Eagles Pick up Two Recruits

Over the course of the last two days, Boston College has picked up commitments. First is a  1996 birthdate named Tanner MacMaster from the Camerose Kodiaks of the AJHL. MacMaster has currently recorded 24 goals and 23 assist for the Kodiaks this season. MacMaster, a 5'10 forward from Calgary is currently slatted to arrive at the Heights in 2015.

Just this afternoon, the Eagles picked up a commitment from 6'3 forward Zach Sanford from the Middlesex Islanders of the EJHL. Sanford has recorded 12 goals and 24 assist so far this season for the Islanders and is expected to arrive in Chestnut Hill in the fall of 2014.

Obviously, these are two huge commitments for BC. Both players seem to have the ability to score goals and dish them out. I'm planning to have a recruiting chart up here in the near future to help sort out how this is all going to work out but for know, rest assured that the future is looking very bright for the Eagles .

Looking at Where BC Stands

Last night, Boston College didn't just lose to UMass-Lowell 4-2, they lost star forward Kevin Hayes for the remainder of the season due to a leg injury suffered in the second period. Hayes was immediately rushed to St. Elizabeth's hospital to undergo major surgery, which ended up being successful (thankfully). Obviously, this one is going to sting. I thought Kevin played really well through the first 40 minutes last night and it was clear that BC was a better team with him on the ice. Without him, every game from here on in is going to be a grind.

I'll get into some Lowell recap stuff later but right now, I think it's more important to look at the state of this team. I said last night that I wasn't worried at all because Lowell is a really good team and BC wasn't 100 %. Then I found out about Hayes' injury. It's really going to hurt this hockey team because they're already very thin on the offensive end. BC's third line of Pat Brown, Brooks Dyroff, and Quinn Smith, which had been playing really well as of late, struggled big time last night. Yes, Lowell is a very deep hockey team but BC can only get so far with their first two lines.

Remember the 2008 team that came into the Hockey East tournament as a team that was pretty good, but certainly didn't appear to be a National Championship team ? Well, this team is as close to that as you're going to get. Are my saying this team is going to win a championship ? No, because they just are not deep enough to win games when a guy like Johnny G is off.  How did the 2008 team win everything you may ask ? Two words. Nathan Gerbe. How is this team going to win anything this season ? Two words. Johnny Gaudreau. Yea, this team has talent around him that can really play but to be honest, this team goes as Johnny G goes. When he is on, this is a team that can win any game it wants to. When he isn't, then it's going to be really hard to win games.

That being said, I always say that every weekend is big in this league and while that may be true, none is bigger than this upcoming weekend for the Eagles. In fact, I'd dub Friday's game as the biggest game of the season for the Eagles. They need 4 points this weekend. If they can win @ Merrimack and compete with that Lowell team for 17 minutes in the third period without Hayes, then they can beat this Providence team (who will also be without it's third leading scorer Shane Luke and maybe defenseman Myles Harvey).

My thought on this team is this: They have just got to find a way to make it to the NCAA tournament as a 1,2, or 3 seed in Providence or Manchester because from there anything can happen. I look at this weekend as a huge opportunity for this team. Two wins, astonishingly, gets them right back in the hunt for a Number 1 seed with  just one week left in the regular season. If you ask me, I'd much rather be a 1 seed playing a team like Notre Dame or Niagara in the East than be a 3 seed and play a team like Denver in the first round.

Look, the bottom line is that BC needs two wins this weekend. I can't say it enough. Two W's basically clinches an NCAA berth for the Eagles, no matter what happens over the course of the next two/three weeks. They've got to find a way to do it.

Go Eagles.

Kevin Hayes IN the lineup tonight.

Here are BC's lines- Will be interesting to see if the staff moves Straight and Hayes as the game goes on.

Johnny G- Mullane-Linell

Straight- Arnold-Whitney

Smith-Brown-Dyroff

Hayes-Sit-Silk

Go Eagles.

Previewing the UMass Lowell River Hawks

After one of their biggest wins of the season @ Merrimack, the Boston College Eagles, now ranked #4 in the pairwise rankings, will face off against another red hot opponent. This time it will be the River Hawks of Lowell, a team that comes into this game winners of 4 straight games overall. This Hawks team is coming off a weekend sweep of Boston University (!) and they currently rank 11th in the pairwise standings. They continue to hold onto the final Hockey East home ice spot with 26 points so far this season (two behind league leaders BC, PC, and UNH). Let's first get this out of the way. The River Hawks are a very good hockey team and they're playing as well as anybody in the country right now. They have one of the deepest forward lineups in Hockey East, headed by Scott Wilson, Reilly Wetmore, Derek Arnold, and Joe Pendenza, who is their leading scorer with 28 points this season (12 G, 18 A.)  BC and Lowell have already played twice this season. The defending National Champs swept Lowell back in October, by scores of 1-0 and 6-3, respectively.

The biggest thing that has changed between then and now for Lowell is freshman Connor Hellebuyck who has taken over the starting job in net, defeating last year's playoff hero, Doug Carr. In fact, Hellebuyck has not lost a game since 11/30 @ New Hampshire. This weekend, he stopped 39 of 40 BU shots, with Friday being a 3-0 shutout win for Hellebuyck and the River Hawks. When I look at this Lowell team, I see a squad that has a really deep group of forwards (as mentioned above), a defensive corps that ranks up with the best in Hockey East, led by Jr Chad Ruwhedel and So Jake Suter. The River Hawks are currently third in the league in goals given up per game (2.34) and are also third in goals scored per game (3.07) Lowell is as complete a team as BC will see all season long. They can score, they can defend, they are solid both on the PK and the PP, and they continue to get great goaltending night in and night out. This all makes for a pretty lethal combination.

When I take a look at this matchup, I see two teams that are very even. I mean they're two of the best teams not just in Hockey East but in the whole country. I look for tomorrow to be a tough, up tempo style game with more goals scored than you saw in BC vs Merrimack. Lowell plays a style  similar to Boston College. They skate well north-south and they can create something out of nothing, much like BC can. This isn't going to be a game like Sunday's where we had a whistle every 15 seconds with a ton of dumping and changing. I expect to see a really entertaining style of hockey between two very good hockey teams come 7 O'clock tomorrow night.

Keys for the Eagles-

1. Staying out of the box. I might as well copy and paste this to every preview. The only two goal's given up vs Merrimack the past two weeks were power play goals. Can't be giving teams 5 on 3s for over a minute late in the third period, such as BC did Sunday.

2. Containing Lowell's big guns. This is something BU did just a horrible job of this weekend. Wilson and Pendenza lit O'Connor and Maguire up like Christmas trees on Friday and Saturday. Obviously, they're facing a different beast this time around with BC's two big lines.

3. I'd like to see BC open things up and get some more offensive chances tomorrow night. It was hard for the Eagles to get things rolling until the midway point last night. I'd like to see them get going and generating chances right from the get-go.

Scouting Lowell-

Pairwise Rank- 11th

Hockey East rank- 4th

Season series vs BC- 0-2

Leading Scorer- Joe Pendenza-28 points

Best wins- vs Providence @ Colorado College

Worst Loss- None really. Lost 2 vs Maine.

Go Eagles !

Kevin Hayes Back @ Practice

I walked into Conte Forum today and was pleasantly surprised when I saw #12 in gold on the ice. Yes, that means Kevin Hayes has been reinstated by Coach York and is now back on the team. I was not expecting Hayes to be back until Thursday or Friday at the earliest and I certainly did not think he would be on the ice today. I thought that since he had been out for over a week, Kevin would look a bit out of sorts. I was wrong. Not only did he skate well, but he looked ecstatic to be back on the ice. All the other guys seemed to welcome him with open arms and clearly forgave him for any mistakes he made. Give the guy credit, he bounced back quicker than anyone, even the staff, was expecting.

Now, I'm sure you all want to know if he is in the lineup tomorrow or not. Unfortunately, nobody knows for sure if he will play except for the staff but if he is back, all I will say is watch out for #12 in white tomorrow night.

Preview coming up later.

Go Eagles.

Eagles Get HUGE win @ Merrimack

The hallmark of Boston College hockey teams under Coach York has been that they play well in big games, especially when it comes to "trophy season". While there was no trophy on the line tonight, the Eagles got maybe their biggest victory of the season over the Merrimack Warriors thanks to a Quinn Smith overtime tally. Why was this such a big W ? A BC loss would have dropped them three or four spots in the pairwise, another spot in the Hockey East standings, and would mean that they would lose the tiebreaker to MC. Was it BC's best game of the year ? No, they were actually very sloppy at some points in the first half of the hockey game. They had to many careless turnovers which resulted in some good chances for the Warriors but as he usually is, Parker Milner was there for the big saves. One in particular stands out to me. Midway through the second period (game tied) Mike Matheson turned the puck over in the neutral zone, sending a MC forward in a breakaway looking to give his team the lead. Milner made not just a great initial save but also a huge rebound pad save, stopping the Warriors from taking the lead. The Warriors also had a long 5 on 3 in the third period but couldn't get anything by a rock solid Milner. Give credit to him. He knows he had a rough go of it vs UNH but thanks to some hard work with Coach Louge this week, he got his problems figured out and played one of his better games of the season.

While BC was badly outplayed in the first half of the game, they actually scored the first goal of the contest when Steven Whitney fired a vicious wrist shot past Marotta from just inside the blue line. Everybody (including myself) loves to go on and on about how Johnny G is the greatest thing we've seen since Gerbe but right now, Steven Whitney is the best player on this hockey team and in my opinion, he is the best player in college hockey. The thing about him though that Coach York alluded to after the game is that he is not just an offensive dynamite that doesn't do anything in the other two zones. He is what Coach York calls "a three zone player". Yes, he can shoot the puck better than almost anyone in the country but he can also play some real tough, physical defense. It's difficult to find players that are good in both zones...he is certainly one of the best we've had around here in a long time. However, about 5 minutes after the Whitney goal, Merrimack responded with a power play goal by Shawn Bates, tying the score up at 1. On the goal, it appeared that BC had a chance to clear but as you watch the reply, you'd see that Isaac Macleod accidently stepped on the puck, tough break for a guy that played a really good game tonight.

In the second half of the game, I thought BC got back to what they usually do best. They got out, found some open space, and created multiple opportunities on Marotta, who made two highlight reel goals on Danny Linell and Brooks Dyroff. BC kept attacking and appeared to be closing in on the goal ahead goal before Pat Wey and Steven Whitney took two penalties within a few seconds of each other, giving MC yet another power play. Thanks to save great killing by Quinn Smith, Mike Matheson, and Isaac Macleod, the Eagles were able to kill of the long 5 on 3 and actually didn't allow too many great chances for the Warriors. A lot of the shots came from outside the circles and were easy stops for Milner. Certainly good to see BC's penalty kill improving game by game.

After the Eagles barely missed out on a couple great chances late in the third, the game went in to OT where the Warriors defeated the Eagles just 9 days ago thanks to, you guessed it, a power play goal. This time though the game remained 5 on 5 and two of BC's hardest working players connected for what will go down as the season changing moment, should this team go on to do some great things in the spring. Pat Brown did a nice job of getting the puck on net and Quinn Smith did something he does o so well. He goes to the net and finds the puck. It sounds simple and all that but it's not. He always seems to find a way to get the puck in those tight spots. Just a great goal. 

Overall, this is certainly one of those wins that can really change the feeling in your locker room. The difference between a win today and a tie wouldn't have hurt BC too bad in terms of the pairwise but the feeling going back to Chestnut Hill on the bus this weekend was certainly a heck of a lot better than it was last Friday. Now the guys have to get ready for what is another big time tilt Tuesday night vs a red hot Lowell team.


Why BC Won-

1. Parker Milner bounced back in a big way. He was great tonight.

2. They've got the three (maybe four) best forwards in Hockey East. Say what you want but if you ask me, I wouldn't want to go to battle with anyone else besides Johnny G, Whitney, Arnold, and Mullane. When Hayes comes back, this team could get scary good with the level these guys are playing at right now.

3. That big penalty kill in the third.

Problems-

I thought BC was a bit sloppy at times tonight. If it wasn't for some big saves from #35, I don't know if BC would have won this game. As the game progressed, the Eagles got better but earlier on they looked pretty out of sorts.

Players of the game- Steven Whitney, Quinn Smith, and Parker Milner.

Next Up- Lowell on Tuesday night @ Conte.

GO EAGLES !

Preview the Merrimack College Warriors

Tonight, the #4 Boston College Eagles will travel up to North Andover to face a red hot Merrimack team in a game that will go a long way in deciding where BC will be placed in the NCAA tournament. Last weekend, the Eagles fell in overtime to a Warrior team that was rewarded with 9 power plays, including one in the overtime that eventually resulted in the game winning tally. That's  going to be the biggest key for BC tonight. Just stay out of the box. They're a better team than a lot of teams in the country when it comes to 5 on 5 hockey. The problem is they take way too many penalties. I've been saying this for a long time and to be honest, the penalties cost BC three or four points last weekend. They have got to find a way to stay out of the box. Now, besides the penalties, I thought BC played rather well vs the Warriors last Friday night, especially in their own end. If that continues and the Eagles can score like they did vs a fantastic UNH team last Sunday, then they should be able to pick up a win tonight. One thing BC did in both games last weekend that have not done all year was lose (or tie) a game after scoring the first goal. The Eagles are 13-1-3 this season when they are able to score the first goal. It is extremely important that they are able to score the first goal in this game. As you probably know by now, Parker Milner really struggled last weekend vs UNH. Actually, it was the first bad game he has played in quite some time so I'm not really that worried. I can tell you though that he has worked extra hard this weekend to tune up his game, so expect him to be ready to go.

As for Merrimack, they currently sit in first place in Hockey East (tied with Providence) and are 5-1-1 in their last 7 games. What Merrimack does real well is that they play their style of hockey. Last weekend, BC couldn't really get anything going on the offensive end because Merrimack dictated the style of play the game was played at. To change that, BC is going to have to get out in the open ice and skate. That's where they're at their best, not when they're playing a dump and chase defensive style of hockey that Merrimack likes to play. Unfortunately, BC will once again be without Kevin Hayes who continues to serve his suspension for an off ice issue. Look for guys like Quinn Smith and Destry Straight to get more playing time in his absence.

The bottom line is that this is a huge game. A BC win would put them back into a #1 spot in the NCAA tournament while a loss would put them back a couple of spots. A win would also go a long way in helping BC clinch home ice in the Hockey East playoffs. The Eagles are currently holding on to the fourth spot in the league but they have two games in hand on everybody else and a win would put them back in the #1 spot. Yea, this is a big one. Let's hope the guys are ready to go and are able to pick up a big road win up in North Andover.

Keys for the Eagles-

1. Staying out of the penalty box. It killed this team last weekend. They lost and tied because of the penalties. Maybe a reversal of fortunate could help the visiting team this time.

2. Scoring early. Merrimack doesn't score a lot of goal but they don't give up a ton either. Getting out to a quick one or two goal lead is crucial.

3. Not letting Merrimack have sustained pressure in the BC end. I thought there were too many times last weekend in which BC allowed Merrimack or UNH to posses the puck in their end for a long period of time. Let's see if that changes tonight.

Note- The game is on CBS College Sports. Puck drop is @ 4.

GO Eagles !

Entering the Stretch Run

I'm not going to write a whole recap about the UNH game but let me talk about a few things first before I dive into some other stuff. First off, I thought BC played really well for long periods of time on Sunday afternoon, when it wasn't a UNH power play, BC was the better team but unfortunately, they gave up four really soft goals and the blame certainly doesn't all go to Parker Milner. BC's defense looked bad for the first time in quite sometime. On the second UNH goal, Pat Wey and Teddy Doherty both got flat out beat by their respective guys and as a result, UNH tied the game. BC struggled behind their own net. Whether it was Milner who had a tough time moving from laterally or BC's defense that had a tough time getting sticks on pucks and getting it out, the Eagles struggled. I mean, they gave up 3 wrap around goals. On the offensive side of things, I was very pleased with the way BC played. Considering they're missing one of the top forwards in Hockey East (and they will be for some time) it's pretty amazing that they were able to score 4 goals vs the best defensive team in the league. Steven Whitney, Billy Arnold, and Pat Mullane all had very strong games for the Eagles.

All in all, BC needed at least a point on Sunday afternoon and if they didn't get it, they would have been in huge trouble. I know there were 4 points at stake this weekend and BC only came out with one, but the bottom line is I'm sure the staff saw a lot of good things in both games. The reason BC didn't win two games this weekend ? Penalties. They wouldn't have lost to Merrimack if it wasn't for some bogus call on Pat Mullane late in overtime and it's pretty tough to win games when you give your opponent 7 power plays, such as they did vs UNH on Sunday. 5 on 5, there probably aren't many teams in the country that are as good up front as BC is. Unfortunately, it's so difficult to score goals and win games when you're spending a third of the game on the penalty kill. The key for Sunday's HUGE game @ MC needs to be to stay out of the box. BC can win that game if they get the majority of power plays and good goaltending, if not, then it will be tough.

So, where does this weekend put the Eagles ? Listen, at BC they care about the Hockey East regular season title but that trophy matters very little. The goal for the Eagles right now is for them to put themselves in the best possible position to try and win an NCAA Championship. As of today, BC is projected to be in the Northeast bracket (Manchester) facing off against a very good Denver Pioneers team. Should BC win these next couple of games vs Merrimack and Lowell, they could move up to the #2 overall seed and play a team like Notre Dame or Union in the first round. Of course, a lot is going to happen between now and the end of the season but BC has a huge pairwise game coming up on Sunday afternoon, not to mention they're a point behind the Warriors in the Hockey East standings and are looking to take the deciding game in the season series. As for the Hockey East playoffs, if UMass beats Northeastern tonight, then BC would be playing Vermont in the first round at home. Should Northeastern beat the Minutemen, BC would still be at home versus the Catamounts.

Basically, I think this team is in good shape to make a run in Hockey East and get a good seed in the NCAA tournament. If you're a BC fan, root for Quinnipiac, UNH, and Miami all to keep losing. If those teams start to fall, then BC will move ahead (assuming they win) of them in the pairwise. Also, we want teams like UMass and Vermont to make it above the TUC line so it helps BC's TUC record.

It's a confusing process and all, but right now I can make it very simple for you. If BC beats Merrimack on Sunday in North Andover, they are putting themselves in as good a spot as they possibly can to get a 1 seed in the East.

Go Eagles.

Previewing the #5 New Hampshire Wildcats

This afternoon, Boston College will look to claim what would be one of it's biggest wins of the season over the 5th ranked UNH Wildcats @ Conte Forum. BC and UNH have met twice already this season with BC winning the first meeting and UNH winning the second. BC rolled over UNH in the first meeting but was snake bitten by penalties throughout the second contest, resulting in a tough 2-1 loss up at the Whittemore Center. The Wildcats, a team that spent some time atop the USCHO poll earlier this year, have been in a bit of a slump as they're coming off a loss and a tie vs Providence and a blowout loss at home vs Merrimack. As for BC, they will once again be without suspended forward Kevin Hayes, who will be replaced with Destry Straight on BC's second line with Billy Arnold and Steven Whitney.

Leading UNH this season has been forwards Kevin Goumas and Grayson Downing, both of whom have recorded 10 or more goals. UNH, not unlike Merrimack, wins with their defense though as they lead Hockey East in penalty kill, goals given up per game, and rank last in penalties taken per game. Goalie Casey DeSmith, who was bad in the first BC game but terrific in the second, has been hot as of late, giving up just a goal Wednesday night @ PC, making a total of 36 stops. I think DeSmith is one of those guys that can be one of the top goalies in the league at some points but can also be one of the worst. Such as we saw a month ago vs the Eagles. He gave up 5 goals on 19 shots in the first game @ BC but then responded with 22 saves on 23 BC shots up in Durham the very next night.

So, what was the difference between BC beating UNH and BC losing to them the next night ? Penalties. I mean, think of how many games BC has lost because they have taken so many penalties. There's got to be 3 or 4 games that the Eagles have lost in large part because they took so many penalties. In the last UNH game, Mike Matheson was thrown out midway through the second period, leaving BC without their best defenseman for much of the contest. The Eagles gave the Wildcats a full two minute 5 on 3 along with a 5 minute power play on that night. Hard to win games with numbers like those.


Anyways, this is a huge game for the Eagles. The top four teams in the league are separated by just three points and with Merrimack going to Providence this afternoon, the standings could look totally different by nights end. The real reason why this game is big though is because if BC were to lose, they would drop 4 or 5 spots in the pairwise. A win would move them back into the conversation for a #1 seed. More often than not, we see BC Hockey teams play their best in big games. Hopefully, that continues tonight.

Keys for the Eagles

1. Stay out of the box. BC was the better team in both games between these two earlier this year. They lost the second one because they just couldn't avoid the penalty box.

2. Secondary scoring. With Hayes out, guys like Quinn Smith and Destry Straight are going to need to score some goals tonight. Both played real well vs MC (Smith had a goal) so hopefully, that continues.

3. The power play. BC is doing everything but scoring on their man advantages. They move it well, get good shots, and have good entries but they're just not scoring. Need to start putting the puck in the back of the net.

Scouting UNH

Pairwise rank- 4th

Hockey East standings- 3rd

Season series- 1 to 1

Best Wins- vs BC, @ Denver, vs St Cloud St (x2)

Worst Loss-  @ UMass

Leading Scorer- Kevin Goumas (10-22-32)

Go Eagles !

Warriors Stun Boston College In OT

The Kevin Hayes-less Boston College Eagles blew a late lead up in North Andover on Friday night as they fell to the Merrimack Warriors 2-1 in overtime. I'll make this post short so I can get on to my UNH preview later today. I thought BC battled real hard Friday night. They played well in their own end, created some chances here and there, and kept Merrimack from generating anything on the PP for a long period of time.  Unfortunately, you can't give your opponent 9 power plays and expect to win the game. Whether the refs were good or bad (and let the record show that it was the worst officiated game of all time) the bottom line is you can't take penalties, especially in OT. For the first 8 Merrimack power plays, BC did a phenomenal job as they kept the MC scoring chances to a bare minimum.

On the offensive end, it was clear that BC missed Kevin Hayes and until he comes back, there could be some real struggles on the scoring end. I thought Destry Straight played one of his stronger games of the year in place of Hayes but the bottom line is he can't fill those shoes. The Hayes, Arnold, Whitney line was probably one of the strongest in the nation. When you lose a guy like Kevin, it just changes everything. He is a magician with the puck. He has some of those attributes that you just can't replace, no matter who you put in there.

Merrimack is a really tough place to win and give them credit, they played the game at their pace and eventually took advantage. Honestly, it's like playing golf and missing their straight putts do to lip-outs. That's what it felt like. BC would create chances and have the puck in the Warrior end for  long periods of time but they just couldn't avoid staying out of the box. Actually, a lot of the calls were ones that were totally unnecessary ,such as the final interference call on Pat Mullane in OT. Now, I'm not going to say that BC would have won this game if it wasn't for the refs and all that because that would be taking away from Merrimack's efforts. They played really hard and their goalie made some phenomenal stops, including a handful of breakaway saves on Johnny G.

I'll have my UNH preview later.

Why BC Lost-

1. You can't give your opponent nine power plays. Who cares if they were bad calls or not ? You've got to stay out of the box and limit other teams chances.

2. BC couldn't find a way to get some separation. You just knew Merrimack was going to eventually tie the game. Thanks to some great saves from Marotta, the Eagles could not find a way to make it a two goal contest.

3. They were missing one of the elite play makers in the country. You just can't replace a guy like Kevin Hayes. Hopefully, he gets his act together and comes back ASAP.

Positives

I thought BC played extremely hard two nights ago. They battled to the very end and it was clear that the effort was there in both ends. If they can continue to play like that night in and night out, I think they'll keep winning hockey games.

UNH preview up later.

Kevin Hayes Suspended Indefinitly

Yesterday, before Boston College's game @ Merrimack, Coach York announced that he had suspended Kevin Hayes for violation of team rules. BC went on to lose the game in OT, clearly missing Hayes' offensive ability throughout the night. Here is all I can tell you about the suspension.

1. It was a violation of team rules, not NCAA rules.

2. Hayes practiced all week long with the team, including Thursday's practice. Everything appeared to be fine.

3. Coach York says he will evaluate Kevin and see how he responds to the suspension as time goes on.

4. If it is a question of whether he will be back or not, I would say yes, there is a good chance that he will be back (assuming all goes well from here on out. I don't have any specifics or anything to share...just that it's a violation of team rules.

I'll have the recap plus a UNH preview up later tonight.

Previewing the Merrimack College Warriors

Tomorrow night the #4 Boston College Eagles will look to ride their BC Invitational momentum into a huge date with the second place (In Hockey East) Merrimack Warriors @ Lawler Arena in North Andover. The Eagles and Warriors have met once so far this season with Boston College coming out on top in thrilling fashion, winning 4-3 after being down 3-0 early in the second period. Look, BC is playing real well right now but the hottest team in Hockey East might just be Merrimack. They're coming off wins vs UMass, Lowell, and UNH (on the road). This Merrimack team is not stacked with talent like they were in 2011 but they have a deep lineup, especially on their blue line as they're led by senior Kyle Bigos and rising junior Jordan Heywood. Both of whom rank as some of the top defenseman in Hockey East. The Warriors play a defensive first style of hockey that starts with solid play from these two and goalie Sam Marotta, someone that struggled at the beginning of the year but has definitely been one of the hottest goalies in the East over the past few weeks. Expect them to play their typical neutral zone trap game. They are going to try and do what Northeastern did in the first period on Monday night. Blog passing lanes, don't give BC anything through the neutral zone, and try to limit the Eagles' offensive chances. The problem for the Warriors is that they have yet to play a team with the type of speed and skill that BC has, especially on it's top couple of lines. BC has got to find a way dictate the pace in this game. The Eagles play as up tempo of a style as you will see anywhere in college hockey. Merrimack plays the exact opposite style, and it works...IF they get good goaltending. Look for the Eagles to do what they did vs Rawlings on Monday night. Try to get Marotta moving laterally as much as possible and try to get as many pucks to the net as they possibly can. If I remember correctly, this guys gave up a ton of rebounds earlier this season in Chestnut Hill. Get the puck to the net and crash on any rebound chances.

Now, if you've been to Lawler Arena, you'd know it's as big of a home ice advantage as you can possibly have. It's small and it's very loud for games like Boston College. The small ice surface has given the Eagles their fair share of fits over the past few season as they are 1-3 in their last 4 games there. The win came last season when Paul Carey scored a late third period goal. They say the ice is the same as Conte and other Hockey East rinks but I don't believe it. The surface looks smaller, the corners are tighter which gives BC less room to get out and skate. That's why they've had a hard time up there.

As for the lineups, I think the Eagles matchup rather well vs Merrimack. The Warriors have just one player (Mike Collins) that has scored more than 5 goals this season. Not to mention he had a rough game earlier this year vs the defending National Champs, going for 0 points and a -1 rating. Look for the staff to either put out the Arnold or Mullane line vs Collins' line every time they're on the ice. On Monday, the Mullane line started out versus Roy's line but as the game grew older, they started to put Arnold, Hayes, and Whitney against NU's big three. We'll see what happens tomorrow. The Warriors don't score a ton of goals (they rank 7th in HEA in goals per game) but they do what every Mark Dennehy team does, play really good team defense. As of tonight, Merrimack ranks 2nd in the league in goals given up per game as they've only allowed an average of 2.39 per game so far this season.  In terms of special teams, Merrimack has the 7th best power play in Hockey East (15%) and the 3rd ranked PK (84.8%).

This is a huge game. There is no other way to say it. The winner gets sole possession of first place and a victory for the Eagles would give them the season series plus a multiple game cushion over both MC and UNH (Sundays opponent). I look for BC to just try and continue what they did on Monday night. Get out and create odd man rushes, pounce on rebounds, drive to the net, and on the defensive end, just avoid dumb turnovers. The improvement I've seen in this team from the weekend in Maine weekend to now has been dramatic. Let's hope it continues tomorrow night.

Keys for BC-

1. Pressure this goalie. If Merrimack is going to win, let it be because Sam Marotta played the game of his life. This is his first home game against Boston College and there can be a lot of pressure. Test him early and often.

2. Don't go down 3-0 Again. Don't expect the Warriors to let up a 3 goal lead again, especially at home.

3. Convert on power play chances. The PP wasn't great on Monday night...probably the only rough spot I took out of the game actually. Expect both units to get back to their A games tomorrow night.

Scouting Merrimack-

Pairwise Rank- 20

Hockey East Standings- 2nd (one point behind BC)

Leading Scorer- Mike Collins 15-19-34

Best Wins- Vs UNH (x2), @ PC,

Worst Losses- @ Alaska Anchorage, vs UConn

Go Eagles !

BC INVITATIONAL !

They did it. Four straight Beanpots. For so long the Beanpot was this two game tournament that haunted Boston College and their fans for nearly three decades from the 70's through the 90's. The First two Monday's in February used to have this feeling around them of "let's show up and hope to give BU a run for their money". The class of 2013 has changed all that. Thanks to a two goal performance from Johnny G, and outstanding game from defenseman Mike Matheson, and some huge saves late in the contest by Parker Milner, the Boston College Eagles continued their reign of dominance over the Beanpot tournament, winning their 4th consecutive and 5th in the last 6 years with thrilling 6-3 win over rival Northeastern. Let's just take a second and think about this awesome senior class we have. Yes, the ride is nowhere near over but no matter what happens at the end of this season, these guys can always tell anyone that they won 4 straight Beanpots.

As for the game itself, I though Northeastern did a really good job of slowing the game down and clogging up passing lanes in the first period. Despite both clubs having numerous power play chances throughout the first 20 minutes, there weren't a ton of really good scoring opportunities, thanks in part to both defensive units and goaltenders. On BC's power play chances, they continued to move it around well at times but there were a lot of shots from the perimeter, many of which were blocked by Huskie defenders. BC had a multitude of chances when it was 5 on 5 but were denied by the post 3 or 4 times. On one power play, Steven Whitney made a sweet dish to Billy Arnold who went in on a breakaway but was stopped short by the crossbar. BC also had a couple of scrambles right in front of Rawlings, but the NU senior was up to the task. Well, at first he was.

The second period was all BC. The Huskies continued to clog lanes for the first 8 or 9 minutes of the period but suddenly BC started to open things up and were rewarded with a Bill Arnold goal. The tally was made possible thanks to a bad NU turnover in the neutral zone, in which Kevin Hayes took advantage of by creating a 3 on 2 rush for the Eagles. Once Hayes saw that he had numbers, he slid the puck over the Arnold to make it 1-0. They've only been together for a couple of games but the line of Steven Whitney, Billy Arnold, and Kevin Hayes is playing some top notch hockey. They were forced to go against one of the better top lines in Hockey East for much of the game but they did not step down. They created lots of odd man rushes and grade A chances as the night went on. The second BC goal came moments later when Johnny G won a battle behind Rawlings, brought the puck out in front, and stuffed it home for his 14th goal of the year. This was just a great effort from a great player. He got the puck deep in the NU end, won a battle for the puck, and like he normally does, finished it off. This is the difference between the BC team that won a Beanpot championship and the BC team that lost at home to Maine. They won battles all night long. The little things are the biggest things in hockey. Getting pucks deep, finishing check, staying out of the box, and avoiding bad turnovers are huge in games like last nights. For the most part, I thought the Eagles did a phenomenal job of doing these things. Once Northeastern freshman phenom Kevin Roy got the Huskies back into the game with a strike shortly after Johnny's, BC responded well with a huge goal from rising forward Pat Brown. Unfortunately, you give out MVP's of tournaments based on stats and records. If you based the award of pure toughness and determination, Pat Brown would run away with it. He was awesome these past two games. When Brown, Smith, and Dyroff are playing like they were last night and vs Harvard, this is a very good hockey team because it adds another line that can be a scoring threat. Are they going to be as dangerous as the first two lines ? No, but they can develop into one of the better third or fourth lines in the league with the way they're playing right now.

The fourth BC goal was the killer for the Huskies. The goal, scored by Steven Whitney, was tallied with .4 second left in the second. The goal was all made possible because of great hustle from Billy Arnold. After getting the puck towards Rawlings (always a smart move) Arnold noticed that the NU goalie was going to the play the puck to his left so he flew over there, picked off the pass, passed it over to Steve Whitney, who patiently waited to make a nice move before firing it pass Rawlings. The key for BC was to just get the puck towards this Rawlings guy. Early on, you saw guys shooting from everywhere just to see if Rawlings brought his game with him. So, all things seemed to be under control heading into the third period. The Eagles were just 20 minutes from a Beanpot championship. Then Roy struck again, this time just 11 seconds into the third stanza on a wrist shot from inside the blue line. One that Parker Milner would certainly love to have back. The Huskies now had a bit of momentum. When Steven Whitney was called tripping just minutes after the Roy goal, the Eagles were in dire need of a big kill. They didn't get it. Braden Pimm deflected a Vinny Saponari shot from the point past Parker with 16 minutes remaining in the game. Suddenly, we had a game.

Honestly, I thought BC played some of it's best hockey of the year after the third Northeastern goal. They got back to what they were doing in the second period. They created a bunch of odd man rushes, played solid defense, and were able to stay out of the box. However, despite outplaying NU for much of the second half of the period, BC still was only up one goal and it was just a matter of time before the Huskies got the game tying tally. Then Mike Matheson showed why he is the best defenseman in the league. Steven Whitney pounced on a puck in the neutral zone but BC decided they need a line change, leaving Whitney with no reinforcements entering the NU zone. Like he always does so well, Matheson jumped into the offensive zone, received a pass from Whitney, skated around three Huskies, and dished it over to a streaking Johnny G who easily tapped the puck past Rawlings to put the game on ice. It was three of the most talented players in the country hooking up for one of the most memorable goals in recent Beanpot memory. Steve Whitney could have just dumped the puck in and changed but instead he had the presence of mind to make something out of nothing. Matheson received the pass and made two or three eye opening moves around the Huskie defenders before giving it up to Johnny G who did what he usually does. Just three awesome plays combined to make one sweet goal. BC easily finished off the game with a power play empty net goal from senior captain Pat Mullane to make it 6-3. Certainly a fitting end for a guy that has done so much for this school and this program.

Two weeks ago I walked out of Conte Forum saying to myself this team had zero chance of making home ice in Hockey East after being swept at home vs a Maine team that had won something like 5 games all year. I saw improvements in the win vs Vermont but I still wasn't completely sold that this team could go out on back to back weeks and win a Beanpot Championship. This team and this coaching staff (thankfully) proved me dead wrong. Winning trophies is not an easy task, especially when your team has been down in the dumps for a couple weeks after losses to teams such as UMass and Maine. They could have thrown it in the towel. But they didn't. They fought and they worked each and every day over the course of these past two weeks to become the best hockey team they could possibly be on one of the biggest and brightest stages this sport has to offer.

Finally, to the seniors, what an accomplishment you guys fulfilled last night. I could sit here and write about what great players Pat Mullane, Steve Whitney, Books Dyroff, Pat Wey, Patch Alber, and Parker Milner are but they're not just great players. They're outstanding ambassadors of Boston College. I mean how many captains will get up in front of 60 something media members and give a two minute thank you to the fans ? Yhea, Pat Mullane did that last night. These guys never let this team quit, even during the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. Just an unreal accomplishment by a group of outstanding young leaders that have certainly made their mark on this program.

Welcome to the BC Invitational.

Why BC Won-

1. Your best players need to be great in big games. Whitney, Johnny G, Arnold, Mullane, and Matheson played some great hockey tonight.

2. Huge saves by Parker Milner. Yes, he gave up two pretty soft goals but he made a big breakaway save on Kevin Roy midway through the third that preserved the lead for BC.

My Beanpot MVP (For BC)- A tie between Johnny G and Mike Matheson.

Note- Awesome going by Harvard last night. Great seeing those guys from down the street come in dead last. No more of this "BU Invitational" crap.

GO EAGLES !

Previewing the Northeastern Huskies

 

Tomorrow night, the Boston College Eagles will look to capture Beanpot #18 versus cross town rival, Northeastern, a team they have beaten twice already this season. This will be the first championship appearance for Northeastern under second year head coach Jim Madigan as they got clobbered by Boston College last season in the first round by a score of 7-1. The Huskies have had a little bit of a rough go of it this season but they changed all that with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Boston University last Monday. The Huskies and the Eagles met nearly three weeks ago on Huntington Ave, a game in which BC needed to win to keep their season from getting out of hand. BC didn't just win that game. They absolutely dismantled the Huskies by a 9-3 count, the most goals BC has scored in over a year. In the other two meetings this season, Northeastern defeated BC on opening night by a 3-1 margin before the defending champs responded with a solid 3-0 victory on Banner Night a week later. Honestly, I don't think the staff will have the players watch too much tape this week because we know them very well and they know us very well. One piece that BC didn't have in it's latest win over NU was start defenseman Mike Matheson who didn't make it past the one minute mark of the first period of that game @ Matthews Arena. As you've seen in the two games since his return, #5 makes a huge difference on both sides of the puck. Like I said yesterday, I expect that him and Isaac Macleod will be paired together to face the powerful line of Kevin Roy-Garret Vermeersch-Vinny Saponari.

As for that big line of Roy, Saponari, and Vermeersch, it's basically the Huskies' three best offensive players bunched into one line. Yes, they have two other lines that score at times but tomorrow they will be tested vs perhaps the top two lines in the country. They played well vs BU's big line because that line is very similar to them. They're talented but their not necessarily quick. Well, not BC quick. Obviously, the big matchup will be to see how our big lines matchup vs their big three. If you watched NU's game vs BU, you saw how dominant Kevin Roy can be when he's got time and space. However, in the last two games vs BC he has been a complete non-factor and his plus minus overall against the Eagles is currently at -2. If you're the Eagles defense, you've just got to find a way to keep him away from the net and be sure to not give him space inside the blue line. As for the other matchups up front, I think BC matches pretty well. The Eagles have two really strong scoring lines that can score at any time and they've got a third line that is starting to play like a BC third line normally does. They get pucks deep, they battle hard, and they're starting to score goals. I look for a big night from the Quinn Smith, Pat Brown, and Brooks Dyroff combination.

If you read my post last night, you'd notice that I kept mentioning how BC needs to attack this Northeastern D. That's basically what's going to be what decides this game for the Eagles. Every time a puck goes into the NU corner and is up for grabs, I look for the Eagles to put a ton of pressure on. Don't give these guys a free pass out of their zone. Send one guy in hard with a trailer and leave someone stranded just outside the faceoff circle. The point is that BC needs to put Northeastern in a position where they don't know what to do with the puck. The Huskies turned it over numerous times three weeks ago vs BC's speedy attack. Hopefully, that continues tomorrow.

Whatever happens tomorrow night, I'm sure it's going to be another classic Beanpot final. Does BC have the advantage ? Yup, but never underestimate what a team can do when the Beanpot rolls around. Northeastern is going to play this game like it's their National Championship. They're going to come out flying in every phase of the game. For BC, they've just got to find a way to control that, much like they did vs Harvard, and once it settles down, take the game over. If the Eagles can do those things, I think you'll see a lot of happy maroon and gold clad people walking out The Garden tomorrow night.

Keys for the Eagles

1. Avoid giving Roy time and space. Keep someone on him and make sure he doesn't sneak by the defenseman.

2. Get shots on Chris Rawlings. If NU is going to have a chance, Rawlings is going to need to play out of his mind. That doesn't happen often. Shots, shots, shots.

3. Win the battle of the special teams. In games like these, power plays and penalty kills are huge. I thought BC moved it around real well vs Harvard. Power plays are huge momentum swingers when they're capitalized on.

Best Opposing line- Roy-Vermeersch-Saponari

Scouting the Huskies-

Pairwise rank- N/R

Hockey East Standings- 10th

Leading scorer- Kevin Roy (15-15-30)

All time series- Boston College is 157-47-14 all time vs NU and is 30-8 all time vs NU in the Beanpot.

Injury Notes- Colin Sullivan is IN.

Go Eagles.

Preparing for the Beanpot

As you all know by now, BC's game vs Lowell was postponed to February 26th due to the heavy snow storms we've had around New England. To be honest, I kind of like the fact that BC gets the extra day off because I think it will help them reinforce all of their focus on the big one Monday night. BC's got to have the mindset of "it's us against the world" on Monday night. It's no secret that the rest of the college hockey world is rooting for Northeastern and quite honestly, the Beanpot needs the Huskies to pull off a stunning upset. Many college hockey fanatics are saying that the Beanpot is losing some of it's luster because of BC and BU totally dominating it and I guess I agree to some extent. I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to find any non BC fan rooting for the Eagles on Monday night. Even some noted Boston media members have tweeted that even though they are not supposed to root for anyone, they will be supporting the Huskies. That's when you know it's you vs the world.

As for the game itself, one of two things is going to happen. Either Northeastern comes out really inspired and gets some great goaltending to keep the game close or the good guys absolutely blow them out of the building such as they did three weeks ago. It's the Beanpot and therefore, I highly doubt Jim Madigan's team will come out uninspired when the puck drops at 7:30. As I watched NU's game vs the Terriers last Monday, it stood out to me (like it probably did to everyone else  watching) that this Kevin Roy kid can really change a game with his speed and skill. However, BC's defense completely shut him down in two of the three meetings this season as he was -2 in the three games combined vs the defending champs. I would expect that the staff will match the Gaudreau line with Matheson and Macleod on D versus the Roy-Saponari-Vermeersch line on Monday night. Matheson and Macleod are BC's two best defensive defenseman so we shall see what Roy is able to do vs them. For much of the game vs Harvard, I noticed that the staff rolled three lines instead of four as the Straight, Sit, and Silk line didn't play a regular shift. It's not like they have been awful on the ice as much as it's been the third line has played some really good hockey. I'm not sure if that will continue but if I had to guess, it would be that the fourth line plays a little bit more on Monday night.

Any time the Eagles play Chris Rawlings and Northeastern, there is one main key. Shoot the puck from anywhere inside the blue line. Anywhere. Rawlings has played one or two real good games vs Boston College over the course of his NU career but as you saw three weeks ago, when he is bad, he is really bad. The Eagles have got to find a way to shoot at all times and get this guy moving laterally. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Rawlings give up a soft goal because he is way out of position. When he goes out to control the puck, attack. Northeastern's defense is as young and inexperienced as you can get. I'd like to see BC get the puck out in transition, spread out their D, and attack the net. Just attack, attack, attack. As you can see, the big key for BC is to just flat out attack these guys. Don't lay back and let them take it to us. Force them to turn it over and coerce Rawlings into a position where he is going to have to win the game for them. If the Eagles are generating odd man rushes and attacking for the full 60 minutes, I think we might just see another Beanpot trophy making it's way to the good side of Comm Ave late Monday night.

Go Eagles.

Preview coming tomorrow.

BC Lowell Postponed To Tuesday February 26th

Sullivan Back

Freshman Colin Sullivan has returned to practice this week after suffering an upper body injury two weeks ago vs Maine. Sullivan's injury means BC defense is as close to 100% as they'll be all year as Patch Alber remains to be sidelined with his torn meniscus. BC will (hopefully) play Lowell Friday night @ Conte Forum before looking to capture Beanpot #18 on Monday.

Go Eagles.

Quinn Smith Leads Eagles to Beanpot Finals



Quinn Smith Celebrates his second goal. Photo by John Quackenbos.

Over the course of the past 61 years, the Beanpot has never failed to amaze and it certainly has always been a spotlight for even the small role players to shine. Last night, Quinn Smith, a guy that had just one goal in his whole career before three weeks ago, scored two crucial late period goals to lift the Boston College Eagles into the Beanpot finals where they will face the Northeastern Huskies next Monday night. I didn't think BC played well tonight. I thought they played absolutely outstanding from puck drop up to the final horn. All four lines were buzzing including the newly formed "big" line of Kevin Hayes, Billy Arnold, and Steven Whitney. BC looked good right from the start when Johnny G dished one out to Pat Mullane in the slot but Mullane barely missed it and therefore missed a wide open net. Even though they didn't score, it was the first of many shifts in which BC was buzzing all around the Harvard net. They got pucks deep, cycled well, and created lots of great chances on Harvard goalie Raphael Girard. I thought the third line of Pat Brown, Books Dyroff, and Quinn Smith played their second consecutive outstanding game. These guys are starting to figure out what their roles are. Get pucks deep, keep it in the zone, set a physical presence, and most of all, get pucks to the net. Last night they did that and as a result, they had a pair of goals. If you've watched him at all this year, you'd see that Pat Brown is one tough guy. I mean, he'll do anything to block a shot...even if it means getting a puck right to the ankle (happened in the first period last night). Just goes show how much he is committed to helping out this team in any way he can. I also thought Brooks Dyroff did a nice job of playing physical out there. BC doesn't have a ton of real physical guys but Dyroff is certainly one of them. You could see that a couple of his hits early on got the bench pumped up. Little things like blocking shots and making big hits can go a long way towards a victory.

As for the first two lines, I thought the Johnny G line was good but I thought the Hayes line was sensational. Hayes is a magician with the puck, Arnold will do just about anything on the ice for you, and Steven Whitney can finish better than anyone in the country. Makes for a pretty deadly combination. After Harvard's first goal midway through the third, BC continued to dominate the play but they just couldn't find the back of the net. Whitney changed that when he picked up the puck in the neutral zone and fired one so hard past Girard that I think he's still trying to figure out how it went in. While they didn't have a point, I thought Johnny G and Pat Mullane played well at times tonight. There were a couple instances where BC got caught up in their offensive end and Mullane saved a couple of Harvard odd man rushes thanks to his back checking. Back checking is just pure effort. It shows who's going to go that extra step to try and win a Beanpot championship. Pat Mullane certainly showed what he feels about trying to win this tournament with his defensive zone efforts last night.

People will try and taunt BC's young defense all they want but the bottom line is that they played rock solid last night. I said earlier this year that I think Mike Matheson could be the best defenseman in Hockey East by the time this season is all said and done. I think he is starting to make me look half intelligent with his play in both ends right now. Everybody knows about his offensive skill (I mean just look at the third BC goal) but his play in his own zone has dramatically improved from day one to now. I always say that opponents have a tough time scoring when he's on the ice because of his speed, skill, and toughness. As of today, he has the highest plus minus of any defenseman in the league. I don't think one defenseman played poorly last night. It took a few minutes for Jeke and Doherty to get the Beanpot jitters out of their system but once they did, they played some good hockey.

All in all, things are looking really good right now. I know, it's a couple of wins vs some average hockey teams but BC is clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Their power play looks as lethal as it has all year, the offense looks like it's back it's pre-December form, and the defense is playing as well as it has all year. Now, it's time get a key Hockey East win vs Lowell on Friday night before focusing on winning another Beanpot championship.

Why BC Won-

1. Total domination. First game this team has totally dominated in quite some time. A lot of guys played really, really well last night for BC.

2. Parker Milner made some huge saves early on. Harvard had a chance to tie it up on a breakaway early in the second but Milner was their like he was all night long.

3. Big games from unheralded players. Congrats to Quinn Smith on his special night. Certainly something he will never forget.

Player of the game- Quinn Smith

Next up- Lowell on Friday @ home.

Note- Congrats to Northeastern on smoking those guys from down the street. First time since 1964 a BU senior class will go without a Beanpot. How awesome.


GO EAGLES !

Previewing the Harvard Crimson

The legendary John " Snooks" Kelly once called the Beanpot the  "greatest social and athletic event in the world". Tomorrow night at 5 Pm, it will kick off it's 61st addition when BU meets Northeastern. The late game will feature the 3x defending champion Boston College Eagles vs ECAC rival Harvard. If you've read the blog during the Beanpot you'd know that this tournament is my favorite event of the season and personally, I think this team has a great chance to keep the coveted trophy on Chestnut Hill. The first test will come against a talented yet depleted Harvard Crimson team that has lost 7 seven straight and currently boast a 5-14-1 record overall. I hope the staff has one message for the guys this weekend. Anything can and anything will happen in the Beanpot. This tournament is where teams revitalize their seasons. I watched this Harvard team play BU @ the Jack Parker Rink and come back from a 3 goal deficit in the third period. They have the talent to catch BC off guard if the Eagles ply like they did vs Maine. Harvard's got guys like Vesey, Fallstrom, and Blackwell who can play at a very high level. They're quick, their skilled, and they will certainly make BC play if the Eagles are caught falling asleep in their own end. As for BC, they're coming off one of their stronger performances in quite some time as they easily defeated the Vermont Catamounts 4-1 on Friday night. People will tell you that Vermont stinks and all that but the bottom line is that BC didn't just get a must needed win, they played a game in which all four lines and the defense played really solid. I thought all four offensive lines did a great job in all three zones and created a ton of chances on UVM goalie Brody Hoffman throughout the game. Getting chances is one thing but capitalizing on them is another. The Eagles should have had 6 or 7 goals Friday night but they failed to finish at key junctures in the first period. I look at guys like Destry Straight and Danny Linell to start stepping up and scoring because quite honestly, they should both have a lot more goals than they currently have. I thought Linell played well with Johnny G and Mullane but he needs to find a way to start putting the puck in the net.

Overall, I thought all four lines played well vs UVM but I especially liked the way the fourth line of Quinn Smith-Pat Brown-Brooks Dyroff. When BC is able to roll four lines like that on a consistent basis, they're a much better hockey team. Hopefully, that continues tomorrow night. Believe it or not, these new lines make BC the deepest team in the tournament this season. BU, NU, and especially Harvard are all very thin up front. On Friday night, BC had four lines that were generating offensive chances, not just two. On the defensive side of things, BC just needs to build off what they did Friday. They covered well in their own zone, avoided turnovers, and made smart decisions in all three zones. That's got to continue tomorrow night. One thing I would like to see improve is BC's power play. In order to win in trophy season, you've got to find a way to score on the man advantage. BC has done that in years past and they've got to find a way to do it tomorrow night. With Matheson back, it gives BC two equally powerful units that can score. I look for them to capitalize when given the chances vs the Crimson.

As for tomorrow nights opponent, the Crimson are currently in last place in the ECAC with just 3 league wins and 5 wins overall. It's been as bad as it can for Ted Donato and his team this season. But, as I said earlier, Harvard may by thin but they have three or four really good forwards. They have one big line of Vesey, Blackwell, and Fallstrom. Basically, it's their three best players all in one line. Assuming that's Harvard's first line tomorrow, I think the staff will try to matchup the Arnold, Whitney, and Sit line vs them but they could also go with the Johnny G line. Either way, I think BC should have ample opportunities to score goals tomorrow. No matter what line it is. Harvard's offense has really struggled to put pucks in the net this year. They rank second to last in college hockey in goals scored per game at 2.05. On special teams, the Crimson, who had the best power play in college hockey a season ago, now rank second to last in the country in terms of PP goals, tallying just 8 on the season. No matter how Harvard plays tomorrow, it's not about them. It's about how the Eagles play. If they assert their will like they did in the final 55 minutes vs UVM, then they should win this game.

Keys for the Eagles-

1. Getting off to a good start. Harvard's going to come out flying. BC needs to weather the storm early and then attack.

2. Don't give the Crimson PP chances. When your playing teams you should beat, you can't keep giving them chances to score on the man advantage.

3. Score on the power play.

Scouting Harvard-

Pairwise Rank- Not ranked.

Top scorers- Jimmy Vesey (10-4-14) and Tommy O'Regan (3-9-12)

Best Win- @ BU

Worst Losses- @ Brown, vs St. Lawrence

All Time Series- BC leads 69-44-5. The Eagles are 25-13 vs HU in the Beanpot.


GO EAGLES !

BC Beats Vermont

Eagles Defeat Vermont 4-1



Johnny G celebrates his goal. Photo from The Heights.

Boston College made the most of it's final game before the Beanpot as they defeated Vermont by a score of 4-1 tonight in front of 6,672 fans at Conte Forum. Overall, I was really pleased with the way BC played and it's not just because they got the win. I thought the Eagles, although they were once again outshot, possessed the puck in the Catamount zone for long periods of time throughout the contest. Each and every forward line garnered some pressure, forced turnovers, and got great scoring opportunities. It's only been one game which makes it way to early to tell but I loved the way the new lines played tonight. From the Johnny G line to the Pat Brown line, each and every forward had their own bright spots at some point. Defensively, the return of Mike Matheson made a huge impact. He was all over the ice tonight. He blocked shots, played well in his own zone, made a great diving stop on a UVM 2 on 1 and was his usual self in the offensive zone. Yes, BC did give up 39 shots but I'd say a fourth of those were from inside the blue line. BC's defense and forwards did a really solid job of keeping the puck to the outside which allowed Parker Milner to make some easy stops.

The first ten minutes of the first period were certainly BC's worst of the game. Things got off to a bad start when Vermont defenseman Anders Franzon scored a fluky goal from the point. It appeared that the puck hit Parker Milner in the collarbone and then proceeded to bounce over him for a goal. Other than that, I thought Parker was very good tonight. Immediately following the goal, BC turned on the jets. They created a ton of 2 on 1's, 3 on 2's and even had two or three breakaways. All of which were turned away by UVM goalie, Brody Hoffman. It wasn't until midway through the second period when Pat Mullane fired home a Danny Linell pass, that BC tied the game. This was another example of BC breaking the puck well out of their own zone, getting numbers through the neutral zone, and for the first time in a while, finishing on a grade A chance. Just a mere 40 second after that goal, Quinn Smith gave BC it's first lead in two weeks when he flipped a puck on net, only for it to slip right by Hoffman. Steven Whitney followed that up in the third period with a goal that will probably be on Sports Center tomorrow morning. It's one of those goals I can't explain...you have to see the highlights. Johnny G finished the scoring at 14:46 of the third.

If you're BC, you can take a lot of positives out of this one. The forwards created a ton of chances, the defense was solid all night, the special teams (I'll get to that in a minute) were great, and Parker Milner made some key stops. The score may have been 4-1 but the turning point of the game was in the middle of the second period when BC had to kill of a 2 minute 5 on 3 power play for UVM. The Catamounts got their chances but thanks to some unbelievable saves by Milner and blocks by guys like Billy Arnold, Isaac Macleod, and Steven Whitney, BC was able to keep UVM from tying the game at 2. BC was completely dominating the pace of the game up until the penalties and it appeared that UVM was going to take all that positive momentum away with the long 2 man advantage. Thanks to some superb killing by the guys mentioned above, BC was able to withstand the onslaught and come out of it with a lead. Although BC went 0-3 on the man advantage, the return of Matheson really seemed to help with both units as I thought they created some good chances. They're getting the looks, now they've just got to find a way to finish.

All in all, the staff has got to be really pleased with the effort put forth out there. Guys played hard for the full 60 minutes and were not going to let another team come in here and beat them. As you know, depth has been a big issue for this team as of late. Tonight was a totally different case as all four lines were generating chances on Hoffman and were playing well in the defensive end. That's something we haven't seen in quite some time.

Now all attention goes to the Beanpot.

Why BC Won-

1. Production from top to bottom. Every line played well tonight. I'd actually say BC's fourth line of Pat Brown, Brooks Dyroff, and Quinn Smith was their best unit. Pat Brown played his game of the year.

2. The Penalty Kill. The long 5 on 3 kill was the turning point of the game. Billy Arnold made some unbelievable blocks during that span. Pat Brown also made three or four stops in a row on a UVM PP in the first.

3. Defensive zone play. There is still a lot of work left but tonight was a step in the right direction. Mike Matheson, Pat Wey, and Travis Jeke stood out to me.

Problems

I'd still like to see BC get off to better starts. They came out flat and UVM took advantage. That can't happen Monday.

Player of the Game- This is a tough one. Johnny G had three points so he takes home the gold. Pat Brown, Quinn Smith, and Mike Matheson all very close seconds.

Go Eagles !

New Forward Lines for Tonight

Here are the new forward lines for tonight's game vs Vermont.

Johnny G- Pat Mullane- Danny Linell

Mike Sit- Billy Arnold- Steven Whitney

Destry Straight- Kevin Hayes- Brooks Dyroff

Quinn Smith-Pat Brown-Brendan Silk

I'll be able to tell more as the night goes on but right now, I like how this lineup shapes up, IF the third line can be effective. The goal with this lineup shakeup was to get a third line that can score some goals or at the very least, put some pressure on in the offensive zone. Hopefully, we see some quality offensive play from all four of these groups.