Previewing the Providence College Friars

Tomorrow night, the #2 Boston College Eagles will travel down to newly renovated Schneider Arena for their first and only road game vs Providence College. The Eagles defeated Providence 5-2 on January 10th @ Kelly Rink as they capitalized with two power play goals. Since then, BC obviously hasn't lost while the Friars have been up and down, taking three of four "points" @ Colorado College and splitting a pair of league games with Lowell, winning at home last Friday before getting smoked 6-1 on Saturday @ Tsongas Center.

I'd say that besides the big win vs Maine, BC's victory vs Providence was their best game in two months. Providence isn't the fastest team in the world but they are big and very physical. Last season, we allowed them to be too physical in two of the three matchups, resulting in a loss and a tie. Two weeks ago, they were not as physical and they were not smart. When you play BC, you need three things. First, you need great goaltending and the Friars have that in Jon Gilles. He has struggled as of late but he will be solid tomorrow. Secondly, you have to somehow stop the first line. I don't know if Albert Einstein could figure that one out, let alone the Providence coaching staff. Lastly, you've got to stay out of the box, especially when BC's power play is humming like it has been.

The biggest thing BC has to do tomorrow is make sure this game is played at a high tempo. If Providence slows it down, throws out a few big hits, and Gilles plays well, it will be a good game, if BC uses their speed through the neutral zone like they did in the first matchup, we've got a great chance at taking home a couple points. I don't think it's realistic to think Providence is going to play as poorly as they did in the third period of the first game, especially considering the fact they need the points to stay in the Hockey East regular season conversation and a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

When I look at both teams' depth chart, I think BC has a substantial advantage, talent wise, on the first two lines. Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Billy Arnold were better than normal last time these teams played. BC hadn't yet moved Linell back to forward so we will see how that plays out but so far, he's shown why forward is clearly his natural position. If BC's third and fourth lines can continue to play like they have, especially the fourth line which has been tremendous ever since they got put together vs UNH, I think BC can really impose their will in this game.

Scouting Providence- 

Pairwise rank- 7th (15-6-5)

Best win- @ Vermont (x2)

Worst loss- @ Boston University

Leading scorers- Ross Mauermann (16-15-31), Nick Saracino (5-14-19), Mark Jankowski (9-8-17)

Team offense- 3.27 goals scored per game (13th)

Team defense-2.35 goals allowed per game (14th)

Power play- 13 % (53rd)

Penalty kill- 86% (8th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Dictate the pace. Want it to be a high flying, north south game. Get the first line going early.

2. Providence takes a lot of penalties. If BC capitalizes, this game shouldn't be close.

3. Have to put the game away if given the chance. Last week, BC had a two goal lead in the third period, while on a five minute power play. Penn State almost came back and won the game. Shut the door on these guys early.

Notes- 

1. Boston College hasn't lost @ PC since 2006, going 6-0-3 in that span.

2. BC is 16-1-3 in it's last twenty vs PC.

3. No injuries to report. All systems go.

Go Eagles.

Competition Over ?

With the 62nd addition of the greatest tradition in college sports just around the corner, Coach York made a pretty surprising announcement this afternoon when he stated freshman Thatcher Demko would start in Monday's opening round game vs archrival Boston University. Coach was quoted saying "we went with a straight rotation but now we're going with the hot goalie". Thatcher has started three straight games after Brian Billett struggled vs the Terriers two weeks ago. Say what you want about BC having a great offense and a strong group of defenseman but Thatcher is 7-1-2 in games in which he has started. 

Personally, I think this job is all Demko's and it would take some sort of catastrophe for him to give it up. He's gone to places like Minnesota, UNH, BU, and come out with some real quality victories. Don't forget he is the youngest player in college hockey so, he deserves a lot of credit for what he has accomplished. 

I remember a particular freshman from two years ago that had a pretty solid performance and won MVP, but anyways, that's a story for another day. 

Go Eagles. 

Eagles Finalist For Top 98 Defenseman

Boston College is one of two finalist for Chad Krys, a top 1998 birthdate defenseman. He currently plays for the New Jersey Rockets U19 team and has recorded 20 points in in fourteen games. He was named the top prospect in the QMJHL Draft rankings earlier this month. 

The other finalist ? The Terriers of Boston University, where his father played in the late 80's/early 90's.

Go Eagles.

The Streak Continues @ Penn State

Boston College entered last night's game vs Penn State riding high on a 10 game unbeaten streak, a period of time in which they haven't lost in 58 days. The Eagles were heavy favorites vs a team they beat 8-2 just a month ago in the championship of the Three Rivers Classic. In fact, if I told you we beat those guys by six goals earlier this season after last night's game, you would have laughed at me. I didn't get a chance to go out there but I watched it on tape and man, did Penn State play hard. That program is certainly going in the right direction. In just their second year of division one hockey, their first in an actual conference, Guy Gadowsky has his team competing with the best programs in the country on a weekly basis. Watch out for the Nittany Lions, they will be real good, real soon. 

When I take a look at how BC played, I was somewhat disappointed with a few things. First of all, being outshot, and really dominated, in the first period is a sign that some guys just were not ready to play. Thatcher Demko had to do a lot of work throughout the whole game but the majority of it was in the first period. Penn State came out real fast, inspired, and probably should've had a lead after twenty minutes. Thanks to a guy named Kevin Hayes, that wasn't the case. 

The second period was a bit better, but it still wasn't what it needed to be. Penn State tied the game early on in the stanza but it was good to see BC bounce back and pick up a late four on four tally from Johnny G. Again, Penn State outshot BC but the Eagles generated a lot of quality scoring chances and forced Penn State goalie Eamon McAdam to make some great saves. 

Just five minutes into the third, Penn State took one of the stupidest boarding majors I have seen in quite sometime and BC could have put the nail in the coffin with a couple of goals. In fact, they did when Bill Arnold made a beautiful pass to a wide open Kevin Hayes to make it a 3-1 game but just a minute later Teddy Doherty gave PSU a penalty shot, while shorthanded (ugh), only for it to be denied by Demko. Unfortunately, just seconds after the missed penalty shot, PSU came down with numbers, and scored, making it a one goal game. It was the first shorthanded goal BC has given up all year. Sure, the power play has been much improved from November and December but giving up odd man rushes is the biggest no-no of all. But again, give credit to Penn State, they forced a lot of turnovers and did the best they could vs the nations top offensive unit. 

Overall, I don't think anyone is jumping up and down after beating a second year program by a single goal but I like the way BC played when leading with just a minute to go. The Nittany Lions attempted five shots in the final 1:16, just one of those got to Demko. Talk about the offense all you want but the way BC played in their own end in the final parts of the game, was terrific. A win is a win and the unbeaten streak continues. 

Why BC Won- 

1. Thatcher Demko was tremendous. 

2. BC just made one more play than Penn State did. It was a really even game but the Eagles just got one more lucky bounce. 

Problems- 

1. BC really didn't play that well, at all. It's gotta be better for Providence on Friday and for a little game on Monday night. 

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko 

Next up- @ Providence on Friday. 

Demko Playing Vs Penn State

Thatcher Demko will play his third consecutive game tonight vs Penn State.

Previewing the Penn State Nittany Lions

For the first time ever, a hockey team from Boston College will make the grueling trip out to State College, Pennsylvania to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Eagles and Lions met under a month ago in the Three Rivers Classic Championship, a solid 8-2 victory for the good guys. Boston College is unbeaten in it's past ten games while Penn State has not won since their first round victory in the Three Rivers Classic over Robert Morris. Penn State has yet to win a Big Ten game, they're 0-6 in the newly formed league.

 I got a chance to catch a glimpse of this Penn State club two weeks ago when their home game on a Monday night vs Minnesota was nationally televised and I was extremely impressed with the way they skated with the nation's number one team. They played Minnesota tough and if it wasn't for some great saves by Hobey Baker candidate Adam Wilcox, Penn State certainly could have won the game. Sure, they haven't won a game in their league yet but they did jump out to an early 1-0 led vs us in Pittsburgh and they played very hard for a long period of time before BC took over in the final minute of the first period. Rumor has it tickets are going for $200 tonight, that's unheard of. The home crowd will certainly get them playing at a high level.

As for BC, it's all about avoiding a major letdown. The Eagles are playing better than any other team in college hockey right now and they've proven they can win in tough venues, tonight will be no different. The key aspects of a road game never change, even on a game to game basis, you can't take dumb penalties, you have to find a way to get off to a good start, and you need your goaltender to settle in early. This isn't going to be an 8-2 game, I guarantee you that. Penn State will play hard and if BC isn't ready, anything can happen, but we've already experienced that.

Scouting Penn State-

Pairwise rank- 52nd (4-14-1)

Best win- Robert Morris

Worst loss- @ Michigan State

Leading scorers- Eric Scheid (9-5-14), Luke Juha (4-8-12), David Goodwin (4-6-10)

Team offense- 2.26 goals per game (50th)

Team defense- 3.84 goals allowed per game (56th)

Power play- 19 % (26th)

Penalty kill- 80 % (37th)

Penalty minutes- 14.58 penalty minutes per game. 14th most in NCAA.

Keys for BC- 

1. Keep it rolling. If we stay out of the box, get it going early, and get some timely goaltending, tonight should be a nice win.

2. Avoid stupid penalties. Tuesday was no doubt BC's best game of the year in terms of not taking dumb penalties.

Notes- 

1. BC now has the top penalty killing unit in the country at 90.4 %.

2. Johnny G currently has the nations longest point streak at 19 games. He has at least a point in every game except the second Minnesota game.

3. No word on goalie yet.

Eagles Continue To Roll @ Merrimack

Demko makes one of his 19 saves. Photo from Mike McMahon. 

It isn't often I''l say a win over the worst team in Hockey East is one that could really go a long way in deciding what happens later on in the year but tonight, I learned a lot about this team. I was questioning whether or not the guys could play in a gritty, not a lot of room, physical, low scoring, boring hockey game. I mean, we're averaging 4.65 goals per game this season. That's absurd. No other team in the nation has averaged even four goals a game. So, at BC, guys are not  used to games where there are not a lot of goals, not a lot of space, and the game is played at an extremely slow pace. I just didn't think the guys would be able to adjust. 

They did. In a big way. The #2 Boston College Eagles ran their unbeaten streak to ten games as they defeated the Merrimack College Warriors by a 3-1 score in front of a sellout crowd @ Lawler Arena. BC had been 2-4-1 in their past seven games @ the vaunted arena. First of all, let's get this out of the way. Thatcher Demko deserves to be the goalie night in and night out. He's got one loss this year in a game where he hadn't seen action in over a month. Sure, he's a freshman but he's won at some of the toughest places to play in college hockey such as the Jack Parker Rink, Lawler Arena, a tie @ Marriuci Arena, and the Whittemore Center. He played outstanding tonight but I think the biggest reason he only gave up one goal was because of the way the team in front of him played. BC's team defense was tremendous tonight. Besides a couple of poor turnovers in the second period, the Eagles just found a way to play a style of hockey they just are not used to doing. I mean, when was the last time BC ran a 1-2-2 trap ? It worked, really well. 

I thought the first period was a very good one for BC. They forced turnovers, penalties, and capitalized when they really needed to. The only mistake made was they allowed for Merrimack to have a little too much comfort around Demko for a small portion of the period and the Warriors capitalized. But even though Merrimack tied it up really quickly, BC kept pouncing. The first line wasn't as good as it was on Saturday but they forced Merrimack into a lot of bad penalties in the first, one of which was taken advantage of when Teddy Doherty scored with under a minute to play in the period. It was great to see the second unit get on the board. 

Of the three stanzas, the second was probably BC's weakest. Merrimack started to establish the way they wanted to play and were able to rattle off 14 shots, all of which were denied by Demko. The only real mistake was when a Warrior forward split the middle between Savage and Matheson and went in on a breakaway, Demko proceeded to make the biggest stop of the game after that. The Eagles took a crucial two goal lead when Patrick Brown put a rocket past Rassmus Tirronen. I would make the argument that he is the most under valued player in Hockey East because of what he brings to the table in both ends. He was tremendous tonight. 

Like they've done so well all year, BC preserved their third period lead without any problems as like I said earlier, Merrimack was held to only four shots on goal in the final twenty minutes. It was clear that the Warriors stepped up their assault in the offensive end so seeing BC hold them to just twenty shots was very gratifying. The most overused term in all of sports may be the "team win" quote but tonight was a full 60 minute by each and every guy. In this league, you're going to have to adjust on the fly. Sometimes, you just can't play the way you want to play for a full game. Tonight, BC wasn't able to do that but they did come away with the most important thing, a win. 

I'm not going to say that the race for the regular season title is over but I'm thinking that the only team that could possibly overtake BC is Lowell and the teams don't meet until the second to last week of the season. I would love to know when the last time any team had a eight point or more lead in this league because I can't remember there ever being so much separation between one team and the rest. Anyways, there is no doubt that the guys are playing better than anyone in the country right night. It's great to see. 

Why BC Won- 

1. Total team effort on the defensive end. Merrimack couldn't get anything all night and when they got maybe a little something, Demko was there. that 1-2-2 trap was different but it certainly worked on that small surface. 

2. This team is built to protect leads. The deeper you are, the better you are at protecting a lead in the third period. This team is very deep compared to last years squad and it shows every single night. 

3. They stayed out of the box. When you don't take dumb penalties, good things happen. 

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko 

Next Up- @ Penn State on Saturday. Wee.

Go Eagles !!

Previewing the Merrimack College Warriors

Tonight, the #2 Boston College Eagles will travel up to North Andover to take on Hockey East rival Merrimack for the first time this season. Before we dive into the game, let's assess where the Eagles currently stand in the league picture and national picture. As of right now, BC is first in Hockey East by a comfortable six points over second place Northeastern and eight points ahead of third place Providence. A win tonight would give BC a huge eight point lead (or four game) cushion over any other team in the conference. In terms of the pairwise standings, BC is currently sitting nicely in the second position behind #1 Minnesota but a loss tonight would be considered a "bad loss" because Merrimack has struggled mightily this season, especially in Hockey East. However, the Warriors have been playing some exceptional hockey as of late, upsetting #12 Clarkson last weekend in Potsdam before stunning #3 Qunnipiac Saturday night @ Lawler Arena.

I always consider the road game @ Merrimack to be one of the toughest games of the Hockey East slate. The almost miniature rink doesn't really fit BC's north-south skating style. Rather, it favors a Merrimack squad that plays a very defensive oriented style of hockey that can be hard to avoid being frustrated from, especially on the road. The biggest thing BC has to do in order to take home two more points is get Merrimack playing away from their style of hockey. Make this a skating contest, a high paced, very few whistle game that isn't infested with penalties. Because, that's what Merrimack does, they frustrate you so much with their neutral zone "trap" that BC sometimes takes the "dumb" penalties that have been all to common this season.


The bottom line is that BC's isn't going to win this game with their "B" game. It never seems to happen at this rink. Last year, we played two average hockey games in that building and came away with an overtime win and an overtime loss. Both are games which Merrimack probably should have won. Well, if the Holy Cross and Brown games were any indications, it's clear that BC sometimes doesn't show up for opponents they know they are superior to. If that happens tonight, it won't just cost them a win, it will cost them an opportunity to begin running away with the Hockey East regular season title. If they show up and play like they did in the second period vs BU, and the final two periods vs Maine, no one in the country can beat this team. Let's hope it continues.

Scouting Merrimack- 

Pairwise rank-41st (6-11-3)

Best win- vs Qunnipiac

Worst loss- vs Mercyhurst

Leading scorers- Mike Collins (7-10-17), Brian Christie (4-6-10), Quinn Gould (5-3-8)

Team offense- 2.00 goals per game (54th)

Team defense- 2.50 goals allowed per game (22nd)

Power play- 15 % (47th)

Penalty kill- 84% (15th)

Projected starter- Rasmus Tirronen (2.09 GAA, .923 save %)

Keys for BC- 

1. Get Merrimack playing away from their tempo. It's going to be a battle of styles tonight. One team likes to skate and play an extremely up tempo, high scoring style of hockey. The other is the exact opposite.

2.  Goaltending. Demko was sensational on Saturday vs Maine. He will go tonight.

3. Staying out of the box. Last season in this building, penalties were a killer on both nights. In the first game (OT loss), BC gave Merrimack eight power plays. In the second game (OT win) the Warriors had five chances on the man advantage.


Notes- 

1. The game is not on TV but hopefully the weather will hold up and I'll be able to make the trip so you can follow along on twitter.

2. 7 PM puck drop

3. Demko in net.

Watch Out

Kevin Hayes celebrates one of his goals. Photo from BC Athletics. 

For the first twenty two games of the year, whether it was after a win, loss, or tie, I wasn't too happy or too down because I knew we had a solid club that could win any game. To be honest, I thought we were a good club but I didn't think we were the best team in the country. I walked out of Kelly Rink tonight with a little smirk on my face and quipped to myself, "we've got a wagon". I respect the heck out of Minnesota, Union, and Ferris State but if BC plays like they did in the final forty minutes tonight for the rest of the season and especially in the NCAA tournament, there is no one that can compete with us. I'll get into the game in a second but as someone who has watched every single game of Kevin Hayes' college career and criticized him at many points for his effort on the ice and attitude off the ice, I think it's only right for me to sit here and tell you that this kid deserves every bit as much of the accolades and attention Johnny G gets. It's impossible for two guys on one team to get the amount of attention, especially in this sport but I've watched this team skate more than anyone and I have to tell you, Kevin Hayes is just as good, if not better, at some parts of the game than anyone else in the country. The frustration fans, coaches, and a particular blogger showed over the first three years of Kevin's career were a bit harsh at times, especially last season when he was suspended but the way he has "resurrected " his career at Boston College is truly special. I would sit in the stands during games and literally grab my hair over some of things Kevin did in his first three years here because I always knew he was a once and a lifetime talent he just was not showing it. I sit here tonight and tell you that you would be far fetched to go out there and find a bigger fans of Kevin Hayes' then me. Congratulations to Kevin for making one of the biggest comebacks I have ever seen out of an individual.

As for the game itself, just pure domination. I thought we started great, scoring a goal just two minutes into the contest but I wasn't too pleased with the way BC played towards the end of the period. We took a stupid penalty with two and a half minutes left in the period, killed it, but then failed on a clearing attempt that led to a Maine "goal". The refs reviewed it but didn't notice that Thatcher was shoved into the net along with the puck. Tough call but the way the guys responded was awesome. 

The second period was all Eagles, for pretty much all the time. Unlike the first and third periods of last nights game vs archrival Boston University, BC sustained a constant forecheck on Maine, causing three really bad defensive breakdowns that led to three goals in 1:38 effectively killing any chance the Black Bears had of picking up their first road victory of the season. I really liked the way Patrick Brown has adjusted to playing with the first power play unit. He screens goalies, gets in front of the net, and puts home whatever gifts Arnold, Hayes, and G give him. That's all they ask for and that's what he does best. Certainly deserves a spot on the first unit with those guys. For the most part, the Eagles avoided defensive breakdowns and when they did in fact have a letdown or two, Thatcher Demko was there to make the saves. He was tremendous all night. 

The part I think the staff has to be most pleased about is how BC competed in the third period. It's not easy playing six periods of hockey in two nights, especially when the first three were full of heart stopping moments of tension with your arch nemesis but the staff had them ready to go for the final twenty on this night. Coach York noted after the game how proud was of the guys being prepared not only physically, but especially mentally for what they thought were going to be a grueling final period versus a good hockey club. The only sour part of the night was the fact Maine had four power plays in the third period, eight total. At some point that has to change but credit to Coach Ayers and his penalty killing unit, they were very good tonight even though Maine added a power play tally late in the second. The Black Bears were 1 for 7 on the man advantage. BC's power play was buzzing all night, going 3 for 7 on the night. Out of the seven man advantages, I'd say only one was without a long period of sustained pressure. Great job by Coach Brown's crew tonight. 

Overall, this was one heck of a weekend for the Eagles. Not only did they help add to the free for all going on down the street, they played arguably their best hockey of the season in the second and third periods tonight. There are very few guys we've had here that I can say I actually stand up when they get the puck. Nathan Gerbe was the first, Brian Gibbons was the second, Chris Kreider was the third, Johnny G joined the club shortly after, but tonight, a new guy enters the exclusive club. #12. 

Why BC Won- 

1. Kevin Hayes was sensational (hatrick). So was G (5 assist, hello) 

2. Thatcher Demko played great. He deserves to play on Tuesday night @ Merrimack. 

3. Defensemen helped the cause. McCoshen had a goal while Savage had two assist. Matheson also recorded a point. 

Negatives- 

1. Penalties in the third period. Same old story. 

Player of the game- Kevin Hayes 

Notes- 

1. G (47) and Hayes (42) are the top two point getters in college hockey. Billy Arnold is fourth with 33. 

2. The all time record for points in a season @ BC is 83 held by..........Craig Janney. I think both of these two could break that. 

Next up- Tuesday night @ Merrimack 

Previewing the University of Maine Black Bears

Tonight, the Eagles will try to knock off their own post BU victory hangover and give a more complete, 60 minute effort vs a much more talented and deeper Maine Black Bear club. In the first meeting between these two clubs back in late November up in Orono, the Black Bears embarrassed BC by a score of 5-1, including a first period in which they scored three goals, the first being twenty five seconds into the game. First of all, let's take a look at how well Red Gendron has this team playing right now. They haven't lost a game up @ Alfond Arena where it took them almost three months to get their first home victory a season ago. They're currently in fourth place in Hockey East, just seven points behind BC but they do have two games in hand over the Eagles. The one thing missing on their resume is a true Hockey East road victory. Technically, they picked one up last Friday vs Boston University but the setting of that game was Fenway Park, not the Jack Parker Rink. However, they did tie a very deep Lowell squad last night @ Tsongas Center thanks to a goal in the final minute and half of regulation from forward Ryan Lomberg.

There really isn't much to say about the first meeting with these guys other than the fact they embarrassed us. It was utter domination from start to finish. The Black Bears were fast, physical, and played with a lot of effort in all three zones. BC just didn't show up and when you don't show up in front of that crowd, you're going to get turned over every which way. Maine certainly did that two months ago. The most intriguing stat from that game was BC's big three (not yet a line) were a combined -9 while Maine's top line was +6. It was perhaps the only game this year where a team physically dominated both Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Billy Arnold so BC has got to find a way to get them going tonight in the first period. Another problem from that game ? What's been perhaps the largest issue with this team this year ? Penalties. BC took twelve of them up in Orono although the PK did a solid job holding the Bears to an 0/5 mark on the power play. Certainly the only positive from that game.

While Maine is a much deeper team than BU, I think it's safe to say BC should have a substantial advantage when it comes to the bottom six forwards, especially if they play like they did last night. Quinn Smith, Danny Linell, and Mike Sit all played solid for the majority of the game while the "fourth" line of Silk, Gilmour, and Calnan combined for a team high six points. Like I said last night, it's not reasonable to expect them to play like that night in and night out but if they can continue to pressure opponents in their own end, create turnovers, and score a goal here and there, I think this team has a chance to win a lot of hockey games. Hopefully the team will get some improved goaltending out of Thatcher Demko tonight. He was tremendous vs Brown last Saturday so hopefully he keeps that up.

Scouting the Black Bears- 

Pairwise rank- 15th (11-7-3)

Best win- vs Boston College

Worst loss- @ UMass

Leading scorers- Devin Shore (11-15-26), Connor Leen (3-15-18), Ben Hutton (9-8-17)

Team offense- 3.29 goals per game (14th)

Team defense- 2.00 goals allowed per game (3rd)

Power play- 20 % (21st)

Penalty kill- 86 % (9th)

Penalty minutes- 8.10 penalty minutes per game. 5th lowest in NCAA.

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Get the big guns going early. They were severely outplayed up in Orono. That's gotta change tonight.

2. If we get out to an early lead, no stupid penalties. One of these games, we're going to be up by three goals and guys are going to continue to take dumb penalties and it will cost us a game. That can't happen in big games like this.

3. Need better goaltending. Demko tonight.


Notes- 

1. BC is 60-45-9 all time versus Maine.

2. BC is 6-2 in it's last 8 home games vs Maine. The Black Bears' two wins here last year was their first since October 2005.

3. 7 PM puck drop.

Go Eagles.

Eagles Win Heart Stopper vs Archrival

G celebrates his first goal. Photo from Dave Arnold

Nights like tonight are the ones where I consider driving into the hospital and getting my heart rate checked out. I mean, I love winning and nothing beats getting a W over that team but I'd be lying if I told you I was 100 % thrilled about the way the guys played tonight, especially in the third period. First of all, let's give a lot of credit to BU. Quinn had those guys ready to play from the get-go, I mean they were all over us in the first period and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead midway through the period. To be honest, BC was very lucky to get a power play with two and a half minutes left in the period. Thankfully, the good power play showed up tonight as Adam Gilmour redirected a Teddy Doherty shot from the point past Sean Maguire, who played absolutely outstanding. The thing that stood out to me the most after one period was the way BU played BC's top line. Every time the big line hit the ice, Quinn had Oksanen and Noonan ready to go. Those guys played a ton of minutes tonight but give them credit, they played exceptionally well on both ends.

The second period really boiled down to two things. First, BC started to develop a fluent breakout, something they weren't even remotely close to doing in the first period. Also, BC was able to open up the game, mainly because they broke the puck out well. A north-south hockey game always favors the maroon and gold. A slow, penalty infested, no tempo game doesn't favor the Eagles. In fact, I thought BC should have had two or three goals in the middle stanza. Maguire made a couple of sensational saves on Billy Arnold and Kevin Hayes to keep the gap at two goals. Certainly a second period that everyone can be pleased about.

The third, well, the third period was as close to an unmitigated disaster as it gets. One thing that will always be a big factor when playing BU is their power play. Whether it's Parker or David Quinn behind the bench, BU has and always will have a great power play. I was surprised by how well BC defended in their own end when down a man. Guys literally gave themselves up in order to deflect pucks from getting to the net. It's not really fun watching Johnny G take a knee to block a 120 mph slapper but I guess we'll take all the blocks we can get. I mean if you look at the penalties BC took in the third, all three of them were away from the puck. The exact definition of a stupid penalty. You give a team, your biggest rival as a matter of fact, that hasn't won a game in two months a chance to come back and salvage their season guess what they're going to do ? They're going to make a comeback. To be honest, I did not see Macleod's high sticking penalty but from what I was told and from the reaction by the bench, it wasn't the greatest of calls.

It's nice to see Brian Billett get yet another win but I think even he knows that he has to play better than he did tonight for BC to have a chance to win night in and night out. Granted, I'd say BU's second and third goals were results of a bad defensive breakdown rather than a missed save from Billett. When you give an opponent six power plays, I guess it's fair to put the majority of the blame on the players but still, he has to be better and the guys have to find a way to stay out of the box. BC certainly dodged a huge bullet tonight.

I think I'd be insane not to mention how well the line of Adam Gilmour, Brendan Silk, and Chris Calnan played tonight. In fact, those guys combined for more points (6) than BC's big line did (5). Obviously, it would be totally unreasonable for us to expect them play like that each and every game but the play of each of those three has been exceptional. People tend to give a lot of the credit to Calnan and Gilmour because they were huge recruits but I think it's only fair to recognize the way Brendan Silk has played this season. He has, without a doubt, taken his game to a whole other level this season and if it continues along with the progression of his two young linemates, BC could get even deeper.

Overall, a win is a win and a win vs Boston University is a win vs Boston University. Yes, there is a huge difference between beating a team that hasn't won a game in it's last six tries and a team that hasn't won a game in it's last six games but has the name "Boston University" attached to their helmets. It's a war that will probably never be settled but chapter two hundred and forty six will have a nice maroon and gold cover to it.


Why BC won- 

1. The play of Brendan Silk, Chris Calnan, and Adam Gilmour. All three were absolutely tremendous tonight. Give them a lot of credit.

2. Special teams. The power play was hitting on all cylinders for the second time in the past three games while the penalty kill was probably the biggest reason BC won the game.

3. I thought Billy Arnold played his best game in a long time tonight. Out of the big three, he was certainly the best.

Negatives- 

1. The penalties. It's so frustrating. I mean, I don't even care whether it was a good call or not. You shouldn't be giving them anything to think about while holding a two goal lead in the third period. It's a huge issue right now that needs to be fixed.


Players of the game- Brendan Silk, Adam Gilmour, and Chris Calnan

Next Up- Maine tomorrow night at home.

Awesome night. Go Birds.

Billett In Net Vs BU

Brian Billett will get the start tonight vs Boston University. He is 1-0 in his career  vs the Terriers.

Previewing the Boston University Terriers

Tomorrow night, one of college sports' oldest stories will open a new chapter, #264 to be exact, as the Boston University Terriers will travel three miles down Commonwealth Ave to take on the #2 Boston College Eagles. This will be the second meeting of the season between BC and BU, the good guys came out on top in game one on November 8th @ the Jack Parker Rink by a score of 5-1. Since then, the teams have gone in two completely opposite directions. The Eagles are unbeaten in their past seven games and hold a two game lead in the Hockey East standings over Providence and Northeastern. On the other end, BU hasn't won a game since November 30th and were embarrassed last weekend @ Fenway Park by the University of Maine Black Bears. Another extremely unfortunate blow for the Terriers came to light this afternoon when it was announced that star defenseman Matt Grzelyck is out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. Actually, he is not the only Terrier out of tomorrows game. Forwards Evan Rodriguez, Jake Moscatel, and Dillion Lawrence will all be shelved with injuries. Sophomore Sam Kurker left the team earlier this week, becoming the 21st Terrier to leave in the middle of the season or shortly after it since 2010. Yup. Tough times down there.

When I look at this game, I, like everyone else, knows that BC has a huge edge in talent and depth both up front and on the blue line. If this was Merrimack or Providence, then I would tell you there was no chance. BC would blow them out of the water. There just isn't enough talent on this BU team. But that's the key. Unless they come out with some new jersey tomorrow night, the front of those sweaters will still have "Boston" written on it. It doesn't matter whether it's David Quinn or Parker behind the bench, they will come out and play their tails off tomorrow night. They know they only have two things left to play for this season. A win tomorrow night and a Beanpot trophy next month and they will do everything they possibly can to get there. It's Boston College vs Boston University. You seriously think they will just roll over and give us a win ?

That being said, I think we've got a great shot to win tomorrow night if a few things happen. Number one, BU's will has to crushed in the opening period. If they have any sort of momentum heading into the second stanza, they will build on it. BC has got to find a way to get out to an early lead, get the crowd into the game, and force those guys into some dumb penalties. As young a team as we are, BU might be even more inexperienced, especially on the blue line where they will have guys that don't even play the position out there. When guys like MacAfee and Somerby step onto the ice, just attack. Attack, attack, attack. These guys will have no idea what to do with themselves if they don't have time and space, especially on the road. If BC is relentless in their pursuit of the puck, especially on this D core, good things will happen.

As you may or may not have seen, the staff has made a few key changes to lineup. First and foremost, they moved Danny Linell back up to forward to play alongside Mike Sit and Quinn Smith. I'm a huge fan of this move for two reasons. First of all, that gives us a solid third line that has speed and vs bad skating teams like BU, speed needs to be a factor. Second of all, it allows the staff to insert Teddy Doherty on a nightly basis. Thank God. With Linell moving back to forward, the odd guy out is Destry Straight who will be benched for the first time this season. I'm not really sure where I stand on that particular move. I mean, Destry had a hatrick vs Penn State and played OK vs Providence last weekend. I guess they thought he really struggled vs Brown.

Anyways, It's BC-BU. Go Eagles.

Scouting Boston University

Pairwise rank- 45th

Best win- vs Wisconsin

Worst loss- vs Bentley

Leading scorers- Ahti Oksanen (3-13-16), Danny O'Regan (6-9-15), Garrett Noonan (4-11-15)

Team offense- 2.40 goals scored per game (49th)

Team defense- 3.25 goals allowed per game (41st)

Power play- 22 % (7th)

Penalty kill- 83 % (25th)


Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Stay out of the box. BU doesn't score a lot of goals but they do have the 7th best power play in the country. It's the only way they scored in the first game @ the Jack Parker Rink. Keep them off the man advantage

2. Attack these defensemen. Forecheck aggressively. In two years, BU's defense will be very good. Right now, it's a disaster. A passive forecheck will give them time and space. No need to give them that.

3. Need some scoring from the second line. I think Pat Brown will add some much needed toughness and grit to that line, along with a much improved offensive game the captain brings along.

Notes- 

1. This is the largest win total difference between BC and BU since the 2004 Beanpot meeting.

2. Coach York is 38-38-7 vs Boston University.

3. Game is on NESN. 7 PM puck drop.

Go Eagles.

New Lines for BU Game

Some major shakeups by the staff for tomorrow nights huge tilt versus Boston University.

Johnny G- Arnold- Hayes

Fitzgerald- Brown- Cangelosi

Smith-Sit-Linell

Calnan-Gilmour-Silk

Savage-Matheson 

Macleod-Santini

Doherty-McCoshen 

Move Linell up to forward. Great move. Bench Destry. Tough call considering the fact he had a hatrick three weeks ago. 

Insert Doherty. Awesome. 

Go Eagles. Beat BU. 

Preview up later tonight.

Hanifin Officially Coming Next Season

Sources confirmed to me this afternoon that Noah Hanifin will be arriving @ Boston College next fall. Hanifin is without a doubt one of, if not the, best recruits to ever come out of this area and is probably the highest ranked ranked recruit BC has ever landed under Coach York (along with Marty Reasoner).

The news of Hanifin's arrival is probably a sign that the staff believes Mike Matheson will depart after this season because BC has very little scholarship money remaining after signing Sonny Milano in November. Hanifin is the only defenseman on the books for next year.

Go Eagles. Beat BU.

My Top Five BC vs BU Moments

You won't meet a group of people that disagree on more things in this world than BC people and BU people. It's like Republicans and Democrats. The two groups just absolutely hate each other and I know hate is as strong a word as there is but when it comes to college hockey, these two fan bases literally hate each other. If you play hockey in this area you are immediately forced to pick a side from a young age. You either support the maroon and gold or the evil scarlet and white. It's as much a rivalry of two totally different universities as it is a rivalry between two great hockey programs.

I think that one thing, perhaps the only thing, that BC and BU fans agree on is that this is the greatest rivalry this sport has to offer. Minnesota vs North Dakota, Michigan vs Michigan State, UNH vs Maine, they're all great but all those universities are extremely similar places that are located far away from each other and are rivals only because they play each other so often. Try being located three miles down the road from one another and competing in an annual tournament every February that even the modest college hockey fans pay attention to.

If you read this blog on a consistent basis, you know how much fun I like to have with this rivalry. I think it is the best, most intense, most important aspect of our hockey program. Of course, we want to win National Titles, send kids to the NHL, have high graduation rates, but the most important aspect of being a BC Hockey player is beating that other school down the street. I don't care if BC went 4-25-0 for a whole season. If those four victories came against BU and included a Beanpot victory, I think everyone would be somewhat pleased.

Here are my top five moments from the rivalry.

5. Ryan Murphy's overtime game winner in the 2004 Beanpot final. BU goalie had made like 200 saves that evening and it seemed that history would just repeat itself and the Terriers would walk away with the victory but thanks to a shot from the point by Ryan Murphy, the Eagles delivered the Beanpot back to the good side of Comm Ave.


4. BC spolis Olympic night @ Agganis Arena in 2009. BU, the defending National Champions, had one of the largest crowds in their history just a few months after they won the National Championship and were about to introduce the four Terriers on the 1980 Olympic team. The crowd erupted when BU scored early in the game and carried the momentum late in the second period before Carl Sneep put home a power play tally late in the period. After the Olympians were introduced in the second intermission, the Eagles answered with three unanswered goals including the only goal of Edwin Shea's carrer and won the game.

3. Ben Smith/Nathan Gerbe combine for four goals and three assist as BC defeated BU @ the Jack Parker Rink in December of 2008 to complete a weekend sweep of the Terriers. If I remember correctly, Gerbe made a couple of Terrier defensemen look like chickens with their heads cut off in that game. It was fun to watch. Like always.

2. Billy Arnold's overtime winner in the 2012 Beanpot title. This goal, no doubt, signified a change in the guard of the Beanpot as BC won it's third in a row while the Terriers couldn't really recover from the loss and barely made into the NCAA tournament before getting smoked by the Golden Gophers. BC, of course, won the National Title that year. I've never jumped higher in my life after this goal and I'll never forget being yelled at in the press box for cheering. Worth it, no doubt.

1. 5-0 win over BU in the 2006 Northeast Regional final. You can talk about the win over North Dakota in 2001, the four other National Championships, the Beanpots, and the Hockey East all you want. You won't ever convince me this wasn't the best win in the history of Boston College hockey. They had beaten us all year in overtime. The Beanpot, the regular season, and in the Hockey East final. Then it changed. Nothing in the world beats seeing those fans walk out of the rink with tears in their eyes over a hockey game. Greatest. Win. Ever.


Go Eagles. Beat BU.

Cushing Power Forward Commits to BC

Boston College landed a big commitment today from 6'1 forward David Cotton out of Cushing Academy for the fall of 2015. Cotton, a 1997 birthdate is from Parker, Texas and his brother Jason is a Northeastern commit. Other schools to offer Cotton were New Hampshire, Boston University, Providence, and Northeastern. The staff offered a scholarship to Cotton after watching him play vs Tabor Academy on Wednesday evening. Cushing won the game 4-1.

Right now, the plan is to have Cotton arrive in the fall of 2015 with Colin White, Connor Moore, Casey Fitzgerald, JD Dudek, and possibly Noah Hanifin. Certainly another high end class coming to the Heights.

It's Terrier week. Go Eagles !

Eagles And Brown Battle To Tie

The most difficult thing to do in sports is to get back up for a game vs a "bad" team after winning perhaps your most important game of the season. First of all, Brown is not anywhere near a bad hockey club, in fact they're only a few spots out of the bubble for the pairwise at the moment. We were extremely impressed with the way they played especially in the first and second periods in which they really took it to the Eagles. They were big, fast, and perhaps most notably, physical. Those are the types of teams BC struggles against and considering how well Brown played and how average we looked, I think everyone has to be fairly pleased with a tie.

The one thing that shocked me about Brown was how well they played Johnny G. Yes, he had a goal, BC's third, but other than that portion of the third period, he wasn't much of a factor in the game. They were very physical and barely gave him any room to do his thing. In fact, it was definitely the worst game for BC's top line since they were put together in late November. Give all the credit in the world to their coaching staff because what they did was extremely impressive.

The Eagles had a nice power play tally from Kevin Hayes to make it a 1-0 lead just a few seconds in the second period but other than that, the man advantage was back to average. The entries into the zone weren't too bad but it was the trying to sustain pressure part that threw BC way off. Brown covered the walls very wall and BC was not able to cycle the walls like they normally do. It was nice to see Chris Calnan score his first goal since the RPI game as yesterday was perhaps his best game of the season. Certainly his best weekend of the year when you look at how much of an impact he made on both contest.

Overall,you obviously want to win every game you play in but I'm not terribly upset about this game. Brown didn't have to play the night before, didn't have to travel, and it was probably the biggest game in the history of their program. They certainly played like it was. I thought BC's effort got consistently better as the game went on, especially in overtime but they just couldn't find a way to put one in the back of the net. Both Thatcher Demko and Brown goalie Tyler Steele were absolutely tremendous.

Positives- 

1. Escaping with a tie. Brown should have won that game.

2. Chris Calnan, Pat Brown, and Adam Gilmour all played exceptionally well last night.

3. Demko played great.

Negatives- 

1. Make that three straight rough games for the second line of Ryan Fitzgerald, Destry Straight, and Austin Cangelosi. We need those guys to score some goals.

2. Power play was 1 for 6. Ehh.

Player of the game- Chris Calnan

Next Up- Terriers.

Previewing the Brown University Bears

For the first time in fourteen years, the #2 (in the pairwise) Boston College Eagles will take on the Brown University Bears tonight @ Meehan Auditorium. This will be BC's 17th trip all time to Meehan but surprisingly, Brown has only visited Conte Forum once. So far this season, the Bears are 6-6-2 and currently in 8th place in the ECAC. Last weekend was perhaps their best two games of the season as they tied a very good Denver club and defeated Colorado College by a 4-2 score, both on the road. Brown's best win this season is without a doubt their season opener when they took down the defending National Champions by a 4-1 count at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

When we take a look at this game, there is one phrase that perfectly sums it up. "Trap game". You couldn't find a team in the country that is playing as well as BC is right now and Brown has struggled vs good teams, evident by their 1-6-1 record vs teams in the top 25.  Brown has only played four homes games this season and are 2-1-1 in that span. The lone loss was a 4-3 decision to a very good Clarkson team. Right now, the Bears are 27th in the pairwise, a whopping sixteen slots above Boston University.

What did we learn from the Holy Cross game ? You can't just show up and expect to win because of the letters on the front of the jerseys and the names on the back of it. You have to play a full, 60 minute game. Realistically, I think it is going to be difficult for BC to play as well as they did last night on consecutive evenings. The good news is, Boston College has played very well against their two previous ECAC opponents. A 7-2 win vs RPI and a 5-1 victory @ Harvard. Brown is the final ECAC team on BC's slate this season (they could obviously play Harvard in the Beanpot).

We can sit here all we want and talk about how good last night was and to be honest with you, I don't know how much better this team can play than they did twenty something hours ago. I think the biggest thing BC needs to avoid tonight is allowing Brown to get off to a hot start. Look at what happened vs Holy Cross ? They were up 5-1 with twenty minutes left! BC just can't let that happen. This is, in my opinion, the best BC team I have seen in a while when playing with a lead. Sure they have the firepower to make comebacks but tonight should be one in the win column if the Eagles come out with anywhere near the amount of jump they had a night ago.

Scouting Brown- 

Pairwise rank- 27th

Best win- Yale

Worst loss- No really awful losses. Colgate, Cornell, Quinnipiac, Clarkson, Providence, and UNH are all solid clubs.

Team offense- 2.82 goals per game (30th)

Team defense- 2.86 goals allowed per game (34th)

Power play- 17 % (39th)

Penalty kill- 79 % (46th)

Leading scorers-Matt Lorito (6-12-18), Mark Naclerio (8-10-18), Nick Lappin (7-10-17)

Keys- 

1. Get off to hot start.

2. Keep the power playing rolling


I'll post any lineup changes. Don't expect any. Demko is in net. 

Eagles Extend First Place Lead With Big Win

I'm not going to sit here tonight and lie to you anymore. I've always loved Johnny Gaudreau (that's the first time I've ever called him by his name) more than other player in my time watching BC hockey. I think the kid has this thing about him that makes him different. I'm not sure exactly what it is however. No, my love for G is probably no secret therefore it is no lie. The one thing I refused to do, whether it was in a conversation, a blog post, or a tweet was to compare Johnny to the two greatest players players I have ever seen put on the maroon and gold. Nathan Gerbe and Brian Gionta. As the final buzzer sounded concluding tonights huge 5-2 victory over the #6 Providence College Friars, the first thought that entered my mind was this kid is the greatest I have ever seen. I know, it's a team game and overall, I was very impressed with the way BC played tonight but let's get one thing straight, no one is supposed to put up four points vs a great defensive team like PC and score at least a point in 15 straight games. The college hockey record for consecutive games with a point is 31, held by Maine's Paul Kariya, without a doubt the greatest college hockey player of all time.

I've watched a lot of BC Hockey over the years so I'm not surprised anymore when the guys come out and play great in big time games but tonight was on a whole other level. The score of that game should have been seven or eight to one. I think Providence is a great hockey team that should compete for a Hockey East championship but without Gilles, I'm not so sure they're top four teams in the league. They play a tough, grinding style of hockey but they need to learn that you can't bend for so long and expect to win against BC, especially @ Conte Forum. The Eagles were all over them for the first ten minutes of the game. In fact, I don't know if Providence had a quality scoring chance until their first goal with six minutes to play in the period. They covered the middle of the ice in their owen end relatively well but BC's play in the neutral zone, along with the power play were the differences tonight.

Don't worry, you don't need to call your doctor. I actually said the power play was good tonight. In fact, it was the best I have seen a BC power play look in quiet sometime. I mean, the newly formed top unit of Kevin Hayes and Mike Matheson on the point along with G, Arnold, and Pat Brown was absolutely absurd. Give all the credit to Coach Brown. They did a great job of entering the zone with relative ease, made a couple of real nice passes, and shot the puck when they had actual shooting lanes. Guys were not trying to force it through tight spots in which the odds were very high that the puck was going to be blocked. The biggest problem with the power play so far this season has been the decision making. Tonight, guys knew what they wanted to do with the puck before they got it. It was a treat to watch.

I thought both Providence goals were the result of bad defensive breakdowns by BC in their own end. Danny Linell has been playing surprisingly well as of late but he struggled mightily in his own end tonight. Versus teams like Providence and Minnesota, both of which have a handful of big, strong, and powerful forwards, Danny has had a tough time. Hopefully he will improve tomorrow night @ Brown. Mike Matheson is getting back to becoming a real force on both the offensive and defensive ends. There are so many times in a game where either he or another defenseman slips up at the offensive blue line but he is able to turn on these jets that are rarely seen in a defenseman and catch up to the guy. Really impressive tonight.

Overall, this was without a doubt BC's best game of the season. It wasn't a fifty or thirty minute effort. It was a full, start to finish display of pure will that enabled them to drastically outplay one of the better teams in college hockey. The difference between good and great teams are the ones that can come back from a big win and top it off with an even better effort the following night. We shall see what tomorrow night brings.

Why BC Won- 

1. First line/Matheson combined for eleven (!) points on the night.

2. The power play was sensational.

3. A bunch of role players had strong games. Pat Brown is not really a "role" player but he doesn't get a lot of credit for what he does. He played great tonight.

Problems- 

None.

Player of the game- G

Next Up- @ Brown tomorrow @ 5 PM.

Go Birds

Previewing the Providence College Friars

The date was March 4th of last year. A Monday. If I remember correctly, it was pouring rain and felt like it was ten degrees out. I walked into school, made my way up to class, and ran into one of my best friends in the hallways. I've known him for a long time and unfortunately for him, he was raised a Providence hockey fan so not once in the time we have known each other had he had any bragging rights over this hockey rivalry. I was expecting a bit of a celebration because let's be real here, how awful must it have been to be a PC hockey fan over the course of the last 10-15 years ? They never even came to play @ Conte Forum they were so bad. Then they won. So at least every week since that game, even though it was regular season contest six months ago, my friend and his father have been all over me about Providence Hockey. They're coming on strong, whether you want to admit it or not.

The whole point of that story ? Tonight has to be about pure pride. The Friars are winless in their last three games and are coming off an OT loss to Northeastern in which they gave up the tying goal with 40 seconds left only to give up the game winner just twelve seconds into overtime. It was their second home loss of the season. The first thing that jumps out to me about Providence is their toughness. They like to throw a lot of dirty hits but only so many of them can be called. They don't really play with a lot of speed but they certainly have some big guys on both the front and back ends. Not to mention a 6'4 goaltender that was a second team All-American as a freshman. Without a doubt, they're the deepest team, top to bottom, that BC will face all season in Hockey East.

I don't often call a non BU game the biggest game of the regular season but up to this point, tomorrow night is the biggest contest the Eagles have played in all year. Not only is Providence just two points back in Hockey East, they're sitting comfortably at 7th in the pairwise standings. No one comes in to Kelly Rink and beats BC on senior night, let alone beat them by a 5-1 score. Well, Providence did that last year and I bet that if you asked any player/coach/fan they would tell you it's the most embarrassed they've been after walking out of the home locker room @ Conte (besides maybe Holy Cross). Providence manhandled us last time we played. It was a beat down of epic proportions and I hope BC keeps it in memory when they take the ice.

The team we see tomorrow is going to be pretty similar to the one we saw the Eagles defeat @ Fenway Park on Saturday night. They've got guys like Mauermann, Saracino, and Army that can really be explosive in the offensive end. To go along with that dangerous forward group, they've got a couple of big and strong defenseman like Gilmour and Hart to go along with the smooth skating guys like Shamanski and Florentino. If you've seen them play this year, you would know that the key to their club is the play of goaltender Jon Gilles. They had only lost two games with him in the pipes before he left for Sweden but in their last three games, they lost to Air Force (No Gilles), tied Merrimack (No Gilles), and lost to Northeastern (Yes Gilles). The biggest thing BC has to do is create traffic on front of this guy. For a big guy, he moves exceptionally well and takes up pretty much the whole net because of his size. If BC is going to score tomorrow, it ain't going to be from lousy shots from the point that no one tries to deflect. Let's just try and keep things buzzing within his vicinity and try to make him guess where the puck is going to end up next. Bad shots are not going to beat this guy.

Scouting the Friars- 

Pairwise rank- 7th

Best win- Vermont on the road (x2)

Worst loss- Boston University

Leading scorers- Ross Mauermann (14-14-28), Shane Luke (6-7-13), Nick Saracino (3-11-14)

Offense- 3.24 goals per game (15th)

Defense- 2.00 goals per game (4th)

Power play- 13 % (49th)

Penalty kill- 86 % (8th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Get out to an early lead. Haven't lost a game this year in which we scored the first goal.

2. Power play. I'm done talking about it. They practiced it a lot this week. A lot.

3. No stupid penalties. Get it to G.


Notes- 

1. BC is 107-46-13 all time vs PC

2. BC is 5-0 when scoring a PP goal, 11-0 when leading after two. They also tied Minnesota in both those games.

3. Pat Brown is playing in his 100th game tomorrow.

4. Billett in goal. Doherty out.

Go Birds.

Luck of the (Maroon and Gold) Irish

Ok, I was wrong. I kept talking about how I didn't really dislike Notre Dame and in my mind, it was just another stupid outdoor game. After sitting in the freezing cold for forty minutes (I flew home and watched the third on my couch) and listening to these insane Irish fans badmouthing the Eagles, I gotta tell you, I love beating those guys. They think they can come into our conference and run show. Thanks to another seven point night from the big three, the Boston College Eagles moved into first place in Hockey East and catapulted into the # 3 position in the pairwise standings. I'd go as far as to say it was the biggest victory so far this season not only because it was Notre Dame or the game was @ Fenway but these are the types of games the Eagles have struggled in over the course of the past few years. These huge, NCAA tournament type games in December/January. Whether it was the Maine weekend in 2012 or the the Minnesota game a season ago, BC just simply hasn't had their "A" game in the coldest months of the year. Tonight was certainly a huge turning point.

I think the biggest positive about tonight was that BC really didn't play that great yet they still came out on top. The early parts of the first period were really good as I thought all four lines did a good of sustaining pressure in the Notre Dame end. The Eagles were rewarded with an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from G and Brendan Silk (his first of the year). It was a bit concerning to see that BC really shut it down for a good twenty minutes after G's first tally. Notre Dame capitalized on a brutal defensive breakdown for their first goal. It looked like a forward forgot to pick up his man in the defensive zone. Just a bad mental error.

The Eagles still had all the momentum before Mike Sit was called for boarding and given a five minute major and game misconduct with just a second left in the first period. I don't mind the officials making a lot of calls as long as they go both ways. What I do mind is throwing someone out from something that shouldn't even have been called. It was an absolutely horrible call. I saw the replay after the period and exploded. It was just horrible. Anyways, Notre Dame capitalized on the power play just twenty three seconds into the second stanza. Sure, giving up power play goals is tough but you're expected to score on a five minute major. I'm sure the staff was extremely excited about the way the guys rebounded and killed off the remaining four and a half minutes because ND could have easily added two or three more goals. It was, in my mind, the biggest moment of the game for BC.

One thing BC has done really well this year but failed to do tonight was continue to build a lead. The biggest lead difference in hockey is between two and three goals. You can really crush a teams confidence if you can get up by three goals. I think the time between Notre Dame's first goal and Billy Arnold's goal (BC's third) was some of the worst hockey we have seen since the Maine game.

I thought the third period was one of the more entertaining periods of hockey I have seen all year. Billy Arnold's goal was just the result of some great individual effort from Kevin Hayes. He was clearly held on the boards but was able to skate through the defender and make a perfect pass to a crashing Arnold to give BC the 3-2 lead. I thought Kevin was a little bit off in the first two periods but he made up for it with a phenomenal third period. The staff obviously has a large amount of trust in him as they had him on the ice with under a minute to play. The third Notre Dame was just a really good shot by defenseman Bryan Rust. Maybe Billett would like to have it back but not much a goaltender can do when his defensemen cannot clear the puck out for him. There were too many times where this was the case tonight and BC was a tad lucky the Irish didn't score on more of those turnovers. The go ahead goal ? Well yea, all I need to tell you is that Hayes made a great lead pass to Johnny G who had a breakaway. You've seen how that movie goes. All the goal scoring was great and all but I think the best part about the third period was the way BC played in the final five minutes of the hockey game. I think holding a one goal lead late in big games is the hardest thing to do in this sport and the Eagles not only killed of a Pat Brown penalty, but they refused to give the Irish anything in the final minutes of the contest. Seeing ND almost score with a second left gave us some nightmares of the November 2011 matchup in South Bend but this time the good guys came out on top.

Overall, really pleased with this win. You gotta battle hard in these type of rivalry games. Notre Dame played really hard. They came to play and for a lot of that game, they outplayed us but in big games, you need your best players to show up. Tonight G, Arnold, Hayes, and Matheson were a combined +9. Without a doubt, the Eagles played like a bunch of champions tonight. Great win.

Why BC Won- 

1. G, Arnold, Hayes lit up the Irish like a Jack-O'-lantern. Just ridiculous how good these guys are. Great question came up on Twitter tonight, who is better, these three or Atkinson-Gibbons-Whitney ?

2. The penalty kill. I thought BC's PK was tremendous. Sure they gave up a goal but not only did they kill a late penalty, they completely shut down ND's 6 on 5 late in the game.

Problems-

1. The power play was the worst it has been all year. I hope they dedicate three days of practice this week to just the power play. Just that. No 5 on 5 stuff, no penalty kill, no late game situations, just three days of power play practice.

2. The idea of Frozen Fenway. I'll probably write more on this later in the week but this idea needs to go. The crowd stunk, it was freezing, and the game had ZERO flow to it. Awful idea. Awful.

Player of the game- Billy Arnold.

Next up- home vs Providence on Friday night. Huge game.

Important Note- Harvard embarrassed BU tonight 7-4. Ha. Wow.

Go Birds.

Frozen Fenway Lineup

Here is the lineup for tonights game vs Notre Dame @ Fenway Park.

Sit-Brown-Smith

Johnny G-Arnold-Hayes

Straight-Fitzgerald-Cangelosi

Calnan-Gilmour-Silk

Macleod-Linell

Matheson-Savage

Santini-McCoshen

Billett 

Why they're sitting Teddy Doherty is totally beyond me. It is actually dumbfounding. How in the world is he being sat after playing four straight solid games in which he scored two goals. In that span he was +5. Unbelievable. 

New Jerseys

Here is what the Eagles will be wearing tomorrow night. I didn't like them at first but the more I look at them, the more I like them. I don't mind the "Boston College" text on it but I would like to see all jerseys say "Eagles" across them.

Previewing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Whether you like it or not, the Boston College Eagles will hit the ice at Fenway Park tomorrow night to take on Notre Dame for the first time in Hockey East action. The Eagles defeated the Irish last November by a 3-1 count @ Conte Forum. Notre Dame will enter tomorrows contest with a 10-7-1 record and currently sit in 8th place in Hockey East. This will be their first game since a 3-2 loss at the hands of UMass on December 7th in South Bend. Like BC, the Irish also had a few guys competing for the World Jr Championship in Sweden. Forwards Thomas DiPauli and Vinny Hinostroza are expected to be back in time for the game.

Let's take all the shenanigans about Fenway and throw it out the window. Tomorrow is a huge game that could propel BC into first place in Hockey East and more importantly, into the top four in the pairwise standings. As of now, Boston College is 5th in the pairwise while Notre Dame sits at 14th. Say what you want about it being too early to discuss the NCAA tournament but in my mind, if you win these types of games that are going to have a huge impact on you in March and April, why not talk about the importance it has ?  

This is a Notre Dame team that is very front heavy with some star forwards such as Mario Lucia, TJ Tynan, and Hinostroza. Compared to ND teams we have seen the past, these guys have more quickness and that could pose a few problems for the Eagles. The Irish's first line throughout much of the season has been Tynan centering Jeff Costello and Bryan Rust. The one matchup I think could present some problems for us is their third line of Lucia, Hinostoza, and Austin Wutchrich. Since BC is the "home" team, they will have last change so I would expect to see the Fitzgerald line up against these guys for the majority of the night. 

On the defensive side of things, expect Scotty Savage to be the odd guy out with McCoshen and Santini returning. I don't know if it's the best decision in the world because I've always been a fan of Scott but I think McCoshen and Santini are probably more ready for the big stage after competing in Sweden. With the harsh conditions, I expect it to be a low scoring affair and the number one job the defensemen will have is to avoid turnovers. This is not going to be a very exciting game to watch. I think BC has got to get away from firing the puck cross ice to create a lot of odd man rushes. Instead, they have to get it over the red line, get pucks deep and force these guys to turn it over. The snow and wind is not going to allow for a crisp ice surface for tape to tape passes. If BC is smart with the way they posses the puck, I think they've got a great shot. 

I know BC has been playing well and all but this is not going to be a beat down. Notre Dame will come to play. I think it's a bit intriguing that they haven't played a game in almost a month but they will come to play. They know this is a big game for their program on a national level and they will do everything they can to bring the victory back to South Bend. 

Keys for BC-

1. Avoid stupid mistakes. Tomorrow has to be all about playing a smart 60 minute hockey game. No dumb penalties, no awful turnovers, and most importantly, get out to a lead and build on it. That is the strength of this club. 

2. Continue to improve on the power play. Last weekend was a huge step in the right direction in terms of the man advantage. The staff was extremely pleased with the way both units looked. It should only improve with McCoshen returning to the point on the first unit. 

3. Get anything and everything to the net. The puck can do really weird things during games like this. Let's just test this goaltender early and often and see if he can make some big time stops. 

Scouting the Irish- 

Pairwise rank- 14th

Record- 10-7-1, 8th in Hockey East 

Best Win- vs Minnesota 

Worst Loss- vs UMass 

Offense- 3.00 goals per game (21st) 

Defense- 2.11 goals allowed per game (11th) 

Power play- 19 % (29th) 

Penalty kill- 84 % (16th) 

Top scorers- TJ Tynan (3-12-15), Vince Hinostroza (3-11-14), Mario Lucia (9-4-13) 

Notes- 

1. Coach Brown, McCoshen, Santini, and Demko will be back and in the lineup tomorrow night. 

2. BC will be wearing new jerseys. I'll have a picture up soon. 

3. 7:35 puck drop. 

4. Brian Billett will be in goal.

World Jr Championship Update

The United States World Jr team was eliminated from contention this morning as they fell to Russia by a 5-3 count. They're officially eliminated from the tournament. Many have asked if Coach Brown, Santini, McCoshen, and Demko will be back in time for the Notre Dame game. If the weather in Boston calms down and the plane can land tomorrow evening, they will be back in time for the game. 

Go Eagles

Thoughts On Frozen Fenway.....Part Three

Saturday night, Boston College will faceoff against the school most BC fans despise more than other any other, the University of Notre Dame. It will be the third time in four years the Eagles will take the ice @ historic Fenway Park. Of course, BC was defeated by BU in 2010 (ugh) before topping Northeastern in 2012. First of all, I think it's an honor that this program has been selected to play in the marquee game in each of these three sessions. It just goes to show who has the biggest college hockey brand in the area. As for the matchup with the Irish, here is what I think of it. You've got average BC fans/alums that are extremely excited for this matchup just because it is Notre Dame. I'm not by any means a Notre Dame "hater" so I'd be the first to tell you that developing a healthy hockey rivalry with these guys would greatly benefit both our program and theirs. Over the course of the next twenty years, this is going to become an extremely talked about game that everyone will want to go to because even the average BC fan knows about Notre Dame and the brand that is Notre Dame athletics. 

As for the Fenway aspect of all this, I think most fans are sick and tired of it. Let's be honest here, you could be the biggest diehard of all time but you would still not want to sit in the freezing cold watching a hockey game. It's a great experience for young children who are dying to catch a glimpse of the historic ballpark and the teams playing within it. On the other hand, there is a large portion of fans that would rather sit in the friendly confines of Conte Forum and watch this game. Count me in that group. When it comes to this crap, the only thing I care about is what situation gives BC the best possible chance of winning ?  Sure, being outdoors, wearing cool uniforms, and playing in front of a bazillion people has to be cool but at the end of the day, the only thing that anyone will remember is whether we won the game or not. 

Whether the fans like it or not, the bottom line is that events like this are good for the program. I bet hundreds of thousands of people will be watching this game through either NBC Sports or NESN. Anytime the program is on national TV, people take notice. Kids want to be on TV, they want to be playing in Fenway Park, and most importantly, they want to don a Boston College Hockey sweater someday. As long as it helps the program, fans should continue to support it.  

Notes- 

1. Congrats to Brooks Orpik for being named the the United States olympic team. He has always been an outstanding representative of Boston College. 

2. I have no clue on whether or not BC will be wearing special uniforms. I would assume not but I have no clue. 

Go Eagles.