Midweek Column

Winners of four straight, the #1 Boston College Eagles will come into this upcoming weekend as not just the hottest team in Hockey East, but the hottest in college hockey. The problem for the Eagles ? This may just be the ultimate trap game weekend. A week from Friday, BC will host school rival Notre Dame before facing arch nemesis Boston University on Sunday. With maybe the biggest weekend in school history approaching, two games vs a pair of teams that have combined for 0 league points this year may concern some Eagle fans. Why are my concerned you may ask ? Well, I'm not really, but I don't think that these two games will be complete beatdowns like the results we have seen in the past three games (besides Friday). While Maine is by far the worst team in this league and maybe one of the worst in the country, they always play well at Alfond Arena for games versus teams like Boston College. With the intense atmosphere and the fact that they will be facing off against a team that will surely be hungry to beat the best team in the league, this young BC team needs to stay poised and continue to do what it has been doing. When it comes to the first two lines, Maine has zero chance of stopping them and unless they get outstanding goaltending, they won't keep BC's first two lines off the board. The concern for BC however is that while BC's third and maybe fourth line will most likely outplay Maine's bottom two lines, they need to start scoring and they need to start quickly. I do believe that the first two lines are enough firepower to beat any team in this league, let alone Maine, but as the season goes on and BC faces teams like UNH and BU, the third and fourth lines need to score. What better weekend to start putting the puck in the net than against the two worst teams in the league ?

On the defensive side of things, it is great to see guys like Teddy Doherty and Mike Matheson, both freshman, playing outstanding hockey. Like I said on Sunday, I think Teddy Doherty is by far and away the most improved player from day one to today. It was fantastic to see him set up two Kevin Hayes goals on Sunday (one being on the power play) and to see him start to play much better in his own zone (he is +2 for the year). The one problem I have right now with the defense is that they are taking way to many penalties. Pat Wey and Mike Matheson have combined for a stunning eighteen minutes in the box this year including six total minutes in Sunday's game versus UMass-Lowell. Besides the penalties, you've got to be happy with the fact that each and every defenseman is playing solid hockey right now and the unit as a whole is playing much better than we thought they would at this point.

In terms of Parker Milner, I don't have to say much besides the fact that he has been phenomenal. Ever since that BC Invitational win last February, his play has been exceptional in every game he has played in. The fabulous goaltending has certainly made up for any mistakes the young defense has/may have made during this season.

All in all, this weekend is what I like to call a "four point must". If BC wants to show that it is the best team in this league, they can't be losing games to lowly teams like Maine and UMass. With the Eagles playing great hockey as of late, I don't fear a letdown of any sorts but just because the opponent has had a bad year up to this point doesn't mean it can't catch BC on a bad night.

Maine preview coming tomorrow.

GO EAGLES !

Eagles Complete Sweep Of Lowell

Going into this season the Lowell River Hawks were predicted by many to have the best team in Hockey East and were even thought to be National Title contenders. Well, the Eagles certainly showed how strong they can be as they completed a sweep of the River Hawks with a 6-3 win tonight. Multiple point nights from Kevin Hayes, Teddy Doherty, Bill Arnold, and Mike Matheson led BC tonight as the Eagles power play also came up big with three goals, going 3-6 overall on the man up. The first period was all BC as Arnold scored five minutes in and Hayes got a power play tally late in the stanza. Once BC made it 3-0, Lowell started charging hard as goals from Derek Arnold and Mike Colantone made it just a one goal game. The lead didn't last long however after Mike Matheson forced a turnover at the Hawks blue line and made a fantastic to play to Johnny G who gave BC the two goal lead. In the third, Lowell, down three goals again after an early period strike from Destry Straight, carried the play and even got a lengthy 5 on 3 down just two goals. However, The BC PK came up huge and killed the two penalties and basically any chance the River Hawks had of coming back.

Well, it was certainly just what the doctor ordered once again for BC even though it wasn't too pretty at times. First things first, the power play is really humming right now and is capitalizing on basically ever chance they get. While Lowell scored two power play goals, the problem wasn't the penalty kill, it was the fact that BC kept letting Lowell back in the game by taking bad penalties in the third (4 in the third). If BC keeps taking penalties at this rate, they will have a really tough time winning hockey games. On the power play, it was great to see the second unit get going tonight as they accounted for all three of BC's power play goals. They haven't scored any goals this year on the man up so it was great to see them get going. When you have a power play scoring at the rate BC's is right now, it just adds another weapon to the arsenal of an already strong offensive team.

On defense, I thought two of the freshman, Teddy Doherty and Mike Matheson, had their two best games in a BC uniform tonight. No player has improved more from day one to today like Doherty has. It's great to see him playing well in both ends right now for the Eagles. In terms of Matheson, he is becoming a truly powerful offensive defenseman as he was responsible for setting up Johnny G's goal and Hayes' second goal. Seeing guys like Wey and Matheson get so many penalties is a little bit discouraging but it's more because of their aggressive style than it is because they are taking bad penalties.

Once again, the first two lines were all BC needed tonight as the first line accounted for two goals while the second line was responsible for the rest. Out of the four Hockey East teams I have seen thus far, I have yet to see a line that could match BC's first line right now. Personally, I will be fascinated to see how many points they will get this year if they do indeed stay together. The third line, while they still haven't scored, did a great job of keeping Lowell on their heels much of the time they were on the ice. When the Eagles start to face better teams like BU, UNH, and Providence, they will need these guys to start putting the puck in the net and generating chances on the opponents' goalie. One of my keys for this team going into the year was that they needed to have a second line that could be as good as any other teams first line. Well, with the way that line is playing right now, you would be pretty hard pressed to find a team that has two lines as good as BC's first two.

Once again, BC wasn't perfect tonight (especially in the third) but it's definitely encouraging to see them not play up to their potential and still beat good hockey teams. If the big guns for this team keep playing at the level that they are playing and the bottom six forwards keeping improving, this team could really do some good things this year.

Why BC Won 

1. Got it going early and often. For the first time all year, BC got going right from the get go as they quickly forced Lowell into a 3-0 hole on the road.

2. The Power Play is in a grove. Punishing teams when they take bad penalties is huge and could really help this team if the bottom two lines continue to struggle offensively.

3. Kevin Hayes is becoming a force on the ice. The amount he has improved from last season to this year is amazing. He looks great out there.


Problems 

1. Penalties. When BC goes against teams that actually have a good power play, taking nine penalties is not going to result in wins. They need to come down.

2. Allowing Lowell to comeback like they did was not a good sign. BC did a good job of putting them away late in the game but it shouldn't have been a close game in the third.

Player (s) of the game- Kevin Hayes and Teddy Doherty

Up Next- @ Maine on Friday, home vs UMass on Sunday.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

BC @ Lowell Highlights

Milner Leads Eagles To 1-0 Victory Over Lowell

Parker Milner Made 39 saves in the win

As every coach/player/fan of this sport will always say..."you can win any game when you get great goaltending". Tonight could not have been example of that statement as Parker Milner made 38 saves for the nation's #1 team as he just completely shut down any chances Lowell had all game long. Despite having to go on the man down four times and not getting a single power play, the BC penalty kill (led by Milner) was fantastic once again as they didn't allow a usually potent Lowell power play to get any goals on the night. While Lowell's first line did a very good job of keeping the BC's big line off the scoreboard for almost 3/4's of the game, they couldn't keep the big three from getting the decisive tally three and a half minutes into the third period. BC was able to gain a four on two in the neutral zone which led to a perfect pass from Johnny G to Steve Whitney who used his fantastic shot to get one past Doug Carr. Other than the one BC goal, both goalies were very sharp tonight but Milner's 38 save effort certainly stole the show. Overall, you could probably say Lowell outplayed BC as they outshoot the Defending Champs by a 38-20 margin but unlike BC, they couldn't get anything past the red hot Milner. Even though we only had 20 shots on goal, I thought BC was able to create some "grade A" chances on the night, the best coming in the first when Whitney made a fantastic pass to Kevin Hayes (who came right out of the box) and went in for the breakaway, only to be denied by Carr.

Did the Eagles get badly out played at points ? Sure, but what's one of the corner marks of BC Hockey ? They always find ways to get a victory, no matter what ways they have to go to attain it. Last Friday, the team battled relentlessly, Saturday, the Eagles dominated NU, and tonight, BC got fantastic goaltending from the best goalie in the country in order to win. While the third and fourth line have yet to record a point so far this season, I would say they both played pretty well tonight on both ends. I think the fourth line probably had it's best game of the season as they actually created some great chances in the game. Brooks Dyroff (it may have been Teddy Doherty)  had a goal taken away early in the first when the officials decided they didn't want to call it a goal for some reason. The second line was not as good as they were last weekend but I would say they definitely made an impact out there and created some good scoring chances. Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes are really playing good hockey right now which is huge in order for this team to win.

Another positive that should be noted is that the freshman defenseman continue to improve. In fact, the defense as a whole is starting to really look good. Yes, Milner saved them a few times but when you hold a team like Lowell to nothing on the scoreboard, you've got to give your defenseman some credit. I thought the pairing of Alber and Matheson was fantastic for BC tonight as it seemed like they played almost the whole third period. Matheson is definitely logging a lot of minutes right now which is very impressive as a freshman. Wey was good tonight as you can clearly see he is the leader on the defense. The other three were not fantastic but they continue to play better hockey night in and night out.

All in all, it's great to see the Eagles beat a top ten team on the road. Any game in this league is tough but when it's on the road, it makes it extremely difficult to get a few points. Mix that in with the fact that the officiating in this game was absolutely horrendous, you've got to give a lot of credit to this team and the staff on getting a real solid victory.

Why the Eagles Won- 

1. Parker Milner was fantastic. Definitely his second best game in a BC uniform. (Last years BC Invitational tops it).

2. The PK. Even though the officials made it out to screw BC all night, the Eagles' PK was really solid as they held Lowell to 0/4 on the man advantage.

Problems- 

1. Getting outshot by almost a 2-1 margin is never good but I guess Lowell has the tendency to do that a lot versus BC. They did it last year in two games when they outshot BC 2-1 in two of the three games. BC still won those as well.

Player of the Game- Parker Miner

Next Up- Sunday @ 4:00 versus Lowell.

Picks for the weekend

Friday Night- 

Vermont @ Merrimack- Tough call in this series but i'll go with a tie in game one. 

UMass @ BU- Really think this BU team is going to struggle. UMass 2-1 

Northeastern @ UNH- Wildcats look real good. NU looked bad last week on the road. UNH 4-1

Maine @ Providence- Maine is really reeling. PC 3-0 

Boston College @ UMass Lowell- BC 3-2.


Saturday Night 

Vermont @ Merrimack- UVM takes three points on the weekend. UVM 2-0 

BU @ UMass- Tough call, but I'll go with a tie.

UNH @ Northeastern- Should be a really good game but I like NU to salvage a split. 3-2 OT 

Maine @ Providence- Just don't see Maine doing anything this year. PC 4-2

Sunday-

UMass Lowell @ Boston College- We never lose at home. BC 5-2

Previewing the UMass Lowell River Hawks

This weekend the first place and #1 team in the country, Boston College, will head north to face Lowell at the Tsongas Center tomorrow night and will then host Lowell on Sunday @ Kelly Rink. So far this year, Lowell is 1-1-1 with a win @ Colorado College, a loss @ Denver, and a tie versus Vermont which is their only league point. Thus far, UML is fifth in the league and is currently three points back of first place BC. Last week was a tale of two very different games for the River Hawks as they got trounced by Denver in a game in which they allowed three goals in less than three minutes during the third period. On Saturday, Lowell defeated Colorado College 3-2 and tallied their first win of the year. Unlike the past where they have always been underdogs in the league, many Hockey East writers and followers picked Lowell to actually win the league this year. Sure, Lowell had a great year last year and return some good players so maybe they do deserve a preseason top ten selection and the Hockey East #2 ranking. However, so far this season, Lowell has just one player (Josh Holmstrom) that has more than one point.

It's pretty fair to say that this weekend will show a lot about BC and definitely a lot about the opposition .   You learn a lot about your team every week in this league, I mean look at last week, the first two periods on Friday were a complete disaster and suddenly something clicked in the locker room and the team played unbelievable the rest of the weekend. As more games pass, we are seeing guys start to improve and that is a huge step in the right direction, especially for guys like Sullivan, Doherty, and Matheson. We saw a second line, that has the opportunity to be great, really shine and dominate when they were on the ice last weekend and when they are rolling, this team is hard to beat. We have seen very good goaltending out of Parker Milner in all three games this far, especially last Saturday when he shutout a pretty high powered Northeastern squad. In order to win two this weekend, all three of these things must continue to take place for BC.

In terms of scouting Lowell, well, they are led up front by forwards Riley Wetmore, David Arnold, and Scott Wilson. For Lowell to be able to compete with BC this weekend, they will need these guys to step up for them. Another key guy in Lowell's arsenal is goalie Doug Carr. Last year, Carr was second  in pretty much every major statistical categories behind Parker Milner. If Carr can play like he did in the third BC UML game last year in which he made 23 saves in the winning effort, Lowell has a chance. It should be a great weekend and it will certainly tell us which of these teams is ready to make a run and which one is not.

Keys For The Eagles 

1. Starting out well on the road. It didn't happen @ NU and it didn't happen @ UMass. Scoring the first goal tomorrow would be huge.

2. Staying out of the box. Lowell's power play hasn't been great so far so if BC can stay out of the box, limit Lowell's PP chances and capitalize on the man up, BC could have a nice weekend.

3. Sustaining Pressure. In the third period @ UMass and the game on Saturday, BC did a really good job of keeping the puck in the opponents end and limiting their chances and odd man rushes on Parker Milner.

Opposing Players To Watch-

1. Riley Wetmore (F)

2. Scott Wilson (F)

3. Doug Carr (G)

Top Line- Wilson-Wetmore-Arnold

Predictions- BC sweep.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

Midweek Column

Johnny G and the Eagles are flying high before a date with Lowell

After a weekend of fantastic hockey from the defending National Champs, BC will look to keep it's position atop Hockey East as they approach a weekend date with the Lowell River Hawks. Unlike previous years, Lowell was predicted by some to finish in first place by years end and were also a USCHO preseason top ten selection. After a cinderella type finish to last year when they made it all the way to the NCAA second round, second year coach Norm Bazin is looking to get his Hawks back to the tournament and maybe even further. However, it has been a little bit of  rocky start to the season for Lowell as they have tied a lowly Vermont squad and got trounced by a talented Denver team last Friday. On the other hand, Lowell does have a nice road win on their resume as they defeated Colorado College in Colorado Springs on Saturday. This weekend is going to tell us a whole lot not just about BC but probably more about the competition in this league. We have seen a UMass team that played so well for 3/4 of the game on Friday but had a complete letdown late in the third that propelled BC to a must needed first win. Two weeks ago we saw a Northeastern team, led by their insane home crowd, dominate BC from start to finish en route to a 3-1 victory. Then this Saturday we saw NU come down to Earth and play like they normally do outside of Matthews Arena. Anyways, like every weekend in this league, this one is important but mainly because this will really show us how two teams that are supposed to be pretty high up in the national and league standings match up against each other.

As for BC, wow, what a different feel this week has than last. A week ago tonight I was writing about how concerned I was about this team and the ability to put the puck in the net. Of course the team goes out and scores eight goals in two games. With the first line playing as well as any line in college hockey right now and guys like Kevin Hayes and Bill Arnold turning up their games, the Eagles really look like they could be a good club this year. The freshman defenseman look better, especially Teddy Doherty who I thought was one of BC's top defenseman last weekend. I think as time goes on we will see Sullivan and Jeke (if and when he plays) become adjusted to the speed and style of play but for now, they just need to keep improving and playing hard.

As for the offense of which I alluded to earlier, I think that the first line has the potential to be absolutely outstanding. One thing I have not addressed either this year or over the summer are my thoughts on Johnny G's Hobey Baker chances. Many BC fans believe he is the perennial favorite, even making shirts that say "Gaudreaubybaker" on the front. To be honest, I don't like making Hobey predictions nor think about it very much but I will say this...if BC keeps getting a bunch of power plays and continues to play him (and the #1 line) a lot of minutes, then he could amass A LOT of points. Anyways, it's a big weekend for the Eagles starting with a game @ Lowell on Friday. Hopefully the play from last week continues and BC is able to get four crucial points.

Lowell preview coming tomorrow.

GO EAGLES !

Hitting The Links-

Johnny G captured Hockey East player of the week last week (of course)

BC #1 for a second time in the USCHO Polls

The Guys at BCI have their hockey stuff up for this week

Special Teams Leads BC To Commanding Win Over Northeastern

Well, that was just what the doctor ordered this weekend for the Eagles. An amazing effort last night in Amherst carried over to Banner Night at home vs a Northeastern team that beat BC just seven days ago. Tonight however was a totally different story as BC used a quick start and punctuated on NU penalties to beat the upset minded Huskies. In just a few days, you can see this team growing up as everyone has really improved their games since last Friday's debacle at Matthews Arena. The crowd obviously got to a young Huskie team that took to bad penalties early on giving BC a lengthy five on three, a chance that BC was able to score on when Kevin Hayes one timed a Teddy Doherty pass past Chris Rawlings. Just four minutes later, Pat Mullane made a great effort to block an NU shot and then passed it to Johnny G who, in typical Johnny G fashion, beat Rawlings to make it 2-0. Building off last nights third period, BC clearly was the better team in the first twenty minutes tonight. Northeastern came out flat and could not generate any real good chances on net. When the Huskies did indeed get some good chances, Parker Milner was there for the stop.

In the second, NU started to come back but were not able to sustain any real pressure in the BC end thanks to some real good defensive zone play from BC. Once the Eagles started to take a few too many penalties, the PK, led by Mullane,Whitney, Linell, and Johnny G, were able to keep from NU from not just scoring but preventing them from getting any really good "grade A chances" on Milner. Just by watching you could see that Northeastern was just desperately trying to keep it at a two goal game going into the third but that thought evaporated when they gave BC another lengthy 5 on 3. On that two man advantage, Steven Whitney bombed a slapper past Rawlings to pretty much put the game on ice. Not enough can be said about the special teams this weekend, especially tonight, for Boston College. Even though two for six on the PP is not fantastic, the Eagles, led by the first unit, were able to maintain great puck possession and force Rawlings to make some pretty good saves to prevent another BC tally.

In the end, another great performance by a team that is really starting to take flight. Whether it's the young defenseman, the bottom six guys, or the special teams, everyone is improving for the Eagles. It is crystal clear that this team has a boatload of confidence right now and as we all know, a BC Hockey team with confidence can be pretty dangerous. Great weekend.

Why BC Won- 

1. The PK and PP were both very good. Capitalizing on other teams' mistakes is always critical and tonight BC did that when they needed to. You can't give a team like BC multiple 5 on 3's. The PK was once again phenomenal as Northeastern came up empty on the man advantage.

2. Parker Milner made some key stops. While NU didn't create a whole bunch of grade A chances, when they did, Milner was there to prevent a score. Really looks like he could have a big year.

3. The first line just dominates. They are the best line in the country and if they keep this up, they could have a record setting year.

Problems- 

All around solid game. The third and fourth line both played well even though they didn't score.

Player of the game- Johnny G

Next Up- Friday @ Lowell, Sunday vs Lowell (4 PM)

Previewing the Northeastern Huskies

We have finally arrived at a night that all Eagle fans have been awaiting for quite some time. In what is becoming an anual event on Chestnut Hill, BC will raise their 5th National Championship banner tonight before they faceoff vs Northeastern. All festivities aside, this is a big game for BC as they fell to Northeastern last week at Matthews Arena. The Huskies are currently in first place in the league with wins over BC and Merrimack. Last week, Northeastern dominated BC from start to finish and defeated Boston College, ending the Eagles' five game winning streak vs the Huntington Hounds. However, if I were the Huskies, I would be a little bit nervous about tonights prospects. First of all, when it comes to any Hockey East team (besides The Other School), BC does not lose at Kelly Rink and has not lost at home to Northeastern since the 2008 season. Just go back to the past two banner nights, BC defeated a solid Merrimack in 2011 and a very good Wisconsin team in 2009. When Conte Forum is full as it will be tonight, it is among the hardest places to play in the country (look at the stats if you don't believe me).

For BC, they have to just do what they did last night vs UMass-Amherst. That is getting the Hayes-Arnold-Straight line generating quality offensive chances and generating odd man rushes by way of quality play in their own zone. Last night, BC probably had double the number of odd man rushes than they did vs the Huskies last week. NU's got some strong forwards, they may even have the best top nine forwards in the league, but they are very young and inexpirenced at defense. If BC can use their speed and attack these young Huskie defenders, they can score at will tonight. It's a big one and you know the Eagles are really confident after last nights amazing comeback but a bigger and tougher challenge lies ahead in a tough Huskie team.

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Same as always..need to get the second line going and putting the puck in the net. I'm sure the staff would like to see the fourth line also step up and start creating a little more offense.

2. Converting on power plays. With the crazy crowd and stakes surrounding this game, I really like BC's experienced seniors vs a Northeastern team that has yet to play a game away from Matthews Arena so look for the Huskies to take some penalties early.

3. Quality chances on Rawlings.

Best Opposing Line- Karlsson-Sapronari-Vermeersch

Numbers- 

1. BC leads the all time series 155-47-14

2. BC is 5-0-1 in it's last six games @ Kelly Rink vs NU.

3. BC has never lost in their gold uniforms which will be worn tonight.

Prediction- BC 4 NU 2

Magic Men

Pat Mullane had two goals and an assist

Here we go again I thought. It was another dull forty minutes of hockey from the Eagles, evident by the 3-0 defect facing this team going into the third period. The "overrated" chants were already booming from the UMass faithful and all appeared lost. But no, not tonight. Thanks to a third period effort that for me, is one of the best periods I have ever seen out a BC Hockey team, the Eagles were able to steal a 5-4 overtime victory in the Mullins Center on Friday night over UMass. I don't know what to say, the effort put forth by these players in the second half of this game was absolutely outstanding. After a great individual effort from Kevin Hayes led to Bill Arnold's goal a minute into the third, Hayes again made a fantastic play on the boards to get Destry Straight his first tally of the year. This was the difference for this BC team compared to last week, the second line was superb. Kevin Hayes, in my opinion, played one his better games in a BC uniform last night and Destry Straight and Bill Arnold also had very good games. After BC got it within a goal, UMass was quick to respond with a goal that i'm pretty sure Milner would like to have back. Ten minutes. That was the time between the fourth UMass goal and the end of the game. 

I don't know if UMass got tired, or what, but in those final ten minutes BC, led by the first line of Johnny G- Mullane- Whitney, completely dominated the play and were rewarded with two Mullane goals (both made possible because of great plays from Patch Alber and Johnny G). After BC had some great opportunities to end the game in the final minute, the ice at the Mullins really began to deteriorate. Because of the bad ice, an injury to one of UMass' best players, and the fact that BC was dominating, you just knew who was going to win. At first, it was UMass that generated a few chances in OT but then they learned a lesson that so many other teams have learned in the past. When you give that first line time and space, you are going to pay a hefty price. After Pat Wey made a nice pass to Mullane who fired it on net, Johnny G tipped the puck by UMass goalie Steve Mastalerz and the Eagles stunned the crowd of 7,678 at the Mullins and walked away with their first win and first roadkill of the year. 

This is what we like to call a real character win. Down 3-0 after forty minutes and then down two goals with just ten minutes left, the team could have just given up. Not last night, instead they battled to the very end and came away with two league points. I think that after two periods, the team, for the first time all year, was really "mad" about what was going on and that was the moment when they began to realize that the party from last year was over. In order to win a game like last night, you have to believe you can win and this team certainly believed that even down three goals, they could still win. All in all, a fantastic way to get the first win of the year but tonight is an even bigger game. Raising the banner will be cool but there is a game to play vs a team that we lost to a week ago. It is certainly fair to say that a win such as last nights is as big a confidence booster as you can have and hopefully we see that same kind of effort tonight. 

Why BC Won-

1. The first two lines were great. When the second line plays like that, BC is a hard team to beat. 

2. The first line took over the game in the final five minutes and OT. I'm really interested to see how many points this line accumulates this year (if they stay together). They are really playing good hockey. 

Problems-

1. The power play had some really good chances but were never able to convert. BC was given a five minute PP right off the bat in the first but were never able to get anything going. The first unit was solid but the second unit is having some struggles getting it together early in the season.

2. Starting games. Make that two games now where the opposition has been able to get some big momentum thanks to great first periods. Being at home tonight with the banner raising ceremony, I think BC will be really fired up and ready to go.

Player(s) of the game- Pat Mullane and Kevin Hayes

Next Up- Banner Night tonight vs Northeastern. 

Preview of NU coming up later. 

Until next time, 

GO EAGLES !

UMass Preview

For the first time this year, the Boston College Eagles will play two games on a weekend, the first leg coming against a UMass team that beat us twice a season ago. This year, things are a little bit different in Amherst (to say the least) as John Micheletto takes over for Don Cahoon and the Minutemen also lost their two best players from a season ago in Hobbs and Syner.This season, UMass is led up front by speedy forwards Connor Sheary, Steven Guzzo, and Braden Gracel who all had productive years last season and are off to a good start. Compared to BC, I think UMass might have a little bit less up front but on the blue line, it's advantage Minutemen. UMass returns Conor Allen, Joel Hanley, and Colin Shea from last years team. In the crease is where UMass is going to need it's best effort as goalie sophomore Kevin Boyle will most likely start in between the pipes. Last season, Boyle was 1-3 vs BC but did have a win in UMass' 4-2 victory over the Champs in November.

I don't know what to expect tomorrow...I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit worried. Here’s what we know we're probably going to get: We know that Milner will probably be pretty solid because he was real good last week vs NU besides that one mistake in the third. The other thing we're sure of is that the Johnny G line is going to bring a lot of the offense for BC. Say BC scores three goals tomorrow, I would bet a lot of money that all three came from either that line or the power play. That's what this team is lacking...Guys like Sit, Linell, Hayes, Arnold, and Straight need to start generating some offense and putting the puck in the net. On paper, BC is a better team than UMass and if the Eagles play the way they're capable of, then they will get their first league victory. If some guys sit around and watch UMass skate all over them (like the NU game) then BC will lose. It's all about the bottom six or seven forwards and the freshman defenseman getting adjusted in a short amount of time..hopefully tomorrow is the first of many good games for this team.

Keys for the Eagles-

Someone not named Johnny G, Mullane, or Whitney is going to need to have a good game tomorrow. Second line needs to start to become an offensive force.

The power play- UMass took eight penalties last week vs UConn so look for the Eagles to try to capitalize on the man advantage in order to start putting the puck in the net.

Breaking the puck out- Like I said yesterday, good breakouts lead to a smoother offensive transition more often than not.


Numbers-

BC is 52-12-3 all time vs UMass including a 22-6-1 record in Amherst

BC is 8-2 in the last ten games vs UMass including a 3-2 win in the Hockey East playoffs last March.

Eight of ten UMass sellouts (tomorrow will be one) have come versus BC.


Best Opposing Line- Sheary-Power-Pereira

Prediction- BC 2 UMass 1

Midweek Column- Getting Ready For A Big Weekend

This is a big weekend for the Eagles. I don't care that it's only the second week of the season. This team needs to win and they need to do it this weekend. Last weekends performance versus a good Northeastern team was not very good and hopefully now that they have one game under the belt, the guys will play better hockey vs a solid UMass team. Last season, playing the Minutemen in Amherst was a tough task for the Champs but with a good week of a work and some adjustments here and there, this team can have a good game on Friday. After the game on Saturday, I walked out of that rink a little bit worried about not just the young defense, but more so, the lack of offense that the team was able to produce vs a pretty young Northeastern squad (Other then the Johnny G line). Again, I think a lot of the unproductive offense and mistakes in the BC end were due to first game jitters and some of the butterflies that the players may have had with that crazy crowd. Let's take a look at what needs to improve the most-

Break the puck out better-

When you don't break the puck out properly, it is going to lead to big problems and that is exactly what happend to us on Saturday night. I can tell you first hand from watching practice this week that they have worked hard at getting better at it.

The Turnovers-

Two of the NU goals were made possible because they either outworked the Eagles or they capitalized on a lousy BC turnover. It's not just the defenseman that need to be better in their ends but it's the forwards, especially the wings, that need to do a better job of helping out their defenseman on the walls.

I have a good feeling about this weekend because I think the players know that they may not have played great last week but that was just game one. One of the side effects about playing hockey at BC compared to any other school in Hockey East, is that you're going to get everybodys best effort every single night because teams will want to beat BC that much more. It's a big weekend early in the season that will show a lot about this team but in the end, I feel that they will be ready to go.

Preview on UMass coming tomorrow.

GO EAGLES !

Huskies Thump Eagles On Opening Night

Thanks to a fantastic effort from the home team and a lousy 60 minutes of hockey from one team, the Northeastern Huskies were able to upset the #1 Boston College Eagles 3-1 Saturday night. First of all, let's give the credit where it is deserved. Northeastern came in ready and came out hot with two goals early on in the first period. BC on the other hand looked slow for most of the period until they picked it up at the end and were rewarded with a nice PP goal to go down just 1-0 after a period of play. With timely saves from Chris Rawlings and a fluke third period goal, Northeastern was able to hold off a BC team that clearly has some work to do on both ends.

Ok, I know it's the first game and NU already had one game under their belts but what I saw last night was not the #1 team in the country, rather it was a team comprised of just 3 or 4 guys that really looked solid for the whole game. I thought on the offensive end it was just one line that had every scoring chance for BC. The first line was great all night but the second and third line didn't seem to generate any offense at all and spent the majority of their shifts running around in their own zones. I don't know but if I had to guess, I would think there would be some serious lineup changes this week because obviously, the three best offensive players are all on one line. The third line battled hard but they just don't generate any scoring chances, I thought all three of them played with a great effort all night but very rarely did they have any "grade A" chances on Chris Rawings (who was outstanding).

On the defensive end, I thought the three best defenseman were Wey, Matheson, and Doherty. I thought Matheson was outstanding once again and Wey also was also very solid. Out of the other four guys, Doherty was OK, but Macleod, Sullivan, and Alber all had tough nights for the Eagles. Like I said in my preview, in order for BC to be good, they need to be able to generate offense by breaking out the puck well and getting odd man rushes. That did not happen often tonight as the defense and the forwards were caught running around in their own end on too many occasions last night. Just really frustrating.

To be honest, I thought Parker Milner was really good last night and the third goal from outside the blue line was just a bad deflection off of Wey's stick. Milner definitley kept BC in it.

It's the first game and I hate to be all mad and everything but last night was just not good hockey from the boys in maroon and gold. Hopefully, they have a good week of practice and are ready to go for a big tilt @ UMass on Friday.

Why BC Lost- 

1. NU looked faster all night. NU won a lot of those "little battles" in the corner that allowed them to generate multiple scoring chances. Kudos to them on a great effort.

2. The defense struggled  There is no explanation. Maybe it was first game jitters but the defense flat out struggled all night.

3. The depth @ forward is a problem. The first line was good, the second line was ok at times, the third line played hard but didn't get anything going, and the fourth line had a hard night. Bottom 8-9 guys need to step it up for BC.


Positives- 

1. Special Teams. Power play was very good as they scored on their only chance and the PK really did a good job of shutting down NU's potent offense.

2. Milner was solid.

Next Up- Friday @ UMass.

Previewing the Northeastern Huskies

The 2012-13 edition of the Boston College Eagles hockey team will start it's run at another National Title on Saturday night when it travels to historic Matthews Arena and pays a visit to Northeastern. The Eagles won all four games vs Northeastern last year and currently hold a 8-1-1 record vs NU over the past ten games. Unlike BC, the Huskies have already kicked off their campaign as they defeated Merrimack Wednesday night at Matthews Arena by a score of 4-2. Despite losing their best forward (Steve Quailer) and best defenseman (Anthony Bitetto) from last years team, NU returns a strong group of forwards led by senior Vinny Sapronari and sophomore Ludwig Karlsson. Northeastern also landed prized recruit Kevin Roy, who had the game winning goal vs Merrimack, over the course of the summer to boost it's forward unit. In terms of forwards, i'd say Northeastern is as deep and as talented as BC or any team in the league for that matter.

On the defensive side of the puck, Northeastern lost the previously mentioned Bitetto and Luke Eilbler (transfer) from last seasons squad. With these two gone, NU, not unlike BC, will need to break in some new freshman who will need to be on the top of their games vs a fast Eagles squad.  In their first game vs Merrimack, Northeastern was led by their big line of Karlsson, Sapronari, and senior Garrett Vermeersch as that line seemed to dominate the play when they were out there. If the Eagles are to win this game, they have to find a way to try and stop these guys. Merrimack couldn't but there is a big difference between BC and Merrimack...BC is fast and the Warriors are not. I think BC's speed will be able to surprise these guys in the early going but BC can only use that speed if they get the puck into the open ice and make plays. One area where BC has a big advantage over NU is in net. Goalie Chris Rawlings has struggled vs Boston College in the past and is also known the give up some real soft goals.

As for the Eagles, it's a new team and it's a young team. BC just has to do what they usually do best in order to win this game...Like I said, speed is always the key for BC, if guys can find some open ice and make plays, I think BC should win this game. Tomorrow, more so than maybe any other game because of Rawlings, BC just has to put the puck on net. Rawlings can be very good at times (like last seasons game @ BC) but when he is bad, he gives up a lot of bad rebounds. Just take a look at some highlights from last years BC Invitational first round game.

Look, tomorrow, is going to be a good game. That rink will be going nuts from start to finish so the Eagles are going to need to get it going early and often which can be tough in the first game.

Players to Watch- 

Kevin Roy- A real solid freshman forward for the Huskies. Can make a lot happen with the puck on his stick...need to keep an eye on him

Vinny Sapronari- Recorded 24 points last year. Had two assists in Wednesday's opener.

Ludwig Karlsson- Was first on the team a season ago with 26 points.

Best Line- Karlsson-Vermeersch-Sapronari

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Have to get it going early and often...need a good frist period.

2. Winning the battle of the special teams. Hopefully, BC stays away from taking a couple of bad penalties and converts when given the chances on the PP.

3. Get puck to Rawlings. Always a key when facing Northeastern...any puck on net tomorrow is a good puck on net...

Numbers- 

1. BC leads the all time series vs Northeastern 155-46-14

2. BC is 47-16-5 under Coach York vs Northeastern

3. BC has won 5 in a row vs Northeastern

Prediction- BC 3 Northeastern 2

Until next time,

GO EAGLES

BC Blanks New Brunswick 6-0

Pat Brown had a goal and an assist for BC

The defending National Champions got the season started on a nice note with a commanding 6-0 win over the visiting New Brunswick Varsity Reds in an exhibition game Friday game. The Eagles had goals from Johnny G, Destry Straight, Bill Arnold, Brooks Dyroff, Pat Brown, and Danny Linell on the night, meaning all four lines had at least one point for BC. After starting out a little bit sluggish, Johnny G was able to knock in a rebound off a Steven Whitney wrist shot, about midway through the first period. After hanging on to maintain the one goal advantage after twenty minutes, the Eagles blitzed a Varsity Reds team that looked tired and worn out in the second stanza as they surrendered  four second period goals to BC. In the third, BC continued to dominate the play but missed out on some chances before Danny Linell put home a nice dish from linemate Quinn Smith to close out the scoring.

Overall, I thought the team played some pretty solid hockey tonight. After a rough first period, I thought freshman defenseman Colin Sullivan and Teddy Doherty looked stronger in both zones for BC. One guy that was a pleasant  surprise was Travis Jeke who in my opinion, was the best of the freshman defenseman (besides Matheson) as he seemed to do a really good job in his own zone all night long. Matheson on the other hand was awesome. He has that great mixture of playmaking ability and toughness in his own zone that could really prove to be crucial in helping out the team this year. I thought Wey, Alber, and Macleod were all pretty solid tonight as they all helped in holding a New Brunswick team that defeated the Portland Pirates earlier this week, to just 18 shots on goal. All in all, a pretty solid night for a defensive unit that will need to be great next week @ Northeastern.

On the offensive side of things, it was nice to see some secondary scoring from guys like Pat Brown and Brooks Dyroff. Will the fourth line be scoring two goals every game for this team on a nightly basis ? No, but this game could be a nice boost for their confidence going into next weeks regular season opener. The first two lines were both very good tonight as they created a bunch of offensive chances throughout the night for the Eagles. Kevin Hayes and Bill Arnold both looked very good as they combined for three points on the night along with a power play goal for linemate, Destry Straight. Steven Whitney was the best player on the ice for the first line as those three all hooked up for the first goal of the contest. The power play wasn't bad but it will need to do better than just one goal in seven attempts as the season grows older.

All in all, the staff has got to be pretty happy with the way the team played tonight as a whole. Hopefully, it carries over to next weeks giant game @ Northeastern.

Until next time,

GO EAGLES !

Lineup For New Brunswick

Here is the lineup for BC's first game vs New Brunswick tonight at 7 PM.

Forwards- 

Johnny G- Mullane- Whitney

Hayes- Arnold- Straight

Smith- Sit- Linell

Spiro- Brown- Dyroff *

* Brendan Silk would normally be here but he is out tonight with an injury.

Defenseman- 

Wey- Doherty

Matheson- Alber

Macleod- Sullivan

Jeke will also play.

Out
Brendan Silk
Peter McMullen (most likely but could dress).

I'll have a full recap post game tonight. No preview.

Hockey East Predictions Part Two

#1- Boston College Eagles

Top Returnees- Johnny G, Steve Whitney, Pat Mullane, and Parker Milner.

Key Losses- Chris Kreider, Brian Dumoulin, and Barry Almeida.

 Last time I checked, we return three of our five best forwards from a year ago, the best goalie in the league, and add a first round pick on defense. O yea, and Coach York is still behind the bench. Season preview coming up later this week.


#2- Lowell River Hawks

Top Returnees- Scott Wilson, David Carr, and Chad Ruwhedel

Key Losses- David Vallonari and Michael Budd.

Coming off a fantastic 2011-12 campaign,  second year coach Norm Bazin and his River Hawks will look to build off a second place finish in Hockey East a season ago and a NCAA's second round exit. Wilson, Wetmore, and Ruwhedel are all very good players that will produce so I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks' gave the Eagles a run for their money during the regular season.


#3- New Hampshire Wildcats 

Top Returnees- Nick Sorkin, Kevin Goumas, and Casey DeSmith

Key Losses- Steve Moses and Damon Kipp.

After a horrible year last season, UNH is looking to make it back to the Garden and to the NCAA's. With a strong core of forwards and a solid defensive group, I believe we will see the Cats' back in the Garden and competing for a spot in the NCAA's. There could be some problems early on with Moses gone but they will improve as the season goes on.

#4- Providence College Friars 

Key Returnees- Tim Schaller, Ross Mauermann, and Drew Brown

Key Losses- Alex Beaudry, Danny New, and Mark Bergland

With a top recruiting class coming in this fall, Nate Lehman has his Friars primed to make a run back to the top of the Hockey East standings. If freshman Jon Gilles (goalie) and forward Mark Jankowski step up, the Friars could definitely be a team vying for home ice. However, if Gilles does not live up to his name in net , it could be another lost year in Friartown.


#5- Boston University Terriers 

Top Returnees- Matt Nieto and Wade Megan

Key Losses- Alex Chiasson, Adam Clendening, Chris Connolly, and Kieran Milan

Honestly, who knows where these guys will end up. Sure, Nieto is a great player and Megan had a hot finish last year season for the Terriers but freshman will need to step up all across the board for Jack Parker and his staff. If the freshman goalies don't get adjusted to the college game quickly, it could be another long season for these guys.

Hockey East Predictions Part 1. Teams 6-10

6. Northeastern Huskies 

Top Returnees- Vinny Saponari, Garrett Vermeersch, and Ludwig Karlsson 

Key Losses- Steve Quailer, Anthony Bitetto,  and Justin Daniels. 

 In his second year behind the bench, Northeastern coach Jim Madigan brings back a wealth of solid forwards, a group that some would argue is as deep as any team in the league. Last year, the Huskies had some great wins over teams like Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Boston University but were not able to play well down the stretch and ended up missing the Hockey East playoffs. With 5 star recruit Kevin Roy headed to NU this season, I think he will add even more skill and talent to an already deep front twelve. However, bad goaltending and inexperienced D could and probably will cost NU a chance at home ice and the NCAA tournament. 

7. Massachusetts Minutemen 

Top Returnees- Conor Sheary, Mike Pereira, and Joel Hanley 

Key Losses- TJ Syner and Danny Hobbs 

 New coach John Micheletto will learn a lot about his team in a very short amount of time as UMass opens the season with games vs BC, BU, and UNH  in the first four weeks of the year. Losing their two best offensive players from a year ago will hurt and the goaltending is still up in the air but if guys like Carzo, Power, and Kiely can step up and score goals, UMass should be headed back to the Hockey East playoffs. I don't see them going much further than that because it's not easy to adjust to a new coach and a new system in this league. 

8. Maine Black Bears 

Top Returnees- Joey Diamond, Kyle Beattie, and Adam Shemansky. 

Key Losses- Spencer Abbott, Matt Flynn, Will O'Neil, and Matt Mangene. 

After making it back to the NCAA's a season ago, things are looking bleak this season up in Orono after the Black Bears lost four of their top five scorers (two being defenseman). Joey Diamond was a scoring machine last year but I don't think he will be able to carry this team alone without the help of Abbott and Flynn, both of whom graduated last spring. On defense, Nick Pryor and Mark Nemec will lead an experienced group but up front, freshman Will Merchant and Devin Shore are going to need to step up and score goals immediately in order for this team to have any success.

9. Merrimack College Warriors 

Top Returnees- Mike Collins, Jordan Heywood, and Kyle Bigos 

Key Losses- Ryan Flanigan, Joe Cannata, and Jesse Todd 

No team loses three of their top four scorers, a Hobey Baker type goalie, and doesn't go through a rough patch (unless of course you're BC). The Warriors will struggle to put pucks in the net this season as no one emerges as a "go to guy" that can score on a consistant basis for this team. An experienced defense could help fill the hole left void by Joe Cannata in net but I don't expect the scoring and goaltending to be good enough for the Warriors to make it back to the playoffs. 

10. Vermont Catamounts 

Top Returnees- Connor Brickley, Kyle Reynolds, and Nick Bruneteau. 

Key Losses- Sebastian Stalberg, Drew MacKenzie, and Rob Madore. 

Last season was a terrible one to say the least for Kevin Sneddon and his staff. Things were looking a little bit better this season with a strong recruiting class coming in but once Zemgus Girgensons decided against going to UVM, things once again look grim in Catamount Country. If the freshman can step up and guys like Reynolds and Brickley put together stellar seasons, I could see this team making the playoffs but I wouldn't count on it. 

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow night. 

Hitting the Links- 

For a record setting fifth time, Boston College was picked first in the USCHO preseason poll. 

Here is a NEHJ article on Ryan Fitzgerald (13 recruit) 

Until next time, 

GO EAGLES !