There were a couple of BC Hockey fans (including myself) that were very worried about this hockey team after the Merrimack tie, the embarrassing lost at UMass, and the sweep @ UMaine. This team, led by the coaching staff, has overcome all of the critics and hype about how this BC team was done and they were not going to the NCAA's. Yes, the mission is not even close to being over as we are just entering trophy season but it sure seems that this Boston College hockey team is back. The biggest reason the guys are playing better? They are getting much better production from the top guys like Kreider, Gaudreau, Hayes, and Mullane and they are getting goaltending that is good enough to lead this team to victories. As we focus in on this Vermont game on Friday, it is easy to say "Well UVM stinks, BC will win by 10 goals" Personally, I really don't think that is going to happen. As a matter of fact, I think UVM is going to come out flying vs the Eagles because they have nothing to lose and well BC could be looking forward to a game on Monday in the Beanpot. While a win @ UVM will not help BC move up to say #2 or #3 in the pairwise, it would certainly not let them drop below #8 or #9 in the standings. In a Hockey East race as close as this year's, every single point is huge because if you waste those points that you probably should get, you could be playing on the road in the playoffs compared to playing in your own barn.
BC's past couple results @ The Gut have not been too good as the Eagles are just 2-3-2 in their last seven in Burlington. In their last meeting though, @ Conte Forum, BC defeated UVM by a score of 6-0 on 11/28/10. Ok to be honest, BC can only lose this game if two things happen. The first way they can lose is if they get penalties. The Catamounts rank eight in total power play percentage in Hockey East but they do have some good players like Jr forward Sebastian Stalberg and sophomore forward Connor Brickley that can really move the puck around. Another way BC can lose this game is if they get too confident and overlook the Cats'. As I said earlier, UVM is probably out of the playoffs so nothing would make them feel better than to ruin a team like BC or BU's season by handing them devastating pairwise losses. I do not expect the staff to let the players overlook this game because it means a lot in the pairwise and Hockey East standings and if this team does happen to lose on Friday, it would really be a momentum killer going into the big one on Monday.
Also, I will be hosting a live chat tomorrow night here on the blog for a chat session on BC Hockey and I will post my UVM preview.
UVM Stats
1. The Catamounts are in last place in Hockey East and have also dropped 14 of their last 16 games. The Cats' were swept by UMass Lowell at the Tsongas Center last weekend.
2. While the Cats' have had a tough year, they have had some nice wins over Minnesota, Ferris State, and also UMass Lowell back on January 13th.
3. Sebastian Stalberg leads all Catamounts in scoring with 11 goals and 17 assist on the year. In goal, it is not known who will go in net but Rob Madore, their senior goaltender, has posted a .873 save % this season, which ranks him last in the league.
Remember to join us for a live chat on Thursday @ 8:30
GO EAGLES
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