Slumping

The Providence College Friars took home third place in the Florida College Hockey Classic by defeating the Eagles 2-1 in front of a sparse crowd at Germain Arena. Like always, give PC a lot of credit for the way they battled, as I thought they outplayed BC for a majority of the game, due in part to BC's continuing trend of taking dumb penalties.

Instead of writing a full game recap, I figured it would be best to look at the issues currently surrounding this team and what can be done to rectify them. I'm not in the business of calling players out because at the end of the day, they're doing everything they can to deliver victories to this team and they're kids, not pro athletes. That being said, there are a lot of holes in BC's game at the moment, but I should point out that historically, BC slumps throughout the month of January and almost always in these Christmas tournaments. I'm not making excuses, I just don't believe it is time to give up on them because they lost three games without having any of their top guys in at the same time. Colin White and Miles Wood both make a major impact in every game they're involved in so when both of those guys are back, I expect BC to play at a higher level. Give me this team at 100% and I'll take my chances against anyone in the country.

Here are the most obvious problems-

1. Penalties. BC leads the nation in penalty minutes per game (it's not even close) and they also have the most penalized player in Hockey East (Wood). Coach Ayers has done a remarkable job with the penalty killing unit, so much so that I would say the PK is the only aspect of BC's game that is clicking at the moment. However, even the best penalty killing units can't kill off four to six penalties a game and on top of that, killing penalties sucks the momentum out of your team because you can't create any offense. Not only are they taking an absurd amount of infractions, a lot of those are the result of boneheaded mistakes. The first Providence goal tonight was directly after an interference call that should never have happened- the PC skater was not going to make an impact on the play but for whatever reason, the BC defenseman felt the need to try and take him out. I originally thought the five minute major in the first period was a bad call but after looking at the replay, the BC forward just railed the PC player for no apparent reason. Justified call, in my opinion.

2. Power play. BC's power play has not scored against a team other than RIT since November 21st at New Hampshire. They have more than enough talent to put the puck in the net but, for whatever reason, they can't generate a single goal. Once White and Wood are back on the same unit, perhaps they will have sustained success.

3. Blowing leads. Outside of the RPI game, Boston College has held a third period lead in every game this season. This includes surrendering a two goal advantage versus Notre Dame in under twelve minutes. Unlike some fans, I don't think this is a major issue- yet. BC is a very young team and when healthy, they're rolling six freshmen a night and those guys don't have a lot of experience when it comes to closing out games in this league. It certainly doesn't help when they're giving opponents critical power plays late in the game, which is what happened versus Northeastern, Ohio State, and Providence. In reality, this all comes back to staying out of the box.

4. They're not creating enough five on five offense. I don't think anyone would deny that White and Wood are the two engines that make this train roll and without them, it is difficult to muster much, as was the case last season. I was impressed with the play of Adam Gilmour, Alex Tuch (outside of the penalty), and Zach Sanford this weekend but they are still not at the very top of their games. I think Tuch has made tremendous progress from October to January but, they need him to start putting the puck in the net- it didn't happen this week.

5. Turnovers. Outside of the two goals 44 seconds apart from each other, I thought BC did a much better job in their own end versus Providence. It seemed like PC only had one line that was generating the majority of their scoring chances and if BC is able to get their forward situation settled for next week, they can do a more affective job of keeping those guys at bay. They had a couple of horrific turnovers against the Buckeyes on Monday, two of which led to goals. A large part of their game plan seems to include these home run passes from one end of the ice to other and from my view, they rarely work. Sometimes, when they try to feed Wood on the far side by flipping the puck up and making it a 50-50 battle, he is able to get a scoring chance, but since no one else on the team has that sort of size and skating ability, the play doesn't work as often.

I know a lot of fans are ready to pack it in and give up on the year but, they shouldn't lose sight of a couple things. First of all, this team has too much talent not to be successful in March, if they can stay healthy, they'll be able to roll three legitimate scoring lines and a fourth line that can grind it out on a nightly basis. If history tells us anything, Coach York will get his guys going in time for the Beanpot and the subsequent Hockey East and NCAA tournaments. I expect BC to come out and play their best hockey of the season, given that these next two games versus Providence will have an enormous impact on the pairwise standings. As of now, they would be the last team in the NCAA tournament but if they were able to pick up a few wins vs the Friars and Terriers, they would be right back in the hunt for a high seed.

I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't get a laugh or two out of the backlash from this week. Last year, I got all worked up because I knew they didn't have the pieces and it would have been a near miracle if they made the NCAAs, let alone the Frozen Four. This time around, I know they have the guns to win, they have the best coach of all time to put the right pieces in place, and in my mind, there is no reason to press the panic button.

On a quick side note, I thought Michael Kim played very well in his first collegiate game. I'm not sure what the situation will be once everyone is back but he certainly deserves a second look.

Go Eagles.

Buckeyes Stun Eagles

Sometimes I sit down to write these posts and I honestly have no idea what to say- tonight is one of those instances. The Ohio State Buckeyes rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Eagles and advance to the finals of the Florida College Hockey Classic vs Cornell, who beat Providence earlier in the day.

First thing first, give OSU credit. Unlike other bad losses in recent memory, where BC would just dominate the game only to run into a red hot goalie, the Buckeyes controlled a large chunk of the contest and certainly deserved the victory. I thought they moved the puck around well in the offensive zone, they silenced BC's power play, and got timely saves when needed. Congrats to them on what is sure to be a huge boost for their program. 

There are no ways to sugarcoat what happened out there tonight, it was an unmitigated disaster on a lot of levels. There were a handful of guys that looked ready to play- I thought Sanford, Gilmour, and Tuch were fine but other than those three, it was not pretty. The defense turned the puck over way too many times, certain players continue to take dumb penalties, and to be honest, nobody generated a ton of offense. According to the stat sheet, BC recorded 32 shots but I'm not sure they had more than 5 or 6 "grade A" opportunities. They were rewarded with a five minute power play while leading 2-0 near the end of the first period, but, as has been the case far too often with the power play this season, no goals were put on the board. They had sustained zone time for almost the entire major but were unable to capitalize. 

Ohio State's first goal was a lucky play as the puck redirected off of Casey Fitzgerald's stick and into BC's net to make it a one goal game. A few minutes later, BC's defense gift-wrapped a turnover right in front of their own net which led to a tap in goal for OSU's Tyler Lundey. The Buckeyes closed the scoring about ten minutes into the third period with three seconds left on a Chris Calnan tripping penalty. 

After reading some of the message boards and Twitter waves, you would have thought the world was coming to an end. Was it a bad loss? Heck, it's probably one of the worst in the past ten years, but, let's not act like the season is over. BC is not a bad hockey team, they're just playing horribly at the moment. The defensive question marks posed at the beginning of the season are beginning to come back, the only line that is producing any offense is the Sanford group, as a team they're taking far too many penalties, and one player in particular is building up a negative reputation. Look, I think Miles Wood is a terrific player, but, he keeps killing this team by sitting in the box every game. Wood leads the league with 60 penalty minutes, highlighted by a pair of game misconducts and a disqualification at the end of last night's tilt. He plays a hard-noosed game that involves a lot of contact but there is no need to keep hammering players from behind, particularly when there are only five seconds left and the puck is all the way across the ice. Because of his poor decision making, BC will have to try and find a way to beat one of the top teams in the country without his services. 

For those who were texting, emailing, and tweeting about how much this team "stinks", I wouldn't give up on them just yet. It's an embarrassing loss, sure, but they still have an ocean of talent and if they can find a way to shore up the penalties, they could do some real damage in the coming months. I think one of the biggest problems is their inability to protect a lead as they've blown a two goal advantage in three of the past four games, but with so many young guys, that is not necessarily unexpected. Without White and Wood, I don't have very high expectations for today's game but if they could ever find a way to grind out a point or two vs a fantastic Providence team (pairwise points), then it would be a big momentum swinger for these guys. 

Lot of hockey left to be played, they're down but they are not out.

I won't have a Providence preview but I'll have a recap. Game is at 4. 

Go Eagles

Ohio State Preview

Fresh off the best first semester ever under Coach York, the Eagles will kick off the second half in pursuit of their first trophy tonight vs Ohio State in the Florida College Hockey Classic. BC will be without star forward Colin White, who will face-off against Sweden ten hours before his teammates do battle halfway across the world. The time off could not come at a better time for the Eagles with three top nine forwards (Tuch, Calnan, and Wood) out for the December 10th game against Notre Dame due to various injuries. Outside of White and Brendan Silk, BC should be at full strength versus the Buckeyes. This will be the 6th meeting all time between the Eagles and Ohio State, with the good guys leading the series 4-1. The two teams last met in 2003 when BC defeated OSU in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Ohio State comes into tomorrow's matchup in the midst of a four game losing streak after being swept at Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota. Overall, the Buckeyes are 3-11 and 0-8 away from Columbus. Although they were swept by the Gophers, OSU was able to get both games into overtime and actually held multiple leads at different points over the weekend. Even though Minnesota may be down this season, keeping up with them on that surface is no easy task, as the Eagles found out in 2013 and 2014. Leading the way for Steve Rohlik's squad will be the top line of Nick Schilkey (leading scorer), Luke Stork, and Matthew Weis. Schilkey has the most points on the team (15) but second liners David Gust (14) and Anthony Greco (11) are not far behind. Ohio State boast just one player with a positive plus minus as defenseman Josh Healey is +3 for the season. Juniors Christian Frey and Matt Tomkins have split time between the pipes as Frey is 0-5 with a 3.00 goals against average and .906 save percentage while Tomkins is 3-6 with a 3.20 goals against average and .900 save percentage. Tomkins is a 6th round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks.

If you turned the clocks back a year, you would remember how BC salvaged their season with a victory at the Ledyard Bank Tournament versus Dartmouth. Although the Eagles have historically struggled in the month of January, that win against the Big Green served a catalyst for a terrific month that included wins vs PC and BU. Following this game, the Eagles are headed into their most difficult stretch of the season, which is why it is paramount that they find a way to win this game. I'm sure both teams will be rusty and mistake prone, but, BC can not afford to drop anymore in the pairwise with the Friars and Terriers looming on the horizon. I've watched Ohio State before- they may not have the most skill in the Big Ten but they play tough night in and night out versus teams like Minnesota and Michigan. There is no reason to believe that won't change  when they take on the high powered Eagles. I'm interested to see what the staff does with the lines. White leaves an obvious hole and I assume they will keep Wood-Cangelosi-Calnan and Tuch-Sanford-Gilmour together but after that they may have some problems. It makes sense to move Chris Brown up to third line center although that begs the question of who will fill his role on the fourth line? They could give Chris Shero his first taste of action or perhaps move Teddy Doherty up and have Michael Kim take his place on the blue line. They have some options so it will be interesting to see what they do.

Blogger did not make the trip to South Florida but I heard they may offer a live stream on the website. If they are able to come through with this, I will post a link on the Twitter feed.

Scouting OSU- 

Record- 3-11 (54th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Nick Schilkey (8-7-15), David Gust (2-12-14), Anthony Greco (6-5-11)

Team offense- 2.76 goals scored per game (26th)

Team defense- 3.36 goals against per game (46th)

Power play- 19.4% (24th)

Penalty kill- 78.9% (43rd)

Keys for BC- 

1. Limit the first period mistakes. I have a feeling this will be a game won by whichever team is able to avoid the turnovers, cut back on the penalties, and limit the odd man rushes. The first period will be a bit of a feeling out process.

2. Need to get the power play going. The Eagles have recored just two power play goals in the past month and they both came against RIT. It will be tough without White, but that should open the door for someone like Matthew Gaudreau to try and make something happen.

3. Stay out of the box. They did a better job of avoiding the penalties versus Notre Dame but the more power plays OSU gets, the better chance they will have to pull the upset.

Go Eagles

Staff Adds Defenseman For Second Semester

Boston Jr Bruins defenseman Michael Kim has officially been added to BC's roster and will join the team this week in Florida. The 6'0, 1995 birthdate out of Toronto was off to a great start for the Jr B's, recording 27 points in 28 games. Kim will wear #27 for the maroon and gold.

Many are wondering why BC is adding players (they will likely add one more Jr Bruin soon) this late in the season?  It is highly unlikely that Brendan Silk returns this year, meaning the staff will have to keep Jeke at forward. If one of the top six defensemen were to go down, Kim would be the immediate replacement. Goaltender Chris Birdsall is out with an upper body injury so they have to find a backup goaltender, something they're in the process of doing but since no one has been added to the official roster, Blogger can't say anything.

Bringing in guys under these circumstances can't do any harm because it creates depth on the blue line. Once Kim gets some reps in practice and is able to adjust to the speed, he will be good to go. I still expect them to try and add one more defenseman for next season and possibly one more forward because of Bracco's open scholarship.

Congrats to Colin White on an outstanding game yesterday!

Ohio State preview tonight.

Go Eagles

Fitzgerald Cut; White Survives First Round

Casey Fitzgerald was one of three guys cut from World Jr Camp this morning after the team defeated UMass 4-0 last night. Fellow freshman, Colin White, survived the first round of cuts and will head to Finland with the rest of the team. The USA staff will still make two more cuts, one at the forward spot and one on the blue line.

Go Eagles

Staff Adds 1995 Goaltender

Boston Jr Bruins goaltender Ian Milosz committed to Boston College today. The 1995 birthdate is 6'7 with a 2.16 GAA, .923 save percentage, and 12-2 record so far this season for Peter Masters' squad. The Jr Bruins Facebook page stated that Milosz is joining BC for the second semester of this season but that is not official.

I like this add for two reasons-It gives them some much needed depth behind Thatcher Demko, if in fact Milosz is coming in for the second half. Apparently, Chris Birdsall's upper body injury was worse than they originally thought it was so now they have a viable option if Demko gets banged up or needs a night off. Secondly, there is certainly a chance for Milosz to compete for the starting position next season with Joe Woll, a highly touted prospect out of the NTDP.

Go Eagles.

First Half Recap

First of all, I apologize for the lateness of this post-  the application season is one heck of a bear.

The Eagles closed out the first half with a stunning 4-3 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a game they led 3-1 with under twelve minutes to go. Obviously, you have to give Jeff Jackson and his team credit for battling back, especially on the road. I was impressed with the way they played all night long and they will certainly be a team to be reckoned with in the Spring. As for BC, I thought they fought like dogs. They were missing a third of their usual forward lineup and had to play an unprecedented 2.5 lines but were within five minutes of a taking down a very good Irish squad. Injuries aside, BC clearly has work to do. Over the past three games, they have given up three goals directly after losing face-offs and for whatever reason, shots from the point seem to be finding their way into the net more often than they should.

The line of Sanford, Cangelosi, and Gilmour was tremendous for the Eagles, recording a combined seven points. It will be interesting to see whether or not the staff considers keeping those three together. Teddy Doherty and Steven Santini were BC's two best defensemen, going +5 on the night while the other four blue liners were -7. It's a bit concerning to see BC give up 39 shots to a Notre Dame team that is not known for its offensive prowess. The Fighting Irish dominated the possession in the first and third periods and if it wasn't for a few timely saves, they could have blown the doors open early in the contest.

Instead of writing a full recap, I thought it would be best to discuss where the Eagles are and what they need to do in order to win trophies over the next few months. The most obvious observation is  they need to get healthy. Christmas break could not have come at a more opportune time with Tuch (upper body), Calnan (upper body), Wood (illness), and Silk (upper body), all nursing wounds. The first three guys should be back in time for the Ohio State game on December 28th but Silk may be sidelined until the Beanpot.

There are many aspects of the game that have improved from this time last year to where we're at now, but the pace of play is the most glaring. This BC team plays at a ridiculously high level, especially in transition. The two freshmen, Miles Wood and Colin White, have made an immediate impact not just on the team's success in the win-loss column, but the production of every player. Through sixteen games last season, Austin Cangelosi had 8 points, at the moment he's got 15. Ryan Fitzgerald had 9 points, as of today he's at 21 for the year. Matthew Gaudreau, the biggest surprise of the first half, played in just 10 of the first 16 games a season ago, recording 3 points in that time span. At the halfway point of the 2016 season, Gaudreau is 6th on the team with 13 points. Incredible.

With that being said, there are problems that need to be addressed. They cut back on the penalties versus Notre Dame as the Irish only had two power plays but the schedule gets tougher in January and there will need to be an even bigger emphasis on staying out of the box. If they give Providence and BU five or more power plays, they won't be giving themselves a good chance to win. Thatcher Demko had a tremendous first half, notching six shutouts in seven games at one point in November. Despite his consistency in-between the pipes, playing every single minute for sixteen straight games will take a toll on any goaltender, let alone one who is coming off major surgery. The good news is that he aged out for the World Jr Championships and will be able to use these next three weeks to recharge.

All in all, give this team and staff a lot of credit for the way they persevered through the first three months of the season. They could have gone into a shell after losing one of their top players to the OHL but the Eagles played better in almost every game after Bracco's departure than they did when he was here. No matter who was in the lineup, they brought their best effort night in and night out- if they do that from here on out, the sky is the limit.

Go Eagles!

Tuch, Calnan, and Wood Out vs Notre Dame

Alex Tuch (upper body), Chris Calnan (upper body), and Miles Wood (illness) are all out of the lineup tonight versus Notre Dame.

This should be interesting.

Go Eagles.

Notre Dame Preview

The Frozen Holy War will resume tomorrow night when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Chestnut Hill. This will be the 40th meeting all time between BC and ND, a series in which the Eagles lead by a 20-17-2 margin but, Notre Dame has won four of the past six contests. The two teams split last season in South Bend after the Irish came in here and handed the Eagles a shocking Hockey East quarterfinal series loss in 2014.

Although they aren't quite BU, the Irish have quickly climbed the ladder in terms of BC's biggest rivals. Ever since Jeff Jackson was hired in 2005, Notre Dame has been a thorn in Boston College's side as they have handed the Eagles a couple of devastating losses. How could one forget the November 2011 meeting when Notre Dame scored with less than a second left in overtime in BC's first ever visit to Compton Family Ice Arena? Ugh, that was awful. Despite the offseason losses of Vince Hinostroza and Robbie Russo, ND is off to a solid start, sitting at 8-4-4 for the season and in the midst of a three game winning streak. Leading the way for the green and blue will be seniors Thomas DiPauli, Mario Lucia, and Steven Fogarty, all of whom have recorded eleven or more points to begin the season. Unlike last year, the Irish appear to be a deep squad with three scoring lines and a reliable defensive corps headed by senior Andy Ryan. Sophomore Cal Petersen will guard the net once again after a terrific freshman campaign that saw him land ND's rookie of the year award.

We all know how Notre Dame is going to play tomorrow- it's going to be the same old clog the neutral zone, send in one forechecker, and block a ton of shots, style of play. Is it fun to watch? No, but it has worked, especially against the Eagles. The best way for BC to counter this static approach will be to move the puck quickly, take advantage of the open wingers if ND decides to commit everyone to the middle of the ice, and avoid offensive zone turnovers. Jackson always says that the reason he wants to play this way is because it generates a lot of chances for ND off of opponent's miscues, which is exactly what seems to happen every time they play BC. When there isn't a play to be made, the Eagles have to get pucks low and attack because the longer they possess the puck, the more ND will have to run around its own end.

The three biggest keys are face-offs, getting off to a fast start, and obviously, penalties. Notre Dame's power play has not been firing on all cylinders to begin the season but they have a lot of talent which means they're always dangerous especially if they're given a man advantage every two minutes. For the majority of the season, BC has been terrific at the face-dot, ranking fourth in the country with a 56% conversion rate. However, they tied on Saturday because of not being able to win a couple of crucial defensive zone draws and NU's first goal on Sunday was scored directly after a clean win. Last but certainly not least, the penalty minutes need to be cut back. It is absolutely stunning to see that BC leads the nation with 6.93 penalties per game while the next closest is 6.12. In the world of hockey stats, that is an astonishing difference between first and second place- they need to bring that number drastically down.

This is a huge game for pairwise and Hockey East standings implications. No matter who dresses and who doesn't, the Eagles need to be ready to go from the get-go. When you're 13-1-1, there aren't any "must wins' in December but Christmas in BC Hockey world would be a heck of a lot better if they were able able to take down the Irish tomorrow night.

Scouting Notre Dame- 

Record- 8-4-4 (16th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Thomas DiPauli (7-9-16), Anders Bjork (5-10-15), Jake Evans (2-12-14)

Team offense- 3.19 goals scored per game (19th)

Team defense- 2.56 goals against per game (23rd)

Power play- 19% (28th)

Penalty kill- 80% (42nd)

Keys for BC- 

1. Stay out of the box. I am starting to sound like a broken record.

2. Need a good first period. For three straight games, the Eagles have started out poorly, especially in the opening minutes. That needs to change.

3. Avoid turnovers in the offensive zone. Notre Dame makes a living off of their suffocating defense and ability to turn miscues into goals.

Go Eagles

White and Fitzgerald In/Tuch Out For World Jr Camp

USA Hockey released the roster for the World Jr camp which will be held next week at Walter Brown Arena. Among those on the list were current BC freshmen Colin White and Casey Fitzgerald but perhaps the most glaring absence was Alex Tuch. The sophomore out of Baldwinsville, New York played with Jack Eichel on the first line for the Americans a season ago but due to his slow start this season, he was not named to the roster.

I was shocked at the moves. If you told me in August that Casey Fitzgerald would be on the camp roster and Alex Tuch wouldn't be, I might have considered you to be insane. I'm sure the US staff was at a bunch of BC games this year, in fact, I know they were in Boston this weekend and Colorado Springs last month, but I don't know if ten bad games should serve as the main basis for Tuch's exclusion. I assume Tuch found out earlier than the rest of us did which would explain why he seemed to be playing at such a high level over the past week or so.  Hopefully, he can use this as a catalyst for a strong second half.

I'm absolutely thrilled for the other two Eagles. We all know how good Colin White is and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays a major role for the Americans, but how about Casey Fitzgerald? I could not be more impressed with the way he has performed in the first half and I look forward to seeing him progress as the season goes on.

Jeremy Bracco was also left off the list but as I said yesterday, I'm going to say anything about that.

Go Eagles.

York Magic

Matty Gaudreau had the game winner for BC.

Hockey is a funny game because momentum can shift within a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds. For the first five periods between last night and this afternoon, the Northeastern Huskies, a team trying to salvage its season, dominated the Eagles, but thanks to an incredible third period, BC was able to escape with a massive victory. I don't care what anyone says about BC's schedule- winning in this league is tough and when it comes to Northeastern, no matter how good or bad they may be, BC always seems to have a difficult time. You have to give the Huskies a ton of credit for the way they battled, especially given the fact that they were without two of their top nine forwards. I could not have been more impressed with the way they played in their own end for the first two periods of tonight's game as BC couldn't generate any offense, especially in the middle of the offensive zone. The Eagles like to work the puck down low behind the net before coming out and attempting one-timers from the slot but they didn't do that once all game thanks to NU's defensive prowess in the early goings.

The penalties, once again, were a huge problem. On Friday, the majority of the calls against BC were obvious and could not be debated but tonight, that was not the case. The cross checking call on Steven Santini was a complete joke, Northeastern slashed BC's guys the entire game but only Tuch gets whistled for it? The linesman called BC for too many men but when Northeastern had six guys on the ice it somehow went unnoticed. Trust me, I have made a significant effort over the past year to clean up my comments about the officials but when BC has three powers play (one lasted 5 seconds) and NU gets ten in a span of two games, there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. NU clearly made some adjustments to their power play. The Eagles scored their second shorthanded goal of the weekend when Ryan Fitzgerald pounced on a turnover in the NU end but shortly after, the Huskies potted their power play goal. It looked like BC was scrambling around the zone and were unable to get a clear which led to another pretty passing play, giving the Huskies a 3-1 edge heading into the third.

I'll be perfectly honest with you- I didn't think BC had a shot to win that game heading into the final period. NU appeared to be the faster, more determined team throughout the weekend and there wasn't any reason to believe the Eagles would right the ship before it got too late. The thought of some York magic never crossed my mind. Mistake.

The box score says BC outshot the Huskies 13-9 over the course of the final period but I can't remember one "grade A'  chance NU registered. The Eagles defense kept all shots to the outside, and once they were able to transition through the neutral zone, they started to post some high quality chances. Josh Couturier released a bomb to make it a one goal game before Alex Tuch posted an outstanding individual effort the knot the game at three. BC had a lot of guys that played well in the third but there are three I want to point out. Tuch's past six games have been leaps and bounds better than what we saw earlier in the season. It's not just the production- he looks locked in and ready to go every shift, he's playing physical along the boards, and he's becoming someone the staff can rely on in the defensive zone. Anybody want to take a guess as to who the only BC players to have a plus minus over +1 were? If you guessed Couturier and Savage, you are correct. Some fans were questioning whether or not Couturier could come in and play top six minutes right off the bat but he has exceeded everybody's expectations. His partner, Scott Savage, has been BC's most improved defensemen from last March to now. His decision making has been superb, he's making plays at offensive blue line (assist on game winner), and is improving in the defensive end.

All in all, that is a heck of win for the maroon and gold. With the Fighting Cavs picking up a sweep over Lowell, BC is now just two points out of first place with four games in hand on the River Hawks. That being said, there is a ton of room for improvement. One issue I have not discussed all season is face-offs. BC gave up two goals this weekend right after losing a defensive zone draw but not all the blame falls on the shoulders of the centremen. Today's goal (NU's first) was a shot that should have been blocked at one point or another. They have too much speed and skill not to attack the point which would inevitably lead to more odd man rushes the other way. Onto Notre Dame. Huge game.

Why BC won- 

1. Matthew Gaudreau has been unreal. Who is the last BC forward to improve so much from year to year. It is incredible what Matty has accomplished thus far.

2. Tuch-Sanford-Gilmour line had a fantastic weekend. Nobody played as well as those three did, particularly Tuch who I thought was the best player on the ice.

3. Couturier and Savage stepped up. Awesome game by both of those guys. Must have been nice for Couturier to notch a goal versus the team he was previously committed to.

Problems-

1. Penalties. We've been over it a million times. They'll figure it out.

2. Face-offs. I can't find the exact numbers but they could not have been pretty.

Notes-

1. Calnan did not play but I don't think he did any more damage to his shoulder. Should be okay.

2. Jeremy Bracco was not named to the US World Jr team camp roster. No comment from blogger.

Player of the game- Alex Tuch

Next- Notre Dame on Thursday.

Ugly Tie

Photo from BC Athletics

For the first time all season, the Boston College Eagles got badly outplayed, but thanks to another stellar performance from Thatcher Demko, they were able to salvage a tie with Northeastern. First of all, give NU a ton of credit because they played hard-as all Jim Madigan teams do versus the Eagles. The obvious difference in the game was the amount of penalties taken as BC spent a whopping thirty five minutes in the box while their opponents took just one penalty all night. I'm not going to sit here and rip the officials because in all honesty, most of the calls they made were the correct ones. The trip on Ryan Fitzgerald was bad and they somehow missed a hit from behind right before the second NU goal, but other than those two, there weren't any "horrible" calls. I don't understand why BC keeps taking this many infractions because it has almost cost them a couple of games over the past few weeks. There is not much Coach York can do, at the end of the day, it comes down to smarter decisions on behalf of the players. Thirty five penalty minutes? That is ridiculous.

There was one thing I liked from BC's game tonight. I thought Alex Tuch played solid, recording his sixth point in five games. The Tuch-Sanford-Gilmour line was certainly BC's best combination because outside of a mishap at the blue line, the Huskies did a good job of containing Colin White and Ryan Fitzgerald. Northeastern kept coming at BC with a super aggressive forecheck and for whatever reason, the Eagles were not able to adjust. The defense had a difficult time getting the puck out of the zone which led to a litany of turnovers in BC's end.

The turning point of the game was Miles Wood's five minute major and game misconduct. Look, I think the kid is an absolutely incredible hockey player, perhaps one of the best in the country, but with that being said, you can't cross check people to the head like that. It put the team in a really bad spot. Coach Ayers' penalty killing unit did an admirable job all night long, especially on the five minute major when NU didn't seem to generate any chances within the high quality scoring areas. Despite the terrific penalty killing, it was impossible for BC to generate any momentum because of the amount of time they spent in the box. When you don't manufacture any offense and have to spend an entire period blocking shots and icing the puck, it can take a toll on your players. I can't say enough about Thatcher Demko's play. In fact, I thought it was his best performance of the season. BC handed Northeastern that game on a silver platter, but their goaltender stood tall and allowed them to salvage a point they had absolutely no business in taking. Give him all the credit in the world because he deserves every ounce of it.

The two teams will meet again this afternoon at Matthews Arena, a building that has not been kind to the maroon and gold over the past decade. They have to clean up two things- penalties and turnovers. If they were able to chip the puck into the neutral zone, they would have multiple odd man rushes on a relatively weak Northeastern defense, but they need to be careful to avoid turning the puck over at the defensive blue line such as they did multiple times last night. The penalties, obviously, have to stop.

Positives- 

1. Demko was out of his mind. Best performance of the year.

2. Tuch played great- hopefully this continues.

3. Penalty kill was outstanding.

Negatives- 

1. Penalties. They seemingly feel the need to take some of the most boneheaded penalties I've ever seen.

2. Turnovers. They probably gave away the puck over twenty times last night.

Next- @ NU today. 4 PM

Go Eagles

Northeastern Preview

The early hours of February, 4th 2015 saw the the Northeastern Huskies defeat BC in a stunning 3-2 upset, ending a dominating stretch for the Eagles who had won five Beanpots in a row dating back to 2010. Although the maroon and gold will have to wait a few months for a chance to rule the city of Boston once again, they will get their shot at revenge versus the Huskies this weekend. A lot has changed for both programs since that dreadful February night as Northeastern enters Saturday's contest with a 2-11-2 record while the Eagles are on an eleven game winning streak.

It's hard to believe what has happened to Jim Madigan's squad this season. Some (myself included) thought they were primed to make a run at home ice in the Hockey East playoffs given the fact that they retuned a lot of their top guns but it has been all downhill up to this point. Kevin Roy, who was one of the favorites for the Hobey Baker award before the year began, does not have a goal and suffered a concussion a couple of weeks ago. I do not think he will be in the lineup on Friday night but given the dire straits, he could certainly give it a go. NU brought in a fantastic freshmen class, headlined by Thayer alumni  Adam Gaudette, Lincoln Griffin, and John Barry. Only Gaudette has made an impact thus far, recording three goals and two assists while playing second line center for the black and red. Griffin, who was arguably the second best player in the ISL last season, has yet to post a point but I think that will change sooner rather than later given his skill and skating abilities. It has not just been the rookies that have been underwhelming for the Huskies as senior Mike McMurtry has just one goal, junior Dalen Hedges has been in and out of the lineup, and top defenseman Matt Benning has a -10 rating through fifteen games. Despite all the scoring and defensive mishaps, the most glaring problem for NU has been the play of their two goaltenders, Ryan Ruck and Derrick Roy. The former has garnered the majority of starts but has posted a lowly .891 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average. Roy has struggled mightily with a .833 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average. That does not bode well with the fact that they will be going up against the top offense in college hockey.

Boston College will be looking to extend their eleven game winning streak and perhaps more importantly, their undefeated start in Hockey East play. As of tonight, the Eagles are five points behind the UMass-Lowell River Hawks for first place but BC has three games in hand over UML. It is still too early to talk about postseason positioning but it appears as if four teams- BC, UML, PC, and Notre Dame-are separating themselves from the rest of the league.

The key for the maroon and gold will be to get off to a hot start. NU is one of the worst first period teams in college hockey, as they been outscored by a 22-4 margin in that timeframe. Northeastern plays their best versus BC when they score the first goal. In the Beanpot last winter, the Eagles had controlled the majority of the first period but a Huskie power play goal seemed to shift all the momentum in the opposite direction. Northeastern has had a very tough time at Kelley Rink where they have not won a game since March of 2008. All time, BC is 32-9-1 against the Huntington Hounds in Chestnut Hill. It remains to be seen whether or not Chris Calnan will play. If this was an NCAA tournament game, he would definitely give it a go, but given the fact that he will get two weeks of rest after next Thursday, the staff may be tempted to rest him for the remainder of the first semester. Calnan practiced without a red medical jersey on Thursday for the first time since his injury at UNH but he did not participate in drills with his normal linemates. NU tends to display an aggressive style of hockey which has led to a lot of trouble in the defensive end over the past few years. In order to maximize their success, the Eagles have to attack this group of defensemen, force turnovers, and get as many shots as possible. I remember how many easy breakouts the Huskies had in the Beanpot because BC didn't have the speed to send two guys in at all times. This time around, expect them to try to expose NU's blue liners deep in their own end. While they have some heavy guys up front like Aston-Reese, Kurker, and Gaudette, Northeastern's defense is not particularly big- most of their back end guys are smaller and like to move the puck up the ice. With the skill of this BC team, they sometimes try to make pretty plays instead of getting pucks to the net. I don't think that will be the case tomorrow as the staff likely put a major emphasis on getting pucks to the net, given how weak NU's goaltending has been.

Scouting Northeastern

Record- 2-11-2 (54th in pairwise)

Top scorers- Zach Aston-Reese (4-8-12), Nolan Stevens (5-4-9), John Stevens (4-4-8)

Key injuries- Forward Kevin Roy probably won't play due to a concussion.

Team offense- 2.20 goals per game (49th)

Team defense- 3.20 goals against per game (41st)

Power play- 13% (50th)

Penalty kill- 73.8% (52nd)

Penalty minutes- 10.60 penalty minutes per game (31st)

Keys for the Eagles-

1. Need a great first period. I find it hard to believe NU won't come out swinging for the fences so hopefully the Eagles can either calm the storm early and then get to work or just take over from puck drop.

2. Pucks to the net. It's difficult to fathom how horrible Northeastern's goaltending has been since Brad Theissen left after the 2009 season. Two goalies with sub .900 save percentages? That is unheard of.

3. Win the special teams battle. Neither NU's power play nor penalty kill has been very good this year. BC should be able to take advantage.

NOTE- Calnan is expected to play.

Great win for Vermont last night!

Go Eagles

Notes on Calnan and Casey Fitzgerald

Junior forward Chris Calnan participated in both practices so far this week after suffering a shoulder injury versus New Hampshire two weeks ago. The training staff has Calnan outfitted in one of those no-contact medical jerseys and he is only skating for about half of the practices. I am the furthest thing away from a medical expert but I thought he looked relatively healthy when taking part in the drills. It was certainly surprising to see him back so early but I wouldn't bet on him being in the lineup this Saturday because they don't want the injury to get any worse before fully healing.

Brendan Silk continues to be sidelined with nerve damage in his shoulder but other than that, BC is healthy.

On another note, USA Hockey should be coming out with their World Jr camp roster within the next few days. Many scouts feel that Colin White and Alex Tuch are sure bets to make the team but there is clearly a lack of depth on the defensive end. It probably won't happen but I think the USA staff would do themselves a favor by giving Casey Fitzgerald a chance to make the roster later this month. He has the highest +/- rating out of any defenseman in the entire country (along with McCoshen), can play on both special teams units, and would make an impact on any game he is in. I am not going to mention any names but there are certain guys that Fitzgerald played behind at the NTDP last season who are projected as first or second round picks, but their production at the NCAA level has been significantly lower than Casey's. Of course, there are other factors that have played a role in #5's rise- BC has not played a very tough schedule, Demko has covered for more than a few defensive errors, and due to the firepower up front, none of the defenseman have had to spend much time in their own end. With all that being said, the numbers are the numbers and I believe he should be on that team.

Go Eagles