And So It Ends

You know, sometimes you just don't have things going your way. Whether it's in the rink, the golf course, or life in general, sometimes things just don't go your way. That is unfortunately what happend tonight in what will be the final game for BC's 6 seniors, including captain Pat Mullane. There really is not a whole lot to say about the game itself. I've been watching BC Hockey for a long time now and I've seen a lot of good teams play against the Eagles and there is no doubt in my mind that the team BC faced tonight could beat anyone in the country. That Union team is  phenomenal. They capitalized when they needed to early on and they played stout defense (especially on the PK) for the final two periods. They gave the Eagles some chances on the power play and I thought that if BC could pot one or two before the end of the second they would have a chance. Turned out it just wasn't meant to be as Union's ferocious penalty kill came thorough.

I said it last night and I'll say it again. BC had zero chance of winning that game if they took penalties. Well, the Eagles didn't just take penalties, they took some completely boneheaded ones that had no business being taken. You cannot beat good hockey teams when you give them chances on the PP and when your penalty kill is struggling as bad as BC's was, you have no shot. I think the biggest difference between this time last year and now is that it got to a point a season ago where the Eagles just would not let up a goal on the penalty kill. The last couple of weeks, they just couldn't get any stops when they needed to.

To be honest, this was not about how bad BC played because they ran into one heck of a hockey team tonight. I'd bet a lot of money that Union will go on to win the National Championship. They're that good.

To the seniors, Pat Mullane, Pat Wey, Steve Whitney, Brooks Dyroff, Patch Alber, and Parker Milner. Thank you for all that you have done for this program and for this school. 30/40/50 years from now, people will remember you guys as the greatest senior class in the history of this program not just for what you have done on the ice, but for what you have done off of it. You are truly special young men and it was an honor for me to cover you guys over the course of your careers here. Good luck in whatever life throws at you. '

Finally, thank you to you, my readers for following along with me this season. The blog has reached unprecedented heights thanks to your following and support. As you may (or may not) know, the majority of my blogging comes during the offseason whether it's recruiting, early departures (hopefully none), schedule stuff, or just anything else that has to do with Boston College Hockey. It has been a pleasure brining you up to date information on the Eagles this year.

I'll have season recap, early departure news, schedule stuff, and a look ahead to next year coming up.


Thanks and GO EAGLES !

Previewing the Union Dutchmen

Whether it was Yale's stunning upset over Minnesota or unheralded Niagara giving North Dakota all it could handle, the NCAA tournament is off to a great start and it will certainly continue with a huge primetime matchup between BC and Union tomorrow night. For BC to advance and keep their title defense alive, they're going to need to play their best game of the season tomorrow. Union is not a good hockey team, they're as good as any team in the nation. They have solid goaltending, skilled puck-moving defenseman, and a deep group of forwards that can score in bunches  The Dutchmen, the 4th seed in the ECAC playoffs, have rolled through their past 6 games , culminating with an ECAC championship last Saturday night vs Brown. Before defeating the Bears in the championship game, Union got a huge victory over a Yale team that just defeated Minnesota today. Clearly, the Dutchmen are playing their best hockey of the year at the right time.

In terms of common opponents, Union and Boston College share 3. Union has wins over Harvard (x2) and Merrimack while they also lost to the Warriors to open the season and also fell to Vermont in late December up in Burlington. Astonishingly, this will be the first ever meeting between Union and BC, two teams that made the Frozen Four last season (Union lost to Ferris State). When I look at this Union team, I see a team that has great special teams as they rank in the top 10 ten in both PK and PP while they also have as deep a defensive core as you will find in all of college hockey. Whether it's guys like Coburn, Gosthisbere, or Bodie, the Dutchmen have some guys that can really play at a high level. In terms of offensive production, Union is 16th in the country, currently averaging 3.04 goals per game (BC is second with 3.48). While their offense is solid, the defensive side of the puck is where Union thrives as they rank 6th in the country in goals given up per game (2.08).

Look, I think the whole key to this game is what team stays more disciplined. Last week, I saw a BC team that completely dominated BU for a long time but suddenly started taking penalties and handing the game right over to the Terriers. If BC gives Union multiple power plays at key junctures, it's going to be hard for them to come out with a W. If they can play aggressive  yet smart hockey, I think they have a fantastic chance of winning this hockey game. I like the move the staff made by putting Linell back to forward with Johnny G and Arnold because I think he possess some intangibles that Destry Straight doesn't offer. His speed and solid defensive zone play should go along nicely with Johnny and Billy.

I look for tomorrow night to be an absolutely fabulous hockey game between two of the best teams in the whole country. I think BC has a great shot if they can do a couple things. Like I said earlier, they have to stay out of the box as power plays can do a lot of damage in games like these. Two, they have got to find a way to play better in their own end. I think the Terriers had 4 or 5 breakaways in the game last weekend thanks to some blown coverages on BC's part. The Eagles have got to avoid those. Finally, they have to come out with an us vs the world attitude. This isn't a year where BC is expected to steamroll everyone like years past and to be honest, I think that bodes well for this club. They have the talent and the experience to go out there and win this game and if they go out there and play BC Hockey, they can win this game.

Scouting Union 

Record- 21-12-5 (ECAC tournament champs)

Best Wins- vs Yale, vs Merrimack

Worst Loss- @ Vermont

Leading Scorers- Wayne Simpson (16-17-33), Kyle Bodie (9-24-33), and Dan Carr (16-14-30)

Goalie- Troy Grosenick- .928 save percentage and 2.06 GAA


GO EAGLES !!

Three Future Eagles Make National Program Team

Three future Eagles, Colin White (16), Noah Hanifin (15), and Casey Fitzgerald (15) all made the u17 National Development Team this weekend. The three will most likely leave their respective prep schools and go to Ann Arbor to play for the team.

Coach York To Be Behind the Bench This Weekend

Coach York got the OK from his doctors yesterday and will be behind the bench for BC's NCAA tournament game vs Union on Saturday night @ 9PM in Providence.

David Quinn to Be Hired As BU Coach

Reports are indicating that former BU assistant David Quinn will be hired tomorrow afternoon to replace former head coach, Jack Parker. I've had the pleasure of meeting Coach Quinn multiple times and I think he is one class act who will do an unbelievable job over there. Congrats to him on the new job and I wish him all the best (except when they plays the Eagles).

Staff Moving Linell Back to Forward

Last night, Coach York told Heights Sports Editor Greg Joyce that the staff would move Danny Linell back to forward where he will be a right wing on a line with Billy Arnold and Johnny G. Destry Straight will move down to the fourth line where he will center Brendan Silk and Cam Spiro. The staff will also stick with 5 defenseman (Macleod, Matheson, Alber, Doherty, and Wey).

The "new" lineup

Johnny G- Arnold-Linell

Smith-Mullane-Whitney

Sit-Brown-Dyroff

Spiro-Straight-Silk

Eagles Set To Defend Title

And so the title defense starts. Boston College will face Union in the first round of their 2013 NCAA tournament title defense at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island with Quinnipiac and Canisius being the other two teams in the regional. This will be the first ever meeting between the Dutchmen (ECAC tournament champions) and the Eagles. I'm not going to get into a lot right now but I think it should be known that you have to be a great hockey team to make it to the NCAA's and although the Eagles may be thrilled with their draw, it doesn't mean that their opponent on Saturday night is any type of slouch. Union is a great hockey team that made the Frozen Four last season only to fall to Ferris State, the team BC beat to win it's 5th National Championship. BC did a lot of good things this weekend vs the Terriers and if it wasn't for a few bad bounces and a couple amazing saves from Maguire, I think BC would have won that game. Hopefully, the guys are able to figure out what they did wrong and can fix it up for Saturday's game.

As for Coach York, he is officially questionable for this weekend's game but I think there is a pretty good chance that we will see him behind the bench. He will have a doctors appointment tomorrow and it could be there where he will learn his status for Saturday's contest.

Go Eagles !!!

Projected NCAA Tournament Field

I am by no means an expert at this bracketology stuff but I have done some surfing around and this seems to be what most people have as the NCAA Tournament field.

Northeast Regional (Manchester, NH)

1. UMass Lowell vs 4. Wisconsin

2. New Hampshire vs 3. Denver


East Regional (Providence, RI)

1. Quinnipiac vs 4. Canisius

2. BOSTON COLLEGE vs 3. Union


Midwest Regional (Toledo, OH)

1. Notre Dame vs 4. St Cloud State

2. Miami vs 3. Minnesota State


West Region (Grand Rapids, MI)

1. Minnesota vs 4. Yale

2. North Dakota vs 3. Niagara


The selection show is tonight at 9 PM on ESPNU.

Coach Brown Named an Assistant for 2014 World Jr Championships

Boston College assistant coach Greg Brown has been named as assistant to Don Lucia (Minnesota) for the 2014 World Jr Championships in Malmo, Sweden.

Eagles' Valiant Effort Falls Short

Well, that was as frustrating a game as you possibly have. Thanks to 5 unanswered goals (three of them on the power play), the BU Terriers were able to keep their season going with a win over the Eagles in the Hockey East semifinals. Normally after a loss to BU, I would sit here and pout about how bad everything was but the bottom line is that I took more positives out of last night’s game than I did negatives. Obviously, I hate losing to that team and I'll be Lowell's biggest supporter tonight (even though a BU win helps BC) but I think BC has to be rather proud of the way they battled. I thought the first 30 minutes was undoubted the best hockey BC has played since their 9-3 win @ Northeastern in late January. Unfortunately, the Eagles just lost it. I don’t know what happened. I can’t remember a time where I have seen a Boston College Hockey team just collapse like that. Over the course of the last 10 minutes of the second period, the Terriers must have had 5 breakaways, only one of which they converted on thanks to nice saves by Parker Milner. The good news is that we know this team can be really good when it comes to 5 on 5 hockey. However, when you give a team like BU, with the talent that they have, as many power plays as they did (including a 5 minute major which I’ll get to in a second) they’re going to capitalize. I’m not going to say that the only reason BC lost was because of the penalties because it wasn’t. First of all, Sean Maguire played one of the best games I have seen an opposing goalie play in a long time. If it wasn’t for him, BU would have been down 3 or 4 goals after the first period.

 

Like I said, in the second period, BC just collapsed defensively. Whether it was the bad bounce on the second BU goal at the blue line or the bad penalty killing in the latter parts of the second and third, BC just couldn’t stop BU from scoring. It seemed like every shot BU had went in the net. You never want to blame games on a goalie and I’m not going to because if it wasn’t for Parker Milner, this team would not be in the NCAA’s. But, the bottom line is he has got be better in order for this team to succeed in the NCAA tournament. Did his defense help him ? No, but I have seen him elevate his game to a whole other level at times. That has got to be the case next weekend. Just two minutes into the third period, Johnny G (who played absolutely outstanding for much of the game) took a really bad 5 minute major penalty for cross checking Sean Escobedo from behind. Was it a major ? Probably, but the reason it was so bad was because it was completely unnecessary. You can’t put the refs in a position to make that call at that point in the game. Just bad judgment on Johnny’s part.

 

Let me be perfectly honest. Losing to that team in that environment stinks and it’s going to sting for a couple of days. However, there is one really big plus heading into next week: we’re in the dance. Is BC going to win it all and dominate like they did last year ? Who knows ? All you can ask for in sports is a chance and that is what this team has in front of them. Everyone is worrying about us having to go out West and play Minnesota or North Dakota or whoever. It doesn’t matter who this team plays !  I know it sounds stupid and all but it really doesn’t. This BC team has proven to me that they can beat any team in the country when they stay out of the box and play at the pace they want to. Last night, they took dumb penalties and the Terriers made them pay for it. I don’t care what anyone else says because this team can throw all those previous performances and games out the window. They will be one of sixteen teams that will have the unique opportunity to win a National Championship in three weeks. Whether they do or don’t will be dictated by the way they play but all I know is that when you give a Jerry York team a chance, they usually come through.

 

 

Go Eagles.  
 

Previewing the Boston University Terriers

You know, it's very seldom that you have a chance to do something that no one will ever forget. Sure, winning Beanpots and NCAA titles will always go down as some of the great moments in BC Hockey history but what this team has in front of them tomorrow is just an unbelievable chance to make history. They have a chance to put coach Jack Parker and his Terriers away for good. When I look at this matchup, I see that both have a couple of "power" lines as you will see BU's big line of Nieto-Rodrigues-O'Regan. In the three pervious meetings this season, the Eagles beat the Terriers twice with BU getting a W during the second game of the series @ Agganis Arena. Here is the twist for tomorrow nights game. Combined, the Eagles and the Terriers will have lost a total of 5 starters from their final regular season meeting @ Conte Forum (a 5-2 victory for the good guys). The Eagles will obviously be without Kevin Hayes but it will the Terriers who may suffer the biggest hits as Yasin Cisse (early departure), Wes Myron (early departure), Matt O'Connor (injury), and Alexx Privitera (suspension) will all be absent from tomorrows contest. To go along with those injuries, defenseman Garrett Noonan is going to try and play with a separated shoulder (one he has had for just a week now).

Here is one thing I think BC has got to be able to take advantage of. BU is starting a freshman goalie (Sean Maguire) at the Garden in his first ever game versus Boston College, with his coaches' (and teams) future on the line. If that doesn't get you nervous, I don't know what will. If you're the Eagles, you just got to find a way to get everything to the net. Whether it's a grade A chance or a simple dump in outside the blue line, get every puck towards this guy. Force him to come up big in his first real big game. Another thing I'd like to see BC do is attack. During the second half of last Saturday's game, it was apparent that BC started to go on the offensive rather than play a conservative style of play that almost cost them a couple of goals. This BU defense is thin and beat up. One hallmark of Boston University hockey over the past couple of years is that they love to take penalties. In fact, they are the only Hockey East team that currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in penalty minutes. Of course, that won't mean anything if BC doesn't improve on their dreadful power play performance last weekend but if they can continue to force their opponents to take penalties and get on the man advantage, I think they have a great chance at winning this game.

In big games like this, getting out to an early lead is huge. In BC's two victories over the Terriers this season, they got out to sustainable leads through a period or two and really put the pedal to the medal in the third period.  The key is to just play some calm and collected hockey. No bad penalties, no bad defensive errors, and most importantly giving 100% on each and every play.

Listen, we all know that tomorrow night's game is not and ordinary Hockey East semifinal with a chance to get to the championship game of the toughest league in college hockey. No. A win tomorrow night would go down as one of the great victories in the history of BC Hockey.

Scouting the Terriers-

Pairwise Rank- 18th (they need to win to get in)

Leading scorers- Danny O'Regan (14-22-38), Matt Nieto (18-17-35), Cason Hohmann (10-23-33)

Best Wins- @ North Dakota, vs BC

Worst Loss- vs Northeastern (x2)

Notes-

Johnny G captured player of the year today and was also named a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey. Steven Whitney was not named a finalist however. What a joke.

BREAKING- BC To Play Notre Dame @ Fenway Next Year

Per sources, Boston College will play rival Notre Dame @ Fenway Park next season. The date has yet to be determined. Boston University and Maine will also play at Fenway. Next year will mark Notre Dame's inaugural season in the league.

Hockey East Media Awards Handed Out

Yesterday afternoon, Hockey East writers and broadcasters came out with their end of the year awards. Note that these are NOT the same as the ones that will be handed out tonight at the end of the year banquet.

First Team- Johnny G (unanimous), Steven Whitney, Mike Collins, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Chad Ruwhedel, and Jon Gilles.

Second Team- Pat Mullane, Kevin Goumas, Joe Pendenza, Jordan Heywood, Mike Matheson, and Connor Hellebuyck.

Player of the Year- Johnny G. Of course.

Rookie of the Year- Jon Gilles

Coach of the Year- Norm Bazin

All Rookie team- Kevin Roy, Devin Shore, Danny O'Regan, Mike Matheson, Matt Grezlyck, and Jon Gilles.

BC had more players given awards than any other team.

BU Preview coming later tonight.

Updates

Well, the big week is here. I'll have more coming up later but here are the injury updates.

Coach York- Coach got out of the hospital this morning after a short surgery on his eye. Everything went well and Coach is resting at home. However, he will not be behind the bench this weekend. Coach Cav and Coach Brown will share the head coaching duties.

Billy Arnold- After taking a vicious leg check in the second period of Saturday's game, there was a real worry that Arnold would be out fore an extended period of time but he had a bruised thigh and will be good to go this weekend. He took the day off from practice to get healthy.


Mike Matheson- He is a little bruised up and took the day off from practice. He, like Arnold, will be fine for Friday's big game.

I was fortunate enough to get a vote in the Hockey East media awards that will be posted on Wednesday afternoon. Here were my votes.

First Team- Johnny G, Steven Whitney, Kevin Goumas, Mike Matheson, Chad Ruwhedel, and Jon Gilles.

Second Team- Billy Arnold, Pat Mullane, Scott Wilson, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Matt Grezlyck, and Connor Helebuyck.

Coach of the Year- Coach York

Rookie of the Year- Kevin Roy

Player of the Year- Johnny G

Bring On The Terriers

Pat Mullane had 2 points for BC

Despite going 1 for 11 on the power play, including a 1 for 6 mark in the first period, the Boston College Eagles advanced to the TD Garden for a 9th straight season as they soundly defeated the Vermont Catamounts by a 4-1 score. Unlike Friday night where BC's big guns didn't play as well as they have been of late, Saturday they were all over the ice as Mullane, Johnny G, Arnold, and Whitney combined for 7 points. Overall, I really liked the way BC played when it came to 5 on 5 hockey. They were quick, they generated lots of scoring chances, and played some exceptional defense all night long. To be honest, I wasn't sure the return of Patch Alber would have as big of an effect as everyone was saying it would but he made every defenseman around him much better this weekend. The Eagles held Vermont to just 17 shots all night and the only goal they gave up was a garbage time tally late in the third.

I walked out of Conte Forum last night with a totally different feeling than the night before. Friday night BC's third period was terribly concerning. Last night however The Eagles played one of their stronger periods of the season in the third as they were able to put the game out of reach with an early period tally from Johnny G (thanks to an unbelievable pass from Billy Arnold). While BC's offense was solid this weekend, the biggest positive to take out of these two games is that BC's defense allowed just three goals in two games and even though it was an inferior team, the way guys like Wey, Linell, Macleod, and Doherty played this weekend was really encouraging. All in all, I'm sure the staff is going to be really pleased when they look back on this weekend because in reality, BC played 5 really good periods of hockey and if they can find a way to avoid periods like the final one on Friday, then they can continue to win hockey games.

While BC's big guns were great this weekend, I thought a couple of bottom six forwards, Cam Spiro and Brooks Dyroff in particular, played some of their best hockey of the season last night and on Friday. It's amazing how people can thrive in an environment when given the chance to succeed. Spiro and Dyroff had a chance to do that this weekend and they certainly exceeded everyone's expectations.

I hope the guys were able to enjoy this playoff victory for a couple hours last night because this week they need to be well prepared for the weekend ahead.   You think Parker wants to see his last game behind a bench come against his archrival ? They're going to be playing as well as they possibly can and if BC is going to be able to pull off a victory for the ages, they need to be ready.

Why BC Won-

1. Johnny G, Mullane, Whitney, and Arnold were all great. This team can go as far as they want when these guys are playing at a high level and last night they certainly were.

2. BC had as good a weekend on defense as they've had all year.

Problems

This team is banged up. A lot of guys played with injuries last night so it will be good to have a week to rest up and come prepared to win.

BC's power play needs a lot of work. It should have been 7-0 after the first period but instead the Eagles struggled mightily on the man advantage.

Player of the game- Pat Mullane


Go Eagles.

Coach York Out for UVM Series

Coach York will not be behind the bench tonight or tomorrow night (if necessary) due to a second surgery on a detached retina in his right eye. Coach Cav and Coach Brown will lead the team in his absence.

Eagles Escape With Game One Win

Pat Wey was +3 on the night for BC.

The Boston College Eagles extended their unbeaten streak to three games as they defeated the Vermont Catamounts in the first game of their Hockey East quarterfinal matchup on Friday night by a 4-2 count. It was actually a tale of two different games for the Eagles as they played some really solid hockey for the first 40 minutes but reverted back to some bad habits in the third, only to barely escape with the W. In the opening stanza, I thought Vermont actually held BC at bay for the majority of the period but the Eagles were able to get out of it with a 1-0 lead thanks to a great individual effort from Brooks Dyroff. Last weekend it was Whitney, Johnny G, Arnold, and Mullane leading the way. Tonight, it was BC's secondary group of forwards that were able to lift the team to victory. In the playoffs, getting balanced scoring is absolutely crucial so it was nice to see guys like Dyroff, Spiro, and Brendan Silk contribute on the scoring sheet. The staff  gave the fourth line of Jeke, Silk, and Spiro a lot more playing time than I thought they would but it was well deserved because I thought they played exceptionally well.

The second period was the type of period this team is going to need to be playing on a regular basis if they're going to try and win a couple of trophies this year. I thought BC's best line was Smith-Mullane-Whitney as they seemed to be the ones with the puck inside the Vermont zone for the most amount of time. Even though they didn't score, all three of them had a couple of great chances, only to be denied by Brody Hoffmann. Earlier this week, Coach York noted how this team is as healthy as it has been all year and to be honest, it was evident last night. Guys who were banged up (Whitney, Matheson, and a handful of others) looked much better than they did last week. Before Spiro's goal made it 3-0, Mike Matheson pounded a slap shot home on the power play, giving the Eagles that all so important two goal cushion. Besides a minute and a half portion of the period in which Vermont held the puck in BC's end, I thought the Eagles played some fantastic hockey for the majority of the second period, the type of hockey they're going to need play from here on out.

The third period, to put it simply, was not good. I mean, if Vermont had a couple of minutes left on the clock, they probably would have either tied or won the game. I'm sure the biggest thing the staff told the players before hitting the ice for the third was don't take any penalties. Lucky, UVM didn't score thanks to some unbelievable penalty killing by Billy Arnold, Quinn Smith, and Isaac Macleod on a long 5 on 3 for the Catamounts. Unfortunately, Steven Whitney and Mike Matheson combined for 6 penalty minutes in the third period, so basically BC was down not only their best Penalty killers but two of the most explosive players in the country in a close game in the third period of the playoffs. That cannot happen. Those guys are great players and what they have done this year is special but under no circumstances should they be in the box during the third period of a close playoff game.

All in all, starting the playoffs out with a win is great and it's good to see that this team can still dig deep during the latter parts of close game. I thought a lot of guys played well last night but there were also some mistakes, turnovers, and penalties that almost cost this team in the end. The key tonight is just keep those three things I mentioned above down to a minimum and if they can do that, I think we will be at the Garden next weekend.

Why BC Won-

1. Secondary scoring. It wasn't just the goals from Spiro and Dyroff, it was the way a lot of guys  on the bottom two lines played last night. I mean, in the final minute of a one goal game, the staff had Pat Brown out there, shows how far he has come this season. Certainly well deserved.

2. Great penalty killing. A couple of weeks ago, BC's penalty kill was as bad as it has been all year but now, they're killing off everything. I thought BC did a great job of getting in front of shots and clearing the puck when they need to last night.

Problems

The third period was not good. Periods like those are not going to win you Hockey East or National Championships.

Player of the game- This is really tough. I'm going to go with Pat Wey as he was the only guy with a +3 rating last night.

Go Eagles.

Previewing the Vermont Catamounts

Well, it is here. This is why guys come to Boston College and play hockey. To win in the playoffs. For the first time since the 2010 season, BC will be playing someone other than UMass-Amherst in the first round of the Hockey East tournament as they will get set to play their 3rd, 4th, and 5th consecutive games versus the Vermont Catamounts. Honestly, there is not much I can tell you. I mean, they know us and we know them. Obviously, they have proven that they can play with the Eagles, evident by the 4-4 tie between the two clubs last Friday. Saturday's game was a bit different though as the Eagles dominated from start to finish, winning by a final count of 7-2 @ Gutterson Field House. Before I get into the numbers and stats, BC will be at 100% this weekend as Patch Alber is set to make his first start since injuring his knee during a pregame kick-around in late December @ Mariucci Arena. Like Coach York said earlier this week, Alber's return can only help this team. With him out, guys like Jeke, Doherty, Matheson, and Sullivan (all inexperienced freshman) were playing minutes that they probably weren't excepted to log at the season start. It's not just the ice time that Alber with help with though, his work ethic, defensive zone play, and depth will be huge come this weekend. Earlier this year, Alber was certainly one of, if not the best, defensive defenseman on this team. Are my expecting him to return to his early season form ? Not really, but do I think he can make a huge impact once he gets going ? Certainly. It may take a whole period or two for him to get back into the swing of things but I think as time goes on, he will be fine.

As for the forwards, the week off could not have come at a better time. Not only were guys tired from a long road trip to UVM, they were really beat up. The days off on Sunday and Monday (Tuesday for some) really seemed to rejuvenate this club. As we saw on Saturday, these guys can be pretty dangerous when they're getting out in space and playing Eagle hockey. As for the series, I expect that UVM is going to play worlds better than they did on Saturday night. Expect them to come out stronger, faster, and take less penalties because when they were in the sin bin last weekend, the Eagles made them pay big time. Vermont is going to try and get that early one or two goal lead and completely  shut down the neutral zone, such as Lowell and Providence did vs the Eagles. In order for BC to be successful against this, they've got to find a way to open this game up. Shots, odd man rushes, and skating north south for long periods of time will really help BC. For the Eagles to be successful, they want to play a game at their tempo, a high octane tempo with speed through the neutral zone. The first period tomorrow has got to be all about trying to establish that.


The bottom line is BC has got to be ready. This isn't going to be some walk in the park...Vermont is going to be licking their chops for a chance to pull of the major upset and extend their season for another week. I think if BC continues to build on what they did last week in the offensive zone and is able to shore up their defensive zone play, an area where Alber's return will certainly help, they have a great chance to get to the Garden.

Injury report-

Matheson-In

Whitney-In

Alber- In


Keys for the Eagles-

1. Playing the game at their pace and keeping the puck down low. Keep the puck in their end for as long as possible. The time of possession for Saturday's game was probably close to 2-1, that's got to continue.

2. Need the big guns to continue to play well. Arnold, Johnny G, Whitney, Mullane, and Matheson were outstanding last weekend for the most part. If those guys continue to score goals and the bottom six forwards can continue their solid play, BC should win this series.

My Hockey East Predictions-

Maine in 3 (Lowell won tonight)

BC in 2

BU in 2

UNH in 3

Updates From Coach York

Coming off one of their more dominating offensive performances of the season, the Eagles will look to prepare for the Vermont Catamounts this week by doing one main thing: getting healthy. We saw how dangerous BC's offense can be with guys like Whitney, Johnny G, and Arnold at 100 %  so let's take a look at what Coach York had to say this afternoon when myself and Heights Sports Editor Greg Joyce spoke with him about the playoffs and Jack Parker's retirement.

On Patch Alber's return to the lineup: "He (Alber) brings a high level of enthusiasm and is off the charts with how hard he works and we've really missed that with our team, you know, the hard work and enthusiasm about just practicing, it really helped our club today at practice.

On playing UVM for a second straight week- "You know, I was talking to Steve Donahue this morning and they beat Georgia Tech last week and now the pairings come out and they've go to play GT again. I think we have to be ready for a different Vermont team because they're going to be looking for another crack at BC and we understand that. It makes it a harder first round event for us and it all comes down to who plays the best, not just who is the higher seed.

What are the main things you guys are working on to improve this week- Well, we've got to work on our team defense and I think Patch will certainly help us in that area. We moved pucks well and played good offense, our PP was good, our PK was good, I think we just need to be little more tenacious when it comes to 5 on 5 defense.

How will the defensive pairings change with Patch back ?- "We are tinkering with them a little bit now and we'll work on them more as the week goes on but we envision that Patch will play a lot this weekend, something that will help our club".

Reaction to Jack Parker's retirement-" I think there is a sense of sadness over it because we have gone against each other so many times over the years and he's done a great job over @ BU and they're certainly going to miss him when that final whistle blows."

How will the rivalry change with him gone ?- I don't think it will change much because even before he was there or I was here it was a great rivalry and it's just getting better and better as the years go by".

On Steven Whitney's injuries (he didn't practice today)- "Yhea, Steven is beat up with his shoulder and his legs so it's just a rest day for Steven, just a precautionary thing. "

On Mike Matheson's injuries (left halfway through practice)- Ankle injury....it will work itself out as week goes by." (Side note- Matheson was highly questionable for Saturday's game but still played through it)

On overall team health- "You know, everyone is a bit banged up a little bit (talking about all the teams) but we're as healthy as we've been with Pat Wey back and now having Patch Alber back, we'd like to get Kevin back but that will not happen. "

On Kevin Hayes' progression- " Surgery went well today and he is going to be able to come back on campus on Wednesday and will be back here to watch the games this weekend. "

Patch Alber Set To Return

Sr Defenseman Patch Alber is set to return to the lineup this weekend for the Hockey East playoffs vs Vermont. Alber, who was hurt in a pregame soccer kick-around, has been out since BC's game vs Alabama Huntsville in late December. Boston College has lost just 2 games this season with Alber in the lineup.

Not sure how this will change the defensive lineup but obviously Wey, Macleod, Matheson, Alber, and Doherty will stay back there. It'll be interesting to see whether Jeke continues to play or if he sits and they keep Linell back there. Certainly the staff could move Linell back up to forward and keep Jeke back as the 6th defenseman.