Next Stop: Philly !

If you look back at this year, think about how many games BC has played in where you walk out of the building and say "that might have just been the best hockey game I have ever watched". I don't know about you but I said it after the first Minnesota game, Northeastern Beanpot game, and once again tonight after walking out of the DCU Center, moments after the Eagles clinched their 11th Frozen Four berth of the Coach York era (since 1994). I've always been a bit critical of Lowell's style of play and the fact that they're full of 23 and 24 year olds but the bottom line is that team is tremendous. Give Norm Bazin a lot of credit because that program is right there with all the big guns in college hockey right now and Lowell isn't exactly Beverly Hills. Hats off on a great season and tremendous effort.

But how bout those Eagles ? They played their hearts out. Each and every guy looked like they were playing for their lives. Even guys like Brendan Silk, Quinn Smith, Scott Savage, Teddy Doherty, guys that idiots like me often criticize, played like champions. Every time he was on the ice it looked like Brendan Silk was just flying towards the puck and hitting the blue shirt that had possession of it. Is he going to fly up the ice and pull a Johnny G ? No, but when your teammates see that type of effort, they can't help but get inspired. Each time I walked into practice this winter and noticed that Teddy Doherty wasn't going to play the ensuing weekend, I'd put my hands over my face and sigh. Yes, he can be shaky in his own zone at times but when he gets the puck with a little bit of room in the opponent's end, he can make a play. Think about having to sit in the stands while watching your classmates win every game, knowing you have what it takes to be out there. A lot more hard work and determination went into that pass on Ian McCoshen's goal than you can imagine.

After Billy Arnold scored a goal with just about three minutes to go in the second period, I turned to my friend and said "no matter what happens, they have to get out of this period with a lead". I'm sure the players and coaches were probably thinking the same thing. If the blogger is walking around the concourse shaking like a rattlesnake shortly after Lowell scored with under two minutes left in a period (yet again), you can only imagine how a player must have felt. No more than 20 seconds into the period, Lowell scored a garbage goal that deflected off Savage's skate, through no fault of his own. My face looked like it had just seen some type of ghost. I glance over to the bench and there's Coach York clapping/giving guys pats on the back like we had just scored the goal. Meanwhile you got me thirty rows up ready to throw my hat onto the ice. Of course, two minutes later Ryan Fitzgerald scored an insane breakaway goal that was soon followed by McCoshen's game winner. Shortly after the game, I texted one of the guys that was in the locker room and asked what Coach York was saying after the second period, he replied "All positive baby".

Of course, the journey is not over and we're going to have to play the best team in the country in order to play for a National Championship but I think we can all sit back and appreciate what this team has accomplished to this point. For me, it's just simply amazing how this coach continues to get his teams so fired up for this tournament. That weekend against Notre Dame was a disaster. Not many teams can get back up after that. Yet he has these guys so dialed in when it comes to this time of year that they simply refuse to lose. 11 Frozen Fours since his arrival. Amazing. BU has 3 since then.

O and guess who was born just 30 minutes outside Philadelphia ?........G

Why BC won- 

1. They just found a way. There really isn't much else to say other than they found a way to come back and win a hockey game. They played hard, they played physical, they played fast, and they just executed one more time than Lowell did.

2. That first line isn't half bad.

Problems- 

Not looking good for golf weather down in Philly. Hopefully that changes.

Player of the game- I thought Bill Arnold was great tonight. Mike Matheson was flying up and down the ice. Those two.

Next up- Union in two weeks. Frozen Four. 5 PM game. Minnesota vs North Dakota in the late game.

Note- This will Boston College's 24th Frozen Four.


Go Eagles

Lowell Preview

What a tremendous opportunity this club has in front of them tonight. A chance to make another Frozen Four while going up against the team that the majority of "experts" have as winning the National Championship. I didn't stick around for the Lowell vs Minnesota State game but from what I heard, it was a an exhilarating game filled with a lot of great scoring chances and tremendous goaltending. In fact, Minnesota State fired 36 shots on Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck, only to be stoned each and every time (they scored a garbage time goal). If you remember the last time we played these guys on February 22nd, we had a two goal lead going into the third period only to see Lowell comeback and tie the game. BC probably had 6 or 7 chances to make it a three goal game but nothing came to fruition. They've got to start somewhat like they did yesterday. This team is built to protect leads (8-0-1 when leading after the first period). 

The thing that worries me the most about Lowell is their depth however they will be without defenseman Joe Houk, a guy that logged a lot of minutes for them throughout the regular season.  They didn't have Scott Wilson in last month's series vs BC and he is probably their best forward. It all comes down to how BC's second line matches up vs the Wilson-Gambardella-Arnold line. Obviously, our first line matches up well vs anyone but with Wilson back, I expect their second line to generate more scoring chances. Fitz-Brown-Cangelosi was relatively solid last night but they weren't able to pot a goal. I don't think anyone expects tonight's game to be 3-0 after the first period. They need to show up. 

Honestly, there really isn't much else I've got to say. We know the team we have. We know the team they have. It's just about what team executes better over the course of these 60 minutes. If the first line plays as well as they did yesterday, I think BC's got a great shot. If BC breaks the puck out fluently and avoids the neutral zone turnovers, they should be in Philly. If not, then it's anyones game. It's been eight or nine years since I went to the city of brotherly love and I would love to go back in two weeks. 

Keys for BC- 

1. No stupid penalties. Lowell only beat us last time because of stupid penalties in the third period. They're too good to be given 5 power plays. That can't happen again. 

2. First line needs to do their thing again. Lowell played them very tough, very physical in the last meeting. BC isn't winning anything without these guys. 

3. Early and often. Can they come from behind ? Yes, but unlike the past, this team is built to protect leads. Grabbing a two goal advantage at any point would be crucial. 

Go Eagles. 

One Down

G scores his first goal. Photo from The Heights.

Talk about a bounce back game. Whew. The #2 Boston College Eagles hammered the Denver Pioneers in the first round of the NCAA Northeast regional this afternoon by a score of 6-2. All six of Boston College's goals came from the big three of Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Arnold. In fact, G recorded his first career hatrick. BC outshot Denver by a 33-20 margin and didn't allow DU to get a shot on goal until the seven minute mark of the first period. Overall, it was a complete effort from every guy. Obviously the big three provided the offense, scoring three goals in the first ten minutes of the game, the defense blocked everything in sight, and Demko was his normal, solid, self.

After all the disappointment from two weeks ago (Notre Dame lost tonight which is sweet), I think we all had a feeling BC would come out flying. And that they did. Here's something you probably don't know. Coach York has a couple degrees from BC and might be one of the smartest people I know. He uses a lot of words that I couldn't name the first letter of. So, he figured that the frequent TV timeouts (two minutes each) would give him the opportunity to play the first line more often than normal. As he pointed out in his post game presser, you can't do that in a regular season game because we don't have the luxury of those breaks. So, when Denver put their third line out there with about fifteen minutes left in the period, Coach countered with the big three (on what was basically a double shift after a TV timeout), and of course, Kevin Hayes scored his twenty fifth goal of the season. Shortly after Kevin's first tally, Mike Matheson made a solid breakout pass to the far wing (Johnny G) and he just obliterated the Denver defenseman before wrapping around the net and  eventually scoring. I just can't get over how good the kid is. Take out the fact that he plays for BC and they're in the NCAA's and all that crap. I would go down to Chandler's Pond at 8:30 tomorrow morning to see him play shinny. It's just so fun to watch. Such a special talent/player.

Obviously the scoring was great to see but I thought BC's play in their own end was at least ten times better than it was vs Notre Dame. Every breakout was smooth, there were very few turnovers, and Denver couldn't get any grade A chances on Demko. I honestly can't remember any "great" chances they had in the first forty minutes. Every shot the took was blocked, every pass they made was intercepted and went the other way. The one rough spot was that BC took five penalties even though they killed each one of them off. The fourth line of Silk, Smith, and Sit was sustaining pressure in the offensive zone throughout the whole night, something that didn't happen once vs ND. Much better night for those guys, particularly Smith and Sit.

Look, it was a great effort but this game tomorrow vs Lowell is going to be a war. They're without a doubt one of the top clubs in the country and they proved last month they can play with us for a full 60 minutes. They're the exact opposite of BC. They're big, they're a defensive first team, and they don't have one or two "super stars", o and not to mention they're almost three years older than all our guys are but that's another topic for another day. Tomorrow presents a fantastic opportunity for this club to go out and show the country what they're made of. Heck, 6 of 8 "experts" on one of those college hockey websites predicted Lowell to win this region. Just remember, if you have Johnny G, anything is possible.

Why BC Won- 

1. Johnny G.

2. Bill Arnold.

3. Kevin Hayes.

4. Really solid play in the defensive zone. I thought each defenseman had their share of bright spots tonight.

Problems- 

1. 5 penalties is too much. Were they bad calls ? Yes but still, Lowell scored a power play goal vs us earlier this year. Can't give them that many chances on the man advantage

Player of the game- G

Next up- Lowell tomorrow at 5

Denver Preview

I remember walking out of the Dunkin Donuts Center in the state of shock. My phone was lighting up with all the BC haters I know ready to explode. The Eagles had just been blown out of the water by Union College in the first round of the NCAA tournament and I was ready to take my cell and fire it right to the ground. To this day, kids still love to remind me about that loss and how embarrassing it was. I didn't know what to say, I was like someone who had just seen a ghost. It had been 8 years since that horrifying loss to North Dakota in the Northeast regional final. I couldn't believe it. Yes, the Beanpot and regular season wins make you feel great and all but all the work this team has put in all season is for (hopefully) these next couple of games. As much as I love to glorify the Beanpot and BU rivalry, the trophy that matters to this program more than any other is that NCAA tournament one. If you watched practice for a week in February and then came back and watched practice this week, you would notice two totally different teams. There was no playing around these past five days. There wasn't much laughing and smiling and joking around. These guys remember what happened last year and if they weren't on the team, they've certainly been told about it. This team knows what they've got to do in order to expunge the memories of that game.


The first step towards Philadelphia is trying to get by the red hot Pioneers of Denver University, coached by Maine legend Jim Montgomery.  The Pios won the inaugural National Colligate Hockey Conference championship last weekend by defeating Miami, 4-3. Denver's last loss came March 13th when they lost game one in a best of three playoff series with Nebraska-Omaha. The Pioneers came back and won games two and three in Omaha. I think one thing we've noticed in this tournament over the course of the past few years is that the hot team, not necessarily the better team, plays awfully well. That's certainly the case with Denver tomorrow night. This DU team may not be as talented as some of the clubs George Gwozdecky had (particularly the one that beat us in Oct 2011)  but they are playing some exceptional hockey.

The Pioneers are undoubtedly led by start goaltender Sam Brittan who is fourth in the country in save percentage, first in saves, eleventh in GAA, and sixth in shutouts. Up front, Denver is carried by freshman Trevor Moore who has recorded a team high 31 points. Helping Moore are sophomore Quinn Shore (25 points) and standout defenseman Joey LaLeggia (23 points) and David Makowski (24 points). Don't look at that #4 seed next to Denver's name. They've got an excellent club, are extremely well coached, and are playing as good as anyone in the country right now. Compared to Denver teams in the past, this one might not have one "super star" but they're probably one of the deepest clubs in this tournament. They have 11 guys with 16 or more points with four of those being defensemen. He may not have as many points as he did a season ago (mainly because of injury) but watch out for LaLeggia. The guy is without a doubt one of the top offensive defensemen in the country. He is an excellent skater, has great vision, and can make plays, a combination quiet uncanny for a defenseman these days.

Look, we learned our lesson last year. You can't just show up to these games and coast to victory. We know Denver is going to be fired up to play one of the top teams in the country after barely sneaking into the tournament. Two things need to happen in order for BC to move on to Sunday. First of all, the second line has got to score a goal. When that line is average, BC is just a three man show. Pat Brown, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Austin Cangelosi have to find a way to score one or two tomorrow night. They were so good in the Beanpot, vs Lowell, and other games but they didn't create much offense in three of the four games vs Notre Dame. The other thing BC has got to do is stay out of the box and somehow get to the power play four or five times (ideally). I hate to say it but I don't see BC winning this thing without a fair amount of power plays. I don't care what the stats say. We've got the best #1 power play unit in the country. They just have to get some time. On the other hand, Denver's power play ranks 15th in the country (20%) while their penalty kill is 5th (86.5%)

This has the makings to be a fantastic hockey game. We saw what penalties, turnovers, and the inability to convert on power play chances can do to you in this tournament a season ago. Those are the three things the 2012 team did so well. They had a tremendous PK, they rarely turned the puck over, and had an automatic power play. To me, those are the three key ingredients. I'm not worried one bit about Thatcher Demko. Sure, he struggled at times vs ND but if theres one thing that I'm confident about going into this game, it's that he is going to be tremendous between the pipes.

I don't think much of all the "Worcester luck" and "BC is unbeatable in Worcester"  talk because you never know what can happen. I mean, in 2006 there wasn't a chance BU didn't win that game. And then they got blown out of the water. Anything can happen in this tournament and in this venue. Heck, when they asked Coach York about it today he replied with "They have a Dunkin Donuts around here and that makes me feel a lot better". It's all about the coffee.


Scouting Denver- 

Record- 20-15-6, NCHC champions. Winners of four in a row.

Leading scorers- Trevor Moore (13 goals, 28 assists), Ty Loney (11 goals, 14 assists), Quinn Shore (8 goals, 17 assists)

Best player- goalie Sam Brittan

Notable wins- They won their conference championship. That's good enough.

Notable losses- Canisius...but that was a long time ago.

Quick note- These guys have traveled a lot. Their last home game was on March 8th and since then they've had to travel to Minnesota, Nebraska, and obviously Massachusetts. Fatigue could play a factor.

Keys for BC- 

1. Scoring from the second line. They have to play well tomorrow in order for BC to win. Heck, they've got to play well from here on out for BC to keep advancing.

2. Staff has to be careful playing the fourth line too much. We saw what happened vs Notre Dame. Sure, they made some corrections but that line shouldn't play much in the second half of a close game, especially with the season on the line. I expect G jr- Gilmour-Calnan to be pretty strong.

3. Must get on the power play. Obviously, this is a bit out of their control but the more time spent in the offensive zone, they more power plays BC should get.

GO EAGLES !

Quick Midweek Notes

 The NCAA's start tomorrow afternoon. Union will take on Vermont @ 2 PM to kick things off in the East regional. Boston College will start their quest to Philly on Saturday when they take on the Denver Pioneers. 

Here are some notes. 

Expect Matty Gaudreau to be playing on the third line with Chris Calnan and Adam Gilmour. Brendan Silk will be fourth line right wing along with Mike Sit and Quinn Smith. 

Danny Linell has been practicing on defense all week, don't expect him to play on Saturday. 

Hitting the links- 

Great story on the Gaudreau brothers. Matty wanted to go to BU (I screamed when I read it) which is extremely confusing but I highly recommend it. 

Some more playoff notes courtesy of BC Athletics 

That's all for now. Nothing major. Go Eagles. 

Denver/Recruiting Update

First of all, apologies for not getting this up earlier. We're on spring break and I haven't been near my computer all day.

Anyways, as you probably know, the Eagles will face first year head coach Jim Montgomery and the Denver Pioneers Saturday afternoon (3PM) @ the DCU Center in Worcester. The Eagles are the #1 seed in the Northeast regional while Denver is the fourth seed. Rounding out the bracket are Lowell (#2) and Minnesota State (#3). No matter the seeding, record, stats, history, etc, I think we learned in 2011 that every team in the NCAA tournament is a heck of a hockey team. Denver had to win their final four games to get into the tournament and they did just that, beating Nebraska Omaha (x2), Western Michigan, and finally Miami in the NCHC finals. 

We'll go more in depth later this week but expect one or two lineup changes, starting with Matty Gaudreau getting back on the fourth line. I'll more updates tomorrow or Tuesday. 

On the recruiting trail, watch out for recent Harvard decommit Brandon Fortunato. He is a 5'9 defenseman from North Hills, NY that has recorded 3 goals and 30 assists this season for the the US Under 18 team. A quick, fluent skating, intelligent defenseman that can quarterback a power play. Would be a great get but decision won't come until after the U18 World jr Tournament. 

Go Eagles.

Pairwise Situation After Friday's Games

We are halfway there in finding out who Boston College's next opponent will be as Friday's game are all finished up. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin edged by Penn State while Ohio State shocked #1 Minnesota. In the ECAC, Union ended Cornell's season while Colgate came back to beat Quinnipiac in double OT. In the WCHA, top seeds Ferris State and Minnesota State survived. In Hockey East, Lowell defeated Notre Dame while UNH beat Providence. In the NCHC, Miami upset North Dakota and will meet Denver, who beat Western Michigan, in the finals. Robert Morris will play Canisius in the Atlantic Hockey final. The NCHC consolation game has huge implications for North Dakota. They need to beat Western Michigan to get in. The Broncos are out regardless. Don't worry about the AHA winner, it doesn't matter. Robert Morris is currently in OT with Niagara but I need some sleep.

On top of all of this, if Miami wins tomorrow, BC cannot play them because the Red Hawks are the host school in the Midwest regional (Cincinnati). So, let's run through a scenarios.

Here are the teams we could play- Denver, Michigan, North Dakota, UNH, Minnesota State, or UNH

Here are my predictions for the games tomorrow nights games. 

Winners- Wisconsin, Robert Morris, Union, Lowell, Miami, North Dakota, and Ferris State all win. If this happens, BC will most likely play....

The University of North Dakota. O boy. 

Scenario #2- Ohio State, Canisius, Colgate, UNH, Denver, Western Michigan, and Minnesota State all win. If this happens, BC will most likely play....

The Ohio State University 

Scenario #3- Ohio State, Robert Morris, Union, UNH, Denver, Minnesota State, and Western Michigan all win, BC would play.....

The Ohio State University 

Last scenario for tonight- Wisconsin, Robert Morris, Union, Denver, Lowell, Minnesota State, and North Dakota all win....BC plays.....

The Denver Pioneers. 

That's it for tonight. We should know by this time tomorrow who we have next weekend. 

A Whole Lot of Pairwise Math

Although the Eagles are idle this weekend thanks to a pair of losses last weekend vs Notre Dame, they will be patiently awaiting their NCAA first round opponent, which will be announced Sunday afternoon on ESPN. I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some potential opponents for BC and what needs to happen in order for the Eagles to play that particular opponent. Boston College is all but assured to be the #2 overall seed (behind Minnesota) and the #1 seed in the Northeast regional, which commences next Saturday. Who will be joining them ? Let's look.

If the top seeds win their respective tournaments (Minnesota, Mercyhurst, Lowell, North Dakota, and Ferris State) BC would play-

Michigan- If the previously mentioned events take place, Boston College would be the #1 seed in Worcester taking on an all to familiar foe, the University of Michigan Wolverines. Michigan beat BC @ Yost in October. It was the first contest of the year for both clubs. The issue here is that Michigan needs a lot of help to get into the tournament after falling to Penn State this afternoon in the Big Ten tournament.

If Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Quinnipiac, Canisius, Denver, and Minnesota State win their tournaments, BC would play-

Denver- Put it this way, there is a very good chance BC plays the winner of the NCHC tournament next weekend. If Denver, Western Michigan, or Miami wins, then there is an extremely high possibility of the Eagles facing one of those clubs in the first round.

If Penn State/Ohio State, Niagara, UNH, North Dakota, Colgate, and Bowling Green win their tournaments, BC would play- 

Bowling Green- This scenario involves a lot of upsets but if it takes place, BC would play Coach York's former club for the second time this season. Boston College defeated Bowling Green @ the Three Rivers Classic in December.

Things get confusing if Penn State wins the Big Ten because that would be an inter-conference matchup for Minnesota in the first round. I assume if PSU won, then BC would get them.

If Minnesota, Robert Morris, Notre Dame, North Dakota, Union, and Ferris State all win their tournaments, BC would play- (I think this is a likely scenario)

Michigan. Again.

If Mercyhurst, Wisconsin, Quinnipiac, Providence, North Dakota, and Minnesota State win, BC would play- 

Michigan. Again.

 Put it this way. If one of Denver/Western Michigan/Miami wins the NCHC, then BC will probably play them in the first round because Minnesota would automatically play the Atlantic Hockey winner. Personally, I don't want to play Michigan or North Dakota in the first round so, root for those three. If North Dakota does win the NCHC and the favorites win in the other leagues, we'll probably face Michigan. A lot of "experts" are saying that Michigan is out but as you can see, there aren't many scenarios in which they're not in. If they do get in, the odds are that they will face BC.

Things get interesting if UNH wins the Hockey East tournament. If UNH gets in (by winning HEA), and North Dakota wins the NCHC, BC would most likely play Michigan because the committee would probably switch the Wolverines and Wildcats to avoid an inter-conference matchup.

So...root for these teams- Miami, Western Michigan, Denver, Penn State, Ohio State, Colgate, and Minnesota State if you don't want to play Michigan, like I don't.

Irish Take Game Three

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the Hockey East semifinals next weekend snapping BC's nine year long streak of making it past the quarterfinals by a score of 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at Kelley Rink. I want to first say one thing. BC played their absolute hearts out. On Friday night, not one guy gave a complete effort. Yesterday, nearly the whole entire team looked like they were playing for their season. The third period was as good as they have played all year. They generated shots, sustained pressure, forced turnovers, really did everything they needed to do in order to tie the game, except score. If the guys bring that type effort to the NCAA tournament, they will have a chance to win every game. Notre Dame is a tremendous hockey team with a lot of guys that have a shot at playing at the next level and I think all BC fans should be proud of the effort the guys put fourth yesterday. 

Unfortunately, the results weren't there. Obviously, the turning point in the game was when they scored with four seconds left in the second period. Sure, the forwards that were on the ice completely forgot to backcheck but I'm still wondering why they were on the ice with so little time left in the period. That line played so well for the majority of the first period but all the sudden Notre Dame just dominated them. When it was all said and done, Smith and Sit were -3 while Linell was -2. The biggest thing that needs to be figured out between now and tournament time is the fourth line situation. Should they play Straight ? Should the play Spiro ? Should they play Richardson ? We shall see what they decide to do.

I think it's unfair to question the job of Thatcher Demko after yesterday's performance. He's been so good for us all season and he gives us as good a shot as anybody to win an NCAA Championship. Don't worry about him. I am however worried about some of the decision making of the defensemen. After the game, a lot of fans took to Twitter to show their displeasure about a couple of players, particularly Mike Matheson.  Look, did he play his best game ? No. Did he make mistakes ? Yes. Did it look like he played as hard as he's ever played ? Yes. He dove, blocked shots, made a few plays, and tried to put his team in the best possible position to win the game. A lot of people, including myself, have sky high expectations for Mike because he's got so much hype surrounding him. At times he's made a few too many errors this season but it appeared to me that he tried gave as good an effort last night as he gave all year. I think he's going to be tremendous in the NCAAs. 

Look, I was as disappointed as ever with the result. So was the staff. But there is a difference between being disappointed with a loss and knowing you left it all out there and knowing that maybe you didn't give your best effort like I'm sure a lot of guys felt on Friday. Sure, we're not going to be playing this weekend and that stinks but all that matters, the only thing that matters to this point in the college hockey season, is that you get a spot in the dance. If you're in the dance, anything can happen. When you've got guys as skilled as BC does and a home ice advantage like BC will have in Worcester, you've got to love your chances. 

Why BC lost- 

1. The late power play. BC did everything but score on a PP late in the third. Credit Summerhayes, he was sensational. 

2. A blown backcheck on the third Notre Dame goal. Killer. 

3. Notre Dame cashed in on their chances. We didn't. Simple. 

Positives- 

1. BC played as hard as they have all year and the season isn't even close to being over. Tough loss but all you can ask for is a chance in the dance. 

Go Eagles 

Counterpunch

G celebrates one of his goals. Photo from The Heights

I walked into the rink today feeling as pessimistic as ever about this club. In fact, it was the first time all year I kind of had a bad feeling about the outcome of a game, I was absolutely convinced we were going to get steamrolled for a second straight night. I sat down and instantly started complaining about the lineup and how the staff didn't make any changes. Not one. I turned to my dad and told him this game would be over by the first intermission and guess what team scored 30 seconds into the game ? I put my hands over my face, started mumbling some unrepeatable phrases, and was just about ready to walk out when suddenly my dad turned to me and said "Mike, look at the bench", I glanced over and asked "what ? Everything is a disaster", "See the guy in the middle?", "Yes", I replied, "Who is it?" We just kinda glanced at each other and smirked. There was no way Coach York was going to let it happen on two straight nights.

And he didn't. Thanks to a four point outburst from Johnny G, the #2 Boston College Eagles forced a game three on Sunday vs the #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 4-2 in front of 4,537 fans at Kelley Rink. I'll get into the game but let me just first say that this Johnny G guy is the single best hockey player I have ever seen at the colligate level. Heck I think he is better than Gretzky. Paul Kariya, well, I'm too young to remember him but I'm sure he was great, Brian Gionta is responsible for the resurrection of the program and for that he will always be loved around here, Nathan Gerbe basically won a National Championship on his own, and there are countless others that are in the conversation but if you ask me, #13 is the best there has ever been. What he does for this team is something that can't be put into words. The best part about the guy ? Some media member ask him after the game about one of his records and he had no clue. Personally, I'm kinda sick of all the talk about his point streak because those within the program don't care about individual accolades but in my book, this kid is the greatest there has ever been.

Overall, BC played 100 times better than it did last night. No, not everyone played great, but everyone stepped their effort level up another notch. BC played really hard tonight in all three ends. In the offensive zone, they created a lot of tremendous opportunities and could have very easily been up three goals after the first period. Notre Dame's breakout last night reminded me of some of stuff you see from all star teams. It was one or two passes and the puck was already going the other way. BC forced no turnovers, no odd man rushes, and sustained very little pressure.  Tonight was a totally different story. The Eagles were fast, physical, forced a bunch of turnovers, and outshot the Irish by a 37-21 margin. The mission is nowhere near complete but an effort like that is the kind of stuff that wins you National Championships.

The most glaring aspect of the third period tonight was how tired Notre Dame looked. In college hockey they don't show playing time on the post game reports so I'm not sure of the numbers but it seemed like Tynan, Lucia, Hinostoza, Rust, Wuthrich (forwards), Johns, Lind, and Ryan (defense) were out there all the time. I'm not the biggest fan of playing some guys late in big games but it's clear that Coach York has a certain amount of confidence in each guy, something I am not sure the Notre Dame coaching staff has in their team. Playing three games in three days with two of those games being in the late afternoon has to be extremely tough on each player so tomorrow is going to be a huge conditioning test for both clubs.

Overall, really excited about this win but tomorrow's game is for all the marbles. Notre Dame is a very good hockey team and they have an excellent chance to win the game tomorrow. Heck, they just beat us 7-2. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they came in here and won again.

But remember who the man in the middle of the bench is.

Why BC Won- 

1. Johnny G. I'm done trying to explain him. Someone else give it a try.

2. BC's team defense was exceptional. Notre Dame was limited to very few grade A chances, BC was physical in their own zone, and Demko was great.

3. The power play. The first unit is as good a unit as I can remember us ever having. They're sensational.

Negatives- 

1. I got nothing but it was interesting to see Jeff Jackson rip the officials in his post game press conference. They got 6 power plays. We got 5. I guess someone has to replace Parker.

Player of the game- The sky is blue.

Next up- Game three tomorrow @ 4:30 on NESN.













 

It's Time For Some Coach York Magic

The Holy Cross game was bad. The Minnesota game was bad. The Maine game was bad. The Michigan game was a tough one to swallow. The loss @ Minnesota last year was just one really good team vs a bad team. The loss vs BU in the fall of 2011 was, at the time, the worst I had ever seen. Tonight tops them all. I want to get one thing perfectly clear before I dive into this thing. Notre Dame played an absolutely tremendous hockey game. That is the best team I have seen so far this season. Better than Minnesota. They play well in all three zones and I think they have an excellent shot at winning a National Title.

As for this club, that was flat out pathetic. Those other games I mentioned ? Those were all regular season games that didn't have huge implications. This was a playoff game. There is a trophy at steak in this tournament. I'm sorry, I am just so baffled by what took place tonight. Not one guy played well tonight, not one guy. All week we talked about playing fast, playing tenacious, winning the battles on the boards, etc. BC didn't do one of those things tonight. Not one. It's fascinating to me that guys can put on that jersey and go out there and give that type of effort. Trust me, I've watched this club every single day this year, I know when they play hard and when they don't. They didn't give an effort even close to what it needs to be at tonight. Guys looked lost. They looked exhausted. They looked like they didn't want any part in the game.

I don't know what to say. I really don't know. We didn't get beat. We got manhandled. It was like we were playing the Bruins out there. And no, it wasn't because of Notre Dame's "defensive" system. It was because the guys in blue played playoff hockey. There is a difference between playing 9 holes of golf on a Friday night and teeing it up in a tournament. The same goes for hockey. A regular season game is nothing like a playoff game. No matter what anyone says. Like,  I honestly don't think the guys gave a real effort tonight. Maybe they're just a lot better than we are and I'm way off base but I'm convinced we've got a great hockey team this year. I know there are guys in that locker room that can give a lot more than they gave tonight.

Anyways, I like history. It's probably the only subject I'm good at and if history is served tomorrow, Coach York will have the guys ready. Say what you want about BC Hockey and winning and trophies and all that fun stuff but the thing that amazes me more than anything about this program is the way Coach just moves on to the next game. You've got idiots like me ready to pack it all in while he's probably sitting at home thinking about what it's going to be like winning tomorrow's game. Who knows, history always said BU owned the Beanpot and we saw how that story ended. Maybe history won't show itself tomorrow but with that man behind the bench, I'm pretty confident it will.

Go Eagles.

Previewing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

No team has had more success in the Hockey East tournament than the Boston College Eagles have enjoyed since the league's inception in 1984, BC has taken home 11 tournament titles, more than any other school. This year, a new but familiar foe entered the battlefield in the form of ancient rival Notre Dame. In fact, the Irish accomplished what no other Hockey East team has done all season just a couple weeks ago, they defeated BC @ Kelley Rink. Actually, Notre Dame has been quiet successful @ Conte Forum, going 8-8-1 all time on the road vs BC. I don't think you would find one college hockey pundit out there that believes this will be an easy series win for the #1 seed. This is not your ordinary eight seed, I'd venture to say they're certainly a top ten club in the country, not just the league. I expect this to be one heck of a series. 

Like I said last night, it's a game of two totally different playing styles. One team is going to try and speed up the pace while the other is going to try and slow it down. The faster the game goes by, the better the chance BC has of winning. We say this all the time but in the playoffs, your best players really have to be on top of their games. Why do we remember Nathan Gerbe and Brian Gionta so much ? Not because of the way they played in regular games vs Lowell or Merrimack, but because of the way they played in the NCAA's and Beanpot vs BU. This weekend is a chance for Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Billy Arnold to show the country why they're the three best forwards the nation has to offer. If you can make plays and score goals on this team, you can score on just about anyone. 

When we played these guys two weeks ago, I thought the biggest matchup problem for us was their second line vs our second line. BC's at it's best when they have two lines that continue to pressure the puck and generate chances in the offensive end. Two Saturday's ago, that didn't happen. Not only did the second line not generate much, the big three were held in check for pretty much the entire game with the exception of G's ridiculous goal. ND is a great defensive team that is led by their All-American candidate goaltender, Steven Summerhayes. We're not going to score "garbage" goals on this guy. The team that works harder to generate odd man rushes in the neutral zone will be the one that gets the quality scoring chances, and thus, will probably win the game. 

All in all, this is going to be a heck of a series between two teams that have legitimate shots at a National title. In terms of lineup changes, the staff wants to try and get the quickest possible lineup out there which means Danny Linell will be playing on a line with Quinn Smith and Mike Sit while Destry Straight will be benched. Isaac Macleod was out of practice this past Sunday but he has returned and will be a full go tomorrow. 

Scouting Notre Dame- 

Pairwise- 9th (21-12-2) 

Leading scorers- TJ Tynan (8-25-33), Mario Lucia (15-13-28), Vince Hinostroza (7-21-28)

All time series- BC leads 18-14-2

Team offense- 2.97 goals scored per game (24th)

Team defense- 2.00 goals allowed per game (4th)

Power play- 18 % (28th)

Penalty kill- 86.5 % (7th)

Penalty minutes- 11.80 per game (36th) 

Keys for BC- 

1. Making the game up-tempo. This involves a lot of aspects, check out last nights post for a full run down

2. Winning the first period. Notre Dame is 2-8-1 when trailing after the first twenty minutes. When ND gives up the first goal, they're 3-9-1

3. Gotta capitalize on the PP. This may be the tipping point in the series. Whatever power play is better may the difference between who plays next week and who doesn't. 

Go Eagles !!

An X's and O's Lesson on the Irish

Ya sure, we had a heck of a regular season, winning the Hockey East regular season title, losing just two (!!) conference games, swept our arch rival, and of course took home the coveted Beanpot trophy. By any measures, this was a regular season to remember but guess what, in this program, regular seasons don't matter. At all. We put all this emphasis on winning a regular season title and getting the #1 seed not because winning the regular season championship is a huge deal, but because it puts the Eagles in the best possible position to win a National Championship. To be totally honest with you, I kind of grew bored of it all Trust me, you can go to the moon and back, I bet you won't find a more competitive person than me. The past couple years, I wouldn't be able to talk for three hours after a loss but this year is different, the first thirty something games were just building up to the final eight. It's an eight game season. We win eight games, we win a National Championship.

Here's the problem, we ain't facing UMass or Vermont in the first round of the conference tournament. No, the Eagles will face-off against one of just five teams that defeated them this season, the University of Notre Dame. To their credit, the Fighting Irish have been playing some exceptional hockey as of late, in fact they have not lost since February 7th. For what it's worth, I would say Notre Dame is the worst possible matchup for BC not just in Hockey East, but in the entire country. Look at the opponents we've had the most trouble with over the past five years. Road games @ Merrimack and Lowell will probably top the list, why ? Because they play a sophisticated defensive system that totally takes away BC's ability to get the puck to their speedy forwards and generate offense. You don't lead the country in goals because you're an Irish-Catholic institution (talking about BC). No, you lead the country in goals because you've got speed, skill, and highly intelligent playmakers. The problem is those type of players don't have the time or space to make those special plays when they play teams that just pack the neutral zone and clog all passing lanes.

How do you get these guys out of their defensive first system ? A few ways. Number one, BC has got to find a way to make Notre Dame become the more aggressive team. When do you become the more aggressive team ? When you're trailing the hockey game. I was talking with someone that has followed the Irish very closely this season and he told me that the reason they struggled so much in the early part of the season is because their coaching staff believed they had so much talent that they could totally change up their system. In no way are my saying that they don't have skill or Jeff Jackson doesn't know how to coach. The guy is top 5 coaches in the NCAA, without a doubt. What I am saying is that their system is what makes them so good. When they tried to open it up and become a team that forechecked aggressively, tried to posses pucks, play with a lot of speed, and create/let up a lot of scoring chances, they could not adjust and therefore lost a bunch of games. As we learned the hard way two weeks ago, when they play within their system, they're a tough team to beat.

Guys have got to support the puck. The key to BC's scoring assault is their ability to get the puck to their skilled guys up front and posses the puck in the offensive zone. Wingers like Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Ryan Fitzgerald have got to find a way to create some sort of separation between them and the ND defenders and when they get the puck, the center and other wingers can't be on the other end of the ice waiting for a pass because that just isn't going to work against these guys. Sure, we can open up the neutral zone vs teams like Northeastern and UNH but teams like Notre Dame are not going to fall for these cross ice passes that quickly result in 3 on 2's. When the winger gets the puck on his board, the center has to be their to support him, not just stand their and let Notre Dame take the puck away. The same goes for the center, when the defensemen give him the puck off a breakaway, it's got to be quick, accurate, tape to tape passes that allow the winger to get a little room. We know what a lot of guys on our club can do with a little bit of space, especially #13 but in order to make those types of plays, the guys around them have to be helping create space. The worst possible thing BC can do this weekend is turn the puck over in the neutral zone. When there isn't a play, the puck has got to go deep in their end. The strength of their team is not their ability to break the puck out and create scoring chances off of that. They're going to have a passive forecheck. Everyone who watches college hockey knows Notre Dame sending a guy over the opposing blue line is as rare as it is BU winning the Beanpot. For us, it can't be like that. It's attack, attack, attack....force turnovers !!

Anyways, I am really excited for this weekend. I think each game is going to be a heck of a battle and I expect that Kelley Rink will be going nuts all weekend. Not a college hockey tempo expert ? Think of it this way. We kind of play like Oregon football. Everything is fast, fast, fast. I mean you should see how the Eagles practice. Everything is let's go, let's go. The faster the pace, the more points. On the other side, you've got a Notre Dame team that plays a slow, methodical type of hockey. Think BC football. No real dynamite play makers (although the Irish do have some in their arsenal) just a real solid, grind, grind, grind, hockey club. It's the high flyers vs the grinders and we shall see who wins.

Full preview tomorrow.

Go Eagles.

Miles Wood Named ISL MVP

2015 Boston College recruit Miles Wood took home all ISL honors and league MVP award last night. Miles recorded 29 goals and 25 assist this season, leading Noble and Greenough to a Keller division championship.

Congrats Miles and Go Eagles.

My Hockey East Ballot

Still pumped about yesterday ? Ya, same here. Anyways, here is how I selected for the Hockey East awards. I was only allowed to consider league games. I watch one team every single day so I have a hard time not picking BC guys but I must remain as "objective" as possible.

First Team all league- 

Forwards- Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, Devin Shore (Maine)

Defense- Mike Matheson, Ben Hutton (Maine)

Goalie- Jon Gilles (PC)

Second team all league- 

Forwards- Bill Arnold, Kevin Roy (NU), Chris McCarthy (UVM)

Defense- Eric Knodel (UNH), Zach Kamrass (Lowell)

Goalie- Steven Summerhayes (Notre Dame)

All rookie team- 

Forwards- Mike Szmatula (NU), Mario Puskarich (UVM), Vince Hinostorza (Notre Dame)

Defense- Ian McCoshen and Steve Santini

Goalie- Thatcher Demko

Player of the year- If someone puts another name here besides Johnny G, the FBI should look into them.

Coach of the year- Coach York

Rookie of the year- Steve Santini but I think Szmatula will win it.

GOT HIM !!

Photo from Dave Arnold

There are solid recruits. There are really good ones. And then there are the ones that people will remember for a long time. This afternoon, Noble and Greenough forward Miles Wood (Manchester, Ma) committed to Boston College over arch nemesis Boston University. I've been watching ISL hockey for a long time and I've seen some legendary high school hockey players but this kid is the best I have ever seen. I go to a local ISL school and the school's team played Nobles a few weeks ago. About seven minutes into the game, a Nobles defenseman flung the puck around the boards to Miles who beat one forward and created a one on one matchup vs an opposing defenseman at the opposing blue line. Miles just trickled the puck past this kid's legs and made one power move to the net, scoring the first goal for Bulldogs. I think the defenseman is trying to figure out what happened. Think of Johnny G, just a bigger and more physical version of him. Two nights later, he recorded 4 points in a 7-1 rout of BBN.

What can I say ? This is as big as it gets. Beating those guys down the street for the best recruit in the country ? It doesn't get any sweeter than that. According to sources, Miles will go back to Nobles next year to play for coach Brian Day and then matriculate to BC in the fall of 2015. If Johnny G leaves after this year, expect Miles to accelerate. 

What a day in Eagle hockey world.

GO EAGLES !!!!

Notre Dame Recap/Notes

First of all, I'm sorry about the blog being shut down for a few hours yesterday. Thanks for the emails and messages. That meant a lot to me. It's great to see this thing has a bit of a following and for that I'm very thankful. From now on everything should be good to go. For those asking if this is the last year, that is not going to happen. I intend to keep this thing running for a long period of time.

Obviously, Saturday was a tough game. Credit Notre Dame, they played the style of hockey you've got to play against Boston College. They didn't send one guy past the red line all game and as a result, BC had a really tough time finding outlets through the neutral zone and generating quality scoring chances on a already tremendous defensive unit. If they get that type of goaltending and defensive zone play from here on out, that Irish team has a great chance to do some damage in March.

If you're panicking after one loss in twenty games vs one of the top teams in all of college hockey, then I don't know what to say. For as bad as BC played, and man it was really bad, it was good to see that they were still in the game throughout the whole third period. Sure, Johnny G extended his point streak to 29 games but the Irish did an absolutely tremendous job vs the big three. That's the first time all year those guys have been held in check on back to back games. Lowell did a great job on them last Saturday and the Irish were even better this weekend. Hopefully we don't send the tape to our next opponent because I think that's probably the only way to beat BC.

As bad as the game was, there were a lot of positives. Defensively, BC was sound, not allowing a ton of grade A chances for ND but we did allow them more grade A chances than they allowed us. I thought Thatcher Demko continued to show why he's the best goaltender in college hockey. Neither goal was his fault, they were just total defensive breakdowns that should never have taken place. As a fan, it was the most boring BC-Notre Dame game I've ever watched simply because it had no flow to it. Think of playing Merrimack, only with a lot more skill.

Overall, there is no need to break up the lines or change much. In my opinion, Matthew Gaudreau should be on the fourth line from here on out. He's quick, he can make plays (not like his brother but still), he goes along well with two big/physical guys, and he's the type of guy that isn't going to make a lot of mistakes in his own end or the neutral zone. He deserves to play next weekend. In reality, BC isn't too banged up but there are certainly some guys (Matheson) that will really need this thirteen day break. If all the top seeds win this weekend, then BC will host Notre Dame for a best of three series. If Merrimack wins @ Vermont, the Eagles will automatically get them. In order to play BU, the Eagles need Maine, Vermont, and the Terriers all to win.

Obviously losing stinks but if the Eagles can get a major win on the recruiting trail this week in the battle for Miles Wood, then all will be back to normal. Miles was at the game on Saturday afternoon and is expected to make a decision at some point this week. Early on, I didn't think BC had any shot of landing the 6'2 forward from Nobles but as the days pass, I don't think it would be a good idea to say he is set in stone to attend BU.

Previewing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This afternoon, the Holy War on ice will resume as the #1 Boston College Eagles will battle their rival, #14 Notre Dame @ Kelley Rink. The Irish are unbeaten in their past four games which included a sweep of Boston University last weekend in South Bend. This will be the second meeting of the year between Boston College and Notre Dame as the Eagles came out on top @ Fenway Park in January by a 4-3 score.

In terms of the pairwise standings, this undoubtedly BC's biggest game of the season. Assuming Minnesota beats lowly Penn State at home this evening, BC can only retain the #1 overall seed by beating Notre Dame or else Minnesota would win the comparison vs BC and thus, move up to #1. I don't know about you but I'd much rather play the Atlantic Hockey winner than a team like Colgate or Cornell. The good news is that BC pretty much has the #1 seed in Worcester locked up and we all know how well they play out there but winning today is an absolute must for the #1 overall seed.

Notre Dame's first season in Hockey East has been a bit of a downer but they're starting to play some good hockey. After a last second win vs Maine three weeks ago, the Irish played very well @ Providence (taking three of four points), and as mentioned above, swept BU last weekend. Going into the last day of the regular season, ND sits in a tie for seventh place with UVM. A loss tomorrow and Notre Dame ends up in 8th place, setting up a rematch with Boston University next weekend for a one game playoff in South Bend. The biggest issue right now for ND however isn't their Hockey East playoff place, it's their pairwise standing. As of now, Notre Dame is 14th in the system used to determine the NCAA tournament but with the Atlantic Hockey winner getting an automatic bid and a potential underdog winning in another league, Notre Dame would probably be either out of the tournament right now or the last team in. Basically, a win for them tonight pretty much assures a spot in the National tournament but a loss puts them on the outside looking in.

Heading into todays matchup, Notre Dame's leading scorer is senior TJ Tynan who has recorded 8 goals and 23 assist. Helping Tynan are underclassmen Mario Lucia (27 points) and Vince Hinostroza (27 points). Expect Notre Dame to put Lucia and Hinostorza with Jr Austin Wuthrich while Tynan will be with classmate Bryan Rust and Sam Heer. Although they don't score a ton of goals, I would consider Notre Dame to have one of the deeper lineups in Hockey East. In total, the Irish boast 11 NHL draft picks with three of those guys being defensemen and eight being forwards. I think the best part of playing two tough games vs UMass-Lowell last weekend was BC is now prepared to face a team that plays a very defensive style of hockey. Like the River Hawks, Notre Dame tries to make the game very neutral zone oriented. At times tomorrow, this game is probably going to be a boring, whistle infested contest. Notre Dame is 4th in the country in terms of goals allowed per game, giving up just 2.04 goals per contest.

I mean, there isn't much to say other than it's a big time game. All games in March are big time hockey games and this is the first big test. Notre Dame knows they have to win this game in order to solidify their NCAA tournament spot as well as the 7th position in Hockey East. While the Eagles have the #1 position in Hockey East all locked up, a win vs Notre Dame would go a long way in making BC the #1 overall seed.

Lastly, let's make this a special game for a special senior class. Yes, they will have at least two more home games for the playoffs but the best honor the team can give them is picking up this win vs the school's second arch rival. Pat Brown, Kevin Hayes, Billy Arnold, and Isaac Macleod have all played huge roles in the success over the past three and a half years and they did it with nothing but class and for that, every fan should be thankful for all they've done for Boston College Hockey.

Scouting Notre Dame- 

Pairwise rank- 14th (19-12-2)

Leading scorers- TJ Tynan (31 points), Mario Lucia (27 points), Vincent Hinostroza (27 points)

Best win- vs Minnesota

Worst loss- vs UMass

Team defense- 2.04 goals allowed per game (4th)

Team offense- 3.00 goals scored per game (21st)

Power play-18.7 % (26th)

Penalty kill- 87 % (5th)

Penalty minutes per game- 12.5 minutes per game (32nd)

Keys for BC- 

1. Win the battle of the neutral zone. For the first two periods of Saturday's game @ Lowell, the Eagles won the neutral zone battle, avoided turnovers, and generated a bunch of scoring chances. In the third, Lowell won that battle and eventually tied the game. This is a huge factor today.

2. I am interested to see what the staff does with the lines. Matheson is expected to be back in the lineup so either Scotty Savage or Danny Linell will be off the blue line. I would think they'd move Linell up to forward (preferably 3rd line) but I am not sure yet.

3. Stay out of the box. Cost us a point on Saturday. Can't happen again tonight.

Notes- 

1. BC is 18-13-2 all time vs Notre Dame. The Eagles are 8-7-1 all time vs ND in Chestnut Hill. BC defeated the Irish last November @ Kelley Rink (loudest crowd I can remember)

2. Johnny G's point streak now sits at 27 games. The Hockey East record is held by Paul Kariya (31 games). Not bad company.

Go Eagles !!