Eagles Complete Sweep of Warriors

It was by no means a pretty one but in the end, the Boston College Eagles defeated the Merrimack College Warriors 2-1 Saturday @ Lawler Arena. The Eagles had goals from defenseman Brian Dumoulin, his fifth of the year, and forward Paul Carey, who recorded his 11th goal of the year. Compared to last night, this was a much more physical and defensive game. The Warriors really came out hard as they were really throwing the bodies around and even injured Johnny Gaudreau in the opening minutes (Gaudreau was fine). It goes to show how much of a difference an ice sheet makes because a team like BC that likes to use their speed and create offense in the neutral zone can really struggle on such a small surface. I thought the first period was pretty even as both teams created some good chances but Milner and Cannata both made some pretty nice saves. Brian Dumoulin was able to tally a power play goal midway through the period as Chris Kreider found him wide open at the top of the circle.

I thought the second period was unusually bad for BC. I say unusually because the Eagles have scored 43 goals in the second stanza this year (that leads the league). I thought as the period wore on, Merrimack was really able to take it to BC with their physical, defensive style of play. The goal that Merrimack scored about halfway through the period is probably one that Parker Milner would like to have back but other then that little mistake, Milner was really solid all night. After the Merrimack goal, I thought the Eagles did a great job of using their speed and taking it to the Warriors. Another thing that should not go unnoticed is that BC only gave MC one power play tonight. I thought Chris Kreider played a much better game tonight after last night was a game in which he wasn't on the top of his game. Another guy that does not get talked about very much but has vastly improved over the last couple games is Isaac Macleod. I thought Isaac had a very good weekend especially on the penalty kill where he has become one of the go to guys for Coach Cav's unit.

In the third, we saw some pretty exciting hockey but in the end it was just a nice play by Paul Carey when he jumped on a rebound in front of the net and put it home to give the Eagles another win. Merrimack brought some hard pressure in the waning moments but Parker Milner once again stood tall and denied the Warriors a win they desperately needed. Ok, for all those that still doubt this BC team, I would like to make one thing very clear. This BC team is good, very good. When Parker Milner is playing as well as he is right now, this BC team is almost impossible to beat. The nucleus of good players on this team is very strong as guys like Kreider, Gaudreau, Carey, and Almeida are having their best seasons yet at BC (Well Johnny G is a freshman). I thought Merrimack played better tonight but in the end, hard work by Paul Carey in the offensive zone was the difference for a BC team that now sits in first place in Hockey East


Why the Eagles Won

1. Parker Milner was great. Milner has played his best hockey of his BC career over the last three weeks and doesn't appear to be slowing down

2. Stayed out of the box. When you don't give you opponent chances on the power play, you can always win a game in this league. BC did that tonight.

3. The senior class. Every single senior, whether it be Shea, Cross, Almeida, or Carey, are really playing well right now. Tommy Cross has turned into one of the best defenseman in the league while Shea continues to improve. Almeida and Carey are just playing  phenomenal hockey.

Problems 

1. The power play was bad. Yes, we had a PP goal but on the other four power plays, both units struggled entering the zone and getting set up.

Player of the game- Paul Carey. Thought he played a great game and he had the game winning goal.

Next up- Home and home next week vs Providence.


Notes- BC wins the season series vs Merrimack by taking 5 of the possible 6 points. If the season ended today, BC would get UMass AGAIN in the Hockey East playoffs.