2012 Beanpot title. This goal, no doubt, signified a change in the guard of the Beanpot as BC won it's third in a row while the Terriers couldn't really recover from the loss and barely made into the NCAA tournament before getting smoked by the Golden Gophers. BC, of course, won the National Title that year. I've never jumped higher in my life after this goal and I'll never forget being yelled at in the press box for cheering. Worth it, no doubt.

1. 5-0 win over BU in the 2006 Northeast Regional final. You can talk about the win over North Dakota in 2001, the four other National Championships, the Beanpots, and the Hockey East all you want. You won't ever convince me this wasn't the best win in the history of Boston College hockey. They had beaten us all year in overtime. The Beanpot, the regular season, and in the Hockey East final. Then it changed. Nothing in the world beats seeing those fans walk out of the rink with tears in their eyes over a hockey game. Greatest. Win. Ever.


Go Eagles. Beat BU.

Cushing Power Forward Commits to BC

Boston College landed a big commitment today from 6'1 forward David Cotton out of Cushing Academy for the fall of 2015. Cotton, a 1997 birthdate is from Parker, Texas and his brother Jason is a Northeastern commit. Other schools to offer Cotton were New Hampshire, Boston University, Providence, and Northeastern. The staff offered a scholarship to Cotton after watching him play vs Tabor Academy on Wednesday evening. Cushing won the game 4-1.

Right now, the plan is to have Cotton arrive in the fall of 2015 with Colin White, Connor Moore, Casey Fitzgerald, JD Dudek, and possibly Noah Hanifin. Certainly another high end class coming to the Heights.

It's Terrier week. Go Eagles !

Eagles And Brown Battle To Tie

The most difficult thing to do in sports is to get back up for a game vs a "bad" team after winning perhaps your most important game of the season. First of all, Brown is not anywhere near a bad hockey club, in fact they're only a few spots out of the bubble for the pairwise at the moment. We were extremely impressed with the way they played especially in the first and second periods in which they really took it to the Eagles. They were big, fast, and perhaps most notably, physical. Those are the types of teams BC struggles against and considering how well Brown played and how average we looked, I think everyone has to be fairly pleased with a tie.

The one thing that shocked me about Brown was how well they played Johnny G. Yes, he had a goal, BC's third, but other than that portion of the third period, he wasn't much of a factor in the game. They were very physical and barely gave him any room to do his thing. In fact, it was definitely the worst game for BC's top line since they were put together in late November. Give all the credit in the world to their coaching staff because what they did was extremely impressive.

The Eagles had a nice power play tally from Kevin Hayes to make it a 1-0 lead just a few seconds in the second period but other than that, the man advantage was back to average. The entries into the zone weren't too bad but it was the trying to sustain pressure part that threw BC way off. Brown covered the walls very wall and BC was not able to cycle the walls like they normally do. It was nice to see Chris Calnan score his first goal since the RPI game as yesterday was perhaps his best game of the season. Certainly his best weekend of the year when you look at how much of an impact he made on both contest.

Overall,you obviously want to win every game you play in but I'm not terribly upset about this game. Brown didn't have to play the night before, didn't have to travel, and it was probably the biggest game in the history of their program. They certainly played like it was. I thought BC's effort got consistently better as the game went on, especially in overtime but they just couldn't find a way to put one in the back of the net. Both Thatcher Demko and Brown goalie Tyler Steele were absolutely tremendous.

Positives- 

1. Escaping with a tie. Brown should have won that game.

2. Chris Calnan, Pat Brown, and Adam Gilmour all played exceptionally well last night.

3. Demko played great.

Negatives- 

1. Make that three straight rough games for the second line of Ryan Fitzgerald, Destry Straight, and Austin Cangelosi. We need those guys to score some goals.

2. Power play was 1 for 6. Ehh.

Player of the game- Chris Calnan

Next Up- Terriers.

Previewing the Brown University Bears

For the first time in fourteen years, the #2 (in the pairwise) Boston College Eagles will take on the Brown University Bears tonight @ Meehan Auditorium. This will be BC's 17th trip all time to Meehan but surprisingly, Brown has only visited Conte Forum once. So far this season, the Bears are 6-6-2 and currently in 8th place in the ECAC. Last weekend was perhaps their best two games of the season as they tied a very good Denver club and defeated Colorado College by a 4-2 score, both on the road. Brown's best win this season is without a doubt their season opener when they took down the defending National Champions by a 4-1 count at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

When we take a look at this game, there is one phrase that perfectly sums it up. "Trap game". You couldn't find a team in the country that is playing as well as BC is right now and Brown has struggled vs good teams, evident by their 1-6-1 record vs teams in the top 25.  Brown has only played four homes games this season and are 2-1-1 in that span. The lone loss was a 4-3 decision to a very good Clarkson team. Right now, the Bears are 27th in the pairwise, a whopping sixteen slots above Boston University.

What did we learn from the Holy Cross game ? You can't just show up and expect to win because of the letters on the front of the jerseys and the names on the back of it. You have to play a full, 60 minute game. Realistically, I think it is going to be difficult for BC to play as well as they did last night on consecutive evenings. The good news is, Boston College has played very well against their two previous ECAC opponents. A 7-2 win vs RPI and a 5-1 victory @ Harvard. Brown is the final ECAC team on BC's slate this season (they could obviously play Harvard in the Beanpot).

We can sit here all we want and talk about how good last night was and to be honest with you, I don't know how much better this team can play than they did twenty something hours ago. I think the biggest thing BC needs to avoid tonight is allowing Brown to get off to a hot start. Look at what happened vs Holy Cross ? They were up 5-1 with twenty minutes left! BC just can't let that happen. This is, in my opinion, the best BC team I have seen in a while when playing with a lead. Sure they have the firepower to make comebacks but tonight should be one in the win column if the Eagles come out with anywhere near the amount of jump they had a night ago.

Scouting Brown- 

Pairwise rank- 27th

Best win- Yale

Worst loss- No really awful losses. Colgate, Cornell, Quinnipiac, Clarkson, Providence, and UNH are all solid clubs.

Team offense- 2.82 goals per game (30th)

Team defense- 2.86 goals allowed per game (34th)

Power play- 17 % (39th)

Penalty kill- 79 % (46th)

Leading scorers-Matt Lorito (6-12-18), Mark Naclerio (8-10-18), Nick Lappin (7-10-17)

Keys- 

1. Get off to hot start.

2. Keep the power playing rolling


I'll post any lineup changes. Don't expect any. Demko is in net. 

Eagles Extend First Place Lead With Big Win

I'm not going to sit here tonight and lie to you anymore. I've always loved Johnny Gaudreau (that's the first time I've ever called him by his name) more than other player in my time watching BC hockey. I think the kid has this thing about him that makes him different. I'm not sure exactly what it is however. No, my love for G is probably no secret therefore it is no lie. The one thing I refused to do, whether it was in a conversation, a blog post, or a tweet was to compare Johnny to the two greatest players players I have ever seen put on the maroon and gold. Nathan Gerbe and Brian Gionta. As the final buzzer sounded concluding tonights huge 5-2 victory over the #6 Providence College Friars, the first thought that entered my mind was this kid is the greatest I have ever seen. I know, it's a team game and overall, I was very impressed with the way BC played tonight but let's get one thing straight, no one is supposed to put up four points vs a great defensive team like PC and score at least a point in 15 straight games. The college hockey record for consecutive games with a point is 31, held by Maine's Paul Kariya, without a doubt the greatest college hockey player of all time.

I've watched a lot of BC Hockey over the years so I'm not surprised anymore when the guys come out and play great in big time games but tonight was on a whole other level. The score of that game should have been seven or eight to one. I think Providence is a great hockey team that should compete for a Hockey East championship but without Gilles, I'm not so sure they're top four teams in the league. They play a tough, grinding style of hockey but they need to learn that you can't bend for so long and expect to win against BC, especially @ Conte Forum. The Eagles were all over them for the first ten minutes of the game. In fact, I don't know if Providence had a quality scoring chance until their first goal with six minutes to play in the period. They covered the middle of the ice in their owen end relatively well but BC's play in the neutral zone, along with the power play were the differences tonight.

Don't worry, you don't need to call your doctor. I actually said the power play was good tonight. In fact, it was the best I have seen a BC power play look in quiet sometime. I mean, the newly formed top unit of Kevin Hayes and Mike Matheson on the point along with G, Arnold, and Pat Brown was absolutely absurd. Give all the credit to Coach Brown. They did a great job of entering the zone with relative ease, made a couple of real nice passes, and shot the puck when they had actual shooting lanes. Guys were not trying to force it through tight spots in which the odds were very high that the puck was going to be blocked. The biggest problem with the power play so far this season has been the decision making. Tonight, guys knew what they wanted to do with the puck before they got it. It was a treat to watch.

I thought both Providence goals were the result of bad defensive breakdowns by BC in their own end. Danny Linell has been playing surprisingly well as of late but he struggled mightily in his own end tonight. Versus teams like Providence and Minnesota, both of which have a handful of big, strong, and powerful forwards, Danny has had a tough time. Hopefully he will improve tomorrow night @ Brown. Mike Matheson is getting back to becoming a real force on both the offensive and defensive ends. There are so many times in a game where either he or another defenseman slips up at the offensive blue line but he is able to turn on these jets that are rarely seen in a defenseman and catch up to the guy. Really impressive tonight.

Overall, this was without a doubt BC's best game of the season. It wasn't a fifty or thirty minute effort. It was a full, start to finish display of pure will that enabled them to drastically outplay one of the better teams in college hockey. The difference between good and great teams are the ones that can come back from a big win and top it off with an even better effort the following night. We shall see what tomorrow night brings.

Why BC Won- 

1. First line/Matheson combined for eleven (!) points on the night.

2. The power play was sensational.

3. A bunch of role players had strong games. Pat Brown is not really a "role" player but he doesn't get a lot of credit for what he does. He played great tonight.

Problems- 

None.

Player of the game- G

Next Up- @ Brown tomorrow @ 5 PM.

Go Birds

Previewing the Providence College Friars

The date was March 4th of last year. A Monday. If I remember correctly, it was pouring rain and felt like it was ten degrees out. I walked into school, made my way up to class, and ran into one of my best friends in the hallways. I've known him for a long time and unfortunately for him, he was raised a Providence hockey fan so not once in the time we have known each other had he had any bragging rights over this hockey rivalry. I was expecting a bit of a celebration because let's be real here, how awful must it have been to be a PC hockey fan over the course of the last 10-15 years ? They never even came to play @ Conte Forum they were so bad. Then they won. So at least every week since that game, even though it was regular season contest six months ago, my friend and his father have been all over me about Providence Hockey. They're coming on strong, whether you want to admit it or not.

The whole point of that story ? Tonight has to be about pure pride. The Friars are winless in their last three games and are coming off an OT loss to Northeastern in which they gave up the tying goal with 40 seconds left only to give up the game winner just twelve seconds into overtime. It was their second home loss of the season. The first thing that jumps out to me about Providence is their toughness. They like to throw a lot of dirty hits but only so many of them can be called. They don't really play with a lot of speed but they certainly have some big guys on both the front and back ends. Not to mention a 6'4 goaltender that was a second team All-American as a freshman. Without a doubt, they're the deepest team, top to bottom, that BC will face all season in Hockey East.

I don't often call a non BU game the biggest game of the regular season but up to this point, tomorrow night is the biggest contest the Eagles have played in all year. Not only is Providence just two points back in Hockey East, they're sitting comfortably at 7th in the pairwise standings. No one comes in to Kelly Rink and beats BC on senior night, let alone beat them by a 5-1 score. Well, Providence did that last year and I bet that if you asked any player/coach/fan they would tell you it's the most embarrassed they've been after walking out of the home locker room @ Conte (besides maybe Holy Cross). Providence manhandled us last time we played. It was a beat down of epic proportions and I hope BC keeps it in memory when they take the ice.

The team we see tomorrow is going to be pretty similar to the one we saw the Eagles defeat @ Fenway Park on Saturday night. They've got guys like Mauermann, Saracino, and Army that can really be explosive in the offensive end. To go along with that dangerous forward group, they've got a couple of big and strong defenseman like Gilmour and Hart to go along with the smooth skating guys like Shamanski and Florentino. If you've seen them play this year, you would know that the key to their club is the play of goaltender Jon Gilles. They had only lost two games with him in the pipes before he left for Sweden but in their last three games, they lost to Air Force (No Gilles), tied Merrimack (No Gilles), and lost to Northeastern (Yes Gilles). The biggest thing BC has to do is create traffic on front of this guy. For a big guy, he moves exceptionally well and takes up pretty much the whole net because of his size. If BC is going to score tomorrow, it ain't going to be from lousy shots from the point that no one tries to deflect. Let's just try and keep things buzzing within his vicinity and try to make him guess where the puck is going to end up next. Bad shots are not going to beat this guy.

Scouting the Friars- 

Pairwise rank- 7th

Best win- Vermont on the road (x2)

Worst loss- Boston University

Leading scorers- Ross Mauermann (14-14-28), Shane Luke (6-7-13), Nick Saracino (3-11-14)

Offense- 3.24 goals per game (15th)

Defense- 2.00 goals per game (4th)

Power play- 13 % (49th)

Penalty kill- 86 % (8th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Get out to an early lead. Haven't lost a game this year in which we scored the first goal.

2. Power play. I'm done talking about it. They practiced it a lot this week. A lot.

3. No stupid penalties. Get it to G.


Notes- 

1. BC is 107-46-13 all time vs PC

2. BC is 5-0 when scoring a PP goal, 11-0 when leading after two. They also tied Minnesota in both those games.

3. Pat Brown is playing in his 100th game tomorrow.

4. Billett in goal. Doherty out.

Go Birds.

Luck of the (Maroon and Gold) Irish

Ok, I was wrong. I kept talking about how I didn't really dislike Notre Dame and in my mind, it was just another stupid outdoor game. After sitting in the freezing cold for forty minutes (I flew home and watched the third on my couch) and listening to these insane Irish fans badmouthing the Eagles, I gotta tell you, I love beating those guys. They think they can come into our conference and run show. Thanks to another seven point night from the big three, the Boston College Eagles moved into first place in Hockey East and catapulted into the # 3 position in the pairwise standings. I'd go as far as to say it was the biggest victory so far this season not only because it was Notre Dame or the game was @ Fenway but these are the types of games the Eagles have struggled in over the course of the past few years. These huge, NCAA tournament type games in December/January. Whether it was the Maine weekend in 2012 or the the Minnesota game a season ago, BC just simply hasn't had their "A" game in the coldest months of the year. Tonight was certainly a huge turning point.

I think the biggest positive about tonight was that BC really didn't play that great yet they still came out on top. The early parts of the first period were really good as I thought all four lines did a good of sustaining pressure in the Notre Dame end. The Eagles were rewarded with an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from G and Brendan Silk (his first of the year). It was a bit concerning to see that BC really shut it down for a good twenty minutes after G's first tally. Notre Dame capitalized on a brutal defensive breakdown for their first goal. It looked like a forward forgot to pick up his man in the defensive zone. Just a bad mental error.

The Eagles still had all the momentum before Mike Sit was called for boarding and given a five minute major and game misconduct with just a second left in the first period. I don't mind the officials making a lot of calls as long as they go both ways. What I do mind is throwing someone out from something that shouldn't even have been called. It was an absolutely horrible call. I saw the replay after the period and exploded. It was just horrible. Anyways, Notre Dame capitalized on the power play just twenty three seconds into the second stanza. Sure, giving up power play goals is tough but you're expected to score on a five minute major. I'm sure the staff was extremely excited about the way the guys rebounded and killed off the remaining four and a half minutes because ND could have easily added two or three more goals. It was, in my mind, the biggest moment of the game for BC.

One thing BC has done really well this year but failed to do tonight was continue to build a lead. The biggest lead difference in hockey is between two and three goals. You can really crush a teams confidence if you can get up by three goals. I think the time between Notre Dame's first goal and Billy Arnold's goal (BC's third) was some of the worst hockey we have seen since the Maine game.

I thought the third period was one of the more entertaining periods of hockey I have seen all year. Billy Arnold's goal was just the result of some great individual effort from Kevin Hayes. He was clearly held on the boards but was able to skate through the defender and make a perfect pass to a crashing Arnold to give BC the 3-2 lead. I thought Kevin was a little bit off in the first two periods but he made up for it with a phenomenal third period. The staff obviously has a large amount of trust in him as they had him on the ice with under a minute to play. The third Notre Dame was just a really good shot by defenseman Bryan Rust. Maybe Billett would like to have it back but not much a goaltender can do when his defensemen cannot clear the puck out for him. There were too many times where this was the case tonight and BC was a tad lucky the Irish didn't score on more of those turnovers. The go ahead goal ? Well yea, all I need to tell you is that Hayes made a great lead pass to Johnny G who had a breakaway. You've seen how that movie goes. All the goal scoring was great and all but I think the best part about the third period was the way BC played in the final five minutes of the hockey game. I think holding a one goal lead late in big games is the hardest thing to do in this sport and the Eagles not only killed of a Pat Brown penalty, but they refused to give the Irish anything in the final minutes of the contest. Seeing ND almost score with a second left gave us some nightmares of the November 2011 matchup in South Bend but this time the good guys came out on top.

Overall, really pleased with this win. You gotta battle hard in these type of rivalry games. Notre Dame played really hard. They came to play and for a lot of that game, they outplayed us but in big games, you need your best players to show up. Tonight G, Arnold, Hayes, and Matheson were a combined +9. Without a doubt, the Eagles played like a bunch of champions tonight. Great win.

Why BC Won- 

1. G, Arnold, Hayes lit up the Irish like a Jack-O'-lantern. Just ridiculous how good these guys are. Great question came up on Twitter tonight, who is better, these three or Atkinson-Gibbons-Whitney ?

2. The penalty kill. I thought BC's PK was tremendous. Sure they gave up a goal but not only did they kill a late penalty, they completely shut down ND's 6 on 5 late in the game.

Problems-

1. The power play was the worst it has been all year. I hope they dedicate three days of practice this week to just the power play. Just that. No 5 on 5 stuff, no penalty kill, no late game situations, just three days of power play practice.

2. The idea of Frozen Fenway. I'll probably write more on this later in the week but this idea needs to go. The crowd stunk, it was freezing, and the game had ZERO flow to it. Awful idea. Awful.

Player of the game- Billy Arnold.

Next up- home vs Providence on Friday night. Huge game.

Important Note- Harvard embarrassed BU tonight 7-4. Ha. Wow.

Go Birds.

Frozen Fenway Lineup

Here is the lineup for tonights game vs Notre Dame @ Fenway Park.

Sit-Brown-Smith

Johnny G-Arnold-Hayes

Straight-Fitzgerald-Cangelosi

Calnan-Gilmour-Silk

Macleod-Linell

Matheson-Savage

Santini-McCoshen

Billett 

Why they're sitting Teddy Doherty is totally beyond me. It is actually dumbfounding. How in the world is he being sat after playing four straight solid games in which he scored two goals. In that span he was +5. Unbelievable. 

New Jerseys

Here is what the Eagles will be wearing tomorrow night. I didn't like them at first but the more I look at them, the more I like them. I don't mind the "Boston College" text on it but I would like to see all jerseys say "Eagles" across them.

Previewing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Whether you like it or not, the Boston College Eagles will hit the ice at Fenway Park tomorrow night to take on Notre Dame for the first time in Hockey East action. The Eagles defeated the Irish last November by a 3-1 count @ Conte Forum. Notre Dame will enter tomorrows contest with a 10-7-1 record and currently sit in 8th place in Hockey East. This will be their first game since a 3-2 loss at the hands of UMass on December 7th in South Bend. Like BC, the Irish also had a few guys competing for the World Jr Championship in Sweden. Forwards Thomas DiPauli and Vinny Hinostroza are expected to be back in time for the game.

Let's take all the shenanigans about Fenway and throw it out the window. Tomorrow is a huge game that could propel BC into first place in Hockey East and more importantly, into the top four in the pairwise standings. As of now, Boston College is 5th in the pairwise while Notre Dame sits at 14th. Say what you want about it being too early to discuss the NCAA tournament but in my mind, if you win these types of games that are going to have a huge impact on you in March and April, why not talk about the importance it has ?  

This is a Notre Dame team that is very front heavy with some star forwards such as Mario Lucia, TJ Tynan, and Hinostroza. Compared to ND teams we have seen the past, these guys have more quickness and that could pose a few problems for the Eagles. The Irish's first line throughout much of the season has been Tynan centering Jeff Costello and Bryan Rust. The one matchup I think could present some problems for us is their third line of Lucia, Hinostoza, and Austin Wutchrich. Since BC is the "home" team, they will have last change so I would expect to see the Fitzgerald line up against these guys for the majority of the night. 

On the defensive side of things, expect Scotty Savage to be the odd guy out with McCoshen and Santini returning. I don't know if it's the best decision in the world because I've always been a fan of Scott but I think McCoshen and Santini are probably more ready for the big stage after competing in Sweden. With the harsh conditions, I expect it to be a low scoring affair and the number one job the defensemen will have is to avoid turnovers. This is not going to be a very exciting game to watch. I think BC has got to get away from firing the puck cross ice to create a lot of odd man rushes. Instead, they have to get it over the red line, get pucks deep and force these guys to turn it over. The snow and wind is not going to allow for a crisp ice surface for tape to tape passes. If BC is smart with the way they posses the puck, I think they've got a great shot. 

I know BC has been playing well and all but this is not going to be a beat down. Notre Dame will come to play. I think it's a bit intriguing that they haven't played a game in almost a month but they will come to play. They know this is a big game for their program on a national level and they will do everything they can to bring the victory back to South Bend. 

Keys for BC-

1. Avoid stupid mistakes. Tomorrow has to be all about playing a smart 60 minute hockey game. No dumb penalties, no awful turnovers, and most importantly, get out to a lead and build on it. That is the strength of this club. 

2. Continue to improve on the power play. Last weekend was a huge step in the right direction in terms of the man advantage. The staff was extremely pleased with the way both units looked. It should only improve with McCoshen returning to the point on the first unit. 

3. Get anything and everything to the net. The puck can do really weird things during games like this. Let's just test this goaltender early and often and see if he can make some big time stops. 

Scouting the Irish- 

Pairwise rank- 14th

Record- 10-7-1, 8th in Hockey East 

Best Win- vs Minnesota 

Worst Loss- vs UMass 

Offense- 3.00 goals per game (21st) 

Defense- 2.11 goals allowed per game (11th) 

Power play- 19 % (29th) 

Penalty kill- 84 % (16th) 

Top scorers- TJ Tynan (3-12-15), Vince Hinostroza (3-11-14), Mario Lucia (9-4-13) 

Notes- 

1. Coach Brown, McCoshen, Santini, and Demko will be back and in the lineup tomorrow night. 

2. BC will be wearing new jerseys. I'll have a picture up soon. 

3. 7:35 puck drop. 

4. Brian Billett will be in goal.

World Jr Championship Update

The United States World Jr team was eliminated from contention this morning as they fell to Russia by a 5-3 count. They're officially eliminated from the tournament. Many have asked if Coach Brown, Santini, McCoshen, and Demko will be back in time for the Notre Dame game. If the weather in Boston calms down and the plane can land tomorrow evening, they will be back in time for the game. 

Go Eagles

Thoughts On Frozen Fenway.....Part Three

Saturday night, Boston College will faceoff against the school most BC fans despise more than other any other, the University of Notre Dame. It will be the third time in four years the Eagles will take the ice @ historic Fenway Park. Of course, BC was defeated by BU in 2010 (ugh) before topping Northeastern in 2012. First of all, I think it's an honor that this program has been selected to play in the marquee game in each of these three sessions. It just goes to show who has the biggest college hockey brand in the area. As for the matchup with the Irish, here is what I think of it. You've got average BC fans/alums that are extremely excited for this matchup just because it is Notre Dame. I'm not by any means a Notre Dame "hater" so I'd be the first to tell you that developing a healthy hockey rivalry with these guys would greatly benefit both our program and theirs. Over the course of the next twenty years, this is going to become an extremely talked about game that everyone will want to go to because even the average BC fan knows about Notre Dame and the brand that is Notre Dame athletics. 

As for the Fenway aspect of all this, I think most fans are sick and tired of it. Let's be honest here, you could be the biggest diehard of all time but you would still not want to sit in the freezing cold watching a hockey game. It's a great experience for young children who are dying to catch a glimpse of the historic ballpark and the teams playing within it. On the other hand, there is a large portion of fans that would rather sit in the friendly confines of Conte Forum and watch this game. Count me in that group. When it comes to this crap, the only thing I care about is what situation gives BC the best possible chance of winning ?  Sure, being outdoors, wearing cool uniforms, and playing in front of a bazillion people has to be cool but at the end of the day, the only thing that anyone will remember is whether we won the game or not. 

Whether the fans like it or not, the bottom line is that events like this are good for the program. I bet hundreds of thousands of people will be watching this game through either NBC Sports or NESN. Anytime the program is on national TV, people take notice. Kids want to be on TV, they want to be playing in Fenway Park, and most importantly, they want to don a Boston College Hockey sweater someday. As long as it helps the program, fans should continue to support it.  

Notes- 

1. Congrats to Brooks Orpik for being named the the United States olympic team. He has always been an outstanding representative of Boston College. 

2. I have no clue on whether or not BC will be wearing special uniforms. I would assume not but I have no clue. 

Go Eagles. 

Recruiting Update

Future Eagles Colin White, Noah Hanifin, and Casey Fitzgerald are all in Nova Scotia for the Under 17 World Challenge. The United States pounced Germany this afternoon by a score of 14-1 (hello) and defeated Russia by a 5-1 count last night.

Here is how the future BC guys have performed

Colin White- 

One goal vs Russia, two goals vs Germany.


Noah Hanifin- 

One goal and one assist vs Russia, two assist vs Germany.


Casey Fitzgerald- 

Zero points vs Russia, one assist vs Germany.


Keep an eye on forward Luke Kirwan from the U17 team. He recorded two goals and four assist vs Germany and one assist vs Russia. The Dewitt, New York native has not committed anywhere yet but he is the #3 overall uncommitted prospect according to the Over the Boards recruiting data base.

Go Eagles.

Trophy #1

Photo from Dave Arnold. Look at Cango's smile.

Last night, it was the big three that led BC to the Three Rivers Classic final as each recorded multiple points. If you were to tell me BC was going to score eight goals vs a Penn State team I was somewhat impressed with last night, I would have bet you six of those goals would have come from either Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, or Billy Arnold. Not the case. Destry Straight recorded the first hatrick in the history of Three Rivers Classic, Ryan Fitzgerald recorded his freshmen leading seventh goal of the season, and the defensive pairing of Isaac Macleod and Danny Linell made sure every BC defenseman recorded at least one point the weekend. Yea, it was a scoring frenzy.

Although the final forty two minutes were pretty much domination, the opening eighteen was the type of hockey we saw vs Holy Cross and at times vs UNH. Actually, Penn State was dominating the play in the early going and were rewarded with a goal just five minutes into the game. The tally was a result of a brutal turnover in the defensive end. To be honest, it should have been a two or three goal lead for the Nittany Lions at the ten minute mark of the first period. They were all over BC, especially the first line which was out there for the opening goal. The Eagles  did what they do best at the end of the period, they scored in bunches. Shockingly, BC was rewarded a power play with just under three minutes to play in the period. It was Ryan Fitzgerald who gave BC their first power play goal since November 14th when Kevin Hayes had one @ UMass. Just 33 seconds after Fitzgerald's tally, Hayes slammed home a nifty pass from classmate Billy Arnold. 

The second period was BC's best of the weekend. It didn't seem like the puck ever entered the BC zone unless it was an ice or a dump in. BC had to kill of a lousy Travis Jeke cross checking call early in the stanza but thanks to some timely saves from Brian Billett, they were able to do it. Statistically, the penalty kill continued to be tremendous as PSU was 0 for 3 on the night but they generated way too many "grade A" chances. I didn't think BC was as aggressive as they were last night or vs UNH on the penalty kill. Straight recorded two of his goals in the second, both of which were assisted by Fitzgerald (Macleod added a nice assist on the second Straight goal). The fifth BC goal should be investigated for criminal activity. G just absolutely embarrassed Penn State's goaltender on a breakaway thanks to a nice outlet pass from Kevin Hayes. 

The third period was garbage time but it was great to see Mike Sit record his fifth goal of the season. Don't look now but he has scored five goals this season after zero in his first two years at the Heights. Now that he has proven he can put the puck in the net and continue his solid play in the defensive end, I think the staff will continue to play him more often. On the defensive end, I think they're really pleased with the way everybody played this weekend. Scotty Savage was -2 tonight and had a couple of bad turnovers but other than that, things were rolling. Mike Matheson continued to shine as did Isaac Macleod. 

If you have ben around the man at all, you would know the one thing Coach York preaches to his players each and everyday is the importance of winning trophies. Whether you're playing in the Frys.com Open or the Masters, the main goal is to always bring back a trophy. A trophy is an indicator of a significant accomplishment. Sure, it was a lowly field and BC might have been expected to crush everything in sight but the bottom line is we're getting on a plane tomorrow morning with a good looking trophy in hand. 

Why BC won- 

1. It was men against boys. Don't get me wrong, three years from now, that is going to be a really good hockey program. Give them time. They will be there. I still don't understand why we agreed to play them in Happy Valley a month from now but anyways. 

2. Secondary scoring. Three goals from Straight and points from Smith, Brown, and Jeke. All huge positives. 

3. Billett made some big saves early on. If it wasn't for him, BC would have been down three or four goals at the end of the first period. 

4. Special teams. The power play looks awesome. Ya...I said it. Penalty kill now ranked second in the country. 

Negatives- 

1. First five minutes were brutal. Other than that, solid all around game. 

Tournament MVP- Who do you think ? G !

Next Up- Notre Dame next Saturday @ Fenway. Big tilt. 

Previewing the Penn State Nittany Lions

For the first time in program history, the Boston College Eagles will faceoff against the newest hockey program in country, Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated the Robert Morris Colonials last night in game two of the Three Rivers Classic thanks to a goal with under two minutes to play by forward Eric Scheid. So far this season, Penn State is 4-9-1, with an 0-2 mark in their first season in the newly formed Big Ten hockey conference. The only common opponents between BC and PSU are Wisconsin (PSU lost twice) and Army, whom the Lions defeated 4-1 in the first game ever at Pegula Ice Center.

I stuck around and watched the entirety of the PSU vs Robert Morris game last night and a couple things stood out to me. First of all, this Penn State team has some pretty nifty skaters than can get up and down the ice quickly. I was especially impressed with forwards such as Kenny Brooks and Tommy Olczyk. They've also got some pretty prolific defenseman such as Luke Juha and Patrick Koudys. They may not have a great record so far this season but they certainly jumped out to me with their speed and offensive zone play. When the final horn sounded, the Lions recorded 62 (!) shots on Robert Morris goalie Terry Shafer. 

Unlike Bowling Green, Penn State is a team that is going to try and skate up to BC's level. The Falcons tried to pack it in behind their own blue line but BC's speed was too much for them. On the other hand, I expect Penn State to try and create a lot of chances coming through the neutral zone. Like I said earlier, they've got a couple of forwards that have a certain amount of speed and skill that can pose a threat to BC. In order to create a lot of chances in the offensive end, Penn State is going to have to spread to puck around all night so hopefully BC will turn those passes into turnovers and capitalize in the offensive end. I expect that this game will be one with over thirty five shots per side. If Billett and the defense come to play, BC should be able to come out with a victory. 

One of the things I've seen from this BC club that has been a bit of a problem in years past is their ability to play well when holding a lead. None of the four losses this season have been a result of collapsing in the third period with a lead. To be honest, with all the young guys we have this year, I didn't expect that but as of now, this team has a solid system in place when they go up by two or three goals. It's a skill that is extremely invaluable come playoff time so hopefully they can build on it tonight. 

The hallmark of this program has always been about brining home trophies and tonight is a chance to get one. It's not the National Championship or the Beanpot but it's a great opportunity to bring some hardware back to Chestnut Hill. 

Scouting Penn State- 

Pairwise rank- 49th 

Record- 4-9-1 

Leading Scorers- Eric Scheid (8-4-12), Luke Juha (4-5-9), Ricky DeRosa (3-5-8) 

Team Offense- 2.50 goals per game (41st) 

Team Defense- 3.64 goals per game (54th) 

Power Play- 22.81 % (9th) 

Penalty Kill- 81.3 % (30th) 

Penalties Taken- 16.14 penalty minutes per game. 9th most in NCAA. 

Keys- 

1. No stupid penalties. They've got a tremendous power play. 

2. Forcing them to turn the puck over. I'd like to see BC be a bit more aggressive in the first period. Force these guys to turn the puck over in their end and the neutral zone. 

3. Secondary scoring. This will be a key for every game until the end of the season. 

Notes- 

1. 7:35 start. No TV so be sure to follow on Twitter for live updates. 

Go EAGLES !!

Eagles Advance To Three Rivers Classic Final

G scores BC's first goal. Photo from Dave Arnold. 

Thanks to seven combined points from the big line of Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Arnold, the Eagles advanced to the Three Rivers Classic championship by way of a 5-0 victory over the team Coach York led to the 1984 National Championship, Bowling Green. Considering the fact it was BC's first game in over two weeks, guys had to fly in from all over the continent to get here, and we were missing two of our best defensemen, I thought BC played real well. The first line was obviously spectacular. I'm sitting in the elevator going back up to press box after Coach York's post game presser and two guys next to me were comparing Hayes and G to Malkin and Crosby. Let's not get carried away here but still, both of them, along with Billy Arnold, were really good. That line has now consisted of 40 % of BC's goals, 38 % of assist, and 38 % of points. Yup, they're pretty good.

With the exception of perhaps Ian McCoshen, none of BC's defensemen have been that involved in the offense so far this season. That changed in a big way tonight as Travis Jeke scored his first goal of the season (in his first game, in his hometown), Teddy Doherty scored his second goal in three games, and Scotty Savage recorded his third goal of the season. That ties him with McCoshen for the team lead amongst defensemen. Defensively, Coach York was extremely pleased with the way Isaac Macleod played in his own end as he was +2 for the game, making him +5 over the course of the last three games. If BC is going to continue to win games, they need Mike Matheson to contribute to the offense. He is probably the best skating defenseman we've had around here in a long time and the move he made on the Bowling Green defenseman in the third period shows just how much potential he really has. The one downside about today was he took another penalty, catapulting him into second on the team with 29 penalty minutes on the season.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot tonight was the penalty kill. They killed off all three Bowling Green power plays, making the season total for the year 74/82 (90%). The Eagles have killed off twenty straight penalties. The last power play goal a team scored vs BC was Harvard's lone tally on November 20th, a 5-1 BC win. It was a bit of a work in progress at the start of the season but I think the guys are beginning to pick up on Coach Ayers' system. It's a bit different from the one Coach Cav had when he was here but right now, we're seeing the same results.

All in all, extremely pleased with the victory. Say what you want about the tournament and the field but tomorrow night is a chance to win a trophy. It's our first "major" of the year. Probably not the Masters (that's the National Championship) but certainly a British Open or Players Championship (I know, it's not technically a major). We shall see how this young team performs under the pressure of winning a tournament championship tomorrow night versus either Robert Morris or Penn State.

Why BC Won- 

1. First line. I mean, we had a couple Penguins media guys comparing Hayes and G to Malkin and Crosby. What else do you want me to say ?

2. Penalty Kill. Really solid. I think BC blocked something like 15 shots tonight including 7 in the first period. Billett also made some timely saves when the Falcons were pushing in the second.

3. Defensemen stepped up and played a big role in the offense. In order to win a National Championship, you need defensemen that are not afraid to step up and make plays in the offensive end. BC needs guys like Matheson and Doherty to continue to score.

Negatives- 

1. Thought the power play moved it around really well on both opportunities, especially the first one where the puck was in the BGSU end the whole time. Only thing left to do is actually put the puck in the net.


Player of the game- Johnny G.

Next up- Championship tomorrow night vs either Penn State or Robert Morris. Look for my thoughts on the CONSOL Energy Center later tonight in the Road Trip section.

GO EAGLES !

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.