Very Encouraging

Before you check into the hospital because you can't believe the BC Hockey Blog isn't going bananas over a loss, let me just say that this was arguably the best game BC has played all season yet they just ran into one of the best goaltending performances I've seen in a long time. If you ask people that know me, I'm sure they'll tell you that I probably get more upset than the players and coaches do about a loss (I mean, you see what I write). Bottom line is that I never, ever, take any positives out of seeing another team walk off the ice with more goals than the maroon and gold. Well, that all changed tonight. BC played it's fastest game of the year, they generated 56 (!!) shots, and defended as good, if not better, than they did yesterday. So, why did they lose? Cal Peterson turned in a goaltending clinic for the ages while Thatcher Demko is probably wishing he had all three of those goals back because all of them were very fluky. Watching that game tonight, I felt comfortable with the way they were rolling all four lines because each one seemed to have a scoring chance every time they were out there and that certainly hasn't happened all year. I thought the line of Mike Sit, Chris Calnan, and Quinn Smith was absolutely tremendous all weekend so hopefully they can parlay that into some strong play two weeks from now. The other reason BC fans shouldn't be too down about tonight's events is because they had very little effect on the Eagles' NCAA tournament chances. Sure BU won the Hockey East regular season title, congrats to them that is all great but at BC, we don't play for regular season titles or Hockey East titles, we want a National Title. This is the FIRST TIME all year I have walked out of a rink thinking this BC team could actually stand a chance to win the whole thing because if they play the way did tonight in the NCAA tournament, then it's two straight National Titles for the Eagles (next year has already been rewarded).

It is quiet clear to me that no player in the entire league could use these two weeks off more so than Thatcher Demko. Simply put it, he looks flat out exhausted. He makes that save on their second goal 10 times out of 10 when he is at full strength but today he certainly was not anywhere near that level. Even some shots that didn't go in, they were kind of slipping by him and you could just tell he was just a bit off although he made some great saves in the third period to keep it at a one goal difference. Don't get me wrong, the kid played fine but he's exhausted and needs these two weeks to gear up for a big run. Admittedly, much was made after the first UConn game about BC's new commitment to size instead of speed. Well, I was flat out wrong. Tuch, Gilmour, and Sanford have developed into three of the top 10 forwards in this league over the course of the past couple months which is a testament to the staff's always strong development model. It's easy when you have kids like Eichel, Tuch, or Hanifin, guys that are already on such a higher level talent wise than anyone else but it can be tough when you have guys like Sanford or Gilmour who are right there, ready to take that next step but they just need some proper development. That is what they have gotten in their first year at BC. Throw in a certain three headed monster next fall and.....well you know how I feel about next year.

Now, let's look at where BC stands in the Hockey East playoffs. The Eagles clinched the #3 seed thanks to Providences' cupcake scheduling. I mean, they get to finish with UMass and Maine while we get Lowell and Notre Dame? You know that BC, BU, ND, PC, and either UML/UNH/NU are going to be in the mix every year so why not have Providence play a contender instead of a cupcake? That stuff drives me nuts. These will be your 5-12 matchups next week. I think all the higher seeds will win relatively easily which means that BC would host the biggest non BU series ever when Northeastern comes to town. Revenge.

5 Notre Dame vs 12 UMass, 6 Northeastern vs 11 Merrimack, 7 UVM vs 10 Maine, 8 UNH vs 9 UConn.

While the bye week is nice for rest, it's possibly the biggest week of recruiting for the staff. Even though the Eagles won't play next weekend, Coach Brown and Coach Ayers will probably be all over the map with the prep playoffs and USHL/NTDP seasons winding down.

Hello

Despite the entire college hockey media base practically bowing to the guys down the street, despite a hoard of injuries affecting their depth on defense and offense, and despite this being one of the more trying seasons in recent history (I know, it's stunning), Boston College defeated Notre Dame tonight to move within a win and a BU loss of sharing a Hockey East regular season title. Perhaps more importantly, the Eagles remain at 9th in the pairwise and clinched a first round bye in the Hockey East playoffs which begin next weekend with the 5-12 matchups. I'd have to sit down and think about it for a few minutes but I don't think I'm out of line (I know I am a lot) in saying this was BC's best game of the season, I mean, they played absolutely tremendous, especially in their own end. Their star studded defense, led by Noah Hanifin and Ian McCoshen, shut down Notre Dame's top trio of Hinostroza, Lucia, and Bjork. Think about how tough this season has been at times and how often it seems like the media is making BU to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and then do yourself a favor and look at the pairwise and Hockey East standings. It's their most talented team in 6 years and it's our least talented team in 6 years and yet we have a chance to overtake them in the national and league standings on the final day of the regular season..........Don't even get me started about next year.

I thought BC came out and played a tremendous first period, something they have yet to do in the past couple of weeks. One would think that the crowd and circumstances would intimidate a young BC squad but they came out and got pucks to the net, played pristine defense, and scored the all important first goal when McCoshen fired home an Austin Cangelosi pass for his 6th point in 4 games. The staff obviously did their homework because they figured that they could matchup the Calnan line (which was very good) with either Notre Dame's first or second line literally every shift. Notre Dame's top line is as fast and skilled as any in Hockey East but Calnan, Sit, and Smith didn't give them anything tonight. They stayed disciplined in their own end, got pucks deep, attacked ND's young D, and blocked a ton of shots. It's not everyday that blocked shots stick out in my mind after a game but I can remember at least one occasion when Calnan, in the midst of a long shift, laid out his body in order to prevent an Irish scoring chance. Without a doubt his best game of the month. The maroon and gold continued to carry the play after a couple penalties and were rewarded when rising freshman Alex Tuch pounced on his own rebound to give BC a 2-0 lead with three minutes to go in the opening stanza. If Tuch stays hot like this in the playoffs and can continue to put up a point per game, I have little doubt that this team is going to surprise a lot of people.

To be honest, I was very worried about the second period because you never know what can happen especially after what took place against Harvard. Despite blogger's doubts, the guys came out and once again implemented a full out assault on Notre Dame freshman goalie Cal Peterson who played very well in the loss. Unlike in the first period, BC was rewarded two power plays and even though they had some nice setups, they got nothing. The most notable opportunity was when Tuch came crashing down from the blue line looking for a one timer but a Notre Dame' defenseman's stick got in the way, denying a sure goal. Despite the 0 for 3 mark, I like the way both units are moving the puck around although I still think they should just have McCoshen wind up and pound it from the point. In the end, BC held up great in their own end throughout the period and surrendered just 11 shots (mostly from the outside) to Notre Dame.

The third period was just another example as to why Thatcher Demko is the most valuable player in college hockey, outside of Jack Eichel. I absolutely love the toughness this kid shows. I mean, the kid has been walking around campus like he's just been shot in the leg for the past five months but he continues to bring his A game when this team needs it. I'm sure he would be the first to tell you that having guys like Santini and Matheson bring their games up another notch doesn't hurt either. Actually, there was a little scare in the second period when Santini came to the bench clutching his shoulder but after a brief session with trainer Bert Lenz, he returned to the ice and looked great. Hanifin and McCoshen get the accolades but I thought Matheson played much, much better tonight. Three solid games in a row for him. Lastly, I can't talk about the win unless I mentioned Coach Ayers' penalty kill, what a group of warriors they were tonight. It's no secret that I was losing my mind over the PK unit last month but whatever he's done, it's worked. Against Northeastern in the Beanpot it was just sit around and wait for an opponent to shoot the puck, and hope for a block or a deflection. Now, it's constant pressure at the points which worked very well vs a "point" oriented team in Notre Dame. Lots of credit to Coach Ayers in that department.

In the end, great 60 minute effort from the Eagles tonight, perhaps their most "complete" game since the raid on Agganis. Speaking of our good friends from down the street, congratulations to Northeastern on picking up a terrific 6-5 victory on Jack Parker's statue unveiling night. If the Huskies and BC win tomorrow, the Eagles and BU will tie for the Hockey East regular season which is just astonishing considering that the college hockey media (including BC's own blogger) had totally forgotten about the maroon and gold.

Why BC Won- 

1. Demko is not bad at all.

2. Penalty kill looks really, really solid right now. Fast, aggressive, blocking shots, no blown coverages, great goaltending.

3. All four lines were terrific but particularly the third line of Sit, Calnan, and Smith.

4. Hanifin and McCoshen play the entire game it seems.

Negatives- 

I got zip. Arena is so nice, I'll have more on that tomorrow. We need something like this.

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko

Next- Notre Dame tomorrow @ 6:05

Notre Dame Preview

Fresh off a season salvaging win vs Harvard on Monday night, BC will hit the road to take on their catholic school rivals from South Bend where they will be seeking revenge after last year's Hockey East playoff loss. While the win vs Harvard was monumental for BC's pairwise standing, a win or two this weekend would all but assure a first round bye in the Hockey East playoffs and more importantly, a spot in the NCAA tournament. However, it won't be easy as the Eagles will be a facing a Notre Dame team that took three of four points @ Boston University last weekend and two from Providence the weekend before. No matter what the national rankings say, Notre Dame is a terrific hockey club that has really played well as of late. Not only did they beat PC and BU, but they took 3 of 4 points from Maine in Orono earlier this month. Of course, while BC and ND don't have the history that BC and BU have, there is no doubt that the Irish are coming on as one of the Eagles' most heated rivals, especially after the shenanigans they pulled in our rink last year. Sure, they won the series fair and square but the amount of times they tried to mix in a last second change even though we had last change was pathetic. Put it simply, these two teams can't stand each other and this weekend will be an absolute war.

Whether you like Notre Dame or not (I can't stand them) you can't deny that Jeff Jackson has done a terrific job with their hockey program. If you go back 20 years, ND was non-existent, they were absolutely terrible but ever since Jackson took over, they have won a ton of crucial recruiting battles and really elevated their program. Despite all their recent success, ND has kind of struggled this year after losing top scorers Bryan Rust, Jeff Costello, and TJ Tynan along with defensemen Stephen Johns and Shayne Taker. However, they boast one of the top units in all of college hockey with Vincent Hinostroza, Mario Lucia, Robbie Russo, Thomas DiPauli, and Sam Herr. Russo is arguably the best defensemen in the game while the line of Lucia-Hinostroza-Anders Bjork (Bruins draft pick) has been lighting the world on fire as of late. We all know how Notre Dame is going to play tomorrow. They somehow get these 5 star recruits to come in and play a trap the entire game, in fact, if you ask me, it's exactly how the game of hockey shouldn't be played. It's no fun to watch and it's really annoying when they win because it makes it seem like that system works although they have never won a National Title (what happened in 08?). Of course, the Irish have given BC all types of fits over the years, including the last time they played in this venue in 2012 when BC outplayed ND the whole game but fell victim to a last second buzzer beater in overtime. That was awful.

When I look at this Fighting Irish squad, I see two distinct weaknesses, goaltending and depth on the blue line. Sure, freshman goalie Cal Peterson played tremendous last weekend vs the Terriers but he doesn't have a great save percentage (91) nor a great GAA (2.46). I think if BC is able to get bodies to the net, along with getting puck after puck to the front of the cage, then they have a great chance to win this game. Look at the tying goal on Monday, we kept trying to make the pretty play to try and even the score but it was a scrappy play by a fourth liner that did the job. Pucks and bodies to the net. The second hole in their game is their lack of defensive depth. Yes, Russo is certainly of the best in the game but other than him, they don't have anyone that jumps out at you. Jordan Gross and Luke Ripley are both freshmen while sophomore Justin Wade didn't play at all last season. Let's see if BC can get puck deep, be physical, and ware these guys down. I'm not sold on their defense and goaltending.

Scouting Notre Dame- 

Record- 14-15-5 (32nd in PWR)

Leading scorers- Vincent Hinostroza (8-28-36), Mario Lucia (19-7-26), Robbie Russo (12-18-30)

Team offense- 2.94 goals scored per game (20th)

Team defense- 2.74 goals allowed per game (37th....wow)

Power play- 15% (38th...still very dangerous)

Penalty kill- 83% (28th)

Shots on goal per game- 27.5 (43rd)

Keys for BC- 

1. McCoshen and Hanifin out there every time against Hinostroza and Lucia. Whoever wins this matchup will win the game. Our best guys vs their best guys. Noah and Ian were great vs Vesey.

2. Watch out for their fourth line. Notre Dame has a couple of highly skilled NHL draft picks on their bottom line in Austin Wuthrich and Steven Fogarty. Maybe match Fitz up vs them, 3rd line vs DiPauli and Herr.

3. Just stay out of the box. The amount of penalties this team takes in comparison to years past is absurd.

Notes- I'll tweet something out if Silk or Linell play but I don't expect it.

Off to South Bend in the morning, Go Eagles !

Recruit Update

I feel like I haven't done one of these in a year so let's take a look at how BC's recruits are performing so far this season.

15-16 class- 

Miles Wood- After serving a suspension two weeks ago for a hit to the head against Thayer Academy, Wood has since returned and recorded 13 points in 4 games. That includes a 4 goal outburst against BBN and a game winning goal with just under two minutes left vs rival Belmont Hill. He now has 31 points in 15 games, giving him 2.07 goals per game.

Jeremy Bracco- Currently second on the NTDP U18 squad with 63 points in 45 games, which averages out to 1.45 points per game. He leads the team with 41 assists and 4 game winning goals.

Colin White- After missing a good amount of time due to injury, the Hanover native has bounced back with 33 points in 34 games, good for 0.97 goals per game. He is tied with Auston Matthews in power play goals (4).

Chris Brown- Coach Brown's nephew was traded from the Green Bay Gamblers to the Tri-City storm this week but in 43 games with GB, he recorded a team high 13 goals and 19 assists.

JD Dudek- In his first year outside of prep school, Dudek seems to be having a bit of a tough time adjusting to playing against bigger/faster kids as he has recorded just 12 points in 40 games.

Casey Fitzgerald- In 37 games with the NTDP, he has recorded 6 goals and 11 assists but somehow has a whopping 53 penalty minutes which is kind of surprising given his style of play.

Josh Couturier- The former Northeastern recruit has put up some great numbers with the Boston Jr Bruins this season, recording 15 goals and 19 assists in 46 games played.

Notes- I think the staff is going to add certainly one, maybe two, more forwards who will probably just provide depth unless they pull off a stunner and get Tkachuk (50% chance) or Matthews (5% chance). As we get closer to the draft, it will be interesting to see what they do with the D situation as I think there is a realistic chance that Hanifin, McCoshen, and Matheson are all gone.

16-17-

David Cotton- The Cushing product is having a breakout season as he is leading all of New England prep hockey with 64 points on the season. Certainly a good sign for the staff.

Graham McPhee- 4 goals and 10 assists in 34 games played.

Zachary Walker- Just returned from a bad leg injury two weeks ago so not much to report.

Luke McInnis- The son of BC's volunteer assistant coach has recorded 10 goals and 23 assists for Dan Donato's Dexter squad. Those numbers land him at 3rd in defensemen scoring in prep hockey.

Connor Moore- the Georgia native and Brooks product is having a solid season with 4 goals and 16 assists for a Brooks team that is looking to make the small school playoffs.

Monte Graham- I don't think he will end up coming in 2016 as they'll probably have him do a year of Jr's but he has had a solid season for Tony's Tigers, recording 29 points in 26 games.

Mike Campoli- 4 assists in 44 games for the U17 team.

Sneaky Huge Win

Photo from The Heights

Thanks to an overtime tally from sophomore Ryan Fitzgerald, the Boston College Eagles solidified their NCAA tournament position with a huge 3-2 win over Harvard in the 3rd place game of the Beanpot. The amount of times that I have been asked why I was jacked up about a consolation victory today is mind-blowing but if you follow closely, you'd know that this win pushes BC to the brink of clinching a 6th straight tournament berth. Basically, the Eagles currently sit at 9th in the pairwise but a loss would have dropped them down to 16th, meaning they would probably have to sweep a red hot Notre Dame squad this weekend on the road. However, thanks the a terrific third period and some heroics from Fitzy, the maroon and gold are one win in South Bend and a home ice series win in the Hockey East playoffs away from clinching an NCAA tournament berth.

In front of perhaps 400 people, the game got underway and the first period was mostly controlled by Harvard but it was the Eagles who recorded a power play goal in their 5th straight game to take the 1-0 lead after a period. Much has been made about BC's lack of a "go to" guy this year but I think Alex Tuch is slowly turning into one of the top forwards in the league, in my opinion he is the third best behind Eichel and Roy. Not only is he super skilled but he does all the little things right such as knowing where to be when they're cycling and finding open lanes on the power play. BC has been looking for that line of him, Gilmour, and Sanford to pick it up a little bit and without a doubt, they were better than Harvard's top unit of Vesey, Criscuolo, and Kerfoot, one of the more vaunted lines in the country. However, outside of the power play goal, BC's first period was shaky and we were probably lucky to get out of it with a lead because a lot of our shots were from the perimeter while a lot of their shots were taken in good scoring areas.

The second stanza could very well have been worst of the season, mainly because the Eagles got back to taking stupid penalties. Interestingly enough, we had a chance to make it a 2 goal game early on when we were rewarded with a 5 on 3 for over a minute but we couldn't do anything. The long kill gave a Harvard a big boost and they finally tied the game up when Alexander Kerfoot made a couple nice moves at the blue line and fired a wrister past a screened Demko. Two things stood out about that goal. Number one, BC got caught on a long change and couldn't take the fourth line off so Donato made the smart move and threw on his top guys and as well as our fourth line played, they're no match for their big three. BC had a couple of chances to just chip the puck up the boards and get a change but credit Harvard for keeping it in and getting guys to the net. Less than two minutes after Kerfoot's tally, Buffalo draft pick Sean Malone gave the Crimson their first lead of the night on the power play. No one can say that BC's penalty kill was bad because they were 6 of 7 on the night and that included a long 5 on 3 but I think they may have been caught just a tad out of position on that goal. Coach York made a great point after the game when he said that it is tough when your top guys have to be your penalty killers because that wears them down offensively and that was clearly evident by BC's two shots in the second period. In all honesty, Harvard should have had a three goal lead through two but a clearly banged up Demko (he was run over twice, neither called) once again saved the day. It's great having the best goaltender in the country but when he has to  face five power plays in one period, you know there are going to be some errors. It's not fair for him that his teammates are in the box so much and to be frank, I can't recall any of them being "bad" calls, they were just stupid penalties.

I'm obviously not in the locker room but if I had to guess Coach York went in there after 40 minutes and fired everybody up by telling them that they had to win this game or their tournament hopes were pretty much history because boy did they come out with some bounce in their step. They looked like a totally different hockey team in the third period. They were the faster, stronger, and more physical team all throughout the final twenty minutes but they couldn't answer the bell until Matthew Gaudreau fired home a rebound with just under 12 minutes to play. Everyone, including me, talks about BC's lack of depth but their fourth line consist of two guys that are both really good skaters and aren't without any skill. Teddy Doherty added an assist and played well but I still think they want him back at defense to recreate the pairings they had in January. BC was given a golden opportunity with 5 minutes to go when Harvard forward Seb Lloyd was whistled for charging but they couldn't do anything with it. Outside of our power play goal, I was very impressed with the Crimson's penalty kill which was fast, aggressive, and got great goaltending all night long.

About 1:16 into overtime, just 8 second after Harvard had iced the puck and called a timeout, the staff made an intelligent move by throwing the second line out there against Harvard's top guys, a matchup that, for whatever reason, really threw Vesey and company off all night. The maneuver proved fruitful when Fitz fired home his own rebound to give BC their biggest victory of the season. Like I said, it was a huge win but evident by Coach York's postgame comments, they clearly aren't where they want to be. He has been around long enough to know that goaltending and defense can only win you trophies if you get at least some 5 on 5 scoring. He also touched upon the penalty situation which he seems astounded by the fact that we're in late February and we're still taking a ton of penalties. All in all, great win but it needs to be a lot better.

Why BC won- 

1. Tuch has evolved into a real threat. Sanford is no slouch himself.

2. Penalty kill. If Harvard makes it a two goal game after two, there is no way we're coming back. It would have sucked the wind right out of our sails. Couple of solid games for Coach Ayers' crew.

3. Demko was tremendous. I think they should give him the next two days off in preparation for Notre Dame. The kid must be exhausted and extremely bruised up as he was hit hard a couple times last night.

Negatives- 

1. The second period could have been the worst of the year. One stat tells the story....Harvard 15 shots, BC 2.

2. If they keep giving good teams a large amount of power plays, they're going nowhere in the postseason.

Players of game- Bunch of guys to choose from but I'll go with Fitz because that was a big strike.

Next- @ Notre Dame Friday and Saturday. Huge.

Also congrats to Coach Quinn and Boston University on their championship. That game was college hockey at it's very highest level and hopefully we can come back next year and bring the Pot back home.

Harvard Preview

For the first time in six years, Boston College will take part in the consolation game of the Beanpot championship game where it will face a Harvard team that beat them 6-3 @ Kelley Rink in November. I know I say this a lot, particularly when it's BU, but I'm not kidding when I say tomorrow is the biggest game of the season for the Eagles. A win and their this close to "clinching" and NCAA tournament berth. A loss and they drop from 9th to 14th in the pairwise. Coach York would be the first to tell you that while the Beanpot means a lot to fans and alums, the goal each season, no matter how good or how bad we are, it to go out and win a National Championship. If we can find a way to take one home tomorrow, then we are in a great position to possibly make a run at the Frozen Four.

Ever since that first meeting, Harvard has been up and down. They possess one of the most talented lines in the country in Jimmy Vesey, Kyle Criscuolo, and Alexander Kerfoot but they will be without their top defenseman, Patrick McNally who was injured a little over a month ago and is out for the remainder of the regular season. Ted Donato's squad is coming off a long road trip to North Country in which they lost to St Lawrence on Friday but defeated Clarkson on Saturday. Interestingly enough, despite all their offensive horsepower, the Crimson were outshot by the Knights and Saints by a combined 67-47 margin, along with surrendering 5 goals to an underrated SLU team on Friday night. As big as the game is for BC, it's just as important for the Crimson who currently sit squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble at 16th (would be last team out due to Atlantic Hockey auto-bid).

As you can see, the might be the biggest consolation game in the history of the tournament, especially considering BC and BU have never played. Not only is it big for playoff implications but beating Harvard means a lot to the fan base, especially those who played in the 50's and 60's. I remember my grandfather would always talk about how he cared more about beating the Crimson than the Terriers (I still pray he was kidding) but that's just one example showing how much this rivalry means to people in this program. Of course, no one likes losing but when it comes to Harvard, it ramps things up a notch, not to mention the fact that they embarrassed us in our own barn just a few months ago. No matter how you draw it up, tomorrow is an absolute must win for this team, there's just no other way around it, they have to find a way to come back with a W. Sure, it isn't the setting that we want to be in as a program but we all know that we'll be back next year holding that trophy up but if we can find a way to sneak into the dance and make some noise, then it will go to show jut how hard these kids and these coaches have worked this season. We all know it has been a tough go at times but perhaps none was worse than seeing the Crimson walk off our own ice after scoring 6 goals on our star studded defense. Tomorrow is about revenge, it's about trying to cement a spot in the NCAA tournament, and most of all, it's about winning one for the hockey alums that can't bare to see the maroon and gold lose to their rivals from Cambridge.

Scouting Harvard- 

Record- 13-9-3 (16th in PWR)

Leading scorers- Jimmy Vesey (20-20-40), Kyle Criscuolo (14-19-33), Tyler Moy (8-14-22)

Team offense- 3.31 goals scored per game (10th)

Team defense- 2.47 goals allowed per game (29th)

Power play- 21% (12th).....probably see that out there 15 times thanks to the refs.

Penalty kill- 88% (7th)

Shots on goal per game- 30.62 (27th)

Penalty minutes per game- 9.31 (50th)......probably see that number go way down tomorrow.

Keys for BC- 

1. I think they need to start Demko. I know he is probably tired and hurting but this really is the definition of a must win. I originally thought they would give the nod to Billett but this game is to big for a backup. It is a MUST win.

2. Fitzgerald needs to get going. It can't be a three man show every single night up front. He has got to get involved.

3. Be smart with the last change. If our third line gets caught vs Vesey, it is going to be a long night.

Note- Coach York has never come in last in the Beanpot. Parker came in last 3 times.

Go Eagles ! Go Huskies !

Tough Tie

In what was a tale of two totally different games, Boston College and UMass Lowell settled for a 2-2 tie on Friday night @ Conte Forum, dropping the Eagles down to 12th in the pairwise. I thought it was the type of game in which both teams had a bunch of good spurts and a couple portions where they got vastly outplayed. In BC's case, it was a combination of bad penalty calls, a lack of focus for a few seconds, and some tremendous goaltending from Kevin Boyle that led to the disappointing result. Obviously, I can talk about a couple of mistakes BC made, especially in the early part of the game, but last night should be the final straw with the officiating because it is astonishing how bad it was. Just off the top of my head, I could name five awful missed calls on Lowell but for some reason, they whistled every one of our infractions. Over the course of the past five games, BC has had 12 power plays while their opponents have had 25 (!!!!!). Blaming the officials is something Coach York would never do but it is quiet obvious that this has gone on long enough and BC needs to start talking with the league.

I thought the first period was relatively even but they totally outplayed us in the second in terms of possession, shots (10-9), and made sure that all of our scoring chances came from the outside. In fact, BC's two goals were results of shots from the point so give credit to Lowell for playing so well around their net. I don't think I can remember a season in which opponents' goalies have played their best games of the season vs the Eagles. After a rough couple months, UML's Kevin Boyle came to play as he made 37 saves. I thought the best part of BC's game was their penalty killing as it was a lot more aggressive, in fact, a friend of mine who has only been to one game this season kept asking me why they were so aggressive on the PK which is exactly what they need to be doing. Of course, you're never going to kill off every penalty and it gets a lot harder when you have to spend so much time running around your own zone and blocking shots but job well done last night. Lowell's first goal came just a couple seconds after a penalty to Noah Hanifin (who played great) but I'm not exactly sure what happened as their guy was left wide open in front of Demko and we somehow didn't have anyone there to intercept a cross ice pass in our zone.

The final twenty minutes was perhaps BC's best all around  period of hockey in a long time but unfortunately, a mental error on the power play came back to haunt them. As talented as BC's back core is, they have way too many moments in which they keep trying to reverse the puck in their own zone and they got burned because of it last night. Outside of that error, BC's power play continues to be red hot but they can't make a difference in a game because they have half as many opportunities as the opponent does. It is a complete joke and it's going to end up killing our season. Ian McCoshen (+2 and a goal) continued to display why he is BC's most pro ready player while his partner Noah Hanifin was also very solid. Like I said last week, I think part of the reason for the struggles of Matheson and Santini are because they are not with familiar with each other. They compliment each others games rather well but haven't played together at all since Santini's arrival. Hopefully they can get Linell or Silk back soon to enable Doherty to go back to defense.

Anyways, really frustrating result but it didn't have much to do with the way BC played. Once again, they played hard but just didn't put the puck in the net. We said this at the start of the year and it rings truer now more than ever. In order to win games, these guys not only need great goaltending but they have to limit their opponents chances on the power play while at the same cashing in on PP's of their own. Unfortunately, because of outside forces, they once again are getting short ended. Big one on Monday vs Harvard.

Who to root for tonight- 

1. Penn State to beat Minnesota (currently 3-2 PSU)

2. Northern Michigan to beat Bowling Green

3. UMass to beat PC

Positives- 

1. Penalty kill was great. They were aggressive, fast, and ferocious but it doesn't help when they are out there the whole game.

2. Demko played much better. I would give Barone or Billett the start on Monday. Demko needs rest and it is going to be brutally tough next weekend.

3. Hanifin and McCoshen were great.


Negatives- 

1. First two period were not very good. They had the puck a lot more than we did and seemed to have a lot more grade A scoring chances. Need the second line to be better.

Next- Harvard on Monday.

Lowell Preview

Tomorrow night will commence the most important stretch of the season for the maroon and gold as they will kick off a campaign that will likely make or break their NCAA tournament chances when the UMass Lowell River Hawks come to town. As you probably know, UML defeated BC in the first game of the season @ Tsongas Center by a 3-1 score but ever since Christmas, Norm Bazin's team has been in a bit of a slump. After defeating Merrimack in the finals of the Mariucci Classic on January 3rd, the Hawks are just 3-7-1, a record that currently has them on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. However, while they may be struggling as of late, Lowell is coming off a 7-1 victory over arch rival UMass on Saturday night, a win that kept them in the conversation for one of the four Hockey East home ice spots.

I did a little bit of math and by my calculations, if BC wins 3 of it's final 4 regular season games and avoids a disaster in the first round (meaning a sweep), they should be on their way to a 6th straight NCAA tournament appearance but a loss tomorrow night would most likely drop them back down to 13th while a win could move them up as high as 9th. Everyone always talks about how we need team X and team Y to lose but if we take care of our own business, we will without a doubt have a chance to compete for a National Title. Another big aspect of tomorrow's game is the race for one of the top four spots in Hockey East. As it stands now, BC, Providence, Notre Dame, Lowell, and Northeastern are all realistically in the hunt for three of the four available spots (BU is pretty much set in stone to be a top 4 team).  Not only would that mean a home ice playoff series but the Eagles would have two full weeks to rest up and get prepared for the upcoming stretch run. We all know how banged up they are and a win tomorrow night would go a long way in cementing a lot of important scenarios for the them.

As I said earlier, Lowell comes into this game in a bit of rough stretch but they're only three spots out of the NCAA tournament so obviously they know how much their  hopes rest on this game. I would tell you that I think it's probably going to be another one of those defensive style contest but I also thought last Saturday would be to and look how that turned out. In order to win, BC has to do a couple things a lot better than they did a week ago. First of all, they're going to need their best player to be their best player. Demko certainly wasn't at his best vs the Catamounts but you can certainly attribute a lot of that to BC's poor defensive zone play. Too often, our defensemen are forgetting to pick up their assignments and are getting beat to the net (i.e. UVM's OT goal). They wouldn't have to be running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off if they did a better job of getting the puck out of the zone and avoiding turnovers. I've said this all year and I'll say it again, 90% of the goals that this team gives up are because they shoot themselves in the foot with either a stupid turnover or ill advised penalty. Hopefully they can shore those things up for tomorrow.

Scouting Lowell- 

Record- 17-10-4 (18th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- CJ Smith (freshman 13-17-30), Evan Campbell (9-13-22), Joe Gambardella (8-14-22)

Top line- Smith- Gambardella- Edwardh

Team offense- 3.42 goals scored per game (8th)

Team defense- 2.65 goals allowed per game (35th)

Power play- 19.5% (21st)

Penalty kill- 78.3% (47th)

Goalie- Kevin Boyle 91.3 save percentage (47th)....he may not start but that is who I would bet on.

Keys for BC- 

1. The weaknesses of this Lowell team are exactly what their strengths were a year ago. They are not real deep on the blue line, struggle on the penalty kill, and have been horrible in goal so far. Take advantage.

2. BC goes where Demko/first line goes. When those four guys are on, BC can beat anybody. When they are not playing as well, BC is in danger of losing. I'd like to see Gilmour have a big night.

3. Stay. Out. Of. The. Box.

Notes- Silk and Linell didn't practice this week so both are highly doubtful. Doherty playing forward.

Go Eagles

Eagles Earn Split

Photo from The Heights

After an extremely frustrating loss to Vermont on Friday night, BC bounced back and defeated the Catamounts 6-5 in front of a sparse crowd of 3,119 at Conte Forum. First things first, it was certainly one of those game where it was nice to get the W but it was more important to stop the bleeding. A second consecutive loss at home to a team ranked just below them in the pairwise would have dropped the Eagles down to 16th but they avoided that disaster and actually jumped back up to 11th. The Hockey East standings have become a totally disaster as Notre Dame and Providence split, UNH earned a victory over Boston University, Lowell picked up a league win, and obviously UVM topped us at home on Friday.

I thought BC got out to a terrific start in the first five minutes of the game. They looked a lot faster, much more engaged, and created as many shots in the first period on Saturday as they did in the first two on Friday. Their first line of Zach Sanford, Adam Gilmour, and Alex Tuch got back to playing dominating hockey at times as they combined for three points, including Tuch's game winner in the third. BC's ever improving power play gave them the 1-0 advantage just four minutes in the game off an Ian McCoshen bomb which was followed up by a Teddy Doherty tally just 1:12 after. It seemed as the Eagles were poised to run their opponents out of the building on many occasions tonight but give Vermont credit as they kept coming back. They responded to another McCoshen goal towards the end of period when BC got caught in their own end to make it a one goal game after a period. For some odd reason, this team has abad tendency to follow up a goal with a couple of bad shifts. They continue to give opponent's huge momentum boosts by just shutting it down after someone scores a goal.

The second stanza was a relatively even twenty minutes but it was the Eagles who came out with two more goals thanks to a great individual by Quinn Smith and another power play from Austin Cangelosi, who Coach York said was the team's best forward all weekend long. I've always been a huge proponent of giving Austin more playing time because I think his dip in play was due to the people that were around not, him necessarily himself. He wants to get the puck on the wing and fly up and down the ice but he can't do that if his teammates don't get him the puck or catch up with him. I can't think of how many times he's on a rush all by himself while the two other guys on his line are either lagging behind him or not giving him an option in the middle. Obviously, the biggest positive I took away from the game is how good BC's power play looks. They are not going to win games in March unless they get the proper calls and capitalize on them, something they're starting to do game in and game out. Credit Coach Brown for getting what was an abysmal unit together in time for the stretch run.

To be totally honest, I didn't like BC's third period at all. We are not going to win any games in the Hockey East or NCAA tournaments by a 6-5 score. I'm no goaltending expert but I think Demko was maybe a bit to aggressive on a couple of UVM's goal as he seemed to be on top of the crease, something you don't see very often. It's probably much easier to make the initial stop from the point when your so far out but if that puck gets behind you, which it did, then it's going in the net without a doubt. Also, it is quite clear to me that not all of BC's defensemen are playing anywhere near the top of their games, in fact the only guys I thought were good back there were Savage and McCoshen, everyone else was average and that isn't going to win us any games next month. Scoring 6 goals is great and all but we all know that isn't going to happen when push comes to shove. Our defense and goaltending have to be the cornerstones of our club if we're going to make a run at this thing.

Anyways, the Eagles are still a long ways from clinching an NCAA tournament spot but they certainly avoided a collapse this weekend. I thought Vermont came in and played a heck of a series, the type of hockey they will probably need to display in order to make an NCAA tournament run of their own. I can't overstate the importance of getting Silk and Linell back. I know, they won't help any scoring issues but their returns would allow Doherty to go back to defense and they can go with the set pairs they always like. Some guys, particularly Matheson, play a lot better when they're with guys they're familiar with (Doherty). Hopefully those two can get back on the ice soon.

Why BC Won- 

1. Power play was tremendous.

2. First line was much better. Still not their very best but all three, particularly Tuch, were big factors.

3. McCoshen is the only pro ready guy on this team. I'm really not sure if he is going to leave after this season but he is without a doubt the most prepared but he may want to stick around and be part of an undefeated team a year from now.

Negatives- 

1. They can't allow Vermont back into that game while being up 5-2 and 6-3. That almost got real bad.

Player of the game- Ian McCoshen

Next- Lowell on Friday.

Note- Staff had four recruits in the building yesterday. Bracco, White, Fitzgerald, and Wood.

No Good

In one of the more lifeless performances they have had all season, the Eagles fell at home to Vermont for the first time since 2010 in overtime last night by a score of 3-2. Give UVM credit, they played ten times harder than we did and they certainly looked like they wanted it a lot more than the guys in maroon and gold did. You would hate to think that BC would actually not show up for such a big contest but that's exactly what happened and don't let the score fool you. Vermont should have won by three or more goals. Honestly, not one guy stood out to me as someone who really made a difference for BC. It was just a slow, astoundingly poor effort from the Eagles and for that, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Two things really shocked me about how BC played. Number one, I could not believe how inept they were at breaking the puck out of the zone, I mean they couldn't get one clean breakout and you would have thought they were playing with guys they have never seen before. They literally could not make a clean pass coming out of the zone, it was either a turnover, an ice, or a defenseman rushing the puck up to the red line in order to start something. Secondly, we once again allowed a power play goal, insuring that BC has now allowed an opponent to score on the man advantage in 5 of their past 6 games. I can't sit here and pout about the way BC killed because the second goal was just a harmless on ice shot from the top of point that apparently Demko never saw. Another thing I noticed was how bad the first line was. I walked out of the rink scratching my head as to why they were not out there at all in overtime but then I was told that neither Gilmour nor Sanford had one shot on goal all night long. I don't blame the staff at all for not going with those guys in OT, if you don't get pucks to the net and don't look like your engaged in trying to win a hockey game, then that is exactly what is going to happen. They're good players but they don't have the ability to just show up and take over like Johnny G or Gerbe. They need to actually to show up and play hard in order to create some offense.

In the end, not much else I can sit here and do except hope they come out ready for today's game. I can understand why high school hockey players may feel out of it once and a while and not show up for a game or two but when it comes to college hockey, especially at this level, a display of effort that I saw from a couple guys last night, is something that is never acceptable. Despite this being of the more trying years in recent memories, no one can deny that these guys have played hard day in and day out but for some reason, they're losing that. Next year, things will be a lot different but right now, players have to understand that they don't have enough talent to win on talent alone. There has been a ton of games over the past 10 years in which were pushed over the top because of superior skating abilities. This team doesn't have those skating skills, they've got to actually play their very hardest for an entire game in order to win. Let's see what they have in store for today.

Game is at 4:30.

Vermont Preview

For the 52nd time, Boston College will face-off vs the University of Vermont Catamounts tomorrow night @ Kelley Rink in what is sure to be hotly contested series between two teams vying for an NCAA tournament berth. To be honest, I'm not the greatest math guy out there but according to all the wizards, two wins this weekend would almost guarantee BC a 6th consecutive berth in the dance but before any of that is decided, they must be ready to play a UVM squad that is also right in the thick of things both nationally and in Hockey East. The green and gold enter the series coming off a tough loss last Saturday at home vs UNH and overall, UVM has struggled over the past month and a half. Since a win over Air Force on December 28th, the Catamounts are just 2-7-1 in their past 10 games, 7 of which came in the friendly confines of Gutterson Fieldhouse. Amazingly, BC is 10-0-1 in their past 11 games vs Vermont, with their last loss coming on November 13th, 2010. Since their rivals from the North entered Hockey East, BC is 15-1 in games between the two at Kelley Rink.

Who cares about what has happened in the past. We know Vermont is going to come out with all they've got this weekend because if they lose two games, their tournament hopes are all but down the drain sans a Hockey East tournament title. As is usually the case, Vermont is built around strong goaltending and defensive zone play. They have been rotating between Mike Santaguida and Brody Hoffman in net but it was Hoffmann who played both games vs New Hampshire last weekend. I have no clue what their staff will do but if I had to guess, Santaguida will make the start based on the team's poor performance on Saturday. On the blue line, these guys are as good as anyone and boast one of the top defenseman in the entire country, senior Mike Paliotta, who leads the entire team in scoring. UVM is 7th in goals allowed per game (2.11), 4th in penalty kill (90%), and 10th in shots on goal against per game (26.71). When BC players look out across the ice tomorrow they will notice a familiar enemy in former Boston University defenseman Alexx Privitera who has put together a nice campaign for UVM after being thrown off BU in 2013 by Parker.

Obviously, any time you get a chance to possibly clinch an NCAA tournament berth, you hope that your team is ready to play. I'm sure the staff has the guys wired in on the fact that two wins this weekend will put them not just a position to make the tournament, but potentially jump up as high as a #1 or #2 seed. I don't care if the Pittsburgh Penguins were coming in here to play a couple of games, any time BC takes the ice at Kelley Rink, they're the heavy favorites. Success in Chestnut Hill has been one of the hallmark's of the Coach York era and perhaps no one has fell victim to BC's home prowess more so than Vermont. It's probably not going to be the most exciting weekend of hockey due to the fact that both teams rely on great defense and goaltending but all that matters is that they find a way to pick up a pair of wins.

Scouting Vermont- 

Record- 16-10-2 (19th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Mike Paliotta (8-19-27), Mario Puskarich (11-13-24), Colin Markison (7-14-21)

Projected top line- Brady Shaw- Jake Fallon- Mario Puskarich

Team offense- 2.89 goals per game (27th)

Team defense- 2.11 goals allowed per game (7th)

Power play- 22% (8th)

Penalty kill- 90% (4th)

Opponent power play percentage- 10% (4th)

Shots on goal per game- 30.30 (28th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Score first. 9-0-1 when scoring the first goal this year. Pretty self explanatory.

2. Just stay out of the box. When we don't play dumb, we don't lose. when we play dumb, we lose. Simple.

3. We are 10th in second period scoring but tied for 28th in first period goals. Like I said in #1, the better start we get out to, the better we play, that's just the way it is with a young team.

Injury notes- Silk nor Linell practiced all week so both very likely won't play. Doherty playing forward.

Go Eagles !

Blogger's Got A New Gig

I'm not really into the personal plugs but I thought I'd share this so you know why my recaps might be a day late from now on. I'm happy to say that I will be writing for the US Hockey Report for the foreseeable future. USHR is a terrific website that covers New England Prep school hockey and I will be helping cover games throughout the region. As you know, BC has lots of future guys in the prep ranks such as David Cotton (Cushing), Monte Graham (Thayer), and of course Miles Wood (Nobles). Look for that number to hopefully increase over the next few years but anyways, I'm very excited for the opportunity.

Whether you like it or not, this blog is still going be a full go......Vermont on Friday.

Go Eagles !

Beanpot Postponed Again

The consolation and championship games of the 63rd annual Beanpot have been postponed to Monday February 23rd. Boston College will play Harvard at 4:30 while Northeastern while play BU in the championship. BC will now prepare for a huge two game set at home vs Vermont this weekend, they could possibly have the services of Brendan Silk (concussion) who has been out for the past five games. I wouldn't expect Danny Linell (broken pelvis) to be back.

Go Eagles

Quality Road Win

Coming off one of the tougher losses of the season, BC got things right back on track with an important road win tonight @ Merrimack, moving them into 11th in the pairwise. Obviously, I probably take the Beanpot a little more seriously than others who are smart enough to know that the whole point of the regular season is to position yourself to win a National Title. To be honest, things could have really fallen by the wayside if BC got caught up in the officiating errors (we'll get to that)  and let Merrimack back into that game. Over the course of the next few weeks, you'll probably hear the term "pairwise" more than any other but as long as BC continues to win games vs quality opponents, something they will have to do over the course of these next four games, then they will be in the dance.

I thought BC came out and played an exceptional first period, perhaps one of their better opening twenty minutes of the season. Merrimack controlled the first five minutes but after Alex Tuch tipped home an Ian McCoshen one timer on the power play, the Eagles got rolling. They continued to keep the pressure on MC and once again, Tuch redirected another shot from the point, this time from Steve Santini, to give BC a 2-0 edge heading into the second period. BC's record when leading after the first period is now 9-0-1. I have never seen a team play with so much more confidence when they score the first goal and tonight was another great example of that. If Merrimack comes out early and sets the tone, after what happened earlier this week, then that could have been a real red light early on. 

The second period was without a doubt the longest period of the year as it seemed like it took close to an hour to complete. Halfway through the first, the staff made an interesting, but in my opinion smart move, by knocking Teddy Doherty up to fourth line forward in place of Peter McMullen who didn't get much, if any, playing time. The move payed off when Dots made a terrific centering pass to Austin Cangelosi, who was originally moved down to the fourth line to begin the evening, giving BC a 3-0 cushion. Perhaps they were trying to send Cango a bit of a message before the game started or maybe they just changed their mind as the game wore on but whatever they did with Cangelosi, it worked as he played a solid game. After the goal however, all hell broke lose as a giant scrum took place in front of the BC bench, resulting in a 10 minute misconduct for Ian McCoshen and a handful of other penalties for the Eagles. The teams played three minutes of four on four but that soon changed into a minute of five on three for Merrimack when Adam Gilmour was whistled for an elbow in the offensive zone. The Warriors, who had made it a two goal game shortly after Cangelosi's goal off a neutral zone turnover, cut the lead to one when they banged home a rebound off a shot from the point. Sure, they gave up a power play goal but I thought BC's penalty kill was a lot more aggressive tonight than it was against Northeastern as you could tell they placed an emphasis on covering the points while being physical in front. Certainly a much better effort from that unit. 

Not surprisingly, the third period was perhaps the least entertaining one goal hockey third period I have ever seen mainly because BC just completely packed it in. They blocked literally every good chance Merrimack had. I especially liked the efforts of Quinn Smith and Chris Calnan who each played exceptionally well even though you won't find them on the scoresheet. In fact, BC had just one shot on goal in the third and they kept Merrimack to just five even though they only played five defensemen except for the final ten minutes when McCoshen was allowed back. 

All in all, nice to see them get a win against a team that had only one loss at home this season. As I said earlier, the W catapults them into 11th in the pairwise, one spot above Monday's opponent, a Harvard squad that is starting to struggle with putting the puck in the net as they lost 3-0 to Yale tonight. BC also takes over soul possession of second place in Hockey East thanks to BU's win at Lowell. 

Why BC Won- 

1. Great first period, especially from Tuch. 

2. Blocked a ton of shots in the third. 

3. Merrimack was 1 for 6 on the PP. BC has also allowed just 2 goals or less in 13 of past 15 games, Eags are 10-3-2 in that stretch. 

Negatives- 

1. No comment on officials. It's just embarrassing. 

Player of game- Tuch 

Next- Harvard on Monday at 4:30.

On Ice Issues

I'll have a Merrimack preview later (it will be short) but a recent issue with one of BC's star recruits has come up in the past couple of weeks. In the summer, you probably read about how I was dumb founded with the decision to let Miles Wood go back to Nobles and finish out his high school career for two reasons. One, BC needed an extra forward and two, he was probably going to kill somebody because he is by far and away the biggest, strongest, and fastest kid in the league. For once, blogger might have been right.

Yesterday, for the third time this season, Wood was ejected from a game for a major penalty. His first was in December against Dexter when he hit Harvard's star recruit Ryan Donato in the head (although it wasn't that bad a hit), his second was when he head-butted a St Sebastian's player two weeks ago after a post whistle scrum, and last night he was thrown out for contact to the head after what I heard was a pretty vicious play. Anyways, I would not be surprised if he hangs up the skates for Nobles and plays the rest of the year out in the USHL where there are more kids near his skill and height level.

I don't think this is a big issue as far as BC is concerned because he will still come in and play a big role next year but I'm sure the staff is a bit concerned.

Go Eagles.

Stinger

Photo from The Heights

After five straight Beanpot titles, it's time for somebody else to take that victory lap around The Garden. Thanks to a late third period goal, the Northeastern Huskies advanced to face Boston University in the championship next Monday night at 7:30 while BC will play Harvard in the consolation game.

In all honesty, nothing anyone can do except sit here and tip their caps to Coach Madigan and his team. They played harder, they made the plays, and they were the better hockey team. I thought Northeastern played an absolutely exceptional hockey game, especially in their own end where they held BC to just 23 shots. I questioned their defense all week long but they came out and played a fantastic game. They blocked shots, gapped well, didn't turn the puck over, in reality, they did all the things that you have to do in order to win those type of games. 

Everyone wants to talk about the officials and sure, our one power play to their five may be a bit unfair but to be totally honest, the penalties we took were, for the most part, easy calls. You can't tackle guys from behind the play, you can't get beat wide and then haul the guy down, you can't take a too many men penalty on the power play and expect to beat good hockey team. Trust me, I would be the first person to complain about the refs but NU just didn't do a whole lot of things that crossed the line, if any. They played as perfect a game as you possible can so give their players and their coaches all the credit in the world. 

As for BC, it's obviously a huge setback. It's not an AP Calculus problem, they just got outplayed by a group of guys that played harder and smarter than they did. Our defense is supposed to be the best unit in the country but not one guy played well last night. Killing penalties isn't an easy thing to do but it makes their job a lot easier when guys are left wide open in front of the net and can just walk right in from the point. I don't have the answers, and I bet no one in the locker room does either. They just got beat by a better hockey team but who knows, maybe we will see them again. 

It hurts to not be playing for a trophy next week but if they can find a way to bounce back vs Merrimack and Harvard, then they will put themselves in a position to make the NCAA tournament, something that has become a very realistic actuality thanks to their strong play as of late. 

It is my hope that they will remember what happened last night, take a picture of NU's celebration, and use it for motivation by the time that tournament rolls around and BC is locked and loaded. We will be back. 

Go Eagles. 

Beanpot Preview

If you look all throughout the world, you will find dozens of terrific sporting events such as the World Cup, Super Bowl, World Series, FA Cup, Stanley Cup, etc and don't get me wrong, they're all terrific sporting events that attract viewers from all over but let's get one thing clear, there is nothing like the Beanpot. It's the biggest tournament there is. If you win it, you're happy for 365 days. If you lose it, your miserable for 365 days. Before every season starts, no one ask who the #1 team in the country is or who's going to win Hockey East, nope, it's who is going to win the Beanpot? Thankfully, the past five years have been pretty smooth thanks to some unbelievable efforts by a lot of terrific players. Ok, you get the point, I love the Beanpot.

Tomorrow night, the Eagles will have a chance to play for a 6th straight title if they can get past they always pesky Northeastern Huskies, a team BC went 1-0-1 against this year. Surprisingly, BC's win over Northeastern three weeks ago is the only game NU has lost since December 3rd and the Huskies are playing as well as anyone in the country at the moment. NU swept a struggling Notre Dame team two weekends ago but have yet to play a game since then (it will amount to a 9 day layoff for them). I'm not sure whether the pause in play for NU will favor BC at all but it may take the red and black a few minutes to get their legs under them. One thing that the Eagles have done in the past few years in the first round is get off to really good starts, in fact, they haven't trailed after one period in the Beanpot semis since 2009, when they trailed NU 2-1 after one. Since it's the late game, I expect that the building will be packed and which ever team can get the crowd on their side earlier will probably take control of the game.

When we take a look at this NU team, one question mark, as it always seems, is their goaltending. They have been rotating between Derrick Roy and Clay Witt ever since Witt played played both games against BC so it remains a mystery as to who the Huskies will be starting in net. The consensus among the NU fan base seems to be that Witt will start given his Beanpot experience but he really struggled last time out vs the Eagles. With the "lack of experience/talent" in goal for the Huskies, it is absolutely essential for BC to get guys to net. In the finals vs these guys last year, we got a boatload of shots but we didn't get traffic in front of Witt, allowing him to stop almost everything until we finally got some guys to block his view. One thing we did well two weeks ago was cycling the puck down low in their zone. NU's weakness, outside of their suspect goaltending, is their slippery defense. They don't have anyone that can "shut down" an opponent's top line and they often struggle with simple things like breaking the puck out and preventing teams from possessing the puck for a long period of time. I know this is usually a basketball phrase but BC needs to use it's size to it's advantage when it comes to getting bodies to the net and cycling the puck below the goal line. The more we come at these guys with speed and size, the quicker they will ware down. Another thing BC must do is avoid the stupid penalties. If they continue to play the way they have been, there isn't one team that can beat them 5 on 5 but that all changes if BC starts running around trying to take people's heads off. Northeastern always seems to take advantage of our stupidity in this tournament and we never fail to give them their share of power plays. If we take less than three penalties, I would say their is a very small chance of us losing the game.

Anyways, nothing but a tremendous opportunity for these guys here tomorrow night. With all the hype surrounding the other three programs, how awesome would it be to go into this tournament and come away with that trophy once agin. How ironic is it that we get to be the villain in one of Boston's most told tales. Whether you believe it or not, there won't be a lot of people in that building rooting for the maroon and gold tomorrow night. They all want to see a cinderella story in Northeastern, a story of rebirth from Harvard, or the crowning of a so called "wonder boy",  but it's this BC team that has the opportunity to go five miles down the road and clinch a spot in a game next Monday night that would undoubtedly be one of, if not the biggest, games in the history of this program.

Scouting NU 

Record- 10-11-4 (27th in pairwise)

Projected lines- Aston-Reese- Szmatula- Snyderman, Roy-Hedges-McMurtry, Stevens-Stevens-Collier, Sikura-Pond-Jamieson.

Top defenseman- Matt Benning (Bruins draft pick, one of just 4 draft picks on team)

Offense- 2.48 goals per game (40th)

Defense- 2.84 goals allowed per game (39th)

Power play- 20% (18th)....scored one power play goal vs us.

Penalty kill- 74% (56th)

Shots on goal margin- 1.28 (38th)

Penalty minutes- 11.68 minutes per game (27th)

Keys for BC- 

1. No stupid penalties. For what ever reason, we have a tendency to take a lot of penalties in this building, especially in the third period when we have a lead. Although BC's penalty kill has been great the last three games, this Northeastern power play is as good as any BC will face all year.

2. Get bodies in front of the net, puck support down low. We have to get these guys on their heels in their own zone and some of our bigger bodies to the front of the net. The more traffic, the less Witt (or Roy) will be able to track down the puck. Don't give these guys anything in their own zone, pressure, pressure, pressure.

3. Use the last change to our advantage. I think the staff will try and put Sit's line out there vs Roy early on and see how it works. With the TV timeouts, expect the staff to roll three lines for much of the game. I don't think the fourth line got any shifts in the third period on Friday.

Notes- Silk is out, Linell is doubtful.

Go Eagles and Go Crimson !!!

Beanpot Postponed to Tuesday/Injury Notes

Due to the incoming storm, Monday's Beanpot games have been postponed to Tuesday February 3rd. Boston College will face Northeastern @ 8, Harvard will face Boston University at 5.

I'll have my preview tomorrow but Brendan Silk is out with a concussion. Danny Linell is also doubtful with what appears to be an upper body injury.

Go Eagles