Watch Out Jack.

Johnny Gaudreau had two goals last night. Photo by Melissa Wade.

Ok ok, I know we have Vermont on Friday but I can't help but put this as the title because Monday is going to be an absolute war. Anyways, the Eagles put together their best 60 minute game of the year to defeat the Northeastern Huskies last night in the first round of the Beanpot. The reason the Eagles won ? Honestly, Northeastern made a big mistake in trying to skate and go toe to toe with the Eagles. I don't know any team in the country that can match the speed (let alone the Huskies) and skill that this BC team has. Like I said last week, when the star players step up and Parker Milner does his job in net, this is the best team in country. Freshman sensation Johnny Gaudreau continued his hot streak last night with two goals on NU goalie Chris Rawlings (who was terrible all night). That is now four goals in the last four games for Johnny G as he is quickly getting back into top form after a couple of tough weeks in December and early January. Also, remember when I gave Steve Whitney a C for mid-season grades and said he needs to step up ? Well guess what, Whitney is quickly becoming not just a solid player on this BC team but is starting to becoming a real "impact" player on this team. Whitney had the game winner vs UNH two weeks ago and also recorded two SHORTHANDED goals last night vs an atrocious Huskies power play. I also can't say enough about Parker Milner, just give it up to the kid. Everyone continues to say "He is terrible" or "He can't win big games" Well last night, Parker notched the biggest win of his BC career. The scoreboard wouldn't show it but Milner had to make some big stops early on in this game to keep the Huskies at bay. 

In the last 10 years here at BC, there have been a lot of good senior classes (the 2011 one most notably) but to be honest, I think this class has a chance to be #1. I think Tommy Cross is one of the best pure leaders Coach York has had in his time here at BC and guys like Barry Almeida and Paul Carey seem to come up with big plays whenever they are needed. Also, I thought the line of Smith-Straight-Linell really played well last night as well. They have struggled a little bit this year mainly in the offensive zone but I thought last night they actually created a couple of real solid chances on Rawlings. The penalty kill continued to show why it is number one in Hockey East as they killed 4 of the 5 Huskie power plays (NU had a nice 5-3 goal). 

The critics will keep saying "Well this BC team is still overrated" and "They are not BU" I got news for everybody, this BC team is back. As bad as Northeastern played last night, they are by no means a bad hockey team that isn't capable of defeating good teams. As long as this team keeps scoring (thats 14 goals in the last three games) and keeps getting solid goaltending from Milner, they can go a long, long way. While everyone (including myself ) is looking towards Monday night, this team cannot overlook playing UVM @ The Gut. If BC is to gain ground on BU and Lowell in the standings, they must get six of the possible six points available vs Vermont for the remainder of the year. 

Why BC Won 

1. They wanted it more. "It was men vs boys" said NU coach Jim Madigan about how his team compared to the Eagles last night. I thought BC did an outstanding job of winning the battles on the boards in the last two periods to create odd man rushes. 

2. Goaltending. Like I said, when Milner is on, this team is really tough to beat. 

3. The new lines. I absolutely love these new lines. I think the Gaudreau-Mullane-Carey line is becoming one of the best lines in the league. Paul Carey is playing amazing hockey right now. 

4. Northeastern was really bad. For some reason, the Huskies were not ready to play at all. They were flat in every way. Especially in the last 40 minutes. 

Problems 

1. I am worried about this Vermont game. It is the biggest trap game of all time due to the fact that BC plays their archrival on Monday in the Beanpot. 

Stats  

1. BC is now 40-18-1 all time at the TD Garden inclduing a 17-3 record since the 06-07 season. 

2. BC will play BU for the 21st time in the Beanpot final. BU leads 12-8 all time in Beanpot finals. 

3. The seven goals last night were the most in a first round since 1997 when BU scored 7 on Harvard. 

4. BC has won the last three Beanpot meeting vs BU. All have been either one goal games or games that have gone into OT.