Trophy #1

Photo from Dave Arnold. Look at Cango's smile.

Last night, it was the big three that led BC to the Three Rivers Classic final as each recorded multiple points. If you were to tell me BC was going to score eight goals vs a Penn State team I was somewhat impressed with last night, I would have bet you six of those goals would have come from either Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, or Billy Arnold. Not the case. Destry Straight recorded the first hatrick in the history of Three Rivers Classic, Ryan Fitzgerald recorded his freshmen leading seventh goal of the season, and the defensive pairing of Isaac Macleod and Danny Linell made sure every BC defenseman recorded at least one point the weekend. Yea, it was a scoring frenzy.

Although the final forty two minutes were pretty much domination, the opening eighteen was the type of hockey we saw vs Holy Cross and at times vs UNH. Actually, Penn State was dominating the play in the early going and were rewarded with a goal just five minutes into the game. The tally was a result of a brutal turnover in the defensive end. To be honest, it should have been a two or three goal lead for the Nittany Lions at the ten minute mark of the first period. They were all over BC, especially the first line which was out there for the opening goal. The Eagles  did what they do best at the end of the period, they scored in bunches. Shockingly, BC was rewarded a power play with just under three minutes to play in the period. It was Ryan Fitzgerald who gave BC their first power play goal since November 14th when Kevin Hayes had one @ UMass. Just 33 seconds after Fitzgerald's tally, Hayes slammed home a nifty pass from classmate Billy Arnold. 

The second period was BC's best of the weekend. It didn't seem like the puck ever entered the BC zone unless it was an ice or a dump in. BC had to kill of a lousy Travis Jeke cross checking call early in the stanza but thanks to some timely saves from Brian Billett, they were able to do it. Statistically, the penalty kill continued to be tremendous as PSU was 0 for 3 on the night but they generated way too many "grade A" chances. I didn't think BC was as aggressive as they were last night or vs UNH on the penalty kill. Straight recorded two of his goals in the second, both of which were assisted by Fitzgerald (Macleod added a nice assist on the second Straight goal). The fifth BC goal should be investigated for criminal activity. G just absolutely embarrassed Penn State's goaltender on a breakaway thanks to a nice outlet pass from Kevin Hayes. 

The third period was garbage time but it was great to see Mike Sit record his fifth goal of the season. Don't look now but he has scored five goals this season after zero in his first two years at the Heights. Now that he has proven he can put the puck in the net and continue his solid play in the defensive end, I think the staff will continue to play him more often. On the defensive end, I think they're really pleased with the way everybody played this weekend. Scotty Savage was -2 tonight and had a couple of bad turnovers but other than that, things were rolling. Mike Matheson continued to shine as did Isaac Macleod. 

If you have ben around the man at all, you would know the one thing Coach York preaches to his players each and everyday is the importance of winning trophies. Whether you're playing in the Frys.com Open or the Masters, the main goal is to always bring back a trophy. A trophy is an indicator of a significant accomplishment. Sure, it was a lowly field and BC might have been expected to crush everything in sight but the bottom line is we're getting on a plane tomorrow morning with a good looking trophy in hand. 

Why BC won- 

1. It was men against boys. Don't get me wrong, three years from now, that is going to be a really good hockey program. Give them time. They will be there. I still don't understand why we agreed to play them in Happy Valley a month from now but anyways. 

2. Secondary scoring. Three goals from Straight and points from Smith, Brown, and Jeke. All huge positives. 

3. Billett made some big saves early on. If it wasn't for him, BC would have been down three or four goals at the end of the first period. 

4. Special teams. The power play looks awesome. Ya...I said it. Penalty kill now ranked second in the country. 

Negatives- 

1. First five minutes were brutal. Other than that, solid all around game. 

Tournament MVP- Who do you think ? G !

Next Up- Notre Dame next Saturday @ Fenway. Big tilt.