Rough Start

For the third straight season, the Eagles dropped their opening game, this time it was a league contest in front of a packed crowd @Tsongas Center vs Lowell. First off, give Lowell and their fans a tremendous amount of credit. The crowd was loud, energetic, and certainly had a big part in their club's victory. The Eagles started off well with a goal from Chris Calnan but three straight defensive lapses allowed the River Hawks to garner the victory. I thought the first couple shifts were real good, filled with pressure but all the sudden BC dumped the puck into the zone, Lowell takes it out going the other way and two BC forwards collide at center ice, giving the River Hawks a 4 on 2, and an easy goal. If you look at it, Lowell has numbers but one of BC's defensemen just let's their forward go right around him without an effort, that results in a mini 2-1 and an eventual goal. Nothing Demko could do. The second goal featured the same defensive pairing as Lowell swung the puck around the net, BC lost a battle on the half wall which could have led to a clear, next you thing you know the puck ends up in the back of the net. BC looked totally lost in their own zone for large portions of this game. The strength of this team is supposed to be their ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard with their aggressive defense and consistent goaltending. Neither of those were present last night, especially the defense. On the third goal, we actually had the puck deep in their end but after a lousy pass, they take it up the ice with numbers and instead of staying with the winger that was breaking down the ice, one of our defenseman shifts over to the guy with the puck which forces the back checker (Smith) to somehow pick up the guy that's already five feet in front of him. Everyone is going to think it was Smith's fault but it's not because he didn't try. He was the one that turned the puck over initially but for some reason, both of our defensemen decided to converge on the puck carrier.

After a rough first period and a half, I thought Ryan Fitzgerald's line really picked it up, evident by Fitzs' goal with under two minutes to play in the second stanza but BC just never got in a rhythm offensively or defensively. Winning a road game in Hockey East is impossible if you take stupid penalties and turn the puck over. BC turned it over more last night than they did in any game last season. I was totally wrong about Lowell's forecheck, they were aggressive all night with two guys in hard on the puck and a third waiting on the wall to pick off a pass. Once BC transitioned up the neutral zone, they generated some quality chances, especially early in the third when McCoshen and Spiro barely missed out on goals, but the defensive zone play was painful to watch for a long time.

The first five minutes of the third was all BC but a bad icing led to a face-off with tired guys on the ice which led to another horrible turnover on the wall which resulted in the game ending goal. Frustrating. Really frustrating.

Early in the third I noticed that Zach Sanford and Michael Sit were out. I can tell you that Sanford suffered an upper body injury and Coach York said he was experiencing some "dizziness" after the second stanza. No word on Sit. The Eagles have the next six days off before making the trek up to Rochester to play RIT.

Obviously, not the way we wanted to start the season but the mistakes are ones that can certainly be fixed. Less turnovers, less penalties, capitalization on the power play, and more experience for the younger guys should led to positive results in the near future. It will be interesting to see what the staff does as far as line changes go for next week.

Why BC Lost- 

1. Turnovers.

2. Breakdowns.

3. Penalties.

Next up- @ RIT next Saturday

Lowell Preview

For the 92nd time in the history of the school, Boston College will field a men's ice hockey team starting tomorrow night when the #2/3 Eagles travel up to Tsongas Center and take on the #18 Lowell River Hawks. For the fifth straight season, BC will start it's conquest on the road. Their last opening game at home was in 2009, a banner night win over the Wisconsin Badgers. Obviously, a new season brings a great deal of excitement for the players, staff, fans, and blogger. For the first time in a long time, we are flying a bit under the radar not only nationally, but in Hockey East. Personally, I love how everyone is talking about Providence being the next 1993 Maine team and how Jack Eichel could beat out Sidney Crosby for the NHL MVP right now. Sure, we're still #3 in the rankings but there are a lot of guys on this club that have a chance to prove a lot of people, including myself, wrong.

Of course, Lowell is going to be out for revenge after we ended their season last year in the NCAA Northeast regional final which was certainly one of the best games I have witnessed in a long time. Norm Bazin has done a tremendous job rebuilding what was a defunct program but now his club is full off "his guys". No team, perhaps maybe UMass or UNH, loses more than Lowell does from a season ago. Top scorers Joe Pendenza, Josh Holmstrom, and Derek Arnold graduated while forward Scott Wilson, defenseman Christian Folin, and All American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck all bolted for the pros. That's a lot of players. To deal with the massive exodus, Bazin and his staff brought in a whopping 14 man freshmen class, plus former UMass goalie, Kevin Boyle who transferred. This is what I love about this game. Their guys get thrown right into the fire vs the #1 program in the country, at home, in front of sold out crowd, with a lot on the line. As inexperienced as we are at some positions, we look like a group of veterans compared to these guys (not counting age, of course).

With all the losses, I expect Lowell to amp up their defensive style. In last weekends exhibition against St.Thomas, a game which they won 7-3, four of their goals were scored on the man advantage .  When it comes to five on five, especially the first two lines, BC has a big advantage but if Lowell gets 6 power play chances like they did vs St.Thomas, odds are they're going to find a way to score. I don't expect BC to blow anyone out of the water this year, especially a Lowell team that rarely gives up a large amount of goals, but if they can ware these guys down early with a strong forecheck, zero penalties, and minimal defensive lapses, it could be a good night. Today's practice was all breakouts, something that having a star-studded defense can't hurt in the least bit. The tough part isn't going to be breaking the puck out of the defensive zone because the River Hawks rarely send a forechecker in, it's going to be in the neutral zone. BC is going to have a hard time making plays in between the blue lines so the best option might just be to get the puck deep, send two guys in hard with a high forechecker, and force a turnover or hope for a penalty.

So, who's going to score the goals? The two most impressive guys in the exhibition and at practice were Adam Gilmour and Alex Tuch. They will be joined by Chris Calnan on the left wing. All I'm going to say is this, find a way to get Tuch the puck because the kid can shoot it better than anyone forward I've ever seen around here, including Steven Whitney. Calnan can do the work down low, Gilmour is a good facilitator of the biscuit, and Tuch can flat out finish. I have high expectations for that line. Another guy I really like tomorrow is Cam Spiro. For some reason, the staff didn't play him much, if at all, a season ago but he brings a unique combination of speed and skill that no bottom six forward possesses. Look for him to be a pleasant surprise.

Sure, there are lots of questions and very few will be answered tomorrow night but for me, tomorrow is better than Christmas morning. Other programs may do it differently but around here, the expectations never change. 1. Always beat BU. 2. Win a National Championship.  This team has the talent and leadership to win a lot of hockey games but tomorrow night is chance to show the college hockey world that this is still our conference. Big game.


Scouting Lowell- 

Leading returning scorer- Adam Chapie (12-11-23) He didn't play last weekend so not sure what the deal is.

Best returning defenseman- Zach Kamrass (4-16-20)

Leading returning goaltender- All new guys

NHL Draft picks- One (Evan Campbell, 5th round Edmonton)

Projected top line- AJ White- Evan Campbell- Terence Wallin

# of Freshmen- 14, plus one transfer

# of departures from last year- 9

Keys for BC- 

1. Avoid turnovers in the neutral zone

2. Stay out of the box. Like always.

3. Move the puck on the power play. Get it to Tuch on the half wall. they play him in front of net, I don't like him there. What do I know.

Injury Report- Brendan Silk is OUT. Upper body injury.

7:15 start. Go Eagles.

New Brunswick Observations

We all got our first look at the 2014-15 version of the Eagles last night as they opened the season on a high, defeating a strong New Brunswick team 6-4. Like I said yesterday, there really isn't much you can take away from these games but there were certainly some bright spots along with a lot of areas for improvement. Here are the the top five things I took away.

1. Cam Spiro might be a diamond in the rough. There are a lot of people out there on Twitter that have always been messaging me about why the staff doesn't give him more playing time but I think that is going to change this year. He was BC's best bottom six forward last night but his line mates, Danny Linell and Matty Gaudreau, weren't too bad either. Not many teams in Hockey East have a fourth line that consist of three high quality skaters so hopefully they can build off this performance.

2. Tuch was sensational. He isn't one of those guys that's going to jump out at you right off the bat but he just seems like he's a solid all around player with a lot of size and skill. He scored his first goal by setting himself in front of the net on a power play before taking a nice feed from Adam Gilmour, which he was able to bang home after a nice move. His second goal was an absolute rocket of a shot, one of his many intangibles. He can play down low and up high (because of shot) on the power play which is something the staff could experiment with in the near future.

3. Penalty kill wasn't great. I'm not really a huge fan of giving opposing team's defensemen all day to look around and make a play with the puck while on the man advantage. I've always felt that if they're constantly being bugged, then the chances of a turnover are much higher. It seems like BC wants to pack it in between the dots. Obviously we lost our two best killers last season in Pat Brown and Billy Arnold but guys like Linell, Smith, Sit, Spiro, Fitzgerald, and Cangelosi should be able to compliment the defense.

4. Defense had a couple of sloppy mistakes. New Brunswick's first goal, a power play tally, was a total defensive breakdown as no one covered the guy flying in from the far side. Their second goal was a breakaway late in the middle stanza during a BC power play. That should never happen. BC looked a bit out of sorts for a large portion of the game and a lot of that has to do with the fact that they haven't practiced much and some guys are adjusting to new positions. The backbone of this team is going to have to be their defense and their goaltending. The goaltending was fine last night, the defense at times, was not.

5. They didn't play Hanifin much. After the second UNB goal, for which Noah was out there for (not sure it was totally his fault, would have to see tape) it seems the staff played Travis Jeke a lot more than Noah. Make no mistake, #7 is going to be on the ice Friday night vs Lowell but I'm thinking that the staff is going to ride the hot guys this season, especially on defense. When your deep on the blue line, such as BC is, you have the ability to play some guys a lot more and some guys a lot less.


Top four BC players- Spiro, Matheson, Tuch, Barone, Gilmour

Go Eagles

New Brunswick Preview

Hockey baby. Actual hockey! Tonight, the 2014-15 edition of the Boston College Eagles will hit the ice to face Canadian foe, the University of New Brunswick in an exhibition game that does not count towards any part of the record or the standings. I can tell you this, BC knows this is a good hockey club as they're one of the favorites to win the Canadian college championship. Their current record is 3-0 but all of those wins have also been exhibitions vs Canadian teams. After playing @ Kelly Rink, they will head up to Orono to take on the Black Bears Sunday afternoon.

Obviously I'm not going to give a big preview because I don't know much about this team. However, I am told they have a 27 year old former AHL player on their club. Hey, what better way to prepare for Lowell than playing another team of grown men.

Anyways, here are the top five things to look out for.

1. The freshmen. We all know Hanifin is going to come in and play at a high level right away, if I'm wrong about that I would be shocked. We can survive with Noah having a bad game here and there because we're deep on the back end, we can't survive if Tuch and Sanford are nowhere to be found early in the season. There is no reason this team shouldn't be 4-0 before heading out to the Mile High city for a big series vs Denver. Tuch and Sanford need to find a way to get acclimated sooner rather than later.

2. Just how much different the style of play is. Yes, it is just an exhibition but I want to see BC keep their opponents shots on goal number low. This is the best D core we have ever had and there is no reason why we shouldn't have the lowest GAA in Hockey East this season. Tight gaps, fluent breakouts, no bad turnovers, solid goaltending.

3.  The bottom two lines. The only way this team is going to win a National Title is if Danny Linell, Mike Sit, and Quinn Smith start scoring, even if it's just a little bit. We didn't really need them to score much last year because of the big three but this season is different, hopefully they can get off to a good start tonight .

4. The power play units. These teams from up north usually take a lot of penalties so look for the Eagles to get a good amount of power plays. I would think the first unit will be Gilmour, Fitzgerald, Cangelosi, Matheson, and Hanifin while the second unit will be Sanford, Tuch, Calnan, Savage, and McCoshen or Doherty. It's been a while since we've had two potent power play units and it's a huge reason why we lost to Union. Having a high powered man advantage can only enhance BC's ability to score goals.

5. Look, I don't take much out of these exhibition games. I walked out of the one last season thinking we wouldn't lose a game all season and we lost less than a week later @ Michigan. There are two important factors. 1, win. 2, don't suffer any injuries.

Go Eagles.

Terriers Win Another, Lineup, First Injury Update

It seems like it has been a long time since we have had some positive news on the recruiting trail. This afternoon, top 2000 (amazing how young) Jake Wise committed to Boston University. The Central Catholic freshman is a high end offensive talent that the staff would have really liked to pick up but that isn't going to happen. 

Obviously, David Quinn and Steve Greely have come in and really changed the recruiting game. I don't care about how college hockey is better when BC and BU are great, I want to win every game by 1000 goals vs them. They got Greer, obviously Wise, they got Keller (for now), and they got Greenway. We got Bracco (for now), and Wood. The bottom line is we are losing more than we are winning. There are still a couple of huge names left on the USNTDP U18 and U17 teams (Kohodorenko, Krys, Matthews) landing a commitment from any of those three, particularly Matthews, would change the game completely. 

Anyways, here is what you should expect the lineup to look like Saturday night vs New Brunswick. 

Tuch-Gilmour-Calnan

Sanford-Fitzgerald-Cangelosi 

Spiro-Gaudreau-Linell

Smith-Sit-Straight 

Matheson-Savage

McCoshen-Doherty

Hanifin-Santini

Demko 

You'll notice Brendan Silk's name wasn't on there. Staff doesn't expect him to play Saturday but if all goes well, he will play Friday @ Lowell when it really counts. 

Go Eagles. 

Recruiting Stuff

It's hard to believe that the Eagles will be back on the ice Saturday night for the first time after a devastating loss to Union in Frozen Four. I think it's going to be another year filled with excitement, wins, and at times, moments where the team is going to have to fight through some difficult adversity. Anyways, I stated last week that I'm trying to really promote the recruiting aspect of the blog so my goal is to write at least one, hopefully two, recruiting articles a week. Most of the time, such as tonight, they will be updates about how guys are performing. The season is young but both the USHL teams and the USNTDP have kicked off their season.

Class of 2015

Jeremy Bracco- Leads the U18 team with 4 goals and 8 assists through 7 games, also added three points at the All-American prospect game last Thursday up in Buffalo. Still very much up in the air as to if he will ever end up at BC but if he does, he will be an absolute stud.

Colin White- Fifth on the U18 team with 4 goals and 4 assists through 7 games. Like Bracco, he also played in the AA prospect game last week. Certainly the best all around player in the pipeline. Plays a style very similar to Patrice Bergeron.

Casey Fitzgerald- Has only played four games for the U18 team, has recorded 2 points so far. Played in All American prospect game as well.

Joey Dudek- His Dubuque Fighting Saints have only played one game thus far, so nothing to report.

Chris Brown- Same as Dudek, just one game played for the Green Bay Gamblers.

Miles Wood- Nobles doesn't start until Thanksgiving time but I can tell you he recorded 8 points vs a team that I coach last weekend. He beat us 10-2. Yup.

Chris Shero- Playing for Scott Harlow and his South Shore Kings,0  points in 7 games.


Class of 2016-

Graham McPhee- Fourth on the U17 team with 1 point though two games.

Zachary Walker- Also on the U17 team but suffered a bad lower body injury. Assume he is out for some time.

Luke McInnis- Don't have stats in front of me but playing for a loaded Cape Cod Whalers squad coached by former Eagle Andrew Orpik. They won their first tournament two weeks ago.

David Cotton- I got nothing

Connor Moore- Playing 1st D pair with recruiting target Jacob Bryson on the #1 ranked team in the country, the U18 Neponset Valley River Rats. They won the Labor Day Tournament final vs the Whalers.

That's all I got.

Go Eagles.

Got to Find a Way

If you didn't watch the the All-American prospects game tonight, the best way for me to sum it up is by saying two things. Number one, the future of American hockey is in bright hands because there were some absolute studs out there tonight. Whether it's Eichel, Hanifin, Wierenski, White, Bracco, or Greenway, there is potential for some guys not just to change the impact of some lucky NHL franchises, but a chance to change the course of American hockey.

Secondly, I don't care if they want me to move to Ann Arbor and camp out in front of NTDP headquarters, the staff has to find a way to get Jeremy Bracco to campus. I don't know the kid at all but he seems like he's got "it". What do I mean by that? It's not just his sensational speed and skill, it's the fact that he looks like he LOVES being on that ice and scoring goals. A big emphasis of Coach York's is being excited about wins and being excited about scoring goals. I have never been to a hockey practice where the whole team literally goes crazy after a goal in a drill or ever seen bench that stands up for the whole game, patting each other on the back and pointing to the guy that made the play, not just the goal scorer. You see the way Jeremy Bracco points right at his teammate after a goal? See the way he gets all pumped up? See the way he skates with his head up when he has the puck? Remind you of anyone from Carney's Point, NJ? Is he going to end up here? I don't know, only he really knows that, but he looks like the kid that we want representing not just the school, but the program as a whole, you want kids that would run through a brick wall to put on the maroon and gold. Having his skill helps to.

Go Eagles

Lineup Talk

I'm not ready to give out some lineup predictions because I believe the staff is still trying to insert certain guys at different positions. I am however ready to start talking about expectations for the guys on this team. Remember, the team goals never change. 1. Beat BU 2. Win the Beanpot 3. Win a National Title but the goals for each member of the team changes from year to year. Let's take a look at some lineup talk.

Let me start out by saying that this could be, talent wise, the staff's best recruiting class and the nicest part about it is that all three guys are a little bit different. Zachary Sanford is the first big time recruit that they had play one extra year in the USHL, which allowed him to gain another year of experience, work on his skills, and most importantly, add some age to what will be a very young forward core. Alex Tuch is a 6'3 giant that is one of the smartest players, hockey IQ wise, the staff has brought in since, well, a long time. He will undoubtedly play a role on either one of the top two lines and the second power play unit (maybe first if he really stands out early). I don't need to talk about Noah Hanifin, you know how I feel about him.

If we are comparing this group of forwards to years past, especially 2010, 2011, or 2012, then of course, it is a very shallow group with not much veteran experience on the top end. On the other hand, the 2010 team had a  couple of fourth line seniors that were the hardest working players on the ice game in and game out, making life miserable for an opponent's first line and power play units. I'm not expecting Quinn Smith, Danny Linell, and Mike Sit to go out and suddenly become Brian Gionta, Johnny G, and Nathan Gerbe overnight but there is no reason why they shouldn't contribute in a big way each and every way. When I say "big way" I don't necessarily mean averaging a goal per game (although it would be huge if they could find a way to score every 3.5/4 periods), I mean being one of the top penalty killing units in Hockey East and one of the toughest, grittiest lines that no one wants to play against. If the staff plays them against the Devin Shore's and Jack Eichel's of the world, they're going to give up some points but if they can make each shift the hardest shift of the game for the opposition's top guns, we got a shot.

Obviously the sophomore class is the big key up front. Who was the best player in that class last year (offensively)? Fitzgerald. Who was the most consistent player in that class last year(offensively)? First half it was Cangelosi, second half it was Gilmour. Who made the biggest jump from October to April? Calnan. As you can see, there are a lot of positives to take out of everyones season in 2013-14. It was the #1 ranked class in college hockey for two reasons. First, it was loaded with talent, second it was loaded with depth, something that this year's class doesn't have. A lot of people are betting on Ryan Fitzgerald as BC's "go to" guy this year. I don't think there will be any such thing. I expect Fitz, Gilmour, Cangelosi, and Tuch to be in the 35-40 point range but I don't expect any of them to go north of say, 66 points. I love the fact that no one is talking about Sanford because I think he's got a shot to sneak up and surprise a lot of us. I think it's going to take him a little bit of time to get used to the speed, such as it did in the USHL, but by Beanpot time, he's going to be big weapon.

I think this defense is as good as any defensive core we have seen, not just @ BC, but in college hockey over the past six or seven years (BU's 2009 D core was scary, unfortunately). Obviously, at certain points over his first two years @ BC, Mike Matheson wasn't exceptional in his own end but one of the reasons he wasn't so good in that area is because he isn't a "defensive" defenseman. Is he bad in his own end? No, not at all but he isn't McCoshen or certainly not Santini. That right there is why this team could be so good, each defenseman has qualities the other may not possess. In 2013, we needed Matheson out there literally every shift and in the end, he got tired and wore down. In 2014, McCoshen got banged up and wasn't playing at his highest level, forcing Matheson to play a lot of minutes in March and April, once again wearing him down.

Insert Noah Hanifin.

We've got two predominately offensive defensemen in Savage and Doherty, both of which are more than capable of playing second power play and possibly second penalty killing units, Santini and McCoshen (on a lesser extent) are two guys you can put out there against the best forwards in the country and expect to slow them down, Matheson is a tad bit better in the offensive end but isn't a liability in his own end, and Hanifin is basically a combination of everything you want in a defenseman, I'm not kidding. To be honest, I like Travis Jeke as the 8th guy because two years ago he had to play top five minutes in big times games such as the Hockey East playoffs and NCAA tournament and he basically wasn't ready. Fast forward two years and he's proven both in real games (Pittsburgh tournament) and practice that he can go out there and play minimal minutes.

I have to tell you, I like this team but then again, I like every BC Hockey team. Sure, the names on the back no longer read "Johnny G", "Hayes", or "Arnold" but the lettering on the front is the same as it was when those guys left. It doesn't matter if you're a walk on or a highly touted recruit, when you put on those colors, you're expected to contribute to this program both on the ice and off it. I'm telling you, it's going to be a little bit different, it's probably not going to be six or seven goals per game like we saw at times last year but the only thing that matters at the end of the day is what the scoreboard says. I think this club has a chance to win a lot of hockey games this season if they grow sooner rather than later.

Go Eagles.

Central Scouting Preseason Rankings Released

NHL Central Scouting released their 2015 draft preseason grades this afternoon, a list that ranks skaters with an "A", "B", or "C" grade. Here is how the future/current Eagles faired.

A Skaters- 

Noah Hanifin (Defenseman, Boston College) 

Colin White (Forward, USNTDP) 

B Skaters- 

Jeremy Bracco (Forward, USNTDP) 

Chris Birdsall (Goalie, Youngstown Phantoms) 

Casey Fitzgerald (Defenseman, USTNDP) 

C Skaters- 

David Cotton (Forward, Cushing Academy) 

Hockey East Media Poll Released

With tomorrows Hockey East media day (wow the season is really here), numerous members of the BC hate club, also known as the Hockey East media, released their rankings and preseason first team this afternoon. Here are the results.

1. Providence

2. Boston College

3. Boston University

4. Northeastern

5. UMass Lowell

6. Maine

7. Notre Dame (tie)

7. Vermont (tie)

9. UNH

10. Merrimack

11. UMass

12. UConn

First team- Devin Shore (Maine), Kevin Roy (NU), Ross Mauermann (PC), Ben Hutton (Maine), Michael Matheson (Boston College), John Gilles (PC)

I didn't vote but here is how I would have voted, not that it means anything.

1. PC, 2. BC, 3. BU, 4. NU, 5. Notre Dame, 6. Maine, 7. UNH, 8. Lowell, 9. Vermont, 10. Merrimack, 11. UConn, 12. UMass

My first team would have been Shore, Roy, Lucia, Hanifin, Matheson, Gilles.

Go Eagles.

A New Hope Arises

I'll be the first one to admit it, I probably underrate some recruits and overrate others, mainly because of the amount of time I have watched some and not others. I live in Chestnut Hill, so I don't get a chance to watch recruits out in Ann Arbor (I'm not that crazy, I don't fly out to Michigan to watch recruits), but I always try and get to any local games that involves any potential recruits. Don't get me wrong, I watched Noah Hanifin a lot while he played @ St.Sebastian's, heck I probably went to every game over the course of his sophomore season but like I've said in past posts, it is getting difficult to measure the quality of players in the ISL mainly because the product of the league has gone so far down due to the rise of the USHL/EJHL/BCHL etc.

Listen, I watched Noah twice this summer and I left the rink thinking he was by far and away the best player on the ice but like anyone else would, I've always been curious as to how his talent would translate onto the ice @ Kelly Rink. I saw him practice for the first time yesterday and I know it's just a one hour session with no real flow to it yet but I'm telling you right now, you won't believe how good this kid is. I'm sure Jack Eichel is a tremendous hockey player and he will do great things down the street but the amount of attention he receives compared to Noah is just typical Hockey East media bias towards BC.

I'm not going to go out and say Noah's going to be the next Bobby Orr or Nick Lidstrom but there is one thing I can say with very little hesitance, he will be one of, if not the best, defensemen in Hockey East this year. Everyone always talks about an "adjusting period" for freshmen and I think both Sanford and Tuch will have a little bit of that, but Noah? Not so much. He looked like a man playing with kids during some of those drills. When was the last time you saw a defensemen that was 6'3, 200 pounds, and was without a doubt one of the best skaters on the ice?

I know we are all worried about the lack of scoring up front and trust me, I can understand why but adding this kid to what was already the best returning D core of the Coach York era is a huge boost for the team's chances at a National Title. Again, I know he hasn't even played a game yet and I just watched about thirty minutes of practice but a freshman doesn't show up on day one @ this program and look like the best player out there unless he is something totally unique. I don't know how long he will be at BC, getting him for more than a year would be icing on the cake but I'm telling you right now, this kid is going to have as big an impact on this program as anyone that has ever put on that uniform. Trust me.

Oh and he is the youngest player in the history of the program. Go figure.

Go Eagles.

Recruiting Notes

Lot of homework tonight so just a quick little run through.

- Late 1997 D Jacob Bryson visited BC a few days ago, he is a defenseman that will play at Loomis  this fall. Played with Connor Moore on the Neponset River Rats this summer and impressed the staff @ the Labor Day tournament in Marlboro. Other schools that are in the hunt for Bryson include Providence and Northeastern. Lots of upside. Downside is his size, only 5'9


- Speaking of that Labor Day tournament, the US Hockey Report came out with their player rankings. In the U16 division, 2016 recruit David Cotton struggled and was given a "B" rating. I was out there for one of his games and he just looked flat out tired. He didn't have a great summer so hopefully he picks it up @ Cushing this fall.    

- Luke McInnis was given an "A" rating for that tournament, he plays for former Eagle Andrew Orpik and a loaded Cape Cod Whalers U18 squad that includes Lincoln Griffin, Ryan Shea, Billy Sweezy, and Will D'Orsi. Connor Moore looks like he has improved tremendously since the last time I saw him play in December. He was also given an "A" rating.

That's all I got. Go Eagles.

Top 5 Position Battles Heading Into "Preseason"

Coaches and players hit the ice today for the first time @ Kelly Rink and a new season of Eagle Hockey is set to begin. This year, perhaps more so than other in the past five years, is full of question marks, especially up front. The Eagles return star goaltender Thatcher Demko as well as the nation's best D core but with the loss of the big three plus the last minute ditch by he who shall not be named, the forward depth is average at best.

I'll do more previews and stuff as the season gets even closer but I kind of like the fact that there are so many unknowns. Everyone looks at that as a bad thing but why not give guys like Tuch, Sanford, and Calnan a chance to step up and play big time minutes? A summer full of training plus more experience plus more playing time with higher quality players plus an "average" Hockey East could make for a nice jump in points for some guys. The bottom line is that certain guys, especially Calnan, Gilmour (not as much), and Spiro will need to step up and play consistently solid hockey.

Here are some questions.

1. Final forward spots. Like I said, we are not very deep this season but our talent level on the front end ranks in the top three of the league along with BU and Providence. I'm not going to get into positions now because the staff still has to try and figure out what guys are going to move and so fourth so bear with me.

Locks- Tuch, Sanford, Gilmour, Calnan, Cangelosi, Fitzgerald, Linell, Smith, Silk, Gaudreau

Bubble- Straight, Spiro, McMullen

This year, more than any other, I expect the staff to constantly roll three lines, especially when we play teams like Minnesota, Denver, and Providence.

2. First power play unit. Fitzgerald, Gilmour, and Cangelosi will be the first forward unit, to start. Matheson will be on one point but the question is who will be on the other. They have two good options, Scotty Savage and Noah Hanifin. I think they will start with Savage on the first unit meaning the second unit will be Tuch, Sanford, Calnan, Hanifin, and McCoshen. Not bad.

3. Who will be first line right wing, Calnan or Cangelosi? Of the top six forwards, all of whom could be moved to any position, I would think they will have to put both of these guys at right wing because I don't think either could play center very well. Cangelosi could probably adjust on the fly but they like Calnan's play on the boards. Hopefully he improves his skating and produces. Cangelosi first line, Calnan second....to start.

4. Out of Smith, Sit, Spiro, Linell, Straight, and Silk, who will get the most playing time? Because of the lack of depth, one (maybe two) of these guys is going to have to play a lot more minutes than he did last season. I really liked the way Silk progressed in his sophomore year but he's not the most skilled guy on the ice. Personally, I've always been a big fan of Cam Spiro, he had like 30 goals in his senior season @ Tabor and he has manifested his speed and skill during practice and the few games he's had a chance to play in.

5. How much will the style of play change this year? Not really a position question but I think the staff is going to change the way this team plays hockey. A year from now, we will be stacked and play that open, fast paced, north/south style we love to play. This year, I think it's going to be more defensive, a little bit more passive forecheck, and much less goals/shot totals. As long as they win, I could care less if they score one goal and then throw the puck around the rest of the game. Whatever gets more goals on the board than the opponent.


Ryan Shea committed to Northeastern yesterday. Would have been nice to see him go to BC but really wasn't going to work out, unfortunately. Anyways, that's all on the recruiting front.

Go Eagles.

A Hero That Needs To Be Honored

There are certain dates that everyone, no matter how they old they were at the time, remembers exactly where they were, who they were with, and most importantly, the impact the event had on their life. September 11th, 2001 is without any doubt the worst day in the history of our country and perhaps the worst day this world has ever seen. Nearly 3,000 men, women, and children will always be remembered for the sacrifices they gave to our country. The Boston College community lost 22 distinguished alumni but the story of Welles Crowther, class of 1999, is one of the most well known 9/11 stories ever documented. If you don't know the entire story, please take ten minutes out of your day and watch this video. It will forever change your view on that day and will perhaps inspire you to remember this man and what he did. 

For those of you that do know the story, it goes without saying that this man is the type of individual that each parent should try and mold their kids to be like. Welles Crowther could have just left the south tower of the World Trade Center with the rest of his coworkers. Instead, he went back and without his heroic acts, 7 or 8 more individuals would have lost their lives on that dreadful day. 

One of the main hallmarks of the Jesuits and their mission is to be a "man/woman for others". If you can find a better example of any person being a man for others than Welles Crowther, please feel free to email me. I'm not an administrator, admissions director, or teacher but if we could get just a couple of graduates each year to be like Welles Crowther, then there is no reason why Boston College cannot be the best university in the world. That man epitomizes everything that a BC graduate should be and for that reason, this university should do something to let every student, fan, alumni, visitor, etc know who he is and what he did on September 11th, 2001. 

Now, there are numerous ways the school can honor Welles, whether it be a statue, a section of Conte Forum dedicated to him, a banner, a building bearing his name, or as one twitter follower suggested, an honorary degree in his name for the service of others. While I think a degree would be awesome, there needs to be something that every single person who visits campus can see and learn about this remarkable story. Maybe they could even paint a red bandana on the ice and leave it there from here on out? 

This university has had a lot of notable graduates that have been recognized in some way, shape of form (Tip O'Neil, Snooks Kelly, Doug Flutie) but in my opinion, no Boston College graduate deserves more recognition than Welles Crowther. 

Go Eagles and Rest in Peace, Welles. 

Top 5 Recruiting Targets

As you all know, the college hockey season is just around the corner but the drop of the puck @ Conte Forum also marks the start of another year of recruiting for the staff. Last year was without a doubt one of the best years in BC Hockey recruiting history as they gained commitments from Jeremy Bracco, Zachary Walker, Luke McInnis, Graham McPhee, Chris Brown, Connor Moore, David Cotton, and of course,  Miles Wood. It is quite amazing how much better these next three recruiting classes will be (talent wise) compared to the past four we have had. Outside of last years freshmen class, we only brought in two NHL draft picks, combined, in the 2012 and 2013 freshmen classes (G and Matheson). For comparisons sake, there were 6 in the 2014 freshmen class, and two of the three guys coming in this year are already draft picks, the other will be a top five pick this summer. Here is the simple form.

2012 freshmen class- 1 NHL draft pick (G)

2013 freshmen class- 1 NHL draft pick (Matheson)

2014 freshmen class- 6 NHL draft picks

2015 freshmen class- 2 NHL draft picks (will be 3 in June)

2016 freshmen class- 3 NHL draft picks already (Bracco and White not eligible until this summer, will be 5)


So as you can clearly see, the staff has really ramped up their recruiting efforts over the course of the past couple of seasons. Detractors love to talk about BC's "shady" recruiting tactics but the numbers and draft picks clearly show that no other school in the country, outside of maybe Minnesota, recruits as well as BC does. For all the talk about how intense the BC-BU rivalry is on the ice, the most intriguing aspect of the rivalry is on the recruiting trail. In the 2010 documentary "The Battle of Comm Ave" Jack Parker was the first to point out that the rivalry off the ice is five times more competitive than the one on it. We win some (Wood, White) and they win some (Eichel) but a new hockey season only means another installment of colligate athletics' greatest rivalry, off the ice.

Anyways, I went out and tried to gather some information regarding a couple of top targets for the staff this season. A lot can happen over the course of a long hockey season so things will change but right now, I think this would be a pretty accurate list. It's not in any particular order but Krys is #1.

1. Chad Krys- The 5'11 defenseman from Ridgefield, CT is the #2 ranked uncommitted prospect on Over the Boards and it is widely known that his final two choices are BC and BU. The issue for the Eagles is that both of Krys' parents attended BU and his father was the captain of the hockey team. On the plus side, he hasn't committed to BU yet and a lot of people believe that BC has a legitimate shot to land him. If they did, what an upset that would be.

2. Jacob Bryson- A 5'8 defenseman from London, ON will enroll @ Loomis and Chaffee this fall. Played for the Labor Day Tournament winning team in Marlboro, Neponset River Rats alongside BC commit Connor Moore. 22 points in 32 games played last season for the London Jr Knights. Providence and Northeastern are also in the mix, among others.

3. Auston Matthews- 6'0 forward from Arizona, currently plays for the USNTDP U18 team,  recorded 12 goals and 21 assists last season for the U17 squad. Supposedly was very impressive at World Jr Camp in Lake Placid earlier this summer. He is a draft pick of the Everett Silvetips (WHL) but has spoken with a bunch of colleges. If in fact he does go the college route, it would be a big time pick up for the staff.

4. Jake Wise- There was White, Eichel, and Hanifin, and now there is Wise. The North Andover native is only a 2000 (!!!!!!) birthday but completely outclassed the 15,16,and 17 year olds he played against last weekend in the New England Fall Prep league up in Salem, NH. He even gets that comparison that drives me insane every time I hear it...."he is the next Sidney Crosby". BC and BU again.

5. Ryan Shea- 5'11 defenseman out of Milton and BC High.  Father Danny is certainly one of the top 10-15 forwards ever to play @ BC, certainly top 5 of the non-Coach York era. Look, I think the kid is certainly good enough to come in and play here, Over the Boards has him ranked #3 in their uncommitted list but I don't think the staff is going to get him and isn't because he doesn't want to go to BC. Who knows, maybe things will change and they will get him but as of now, it doesn't look good. Don't be surprised if he winds up you know where.

Have a good weekend. Go Eagles.

A Change In Direction? Yup

Ever since the event that shall not be named that occurred two weeks ago, the staff has explored a couple of options to add some depth to BC's forward core. There were three legitimate options, well, two really. The first (pretty unrealistic) one was to bring in Noble and Greenough forward Miles Wood a year early. He is, without a doubt, BC's #3 forward recruit in the pipeline (behind White and Bracco) but unlike those guys, he will be a 19 year old senior in high school this fall. He couldn't make it to Chestnut Hill this year because he doesn't have the high school credits required to gain entry into BC.

The second, what I thought very realistic, option was to bring Joey Dudek, who did in fact graduate from high school this spring, a year early. The reason they didn't bring Dudek in is because while he would have most likely been able to accelerate and gained entry into the school, the staff feels that he needs one more year to develop into the top end player that he is capable of being.

The third option the staff had was bringing in Chris Brown but like Dudek, they think he needs a year in the USHL to play against bigger, stronger guys similar to the ones he will see in Hockey East just a year from now.

You may be wondering why I decided to title this "A Change in Direction". As you certainly know, the whole age issue in college hockey drives me insane. I have never been a fan of the fact that we have 17 year old freshman that have to play against guys @ Merrimack and Lowell that are 22/23 year old freshmen or 26/27 year old seniors but like my lovely (sarcastic) twitter followers like to point out, there is no rule against bringing in older guys and maybe the staff should try and see what they can do with older prospects. Well look how old these guys are going to be when they hit the ice for us.

Zach Sanford (this fall)- Turns 20 on November 9th.

Joey Dudek (fall of 2015)- Will turn 19 midseason.

Miles Wood (fall of 2015)- Will be 20 when the puck drops in the fall of 2015.

Christopher Brown (fall of 2015) Will turn 20 towards the end of the 2015 season.

Whether we like it or not, and I certainly am not a fan, college hockey recruiting is changing in so many ways, especially the age at which players are first recruited and when they eventually arrive on campus. The fact of the matter is my opinion, the staffs opinions, your opinion, don't matter. Older players is becoming a trend but unlike other schools in this league (besides BU), we continue to bring in TRUE freshmen that will have every opportunity to succeed.

Oh and by the way, Merrimack is bringing in their first true freshman since 2003, this fall. Go figure.

Go Eagles.

Four Eagles Named To All American Prospects Game

One current Eagle and (hopefully) three future ones were named to the All American Prospect game, which will take place September 25th in Buffalo, New York. Noah Hanifin (the only current Eagle), Colin White, Casey Fitzgerald, and Jeremy Bracco were named to the 42 man squad. The four Eagles is the second most amongst NCAA teams, the Michigan Wolverines led the way with five guys. BU had two. 

Congrats to all four guys. Good luck. 

Go Eagles. 

A Local Recruiting Problem

Craig Janney, Brian Leetch, Mike Mullowney (had to), Brian Boyle, Greg Brown,Marty McInnis, and Mike Mottau, what do these names all have in common? They're are all BC legends that played in the Independent School League (or another New England Prep league) before arriving and succeeding @ BC. The question is, what happened? So much of our dominance in the mid 2000's through today has been because of Massachusetts born kids, some that didn't even play in the ISL. Schneider, Hayes, Arnold, Gibbons, and Whitney(s), but certainly without a doubt, one can say that BC's dominant product led by Massachusetts kids could soon be coming to an end. Are my saying BC Hockey is going down the drains? Haha no, I am not. I am saying that in order for the Eagles to be as good as they're capable of year in and year out, the staff may need to make stronger recruiting efforts in Michigan, Minnesota, and New York (a place where they have already been great).

Over the next couple of years, the Eagles have recruits coming in from these various states.

Massachusetts- Hanifin (left after sophomore year), White (left after sophomore year), Wood (3, maybe 4, years), Casey Fitzgerald (left Mass after sophomore year for NTDP), David Cotton (entering sophomore year @ Cushing), Connor Moore (entering sophomore year @ Brooks, didn't make USHL team), Luke McInnis (entering sophomore year @ Dexter, transfer from Hingham).

New Hampshire- Dudek (Coming this year, I believe), Sanford (here now, finished high school career in USHL)

New York- Tuch (here now), Bracco (left after his freshman year of high school for NTDP)

Pennsylvania- Chris Shero (graduated from a New England prep school, playing in EJHL)

Washington DC- Graham McPhee (Playing for NTDP this year after playing for Shattuck U16's

Idaho- Zachary Walker (played for Colorado Thunderbirds, will play for NTDP this year)

Michigan- Chris Brown (Played in Michigan high school leagues, will play USHL jr and sr years)

Minnesota- Nothing

The most important thing to take out of all that information is we have just ONE guy coming from Minnesota and Michigan, COMBINED. Look, I love the ISL and Mass high school leagues more than anyone but I'll be the first to admit that there are maybe three kids in the ISL that are good enough to play @ BC right now and one or two guys that are good enough to be @ BC right now from the MIAA.

As of now, Massachusetts hockey is still producing high quality players but it's concerning that the high quality players are not staying in Massachusetts which only means that there is a huge difference between the high end players (Wood, White, Eichel, etc) and the average players you find in the ISL or MIAA. To me, it is very disturbing to see the quality of hockey in the Mass high school leagues go down so much because for so many years, BC could just pluck kids right of the ISL in their junior or senior year. Now, the staff has to offer a kid that is a star in the ISL as a freshman but since the league is so down, who knows what he will do when he plays in the USHL or the NTDP?

Everyone (including this guy) likes to tall about how college hockey recruiting is changing because of age, which it is, but in this state, it appears to me that a large majority of elite players go to other leagues and fade away, mainly because the competition they played against in Mass is slipping tremendously. Look, the Woods, Eichels, and Hanifins of the world are going to be good no matter who they play against because those are the type of kids that have the skill and size to play versus the best high schoolers in the United States. It's about those third and fourth line guys that I am worried about. Obviously, our bottom six forwards have been a bit of a weakness since the National Championship in 2012 and I believe it's because the staff is having such a hard time finding guys in this area that are going to stay three or four years, will play third or fourth line and block shots, kill penalties, play solid defense vs another team's first line, etc.

We need to find a way to bring in more Barry Almeida's, Matt Lombardi's, Paul Carey's, Pat Mullane's, guys that come in here as fourth line guys, from this area, and will eventually work there way up and become high quality players and leaders by their junior and senior years.

Look, BC obviously a public university like the University of Minnesota or the University of Michigan, but BC Hockey (and admittedly BU Hockey) have inspired kids all throughout Massachusetts and New England to work towards one day wearing the maroon and gold or, if worst comes to worst, the scarlet and white. I mean, it seems that David Quinn and his staff have picked up a lot more Mass kids (Coughlin, Carpenter, Greer, Difley, Macleod) than we have. Obviously, the staff can't recruit Mass kids if the quality of play in the state does not go up but hopefully in the future, we will see more guys in the maroon and gold from Massachusetts than from California or Idaho.

Go Eagles.

Hayes Signs With Rangers, Mottau Retires

With all that is surrounding the current and future states of the Eagles, I have completely forgotten to talk about a couple of former guys, both of whom made some big time decisions this week.  Yesterday, former Eagle and Hobey Baker winner Mike Mottau retired after a 14 year professional hockey career. Mottau is arguably the best defenseman of the Coach York era and is certainly one of the very best guys to come out of this program. Teammate Bobby Allen called him "My favorite teammate of all time, no contest". The have played with or against each other since they were eight years old. Congrats to Mike on a terrific career.

This afternoon, Kevin Hayes signed an entry level deal (worth about 925,000 plus bonuses) with the New York Rangers. Hayes selected the Rangers over his hometown Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche, among others. Congrats to Kevin, we wish him all the best (except when they play the Penguins)

Go Eagles

Waiting Games

Let me start this post with being completely honest with you. I am really, really, worried about what could possibly take place this season for our club. Everyone wants to talk about our superb D and solid goaltending but if you look at our past three National Title teams, those clubs won on offense, each of which had three lines that could score at any time and a fourth line that could shut down another team's first line at certain junctures of a game. Frankly, I don't see that with this team, as of now.  Last season, the Eagles had 27 players on the roster and for the first time in a long time, they had to cut a guy (Sullivan) before the season started. As of today, BC has just 22 total skaters (including goalies). That is as shallow a roster we have ever had.

The position that I am most concerned about is the wing, both wings. On the left side we have Fitzgerald, Smith(can play both), Straight, Gaudreau, and Cam Spiro. On the right side, we have Chris Calnan, Austin Cangelosi, Brendan Silk, and Smith. Not very deep, especially on the left side. Milano was projected to be a first or second line left winger but that spot has since been vacated. What is the best case scenario for filling that hole? Of course, it would be Miles Wood but I don't think the chances of the staff bringing him in are very high, even though they can say with absolute certainty that he will play a lot of minutes both even strength and power play. The other, more likely, option is that they bring in Joey Dudek from Dubuque. Unlike Wood, Dudek was a senior this year @ Kimball Union and he graduated with the necessary credits needed to get into BC. While bringing in Wood would help the team more, Dudek would fill in just fine on the third or fourth line. Who is the better hockey player right now? Wood. Who has the actual credits to get into school right away? Dudek. The bottom line is that the staff has to find a way to get at least of these guys on campus this fall.

The other option they have is one that is more risky and far less likely to happen. They, hypothetically, could try and find a way to get Colin White to accelerate but he, like Noah Hanifin, would be a kid playing against guys that are six or years his senior. Why would I say bringing in a kid like White is so risky? It isn't because he isn't skilled because he is the best forward prospect they have in the pipeline, it's because playing for the USNTDP for one more year could give him the experience he needs to become the best freshman in college hockey when the 2015-16 season begins. If they brought him in this year, he could become a top four or five guy by midseason but I don't know if it is worth taking away one more, very important season of development against elite competition. His teammate, Jeremy Bracco, is another option but he isn't quiet as physically "gifted" as White is. Bracco needs another season to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Another issue with him is that he could be a very real possibility to bolt to the CHL.

I would expect that in the next couple of days, possibly by this weekend, the staff will announce that they're bringing in Joey Dudek for next season. It makes the most sense. He graduated from high school, he can play both wing and center, he is very close to being "Hockey East ready", and he has more skill than any of BC's bottom six guys currently have.

Here are my updated percentage odds to come next year-

Dudek- 95%

Wood- 40%

White/Bracco- Under 10% (a miracle would need to happen)

Rest In Peace, Corey Griffin

Yesterday was a tragic day in BC Hockey world and what happened with Sonny Milano has absolutely nothing to do with it, at all. Former Eagle Corey Griffin was killed in a freak diving accident in Nantucket this weekend. He was 27.

Griffin played at BC for a very short period of time before transferring to Babson, where he graduated. Whether it's a superstar or a walk-on transfer, this is the type of stuff that really hits home for everyone that has been a follower of the program.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Griffin family during this terrible time. 

Rest in Peace, Corey.

What Now?

As posted earlier today, star recruit Sonny Milano is no longer committed to Boston College for this fall. Instead, he will play with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL (according to Mike McMahon). The Blue Jackets made it official earlier when they tweeted that Milano had in fact decided to sign with them. As you may have seen if you have a Twitter account, I was very shocked and disappointed by this news. Unlike most people, I am gravely worried about BC's chances at competing for a National Title with it's current roster because in all honesty, we just aren't deep enough. BU has Eichel. Maine has Shore. Northeastern has Roy. We don't have a real "go-to" guy, I thought Milano was going to be that guy by midseason, no matter how old he was. On the other side of things, a lot of people @ BC think this is a good move for the team because Milano is as much a self centered person as they have ever come across. He was in it for Sonny, not for Boston College. I'm sure that is true but in reality, we needed more talent. Every other fan in the country will cry about how we are BC and we always get the talented guys, well, obviously not.

So, what could the staff do now? Let's look at some options.

Option #1- Do nothing 

The worst part about this whole thing is that it comes so late in the summer and the staff doesn't really have the time to go out and bring a guy or two in. With the roster as it right now, BC has just 13 forwards for next year and a good number of them won't contribute much to the score sheet. I'm just thinking about this in a common sense sort of way. The staff knows they need not just talent, but they need bodies.

Chance this happen- High


Option #2- Bring Miles Wood in. 

You know my opinion on this. He's ready.

Chance this happens- Zero

Option #3- Bring Joey Dudek in

The reason Dudek isn't coming this year is because they thought he needed one more year to develop and become a "smarter" hockey player. He has some talent (6th round pick by NJD) but I think if he came this year, it would take him a long time to get used to the speed and skill that he will see night in and night out in Hockey East.

Chance this happens- A lot higher than Wood.

Option #4- Bring Colin White and or Jeremy Bracco in. 

Call me crazy but I'm convinced that Colin White could come in here right now and be a top three forward for us by the end of the year. The kid is an all around animal. He has all the tools necessary to become a star player @ BC. Bracco, while not quiet the physical specimen that White is, has the creativity and skill to be a freshman that plays top nine minutes right of the bat. Personally, I think they should hold off on Bracco because one more year of development would do him just a little bit more than it would for White. I do believe White would be an instant impact type of guy.

Chances they come- Slim

I'm sure there are other options and as I learn more, I will add to the blog. It's going to be a trying couple of weeks for the staff.

Tough day. Go Eagles.

Panic Mode. Milano Gone.

Sonny Milano informed Coach York this afternoon that he will sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets and become a professional hockey player. He will no longer be attending Boston College this fall.

I'm speechless. I'll have more later.

Disaster.

Lineup Preview #1, Couple of Updates

Before I get to the lineup, there a few minimal notes we should touch upon.

It appears the staff is done looking for another forward to join the roster next season, which is the primary reason I am doing my first lineup preview tonight. The Wood ship sailed long ago but they made a couple of other attempts on other guys but because of the timing and the fact they couldn't get anyone they thought really fit the system, they're going to go with what they got and that isn't half bad. There's always that slight chance things change but it doesn't look good.

Speaking of Miles Wood, he will play for the South Shore Kings half season team next fall before taking the ice for Nobles.

The schedule is pretty much set in stone, we are just waiting on two games vs UMass-Amherst. I think the Minutemen could possibly be BC's home opener either Saturday October 11th but that remains a question mark. As for when we travel out to Amherst, possibly the very next weekend, Saturday the 25th after we host Colorado College on Friday the 24th. Hopefully that will be figured out soon.

Not much to report on the recruiting trail. They're still awaiting word on Krys but who knows when that will be. 2016 recruit David Cotton participated in the Beantown Classic in Marlborough this week, not a real inspiring performance from his team tonight, they got smoked like 5-1, Cotton seemed to struggle for large portions of the game but it could just be fatigue.

Anyways, here is my first lineup projection of the year because when I walked into Kelly Rink today, the ice was down and almost fainted. I'll try and do a couple others before the season starts.

Ryan Fitzgerald- Adam Gilmour- Chris Calnan

I thought Ryan and Adam played really well towards the end of last season, as Fitzgerald was without a doubt BC's best player in the Frozen Four game vs Union (besides the penalty). If they continue to progress like they have been, then they'll be two consistent players this year. I would expect that they also both play first power play unit. Calnan is the one question mark. He struggled for the first three quarters of last winter but like the other two, he became more of a factor out there as the year grew older. The issue for me is whether or not he is ready to become a first line guy that can put points on the board. Sure, he can be the meat and potatoes guy on this line but he also has to find a way to put the puck in the net.

Sonny Milano- Alex Tuch- Austin Cangelosi

This line has the potential to be really special by Beanpot time (if they're even a line). The staff has big expectations for Austin Cangelosi this season, they think he could be the team's best offensive player and one of the top point getters in the league. He certainly showed his value in some big games (Beanpot final) last season. Obviously, everyone has some expectations for the two incoming first round picks but I think we need to separate them a little bit because they're different players. Milano, if the right pieces fall into place, could be the most talented freshman of the Coach York era besides some guy from New Jersey but Tuch is a bit of a different animal. He is a really big, a good skater for his size, and has a booming shot. They went together really well in Ann Arbor so I think the staff should at least give them a shot at playing together from the get-go in Chestnut Hill.

Matty Gaudreau-Zach Sanford-Brendan Silk

Now that I think about it,  pretty much every freshman got better as the season went on, including Matty Gaudreau who I also thought was solid in the NCAA tournament. I don't see any reason why he should be benched behind any of the four senior forwards. Brendan Silk was the most improved player on the team from 2013 to 2014 and hopefully he continue to be somewhat of a physical presence out there. Sanford is the big key for me when it comes to this line. Personally, I have never seen him play but the scouts say he is a big forward (6'3), that has a knack for moving the puck. He was a second round draft pick of the Washington Capitals so he must be pretty darn good. He is, by far, the most underrated prospect in the incoming class.

Quinn Smith- Mike Sit- Danny Linell

For a fourth line, I don't think they're all that bad but that's only assuming they find a way to take their games up a notch. Look, I'm certainly not one to sit here and talk about their performance on the ice but I think everyone expects a little more from these guys. It seems to me that Smith and Sit are out there every shift battling but they just never seem to put the puck in the net. Ever. This is BC. We don't bring guys in to dump pucks in the zone and stand around. They're expected to contribute to the scoresheet. They have got to find a way to play some good hockey this season. They have to.

Defense (it's scary good) 

Mike Matheson- Scott Savage

I'm a big fan of these two players. Coaches are not allowed to have favorites. Bloggers are. I think both of these guys have tremendous upsides in the offensive end and because of our depth @ D, they don't need to be out there with a minute left in a game in which we're up a goal. Mike Matheson is coming back with a C on his shoulder. You don't just get named the captain @ BC and you're expected to be one of the outstanding leaders and in Mike's case, one of the outstanding players in all of college hockey. Really high expectations for these two.

Ian McCoshen- Noah Hanifin

Talk about Eichel all you want. He may be the next Mike Modano. He may be the next Patrick Kane. I don't know. But I am telling you this right now, Noah Hanifin has a chance to be one of the top defenseman in the NHL four or five years from now. If I could put together a perfect defenseman, he would be big in size, an obvious ability to take the puck end to end with a fluent skating motion, has keen awareness in his own end, and a booming shot. Ever watch Nick Lidstrom play? Yea, this kid reminds me of him. I think by the end of the season, he will be the most valuable player on our team outside of maybe Demko. As for McCoshen, he just has to find a way to stay healthy. He is great in his own end, isn't a stiff when it comes to offensive zone, and has perhaps the best shot on the team. When Eichel is on the ice, I want McCoshen, and of course Santini, out against him. That should be the shutdown pair.

Steve Santini- Teddy Doherty

Remember the 2013 NCAA playoffs when we had Colin Sullivan playing forward and played like four defenseman the whole entire game? Things have changed in a big way. While Teddy Doherty might be the least heralded out of these six guys, he has clearly proven his worth over the course of his first two years here. Yes, he struggles in his own end and has a weak shot but I love the way he skates, moves the puck up the ice and finds the open man. His "risky" style of play fits perfectly with the best defensive defenseman BC has had since Andrew Alberts, Steve Santini. I mean if I'm coaching against the Pittsburgh Penguins and I'm the Bruins, screw Chara and Boychuck, I want Santini out there (remember, Pens fan here). I was talking to a team member a few weeks back and asked how the heck we were going to stop Eichel, he replied "we can only do one thing, put Santini out there". What a battle that will be.

Goalie- obviously Demko.

Anyways, that sucked the wind out of me. Enjoy. Have a good night.

Go Eagles.

I Don't Know What to Say

I've probably stated over 2,000,000 apologies from the first week in April to now so I won't add 2,000,001.

Ok I will. I am sorry for all the crap you've seen on this blog and on twitter over the past few months. It was a really long Spring and I'm just praying hockey season comes around sooner rather than later.

Here we go. Again.

McCoshen and Savage Cut At World Jr Camp

Sophomores Ian McCoshen and Scotty Savage were cut this morning at US World Jr evaluation camp in Lake Placid. Obviously, we want to have as many guys on the team playing because even though it will put the Eagles in a tough spot for two or three games, nothing compares to representing your country on a national stage.

Alex Tuch, Sonny Milano, Thatcher Demko, and Steve Santini are still up there and many believe that McCoshen will be back with the team by the time they're set to begin tournament play.

The fact that Noah Hanifin isn't at camp is the biggest mystery since JFK. It's something that he should certainly use for motivation.

Go Eagles

Bullet Dodged?

It looks like the Sonny Milano nightmare is over. This morning, Milano confirmed his commitment to Boston College, stating to ESPN.com, "I am going to Boston College". Milano followed that up with "People talk I guess but I was on campus for orientation two weeks ago. I keep in touch with the staff". 

Unless Sonny is pulling a Charlie Coyle by flat out lying to reporters, it looks like he will be here in the fall. Obviously, it would have been a major blow to see him bolt for the OHL but considering the lack of depth we currently have, it would have been as close to fatal as it gets in regards to the quest for a National Championship. 

I'll be sure to post if anything changes. 

Go Eagles. 

Milano Watch

This afternoon, Jeff Marek from Sportsnet.com in Ontario tweeted that Sonny Milano was set to announce that he was bolting Boston College for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. Since then, all hell has broken loose on Twitter. I saw the tweet and was soon told that Milano had deleted the part of his Twitter bio that read "#13 Boston College Eagles".  I immediately looked like I had seen a ghost and a friend of mine commented that I was probably ten times more upset than any of the staff was.

Anyways, since about 7 PM, multiple sources have indicated to me that the staff fully expects Sonny Milano to be on campus this September. In fact, Coach Ayers is up in Lake Placid with Milano for US World Jr team tryouts and no one from the BC camp has been informed that Milano is indeed gone. A handful of other trustworthy reporters such as Mike McMahon and Andrew Weiss have also stated that their sources indicated that Milano was going to BC this fall.

So, here is what we have to work with, I trust Coach York and the staff more than anyone and I believe that if they had any inkling that he was going to bolt to the OHL, they would have a backup plan. They're not going to field a team of 13 forwards next fall (which would be the number if Milano does go, I believe). On the other hand, it appears to me that BC is very confident that Milano is going to end up here. I mean, he is up in Lake Placid with about half of our squad so you would like to that think he would man up and make a decision one way or another instead of leaving his teammates, coaches, fans, and blogger out to dry.


Go Eagles.

Support Pete Frates, the Fight Against ALS, and My Challenge to You

Over the past few months, the Boston College community has come together to help one of it's own fight perhaps the deadliest disease known to man. Peter Frates, a 2007 graduate and baseball player @ BC, has valiantly been fighting ALS for some time now and in the past few weeks his "ice bucket challenge" has gone viral all around the nation, which includes a video from Coach York. Basically, you take a bucket of ice water and dump it over your head but not before you chose someone to challenge you, which they must respond to within 48 hours.

The amount of courage and toughness it must take for a young man to stand up and fight this awful disease is something I cannot even begin to comprehend but I think that each of us in the BC Hockey community can do something, even if it's as small as dumping a bucket of ice water on top our heads, to help this young man out. I am going to try and do this challenge this afternoon and I will post a video onto the blog's twitter page (assuming I know how to do that). So, it is my challenge to each one of you to try and attempt this challenge and continue to spread the word throughout the BC community. 

Keep fighting Pete and Go Eagles. 

Here is a link to Coach York's video.

A Big Thank You To Tim Clark

Today, I heard that assistant BC Sports information director Tim Clark was moving on from Chestnut Hill to pursue other opportunities in New York City. There are a lot of people that have helped me with this blog and how I conduct myself as a "member of the media" but no one has had a bigger impact on this website or me personally than Tim Clark. He allowed me to come sit in the press box for all road games, permitted me to interview coaches and players on numerous occasions, and provided invaluable insights into the world of BC Hockey and the world of college sports media. When I first started sitting in the press box for road games, I had a bit of a problem with the "no showing any bias" rule. You're not supposed to wear the color of the team you support. I never obeyed. You're never supposed to yell at the refs from up top. I never obeyed but over time, I began to notice how Tim, one of the most passionate BC Hockey fans I have ever met, conducted himself in the press rooms and I could only try to emulate that. I would like to think that over these last four years, I have matured into young man that can conduct himself somewhat within the boundaries of the rules (I still struggle with the cheering part).

Anyways, thank you Tim for all you did for me and this blog. Without you, this thing would be long gone. I appreciate all the kind words and support. Best of luck to you in whatever lies ahead.

Go Eagles.

Zach Walker Commits To BC

Zachary Walker, a 6'1 forward from Boise, Idaho (that's a first) committed to Boston College this evening. Walker will play for the National Team Development Program next season in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he played this past season for the Colorado Thunderbirds of the Midwest Elite Hockey League. Some notable former Thunderbirds are Seth Jones (Nashville Predators), Nick Shore (LA Kings, DU), and Quinn Shore (DU). Walker was the 7th ranked uncommitted prospect on Over the Boards, which describes him as.....

"Speed, speed, and more speed – draws explosive bursts from a powerful lower half, but just as impressive are some of the plays Walker can make at top speed. As he continues to come into his body and play to his gifted offensive traits, the Boise, Idaho native should emerge as a premier talent."

Big Get. Go Birds. 

Hopefully they can add Chad Krys in the near future. That would continue this recruiting roll. 

Lackey Commits To Harvard

USNTDP goaltender Michael Lackey has committed to Harvard this afternoon. He chose the Crimson over BC. Lackey, a former Princeton commit, visited Chestnut Hill last week but it appears that his visit to Cambridge went a little bit better and Ted Donato got himself a big time goaltender. Anyways, losing on the recruiting trail stinks but I would say we're doing just fine with some of the guys coming in over the next few years.

Chowder Cup Stuff

This weekend, hundreds of the continents best amateur players descended on Foxborough, Walpole, Wrentham, and Rockland to take place in the Chowder Cup Jr hockey tournament, one of the elite high school tournaments in the entire nation. I didn't get the chance to go down either Thursday or Friday but I got down to Foxborough tonight to watch two teams, first the Cape Cod Whalers, a team loaded with local talent and coached by former Eagle Andrew Orpik. Headlining the Whalers was 2015 recruit Colin White and also current Eagle Teddy Doherty (the fact that he is still allowed to play in high school tournaments shows you how young our team is). Also on the squad were Harvard recruit Ryan Donato and Yale recruit Billy Sweezy, among others. I thought the two best players on the ice were by far and away White and Providence recruit Erik Foley (Tabor Academy). Sure, it's only a summer league tournament but it seemed like White was just tremendous, a level above everybody else. Physically, he is the totally opposite of former stars such as G and Nathan Gerbe. He's one of those guys that you look out there and instantly notice his size and the amount of speed and skill he posses for a guy of that stature. I can't really think of a recent player to compare him to because we haven't had a lot of 6'1 "star" forwards. He doesn't have the explosive step that Kreider has and as I said earlier he is to different of a player than Gerbe or G but no matter what style he plays, he is going to make a big impact on this hockey program. We obviously know what Doherty brings as we've seen him hundreds of times already @ the Heights, he looked fine today but his shot from the point is something that still needs a lot of work. The Whalers won their game and will play in the semifinals tomorrow.

After watching those guys, I got my first glances of Jeremy Bracco, Sonny Milano, and Noah Hanifin (I haven't seen Noah since he left the ISL, but I've obviously watched him before). Yes, it was basically a shinny game out there as the score was 9-9 but I couldn't stop giggling about how much skill these three have. Milano and Bracco didn't seem to want to play on the defensive half of the red line but when they got the puck, they were like Crosby and Malkin out there. In fact, they're #1 (Milano, 15 points) and #2 (Bracco, 14) in scoring throughout the entire tournament. If we could ever get Milano to stay two years to team up with Bracco, White, and Wood, I would make the case that we could beat a Hockey East all star team. I mean that squad is going to be LOADED.

I haven't had the chance to watch Zach Sanford this weekend but he is 7th in scoring with 7 goals and 3 assist so far this weekend. He is coming this fall.


I was at dinner a couple weeks ago and the person sitting next to me asked if I thought Hanifin would be our #1 defenseman by the Beanpot. I thought about it for a few seconds and replied with "No, second behind Matheson".  Now I see why the staff wants these guys to develop with the USNTDP, he is so much stronger, so much faster, so much more skilled, than he was during his sophomore year @ St Sebs. People can talk about Golden Boy Eichel all they want, I mean the guy gets more publicity than Sidney Crosby but if the staff puts Noah in a position to succeed right away (meaning playing same minutes as Matheson/Santini/McCoshen, first power play unit, second PK unit, etc) then he will be the #2 overall pick in next years draft behind Conor McDavid. I've seen a couple of phenomenal defensemen come through this school and I think this kid has a chance to be the best there ever way, and yes, I know, we had a guy named Leetch come here.

I've always been a guy that likes to think in the "now" and not in the future but I am going to leave you with this thought.....

2015-16 Eagles 1st rounders (Hanifin*, White, Bracco, Milano*, Tuch) Matheson is gone.

2015-16 Eagles 2nd rounders- (Sanford, Santini*, McCoshen*, Demko,)

That's not even counting Calnan, Gilmour, Cangelsoi, Fitzgerald, and Miles Wood.

* means they could leave.

Have a good night. Go Eagles.

Luke McInnis Commits to BC

The son of Eagle great and current assistant coach Marty McInnis committed to BC this morning. Luke McInnis,  a 5'11 defenseman out of Hingham, will join the Eagles in the fall of 2016 (for now). McInnis will be heading to the Dexter school next year to play for head coach Dan Donato, brother of Harvard coach Teddy Donato.

McInnis, a left handed shot, is a little bit undersized but is an exceptional puck moving defenseman that will certainly help fill a void on defense with the assumed departures of Ian McCoshen, Mike Matheson, Noah Hanifin, Steve Santini, and eventual senior Teddy Doherty in the next two years.

McInnis was the 11th ranked uncommitted prospect on Over The Boards, the go to recruiting site.

Congrats to Luke and Go Eagles !!

Devils Camp Highlights

Last night, I came across two highlights featuring one current Eagle and one future  as the New Jersey Devils released a few clips from their development camp scrimmage yesterday. We've all seen Santini hit people so hard that we were worried about the opponent's health but what you may not have seen yet is Miles Wood's sweet cut back move to center ice when the defenseman pinches up. I saw him do it to a St Sebastian's defender this winter and for a second I thought the defenseman turned into the Statue of Liberty.

Santini- link 

Wood- link

Go Eagles

Eagles Finalist For Top Goalie Prospect

One of the biggest recruiting needs for BC in the near future has always been the question of who will replace Thatcher Demko in net? As of now, the Eagles have one goaltender in the pipeline, Chris Birdsall who struggeled over the course of his first USHL season with the Cedar Rapid Rough Riders. He has since been traded to the Youngstown Phantoms.

Yesterday, top 1997 goalie Michael Lackey, a USNTDP product and former Princeton commit, visited BC. It appeared Lackey enjoyed his visit as he posted a picture of him with former Eagles Parker Milner and Cory Schneider. Lackey is a 6'2 netminder from Washington DC, he recorded a 13-13 recorded with a 3.51 GAA for the U17 team this winter.

According to sources, the two finalist for Lackey's services are Boston College and Harvard.

Go Eagles.

Disaster Waiting To Strike?

As you probably know, the Eagles lost their top three players from a year ago, arguably the best line ever to don the maroon and gold but the staff had big plans to replace them with star forwards Sonny Milano, Alex Tuch, and Zach Sanford, all of which are projected to make the opening night lineup in some form. Well, it looks like the headliner of that group could be on the way out. 

According to multiple reports in Columbus, Sonny Milano is seriously considering leaving BC and heading to the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. Yesterday, Milano answered a question on whether or not he would be attending BC with "Yhea, for now", the reporter followed that up with what do you mean "for now"? said Milano, "I mean, yhea, yhea, I am going". 

If Milano does bolt for the Whalers, the staff is going to have to do a lot of revamping of the roster. They might even have to bring in another 17 year old to go along with Hanifin, possibly Colin White or Jeremy Bracco, two guys that are supposed to come in 2015. Anyways, we will see what happens. 

Go Eagles. 

Eagles in NHL Camps

It's NHL development camp season and there are current/past Eagles hitting the ice throughout the continent.

Calgary-

Bill Arnold and G

New York Islanders- 

Austin Cangelosi

Columbus- 

Sonny Milano

Minnesota- 

Alex Tuch and Adam Gilmour

San Jose- 

Scotty Savage

Florida- 

Mike Matheson and Ian McCoshen

Vancouver- 

Thatcher Demko

Washington- 

Zach Sanford

Anaheim- 

Scotty Savage (he was undrafted so he can go to any camp he gets invited to)

Boston-

Ryan Fitzgerald


Some teams like the Penguins, Flyers, Avalanche, Sabers, and Blackhawks have not released their rosters. I assume Chris Calnan (CHI), Miles Wood (NJD), JD Dudek (NJD), Chris Brown (BUF) and Steve Santini (NJD) will all participate in their teams' respective camps. Defenseman Teddy Doherty may get a shot at a tryout as well.

Demko Goes In Second Round, Brown and Dudek in Sixth Round

Three current/future Eagles were picked in day two of the NHL Draft in Philly. Goalie Thatcher Demko was the second netminder off the board, going #36 to the same team Corey Schneider was drafted to, the Vancouver Canucks. Two future Eagles were selected back to back in the sixth round as Chris Brown went 151st to Buffalo (same team that drafted his father) and Joey Dudek went 152nd to the New Jersey Devils.

Congrats to Thatcher, Chris, and Joey !

Tuch and Milano Selected In First Round

Two incoming freshmen, Alex Tuch and Sonny Milano, were selected in the first round of the NHL draft tonight in Philadelphia. Milano was selected 16th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets while Tuch was selected two picks later at 18 by the Minnesota Wild, also the owners of Eagle forward Adam Gilmour.

The last time Boston College had two guys selected in the first round was 2003 when Brian Boyle (LA Kings) and Patrick Eaves (Ottawa Senators) were chosen.

Congrats to Alex and Sonny and good luck to current/future Eagles Thatcher Demko, JD Dudek, and Scott Savage in the coming days !

Draft Preview

Tomorrow night, the 2014 NHL draft will commence in Philadelphia, ironically in the same building the Eagles' season ended in the Frozen Four vs the eventual National Champs, Union. I am not one of those guys that can go out and project the draft because honestly, I don't know much about the non NCAA bound kids. From a BC prospective, everyone is very hopeful that three Eagles get selected in the first round. There are multiple websites that project the picks of each team so what I will do is compile them for you to see for yourself.

Alex Tuch-

Future Considerations (20, San Jose) 

My NHL Draft.com (18, Minnesota) 

Hockey Writers.com (17, Philly)

Hockey Prospectus (13, Washington)

Jr Hockey Buzz (17, Philly)

Larry Fisher (15, Detroit)

Draft Site.com (19, Tampa Bay)

Puck Rant (10, Tampa Bay)


Sonny Milano-

Future Considerations (16, Columbus)

My NHL Draft.com (17, Philly)

Hockey Writers.com (16, Columbus)

Hockey Prospectus (11, Nashville)

Jr Hockey Buzz (21, St. Louis)

Larry Fisher (17, Philly)

Draft Site. com (25, Boston)

Puck Rant (22, Pittsburgh)


Thatcher Demko

Future Considerations (27, Chicago)

Draft Site (44, Washington)

Hockey Prospectus (28, Tampa Bay)

I don't know much about the draft but here are my guesses.....

Alex Tuch- 16 Columbus

Sonny Millano- 22 Pittsburgh (wishful thinking....go pens)

Thatcher Demko- 27 Chicago

Also a solid chance Scotty Savage gets drafted in the 6th or 7th round. If all four of these guys get drafted, Boston College would have 13 NHL draft picks on their team (that includes Miles Wood so it could be 12)

The Forward Issue

What did the 2010, 2011, and 2012 all have that neither the 2013 or 2014 teams had? Depth at the forward position. The depth on the 2013 squad was as bad as we've ever had and last years fourth line combined for just 22 points all season. For comparisons sake, the fourth line in 2011 (for the majority of the season) had 41 points. That line included two NHL draft picks (K.Hayes and Carey). In 2010, the fourth line combined for 43 points and one of it's tenants, senior Matt Price, scored the game winning goal in overtime vs Maine in the Hockey East finals. So, as you can see, when we've had success because in the past, we've had third and fourth lines that could score from time to time and could always play hard vs another team's second or third line. Over the course of the past two seasons, especially this season, that has not been the case and unfortunately, it may continue this season.

I expect Milano, Gilmour, Fitzgerald, and Cangelosi to be our top scorers next season with Calnan and Tuch just behind them. Now, we're not going to have three guys score over 65 points like Arnold, G, and Hayes did but I do think there is a chance we have 6 or 7 guys that eclipse 30 points. Outside of the Big Three, just one player (Pat Brown) had 30 points. That's a problem. Everyone I have talked to seems to be thrilled about our club this upcoming but the way it is structured, as of now, it's going to be difficult to win a National Championship. I think we have by far and away the best goaltending/defense combo in the country, something I don't think we've ever had. But there are two really pressing issues for me. #1, this is going to be by far and away the youngest team of the Coach York era. Our entire top two lines will be made up of freshmen and sophomores, without a doubt. Although the staff has been adamant they're only adding three forwards and one defenseman, I'm totally convinced they have something else in the works. Evan Richardson would have played every game next year unless he got injured or something. He would have been, at worst, fourth line center. There is no way they just let him go without a backup plan. The question is, what is that backup plan? Well, I'm convinced they're set on accelerating Miles Wood but the problem is Miles' dad, Randy (played for a long time in NHL), supposedly wants him to return to Noble and Greenough for one more season. They're not going to accelerate JD Dudek because he needs to develop, Colin White and Jeremy Bracco are way to young, and Chris Brown/Chris Shero simply aren't ready yet. That leaves us with two options. 1- accelerate Miles Wood. 2- Pick up a late recruit over the summer....not sure if that is going to work.

Look, without Wood, we're injury away from being completely devastated up front, much like what happened when Kevin Hayes was injured in 2013. The good news is that outside of maybe Providence and perhaps BU, there won't be many "deep" teams in Hockey East. Also, BC's insanely loaded defense should be able to provide a nice scoring boost but the bottom line is that guys like Silk (who took a solid step forward last year), Smith, Linell, and Sit MUST become Matt Lombardi/Matt Price/Barry Almeida type players. Six points isn't going to cut it for them this season. They've got to find a way to score in the double digits, kill penalties, and help lead one of the youngest teams in BC Hockey history.

Here is how I would rank the forward depth chart. Let's just ASSUME they add Wood (which they probably won't).

1. Milano
2. Fitzgerald
3. Gilmour
4. Wood
5. Cangelosi
6. Tuch
7. Calnan
8. Silk
9. Sanford
10. Sit
11. Matty G
12. Linell
13. Smith
14. Straight
15. Spiro
16. McMullen


Anyways, that's all for now.

Go Eagles.

Evan Richardson Leaves Program **** Update

Sophomore forward Evan Richardson has left the Boston College hockey program to pursue other endeavors in the sport. Richardson recorded two goals in four games played this season. He scored the lone Eagle goal in a 6-1 loss @ the University of Minnesota and had one of 11 Eagle tallies in a 11-0 win vs Army.

Obviously, we wish Evan the best of luck in the next chapter of hockey career. I think he can certainly play at the Hockey East level, whether he does that or not is yet to be determined. As for the team, I am pretty convinced that Evan would have been an everyday player this year. As of now the staff still has just three forwards coming in next year but I would expect that to change over the summer.

Update- Evan will go down to Storrs and play with Coach Cav. Congrats !

Go Eagles.