Well folks, Monday will mark the 60th time these four schools will go at it in this great tournament and in all of the years the teams have played this tournament, this may be the most wide open the tournament has ever been. As for who the favorite is, I think any one of the four teams can win it. Listin, if there is one thing we have learned over the 60 years of watching this war, it is that ANYBODY can win this thing. Will it BC BU again ? Honestly, it probably will be because they are the two best teams in the tournament but like I said, you never know in the Beanpot. I think Harvard and Northeastern both have great chances. As you know, BU loves to take penalties so if they give the number one power play in the country their chances, the Crimson could definitely take advantage. With Quailer and Ferriero out, I think it's going to be that much tougher for the Huskies but guys like the 21 year old freshman Ludwig Karlsson, Braden Pimm, and their goalie Chris Rawlings can help them upset the Eagles. Like I said last week, I think this BC team is starting to soar. Guys like Barry Almeida, Chris Kreider, and Johnny Gaurdeau are really starting to play good hockey for this club and if those guys are on like they have been, BC is the best team in the league. For the Eagles, it all boils down to goaltending. Parker Milner made some spectacular saves last week vs UNH and as long as he is winning, he will go.
When I look at NU, I definitely think they have a chance in this game. If BC takes a bunch of penalties, turns the puck over at the blue line, and doesn't back check, Northeastern will win this game. In the Fenway game, I thought BC did a great job of limiting NU to a lot of "grade A" chances and also created a lot of good chances of their own. Obviously, if this continues, BC will have a great shot in this game. I am really starting to like these new lines for BC and also think they matchup very well vs the Huskies. I think the Carey-Mullane-Gaudreau line is really going to have a fantastic game because they all complement each others games very well. Mullane does the hard work down low, Gaudreau can dish the puck better than anyone on the team, and Carey is the best "finisher" on the squad. In the three matchups this season between BC and NU, the Eagles have outshot the Huskies by a 109-55 margin so just by looking at that stat, it should show you who has controlled the play in the three matches. Hopefully it continues on Monday.
Keys for the Eagles
1. Pressure the Huskies in their own end. I noticed that BC was able to create a lot of odd man rushes in the Fenway game by forcing NU pass into tight lanes. This needs to continue in order for BC to win
2. Goaltending. Parker Milner looked great last Saturday vs UNH and has also played pretty solid vs the Huskies this year. If BC gets a big night from him, there is no reason we shouldn't win this game
3. Winning battles. What I have noticed in all of the Hockey East games I have watched this year is that the team tha wins the battles in the corners, gets the rebounds, and makes that simple play to clear the puck usually wins games. Whoever is able to win the small battles will win this game.
Players to Watch
1. Ludwig Karlsson. The freshman leads the Huskies in scoring this season with 9 goals and 14 assist.
2. Vinny Sapronari. The former BU forward is really having a great rebound season with the Huskies. Sapronari had the game winning goal in OT vs UMass on Friday for NU
3. Chris Rawlings. What I love about Rawlings is that he is a very mobile goalie. If you watch him play, you can instantly see how quick he is to stop secondary shots.
Predictions- With Qualier and Ferriero in the lineup, this may be a different result but I just don't see NU winning without these players. BC 4-2 and Harvard 4-3 in OT
...joke... BU 6 HU 1
ReplyDelete