Harvard Preview

For the 64th time, four of Boston's finest institutions will return to Causeway Street to face-off in college hockey's greatest tradition. The Beanpot gets underway tomorrow evening when two of hottest teams in the country, Boston College and Harvard, go head to head. The Eagles will be looking to avenge last year's sudden loss to Northeastern in the first round, a defeat that ended their streak of five consecutive championships, the longest in school history. The Crimson will be attempting to shake off past disappointments and find a way to win the coveted trophy for the first time since 1993.

Ted Donato's squad is one of the best offensive teams in the country and they will be led by superstar forward Jimmy Vesey. The Belmont Hill product is second in the country in terms of points per game with 1.68. Aiding the Nashville draft pick will be fellow senior Kyle Crisuolo and talented junior Alexander Kerfoot. Outside of perhaps the Motte-Compher-Connor line out at Michigan, Harvard's top trio is the best in country and they will be handful for BC's stingy defense. While they are a deep team up front, the Crimson live and die off the success of their top three players, particularly Vesey, who is one of those guys you have to keep an eye on every time he is on the ice. As I just alluded to, Harvard has a lot of talent at forward, they're probably the only team in the country that can roll three legit scoring lines outside of Boston College. Their second line will consist of Luke Esposito, Sean Malone, and Colin Blackwell, all dangerous scoring threats in their own rights. Blackwell is one of those guys I have always been impressed with, even though he has had terrible luck with injuries over his four years in Cambridge. He doesn't jump out at you with his size but his speed and stick skills seem to have an impact on every game for Donato's team. When I look at Harvard, obviously their offensive firepower stands out and it will win them a lot of games this season. However, they are not nearly as deep on the backend or in goal, where Donato has rotated goalies for a good portion of the season. They don't have one "dominant" defenseman, I mean, Jaw and Bergin are big kids that can throw the body around but they have not yet played against the type of speed they will see tomorrow night. Sophomore Merrick Madsen will make his Beanpot debut against the Eagles. The California native has posted solid numbers up to this point, recording a 1.85 goals against average and .936 save percentage in just 15 games played. The one thing I noticed from watching Harvard is they tend to turn every game into a track meet- they want to play as fast as possible and against good teams, it has led to a lot of goals and defensive breakdowns. For example, they blew a two goal third period lead against BU a month ago and gave up a combined 9 goals in their two meetings with #1 Qunnipiac.

I say this everyday and you are probably sick of hearing it but BC will not win this game if they give Harvard a power play every five minutes. Not only do the Crimson have the #3 power play in the country, they have a first unit that is as deadly as I've seen. BC has been solid on the penalty kill, but, this is a different beast. I would be willing to bet that whichever team takes more penalties is the team that will come out on the losing end because in this tournament, power plays seem to swing momentum in a matter of seconds. BC cannot run around taking boneheaded penalties against a team of this caliber.

No matter what happens, I think this will be an unreal game between, in my opinion, the two best teams in college hockey. BC got some good news last week when awarded last change which means the staff can put McCoshen out there against Vesey and company. I don't think they will do this often but they could pair Santini with McCoshen at certain points in the game to try and stop that line. In terms of forwards, I would be shocked if Cangelosi, Wood, and Gilmour don't get a chance to go against the Hobey Baker favorite- the staff has had them out against opponents' top lines all season. Hopefully Chris Calnan will be back after suffering a lower body injury because if he is able to go, the staff can put the fourth line out there to match up with Harvard's bottom unit.

Scouting Harvard- 

Record- 12-4-3 (5th in pairwise)

Top scorers- Jimmy Vesey (16-16-32), Alex Kerfoot (4-20-24), Kyle Criscuolo (14-7-21)

Team offense- 3.84 goals scored per game (6th)

Team defense- 2.32 goals allowed per game (15th)

Power play- 32% (2nd)

Penalty kill- 85% (10th)

Shots on goal per game- 31.92 (18th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Have to stay out of the box. I could copy and paste this 1,000 more times. They cannot give these guys more than three or four chances on the man advantage or they will be in big trouble.

2. Attack Harvard's defenseman. While Vesey could pose problems for the maroon and gold, BC's top three lines could wreck havoc on Harvard's relatively weak blue line. Get pucks to the net on this first time Beanpot starter and see what he's got.

3. An early lead will get Harvard out of synch. If the Crimson go down a couple goals early in the game, they will pull the kitchen sink and that could lead to a boatload of odd man rushes for BC.

Notes- BC is still banged up but everyone should be a go. I would be surprised if Calnan is out again.

 Go Eagles!

First Place

Photo from ND Athletics

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish entered Friday's contest in the midst of the nation's longest unbeaten streak. By 10 PM, the run was no more as the #5 Boston College Eagles exacted some revenge and totally dominated the Irish, en route to a 4-0 victory over their Holy War rivals. In what was their biggest game of the season, the Eagles came out and delivered a clutch performance, getting goals from four different players and outshooting the Irish by a 39-28 margin. The win moved Boston College to first place in Hockey East, one point ahead of Lowell, whom BC has a game in hand on.

Everybody was just settling into their seats (Blogger included) when Austin Cangelosi banged home a rebound off a Steve Santini shot that redirected off the boards just 16 seconds into the game. It was a heads up play by Cangelosi, who has been one of BC's best players over the past month, but the Eagles did catch a break as the play was clearly offsides, which the TV broadcast pointed out after the period. Although the scoresheet may not indicate it, I thought Notre Dame took it to BC for about five minutes after the goal, helped by a Mike Kim tripping penalty. The Eagles were looking to sustain some offensive pressure when Colin White, who did not play much in the first period due to injury, put home a beautiful pass from Miles Wood, giving the birds a commanding 2-0 lead just after the ten minute mark. In the first matchup between the teams, BC was missing Wood, Tuch, and Calnan which impeded their ability to get out and create chances off turnovers in the neutral and defensive zones. This time around, I thought BC did an excellent job of pressuring ND at certain points and forcing turnovers that led to a plethora of odd man rushes and eventually, a few goals. Speaking of White, he did not play at all from his first shift to his goal and then once he celebrated the tally, he appeared to fall and came off the ice favoring his left leg. He went to locker room but came back onto the ice for the second period.

The middle 20 minutes were arguably BC's best this entire season, evident by the 18-5 shot differential. When the Eagles shut out an opponent, something they did for the 8th time last night, Thatcher Demko gets the majority of the credit and rightfully so, he has been outstanding. However, BC's play in their own end should not go unnoticed as I would argue it was their best defensive performance of the season. Outside of a few flurries in the first period, I can't recall any "grade A" chances Notre Dame had. The Irish typically rely on the senior trio of DiPauli, Lucia, and Fogarty, and perhaps my eyesight isn't top notch but I didn't notice one of those guys last night due to BC's stringent defense. After blowing a two goal lead in the first meeting, you knew BC was itching to get that third goal before the end of the period and they did just that when Adam Gilmour beat a pair of defenders and notched his 7th goal of the season. I have been impressed with Gilmour's game ever since he was moved up to the Cangelosi line- he looks more confident with the puck and is generating chances, which is huge for BC. After the third tally, Notre Dame began to press and that resulted in a long 5 on 3 for BC, an opportunity which they were able to take advantage of when Zach Sanford banged home a beautiful pass from Alex Tuch, putting the game out of reach. Given the amount of chances they had, I thought BC's power play was okay, but it needs to be better on Monday night because Harvard can put the puck in the net as well as any team in the country. In one of the strangest TV moments I have ever witnessed, Colin White was awarded a penalty shot as the period expired (his fourth of the year) but the NBC crew refused to show it and those who were watching did not realize they had called it until the period was over. White missed and the Eagles headed to locker room with a 4-0 advantage.

Nothing of much importance to note in the third period except for the fact that BC took a couple of stupid penalties. Coach York did not appear happy when Tuch was called for interference on the other end of the ice and how can you blame him? If they take those type of penalties against the Crimson, they are going to have a tough time. Outside of that, it was as close to a perfect game as it gets. Obviously, White, Cangelosi, Wood, and Gilmour played well but in terms of guys that you might not find on the scoresheet, I thought Scott Savage played one of his best games of the season-he was the only BC defenseman at +2 for the evening. When the Eagles are playing at that pace and defending well, they are a very tough team to beat. I don't know if Notre Dame forgot to show up or if they were caught off guard by BC's speed, but whatever it was, they were not ready to skate with the maroon and gold.

Great win- onto Monday.

Why BC Won- 

1. Total domination. It was a lot like last Friday night, just against a better team. All aspects of BC's game were clicking.

2. Tough defense. The Eagles didn't give the Irish anything for much of the second half of that game.

3. Forward depth on display. They played three lines for much of the contest and each one had great nights.

Negatives- 

I got nothing.

Notes- Calnan was out with a lower body injury- he should be okay for Monday as he skated for much of the week. White seemed to aggravate his hamstring in the first period but played the rest of the game.

Player of the game- Colin White

Next- Beanpot on Monday, 5 PM.

Go Eagles

Notre Dame Preview

No program has had BC's number over the past few years more so than Notre Dame, who the Eagles will face-off against tonight in South Bend. Dating back to 2013-14, the Irish have won of 5 of 7 meetings versus Boston College, including a stunning 4-3 come from behind victory on December 10th in Chestnut Hill. Tonight's game will be a bit more intense as the teams are right next to each other in the pairwise and Hockey East standings.

Jeff Jackson's squad is the hottest in college hockey, riding a 12 game unbeaten streak dating back to a November 27th loss at home to Harvard. After the departures of Vince Hinostroza and Robbie Russo, among others, many figured ND would take a step back but they have done anything but that. Sophomores Anders Bjork and Jake Evans are leading the team in scoring but ND has talent spread all throughout their roster. That being said, the Irish are very experienced up front with four of their top nine guys being seniors. For comparison's sake, Boston College's only senior forward will be Teddy Doherty. Unlike past years when they had guys like Tynan and Lee, the Irish don't have one go to forward, they just have a lot of solid ones. They're right there with BC and Providence in terms of forward depth and although they lost their top blue liner from a season ago (Russo), Notre Dame has gotten tremendous production out of their young back end. Freshman Bobby Nardella and sophomore Jordan Gross are two of the top scoring defenseman in the league while also thriving under Jackson's system. In net, look for Cal Peterson, a Buffalo draft pick, to get the start. The sophomore out of Waterloo, Iowa has recorded a .927 save percentage and 2.15 goals against average so far this season.

I don't think it would a stretch to say this is BC's biggest game of the season. Forget about the Beanpot right now. If the Eagles win this game, they're not only giving themselves a tremendous chance at a #1 seed in the NCAAs, they will have completed the toughest part of their league schedule with 8 of possible 12 points versus BU, ND, and PC.  We know how good BC can be when everyone is on the same page but the problem hasn't been a lack of chemistry due to poor play, it's been the constant juggling of lines due to absences. The Eagles have lost just one game (RPI) with their full compliment of players available. I know you are all wondering about Santini and Casey Fitzgerald but I don't have an update so we will just have to wait and see what they come up with tomorrow night. Injuries aside, this is going to be a fantastic game between a pair of teams that have developed a fierce rivalry over the past few years. Every time you play ND, you have to be aware of their defensive trap and tendency to dump the puck in and hang five guys in the neutral zone. In the third period of that game in December, we saw them implement an aggressive forecheck that led to mistakes from BC and an eventual ND victory. Perhaps the Irish will stick with the same strategy. I thought BC did a much better job of avoiding the penalty box last weekend, particularly against UConn, but, they still gave up a game tying power play goal late in the third period. Even though they are not always known for their offensive prowess, Notre Dame has the 9th ranked power play in college hockey, led by the duo of Lucia and Thomas DiPauli. BC isn't going to win important games like this by spending the entire game in the box or allowing opponents back into contests with multiple power plays. It has been an issue the staff has addressed all year long and if they want to have success over these next few weeks, they need to stay out of the penalty box.

Scouting Notre Dame- 

Record- 14-4-7 (7th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Anders Bjork (10-16-26), Jake Evans (5-20-25), Thomas DiPauli (9-14-23)

Team offense- 3.52 goals scored per game (11th)

Team defense- 2.28 goals allowed per game (15th)

Power play- 24% (9th)

Penalty kill- 83.7% (24th)

Shots on goal per game- 32.68 (15th)

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. If they have a third period lead, they have to finish the job. This has become a lingering problem as UConn was able to come back on Saturday night in Chestnut Hill. I know everybody remembers what happened in the third period the last time BC and ND played.

2. Change things up a bit in terms of speed. In December, BC was missing three key players-Wood, Tuch, and Calnan. If they have a mostly full lineup, especially up front, they can play at a much faster pace.

3. Coverage in front of Demko. Two of UConn's three goals were the result of poor net front coverage by BC.

Notes- Game is not on TV but ND has an online stream.

Go Eagles

Another Three Point Weekend

It was a frustrating night of hockey for the Boston College Eagles as they tied 7th place Connecticut just 24 hours after blowing out UMass to give Coach York his 1,000th win. Not to anyone's surprise, Cav had his guys ready to play from the get go. I thought UConn played a tremendous hockey game, throughout the entire 60 minutes. They were fast, physical, and defended well in their own end versus the high powered Eagle offense.

UConn controlled the first fifteen minutes of the game and finally broke through when Jesse Schwartz fired home a redirected Derek Pratt point shot. For whatever reason, BC just forgot about Schwartz who was camped out in front of Thatcher Demko and once the puck came to him, he was able to roof one top shelf. Perhaps the best part of the night for BC was how well the fourth line played as Travis Jeke notched his second goal of the season to even the score late in the opening stanza. With Steve Santini going down to injury (we'll get to that), the staff had to rearrange the lines and the bottom trio did not get much time in the third period but I thought they played hard all weekend.

If there was one Eagle who stood out tonight, it was Alex Tuch. I would go so far as to say it was his best game in a BC uniform- he absolutely dominated every shift he was out there. Make that two nights in a row where he has bombed one home from just inside the circle, a play BC fans have become familiar with over these past two seasons. The only problem for Tuch was that he and Zach Sanford could never get accustomed to having one linemate because once Doherty went back to the blue line, the staff had to rotate both of those into the fourth line and it became somewhat of a mess. Needless to say, they can't afford to lose Santini and Casey Fitzgerald against Notre Dame and Harvard.

BC had a chance to take a two goal lead after Colin White tipped home a puck in front of the net during a delayed penalty on UConn but they were unable to capitalize on the ensuing power play. Unlike earlier in the year when BC wasn't getting any looks on the man advantage, I thought they moved the puck around well and tested sophomore goalie Tanner Creel but weren't able to get out to that all important two goal advantage. With it being a one goal game heading into the third period, you knew Cav and company were going to find a way to come out with a point or two and honestly, they played well enough to get the victory. With just over 9 minutes to play, Austin Cangelosi took a tripping penalty behind the BC net and the Huskies capitalized when Max Letunov banged home a Tage Thompson pass, which would end up being the game's final tally. BC did a better job of staying out of the box and avoiding dumb penalties and this wasn't one of those unnecessary infractions away from the puck so all you can do is tip your cap to UConn.

The Eagles controlled the overtime period, headlined by a prime scoring chance from Ryan Fitzgerald, but Creel stood tall and the Huskies came away with a huge road point.

Overall, I don't think anyone can be "upset" at the result given how well UConn played and the fact that both teams were without some of their best players. When fully healthy, BC is one of, if not the best, team in the country but when they're missing two top guys like Santini and Fitzgerald, every night is going be a grind. I didn't see what happened to Santini but I saw them looking somewhere around his neck and shoulder on the bench. Coach York said the junior out of Mahopac, New York would be evaluated today. Outside of Tuch and Sanford, I didn't think many guys played at the top of their games but with all the mixing and matching of lines, that is to be expected. They have their two biggest games of the season coming up, staring next Friday night @ Notre Dame so hopefully they can get healthy.

Positives- 

1. Alex Tuch was a monster. Totally different player from earlier in the season.

2. I like the way BC fought through the injuries. They could have packed it in and said it was UConn's night but instead they came away with a point and moved up a spot (7th) in the pairwise.

Negatives- 

1. There were too many players who looked off. It wasn't a "letdown" but not all the pieces were there and they won't be able to beat Notre Dame if they can't get everyone on the same page.

Note- No update on Santini yet.

Go Eagles

Staff Picks Up Canadian Forward

The staff received a commitment from St. Andrews College (Canada) forward Mitch Martan who has recorded 28 points in 28 games played for coach David Manning's squad. Martan shined at a couple of tournaments over the past few months. The first was in August when he recorded 5 goals in the Road to College showcase and just a few weeks ago, he was one of the top forwards at the St. Sebastian's Christmas tournament.

Over the Boards said of Martan- "Great balance, good speed, vision and awareness. Calm with the puck and competes hard." The Eagles currently have six forwards lined up in the class of 2017 and I think that will number will increase over the next couple of years because they will lose a large amount of guys on the current roster.

Congrats to Mitch on the commitment. Go Eagles.

The Greatest

Photo from BC Athletics

As the clock struck 0:00 in last night's game versus UMass, every BC player skated towards Coach York and congratulated him on 1,000 wins, one of the most incredible feats anyone can accomplish in college sports. However, as the handshakes and congratulations kept coming, the Head Coach's reaction was no different than any other victory, just a couple pats on the backs of a few players and words of wisdom for the opponent in the handshake line. There was no two minute ceremony after the game, no formal announcement. Teddy Doherty presented the BC bench boss with a game puck and then it was off to the bus and time to focus on UConn.

I just want to congratulate Coach York and his family on this incredible accomplishment. There are a lot of good ones out there- Nick Saban, Pat Summitt, and Coach K to name a few- but in my mind, this guy is the best to ever do it. Not only does he win more than anybody else, he has built BC Hockey into a national powerhouse by doing things the right way. We are truly blessed to have this guy heading our hockey program and more importantly, as an ambassador for Boston College.

As for the game, you couldn't ask for a more complete effort from the maroon and gold. The first period was similar to the one versus UConn a couple months back. The Eagles just pounced on the Minutemen from the get-go, forcing turnovers, not allowing any quality chances, and capitalizing on nearly every golden opportunity the home team gave them. Amazingly, in the 8-0 victory, there were eight different goal scorers and not one player had more than two points. The most notable name on the points list was Michael Kim, who played his best game of the season and recorded his first two assists in a BC uniform. I am amazed at how well Kim has played despite being thrown into the middle of the fire. He is a bit undersized but he compensates for it with his speed and skill. His decision making has improved over time and I think we will see him get even more playing time as the season progresses. Ian McCoshen and Steve Santini continued to carry the load on the back end as McCoshen recorded a goal and a helper, giving him seven points in the past three games. The Sheriff was +5 on the night, highest of any BC player. Again, they don't keep track of these things but with Casey Fitzgerald out (precautionary upper body), it seemed as if one of those two was out there every shift. Josh Couturier also logged a solid night, going +3 and adding an assist. 

I'm not sure if I would be a proponent of BC implementing olympic ice but it sure makes their penalty kill look good. Coach Ayers' unit went 4 for 4 on the night and added two shorthanded goals, thanks to terrific plays from Miles Wood and Austin Cangelosi. UMass tried to make some fancy plays at the top of the zone and you just can't do that against these guys because once they get possession, there is no way you will be able to catch up. Just seconds after Cangelosi's tally, Wood once again came in shorthanded looking for his second of the night, only to bang one off the post. It could have been three goals on the man down which might have been some type of record. 

On the offensive side of things, I thought the fourth line played well. One of the positive side effects of moving Doherty up to forward is that Calnan makes the bottom line a formidable unit. He, Chirs Brown, and Travis Jeke were all over the ice last night and it might have been the first game all year where they completely dominated time of possession. It was nice to see those guys rewarded with a goal in the first period because they work as any trio on the team. BC's best line was Doherty-Sanford-Tuch, which combined for five points. I continue to think that Sanford is one of the top players in the country, let alone this team, but Alex Tuch's progression from October to January has been nothing short of remarkable. As I said last week, I think the World Jr snub has a lot to do with it because he just looks a little bit more "angry" and is attacking the puck all over the ice. His goal in the first period was off of a shot that might have broken the glass it was so hard. Not to be overlooked, the captain had a goal and a helper of his own. In reality, there wasn't much of a difference in the amount of scoring chances created by the top line and the fourth line, which is something you like to see because the more help they can get from the Brown unit, the more dangerous BC will be. 

Thatcher Demko was his usual, standout self. BC's defense did not allow UMass to generate much offense, especially on the power play where the Minutemen recorded just 4 shots and zero goals on four chances. On the other hand, BC posted four shots and two goals on those very same UMass power plays. 

In the end, this night was all about saluting the greatest college hockey coach of all time.  I have to say, I was disappointed that UMass did not take a minute to congratulate Coach on his record breaking feat. If an opposing coach had reached some type of hallmark at Kelley Rink, Coach York would go out of his way to make sure that coach was recognized. I try not to comment on opposing teams but that was the worst performance I have ever seen out of a Hockey East opponent versus the Eagles. I can understand why they wouldn't want to be on the ice versus the maroon and gold, I mean, BC is loaded, but at least look like you give a crap. There are UMass fans that drove two hours to watch that team play and Micheletto allows that type of effort? The way they play is borderline barbaric and it is clear that the players want nothing to do with the coaching staff. Can you honestly believe they hired that guy over Mike Cavanaugh? It blows my mind.

Speaking of Cav, the longtime BC assistant will bring his Huskies to Chestnut Hill tonight. 

Why BC won- 

1. Total domination. Every aspect of the game was controlled by the visitors- it could have been 15-0 if not for a few saves and posts in the third period. 

2. Penalty kill looked like a power play. BC now has eight shorthanded goals this season, which ranks second in the country behind Penn State. 

3. All four lines were clicking. Eight different goal scorers for the Eagles. 

Negatives- 

1. UMass' effort. Total no show. 

Notes- Casey Fitzgerald suffered an upper body injury last weekend vs BU but he could return tonight (probably not). It is not a long term problem. Adam Gilmour did not play in the third period but I think he is okay. 

Alumni Game note- 11:30 today at Kelley Rink.

Player of the game- Coach York 

Congrats to Coach York. Go Eagles! 

UMass Preview

Fresh off back to back three point weekends versus Providence and archrival Boston University, the Eagles will head west to take on the UMass Minutemen. This will be the second meeting of the season between UMass and Boston College-the good guys took home round one in November at Kelley Rink. Of course, the storyline everyone will be following is whether or not BC will able to bring home win #1,000 for Coach York. I think the mainstream media has done an awesome job of covering this feat and in my opinion, fans all around college hockey recognize just how special this man is and are thankful for all that has done for the game of hockey. I know some may not believe Coach York when he says he doesn't pay attention to the individual accolades but this program was built on the foundation of "the team, the team, the team", not a couple of outstanding talents. I know he cares a heck of a lot more about the pairwise and Hockey East points than the possibility of attaining such a historic mark.

It has been a rough couple of months for UMass hockey, to say the least. The Minutemen were undefeated in their first six games of the season before running into Yale and BC, whom they lost to by a combined total of 13-1. Things have not gotten much better for John Micheletto and company as UMass has just one win since November 7th, a 2-1 overtime decision over Army. So what is wrong with the Minutemen? Well, like a lot of teams, they are dealing with injuries. Star forward Dennis Kravchenko has missed the past four games and top defenseman William Lagesson has missed five of the past six games, including both last weekend versus Lowell. If UMass is going to have any chance against the Eagles, they need those guys in the lineup because BC's depth and speed will take its toll on them. UMass has a lot of smaller forwards that can fly and for the first half of the season, they did not have much trouble putting the puck in the net. However, over the past two months, the Minutemen have been unable to pot enough goals as they have just one game with three or more goals since a November 15th tie versus Vermont. I am an avid reader of Fear the Triangle, UMass hockey's go to site on the internet and it is clear that the author, along with fellow fans, is very upset with the direction the program is headed in. Earlier this week, he posted an article calling for the firing of head coach John Micheletto, sighting the coach's inability to adjust his systems based on the personnel he recruited. A few years back, UMass posted a record crowd of over 8,000 versus the Eagles (BC won the game) and head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon was able to pick up some stunning victories over Boston College but since Micheletto was hired over Mike Cavanaugh (among others), UMass' attendance has gone down the drains and their performance has not fared much better.

The opponent may not have the pedigree of Providence or BU, but that does not mean this game is any less important for the Eagles. Obviously, you want to win a Hockey East regular season title but the most important thing BC can do between now and the end of the regular season (outside of winning the Beanpot) is clinch a top four seed. Not only would they be able to play at home for the quarterfinals, they would have almost two weeks to fully heal and gear up for the NCAAs. With fourth place Providence taking on first place Lowell, BC could have a chance to separate themselves from one of those two teams, depending on what happens this weekend. In terms of the pairwise, BC cannot afford to lose this game. They did a great job of solidifying their position in the top ten and setting themselves up for a run at a #1 seed but if they get upset by UMass, they could drop three or four spots. The Eagles are starting to get healthy but they are still a bit banged up on the blue line although there is a chance they have the same starting six as last Saturday night. Expect Teddy Doherty to continue playing forward with Zach Sanford and Alex Tuch because that line had a terrific game versus the Terriers. BC has played well on the olympic ice surface so far, winning both games at Colorado College and one at New Hampshire but playing at UMass has never been an easy task for the Eagles. The Minutemen are going to come out and play hard, especially after all the question about the status of their coach, so I expect this to be a tight game.

Scouting UMass-

Record- 7-12-4 (38th in pairwise)

Top scorers- Shane Walsh (15-5-20), Ray Pigozzi (7-12-19), Dennis Kravchenko (7-11-18)

Team offense- 2.48 goals scored per game (48th)

Team defense- 3.61 goals against per game (54th)

Power play- 16% (38th)

Penalty kill- 80.7% (37th)

Shots on goal margin per game- -7.13 (53rd)

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Stay out of the box. The easiest way to lose games against opponents you should beat is by giving them power play after power play. If the Minutemen get their chances, I'm sure they will be able to take advantage.

2. Be careful of the olympic surface. In order to create offense, I could see UMass implementing the stretch pass to catch BC off guard with the long changes. The Eagles need to be ready.

3. Use speed on the outside. Unless UMass made some drastic changes this week, BC should expect  a supper aggressive forecheck that often leads to odd man rushes for the opponent. Look for the Eagles to try and generate a lot of chances through the neutral zone.

Go Eagles

Six Eagles Named To Central Scouting List

One current and five future Eagles were named to the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings this morning. Casey Fitzgerald, who has been one of the top defenseman in Hockey East thus far, is the only current BC player on the list as he was bypassed in last year's draft. There has been a lot of talk about this recruiting class and how it may lack a "go to" player but the staff is addressing some serious needs up front with players like Zach Walker, Graham McPhee, and David Cotton (already drafted). Of course, BC's outlook for next season will depend on who stays and who goes but if they can get White and Tuch to come back, they will have a ridiculously deep forward group.

Connor Moore is a guy that likely won't get drafted in June as he, like Fitzgerald, failed to get picked in the 2015 draft. Despite the lack of size, I think Moore might be the hidden gem of this class because of his skating ability and offensive instinct. It may take him a while to get adjusted to the college game but over time, he will be a star on the BC blue line. The Brooks School product just won USHL defenseman of the week.

Here are the final numbers-

Graham McPhee (92)

Casey Fitzgerald (108)

Mike Campoli (110)

Luke McInnis (118)

Zach Walker (163)

Joe Woll (#8 goalie, #1 non-CHL)

Late Fitzgerald Goal Gives BC Crucial Tie

Ryan Fitzgerald had the tying goal for BC

As time was winding down in the third period and BC continued to dominate their arch rival while still trailing by a goal, I couldn't get over how hard the team was playing. I'm not knocking past Eagle squads- all of them brought a high level of energy every night, but the 2015-16 team takes things to another stratosphere and once again, they were able to take three critical points from a quality opponent thanks to a late third period goal. I thought Boston University played a terrific hockey game, especially in their own end and neutral zone. Although the Eagles had their share of odd man rushes, mostly in the final two periods, BU, particularly Sean Maguire, played exponentially better than they did on Friday night. Only one team has beaten the Eagles with Colin White and Miles Wood in the lineup (RPI) and BU was this close thanks to a couple of sensational saves from their junior netminder.

The first half of the game belonged to the home team. BU came out ready to play and was rewarded with a pair of power plays early on. Perhaps the biggest adjustment both teams made was their penalty kills as the two schools were a combined 0 for 10 on the man advantage. Thatcher Demko made an unbelievable save on Danny O'Regan right on the doorstep after a terrific pass from a BU defenseman (I think it was Grzelyck)- it could have been his best of the year. The tide turned as BC was given 1:23 of five on three thanks to back to back penalties from Jordan Greenway and John MacLeod. The vaunted BC power play which has looked so good over the past few weeks, failed to post anything although they generated a couple of quality looks, only to be denied by a sprawling Maguire. The staff certainly feels they have two set units and it seems as if Cangelosi, R. Fitzgerald, Wood, C. Fitzgerald, and McCoshen is there go to lineup because they were given the majority of power play time. There was one play when Cangelosi came out of the corner and ripped a shot off the blocker of Magure, only to see if deflect out of play. The face-off should have been inside the BU end but for some reason, the refs had it outside and BU was able to kill off the rest of the five on three.

The Terriers continued to control the play for the first half of the second period and were finally rewarded when Grzelyck tipped home an O'Regan point shot. This was perhaps the only time all weekend where BC collapsed defensively and I'm not sure what happened. The game became way too wide open which led to a breakaway for JFK when the only guy back for BC was forward Alex Tuch. Demko made another unreal save on the breakaway but BC had three guys sucked in front of the net and Grzelyck was able to camp out in the slot before redirecting O'Regan's shot past Demko. JFK created the entire play but give credit to the BU captain for having the presence of mind to go in the slot to try and make something happen. Nothing Demko could do. After that goal however, I thought BC turned on the jets and dominated the remainder of the game.

Outside of few shots from the point for BU, the Eagles controlled possession for the majority of the final period. They had two unbelievable chances, both of which were the results of great plays from Adam Gilmour- he made a nifty no look pass to Miles Wood who just missed the tap in goal and seconds after that, Magurie robbed the Minnesota Wild draft pick with a beautiful glove save. Gilmour is a big kid but he has some skill to his game and placing him with Wood and Cangelosi was a smart move by the staff because he was able to play to his strengths, especially on the offensive side of things. As the clock continued to tick, BC pressed but could not solve Maguire. Just when all hope seemed to be lost, Matthew Gaudreau made a sensational pass to Ryan Fitzgerald, who fired home his 13th goal of the season (leads team). Both teams had a few chances at the end of the the period and overtime but the goaltenders stood tall and the Eagles were able to take home three of four points from their Comm Ave rival.

I'm proud of the way this team battles. They might not win every game but they play hard, they play physical, and perhaps most notably, they play fast. Instead of throwing it in the towel after BU went up 1-0, BC responded with perhaps their best 30 minutes of hockey all season and if it wasn't for Sean Maguire, that game would have been 5-1. They still took far too many penalties, most of them being unnecessary, but the penalty kill was on the top of their game, keeping the high powered Terrier power play off the board. It's hard to sustain the type of success BC has had on the power play as of late and I think they would like to have that long 5 on 3 back but both units generated some quality looks- BU made some adjustments with their penalty kill by keeping most of BC's puck movement to the perimeter instead of letting them work the puck around the slot. A couple of guys stood out to me. I don't think any player was more criticized for his play in the first half than Alex Tuch but ever since the World Jr snub, he has been, outside of perhaps White, BC's best player. I see a renewed sense of urgency with regards to #12 and it's not just noticeable in games but practice as well. We all know how skilled he is offensively but he is becoming a physical force below the goal line and often creates a bunch of neutral zone turnovers with his stick skills.  In college hockey, they don't keep track of playing time but I would love to know how much Ian McCoshen and Casey Fitzgerald played last night. Over the last 25 minutes, I would bet they were out there for over 17 or 18 minutes. Both of those guys played very well. Lastly, I don't think there is a more underrated player in college hockey than Ryan Fitzgerald. White and Wood get all the headlines but Fitzgerald doesn't lead the team in goals by accident.

All in all, taking 6 of 8 points versus PC and BU is something this team can build on heading into trophy season. Obviously, it would have been nice to get the 1,000th win at BU but I'm sure Coach York would be the first to tell you that pairwise numbers matter more than personal numbers. The Eagles will travel to UMass on Friday night before hosting the Fighting Cavanaughs on Saturday.

Positives- 

1. The penalty kill. Led by Thatcher Demko, BC's PK was much better than it was on Friday night. The Terriers were 0 for 5 on the PP.

2. It is clear that BC can take their game to a level that not many teams can reach. The way they move the puck when they're on is truly special and fun to watch.

Negatives- 

1. The five on three. It wasn't that BC was unable to manufacture any chances, they did, Maguire just made some big time stops.

Player of the game- Ryan Fitzgerald

Next- @ UMass on Friday.

Round One to the Good Guys

Photo from BC Athletics

The rivalry between Boston College and Boston University has produced some of the best college hockey games I have ever seen and Friday night was no different. Thanks to a power play goal from Ian McCoshen with just over two minutes to go, the Eagles picked up their second consecutive victory over their heated rival and will look to give Coach York his 1,000th victory tonight @ Agganis Arena. I know David Quinn was disappointed with the way his team played but the Terriers battled hard all night against a team that was a bit faster and more skilled. Their first line of Forsbacka-Karlsson, O'Regan, and Cloonan created a good amount of chances around the BC net and it will be up to BC to find a way to contain them tonight.

The key to the game was power plays as all of BU's goals were scored on the man advantage (3/6 on the night) while the Eagles turned in another terrific performance on the man advantage, going 2 for 7. As I said in the preview, BU's strength is their talented blue line and clearly, their power play runs through those guys. Freshman Charlie McAvoy was one of the most impressive players on the ice as was JFK, another Terrier rookie. I thought BC did a good job, for the most part, of preventing the Terriers from getting a ton of grade A chances when they were set up in the zone but BU's transition game on the power play led to a pair of goals early on. When it was 5 on 5, BC had the upper hand because of their speed but the best part of BU's game was certainly their ability to push the puck up the ice and create chances off the power play rush. I didn't think the Eagles played a great first period, in fact, I thought it was one of the most boring periods of hockey I have seen these two teams play. Outside of a Colin White breakaway chance and JFK's goal for BU, most of the action took place in the neutral zone, which favored the Terriers.

The final two periods were much better in terms of puck possession and creating chances. Austin Cangelosi capitalized on a penalty shot opportunity after picking a BU defenseman's pocket at the blue line and getting tripped shortly before making a move on Sean Maguire. Unfortunately, just eighteen seconds after Cangelosi's tally, Ahti Oksanen fired home a beautiful pass form JFK, giving BU their second power play goal of the night. It seemed to me that right after they gave up this goal, BC took their game to another level. Zach Sanford pounced on a loose puck in front of the BU net and roofed one top shelf to even the game with fifteen minutes remaining in the middle stanza. I think Sanford is morphing into one of the go to guys not just on this team, but in the entire league. The staff clearly trust the sophomore out of New Hampshire because they basically have him running the power play, killing every penalty, and playing left wing in late game situations. I have been impressed with his development over the past year and a half- hopefully it continues. Late in the period, BU began to get themselves into penalty trouble which resulted in an unbelievable passing play from Casey Fitzgerald to White, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead heading into the final twenty minutes. White is the best player on the team (and in my opinion the country) so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he stepped up in a clutch situation but, Casey Fitzgerald played one of his best games of the season when BC most needed it. In a game where there were a lot of highly skilled defenseman, he was, in my mind, the best skater out of all of them.

The 3-2 advantage was nice but everyone in the building knew the Terriers were going to come back given the way they have battled in the third period throughout the year. Ironically, it was the home team that controlled the play for the majority of the third, just missing out on a few chances to up their lead to two.  BC continued to control the pace until Michael Kim was whistled for goalie interference with five minutes left. Both teams were upset about the way the game was called and I personally think they should let the two teams play but you can't blame Kim for this mistake-he was going to the net hard and just couldn't find a way to put on the breaks. They're going to call that every time. Anyways, as expected, Matt Lane evened the score after a one timer from the point popped up in the air after hitting Demko.

I haven't seen a replay of the call on Bobo Carpenter but judging off the tweets from the BU faithful (don't put stock into those) it was not the type of penalty you whistle late in the game. As a result, BC's loaded power play converted as Ian McCoshen released an absolute bomb from the point- giving the Eagles the lead for good. I know Zach Werenski gets a lot of hype but there is no defenseman I would rather have on my team than McCoshen. The offensive aspect of his game has drastically improved over these past three years and his defensive prowess has always been top notch which is why we see him out there for practically every situation.

Outside of McCoshen and Sanford, the other guy that jumped out to me was Austin Cangelosi. The Estero, Florida native had a difficult sophomore year but his development has been nothing short of remarkable. When you surround him with guys that can fly, such as Miles Wood, than a line like that can create numerous odd man rushes when given space. BC has a bit of a problem when it comes to face-offs but Cangelosi has been entrusted by the staff to take the most meaningful draws whether it was the one that led to McCoshen's power play goal or the defensive zone battles with JFK late in the game. Thatcher Demko made some key saves early on to ensure that BU didn't take a two goal advantage at any point in the game and I'm not sure you can fault #30 for any of the goals allowed.

The most talked about storyline in college hockey is the fact that Coach York has a chance to get his 1,000th win versus his arch rival. The Eagles have had tremendous success at the Jack Parker Rink, going 11-3-1 since it was built in 2004. In saying that, I think this will be the toughest regular season game BC has played in a long time, perhaps ever. BU people despise (for lack of a better term) BC and there is nothing that would anger them more than seeing the man that has transformed the Comm Ave rivalry get 1,000 wins on the ice named after his nemesis. Quinn will have his guys ready to run through a wall tonight and I expect them to play their best game of the season. It will be up to BC to control their emotions and stay out of the box because it always seems to hinder their chances at getting key victories.

Great win, let's see if they can get it done again tonight.

Why BC won- 

1. Power play was humming. Make that three straight excellent games for Coach Brown's unit. They are moving the puck around as well as the 2012 team did when they had a man advantage- and boy, could they distribute the biscuit.

2. Austin Cangelosi and Ian McCoshen were the two best players on the ice. I can't think of any college hockey player that I've seen who has a harder shot than McCoshen. It is incredible. Cangelosi looks like another version of Barry Almeida- which is a heck of an accomplishment.

3. BC's 5 on 5 transition game gave BU problems. The Terriers had a tough time keeping up with the Eagles, which is why you saw them take a lot of penalties in the neutral zone while BC was pushing the puck up ice. The Eagles have to make sure the game tonight is played as fast as possible.

Negatives- 

1. Too many penalties. I'm not sure what Santini did wrong on the penalty that led to BU's first power play goal but generally, BC took a lot of unnecessary penalties. This may be the one aspect of their game preventing them from being truly dominant.

Players of the game- Ian McCoshen and Austin Cangelosi

Notes- The staff moved Teddy Doherty up to forward midway through the second period. Adam Gilmour played third line while Doherty was with Sanford and Tuch. Chris Calnan might be banged up as he did not play much in the final ten minutes. Also, BU goalie Sean Maguire appeared to pull something while jumping over the boards- he went right to the tunnel.

Next- @ BU tonight. 7 PM.

Go Eagles

BU Preview

For the 268th and 269th times, Boston College and Boston University will face-off against each other, beginning tomorrow night at Kelley Rink and continuing at BU's Agganis Arena on Saturday. UNC-Duke and Michigan-Ohio State are both tremendous rivalries that certainly get a lot of attention on the national stage but for people in the Boston area, nothing surpasses BC-BU. It's almost like you're forced to choose a shade of red at a young age and when the two teams hit the ice against each other, it captures the attention of an entire city. Like all great rivalries, there is a healthy dose of respect between the two programs and a recognition that the games they play are good not only for Hockey East, but college hockey in general. That being said, you know we don't like them and you know they REALLY don't like us.

The Terriers are red hot entering Friday's matchup after a stunning 6-5 win @ Harvard last Thursday, which was followed by a 7-2 stomping of UMass on Saturday night. After the departure of Jack Eichel, BU struggled out of the gate, falling to Union, UConn, and Merrimack but over the past month and a half, they seem to be finding their rhythm. As their dedicated Twitter followers like to point out, BU has played one of the toughest schedules in the country and won a good amount of those games- vs Michigan, Denver, @ Qunnipiac, and @ Harvard to name a few. Head coach David Quinn and his staff brought in a terrific recruiting class, headlined by Swedish product Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson and USNTDP alum Charlie McAvoy, one of the top offensive defenseman in Hockey East. While the newcomers have had a large impact on BU's success thus far, it has been the senior class leading the way for the scarlet and white. St Sebastian's product (always tough seeing Arrows going down the street) Danny O'Regan is tops on the team in points with 7 goals and 16 assists thus far while fan favorite Ahti Oksanen leads their club with 10 goals. While BC and BU both play at a fast pace, they are built differently. BU's strength lies within their star studded blue line, headed by McAvoy and captain Matt Grzelcyk, who recorded a natural hatrick versus UMass last weekend. From the moment I first saw him play, Grzelyck has impressed me with his speed and play making abilities from the back end, so I look for him to play a major role in both games. Unlike last season, the Terriers are not very deep at the forward position but they have gotten contributions from senior Matt Lane and less heralded freshman Ryan Cloonan to help offset any offensive deficiencies. The departure of sophomore left winger AJ Greer to the QMJHL over Christmas break was a bit of a killer for them but Quinn brought in Finnish forward Oskar Andren and Dedham native Eric Udahl to play fourth line. The biggest question mark for BU is their goaltending. Junior Sean Maguire will likely get the start versus the high powered Eagles but after a year away from hockey due to concussions, the Powell River, BC native has had a bit of a rough go with a 2.80 goals against average and .899 save percentage.

I don't need to sit here and tell you how big of a weekend this is for the Eagles. BU sits one spot ahead of BC in the pairwise standings but it's the maroon and gold who hold a four point lead in the Hockey East standings. I thought we saw a lot of improvement versus Providence- especially on the offensive side of things. Throughout the month of December, BC had a tough time generating offense but against Providence, one of the top defensive teams in the country, they were able to pot eleven goals in two games. As I said earlier, BU is one of the best skating teams BC will see all year but they aren't known for the defensive prowess. I look for the Eagles to implement an aggressive forecheck aimed at forcing BU into turnovers below their own blue line. In terms of matchups, the staff will likely put the Wood-Cangelosi-Calnan against BU's top unit of Cloonan-JFK-O'Regan. The Terriers recently changed their lineup and their second line includes two of the biggest forwards in the country- Greenway and Oksanen, both of whom are very good at playing along the boards and using their length to create turnovers. I think BC will look to counter that line with Gaudreau-White-Fitzgerald which would give Tuch and company a favorable matchup versus BU's third line.

I'm sure you are all wondering who will be in net for BC and while I don't have an answer, I think there is a good chance Thatcher Demko makes his first appearance since December 29th after practicing most of the week. BC is banged up, as is the norm for this time of year, but they should have their full arsenal ready to go.

Scouting BU- 

Record- 11-6-3 (9th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Danny O'Regan (7-16-23), Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (5-13-18), Ahti Oksanen (10-9-19).

Team offense- 3.55 goals scored per game (9th)

Team defense- 2.85 goals against per game (32nd)

Power play- 23.3% (10th)

Penalty kill- 81.6% (33rd)

Shots on goal per game- 29.60 shots per game (24th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Stay out of the box. In these type of games, perhaps more so than any other, avoiding penalties is paramount because momentum can shift in a matter of seconds with a power play goal or two. It is no coincidence that BC took less penalties than PC and came out with 3 points.

2. No turnovers in the defensive zone. BU has a nice mixture of size and speed and they can come after you in a lot of different ways. The turnover battle will be crucial.

3. Beware of the third period. The Terriers rank 37th in first period points this season and if you watched their game against Harvard, you could see why. However, BU is 1st in the country with 103 third period points. They scored three in under the four minutes against the Crimson.

Note- 6 PM start tomorrow because of TV.

Go Eagles

Demko Returns to Practice

Thatcher Demko returned to the ice today for the first time in two weeks as the Eagles get ready to take on archrival Boston University this weekend.

Although #30's return to the ice is a positive sign, there is still no word on whether he will play vs the Terriers.

Go Eagles

Eagles Take Three Points From Friars

I've been following BC Hockey all my life and I'm not sure I have ever been more satisfied with a tie than I was last night. After being dominated by the Providence College Friars in the first half of the game, the Eagles stormed back with three goals in a row to take three points from the #3 Friars. It was a tale of two totally different games- Providence established their style of play early on, evident by the 22-7 shot differential in the first period. However, after the home team took a 4-1 lead six minutes into the second period, BC played as hard as I've ever seen a BC team play in order to bring a crucial point back to Chestnut Hill.

Despite the lopsided shot total in the opening stanza, it was the maroon and gold who got on the board first thanks to Ian McCoshen's power play one timer. I don't think Providence was able to clear the puck once during the entire two minutes which is a testament to how good BC's power play was this weekend (5 for 7). They are not settling for lousy shots from wide angels, instead they're forcing the opponent to move around the zone, which is opening up lanes in the middle of the zone. As I said last night, if the Eagles continue to score at this rate on the man advantage, it will become nearly impossible to beat them.

Unfortunately, the fast start did not last long as the Friars recorded a power play tally of their own just three minutes after McCoshen's strike. Not really anything BC could have done on the play, just a great move by Erik Foley, who came out of the corner and roofed one bar down to even the score. Although they gave up a couple goals on the weekend, BC's penalty kill continues to put an enormous amount of pressure on opponents as they were rewarded with a couple of breakaways while being a man down. Although the Friars controlled the play for the remainder of the period, the Eagles were able to withstand the onslaught until the final minutes. Nick Saracino pounced on a rebound with just over thirty seconds left in the period and just seventeen seconds after that, defenseman John Gilmour played the puck off of Ian Milosz's back and into the net- giving PC a two goal advantage at the break. I thought Providence did a much better job of getting pucks and bodies to the net, especially in the first period, which is a key element to their game and something Nate Leaman wanted to improve. BC clearly made a concentrated effort to get out to the points and prevent guys like Walman from ripping shots but PC countered that with a strong net-front game that allowed them to control the opening twenty minutes.

The early portion of the second period was more of the same. PC sent in a relentless forecheck that resulted in a litany of BC turnovers, one of which led to a fourth Friar goal. However, after that tally, the game completely changed. The most pivotal moment of the contest was when Teddy Doherty scored a goal from a brutal angle while there was a delayed call on PC. Exactly one minute into the man advantage, Alex Tuch, who was BC's best all around player this weekend, redirected a Doherty shot by Nick Ellis, making it a one goal game.

Hockey, perhaps more so than any other sport, is a game of momentum. After BC scored two goals late in the second, everybody in the building knew they would come out flying in the third. Just four minutes into the period, Chris Calnan forced a turnover in the neutral zone and fired a wrister past Ellis to even the score and set the stage for a nail-bitting ending. BC was given a golden opportunity to take the lead on a power play shortly after Calnan's tally and they did everything but score. As the period wound down, it was clear the refs were looking to call anything on BC after the Eagles jumped out to a 3-1 advantage in terms of power plays. Like clockwork, the penalties arrived, but BC's penalty killing unit held the Friars off the board and only allowed one real quality chance (a goal that was called back).

The overtime was relatively slow paced and only resulted in one opportunity for BC- an Adam Gilmour shot from right in front of the net.

If you had told me on Thursday night that BC would take three points this weekend, I would have taken it any day of the week. X's and O's aside, I absolutely love the way this team battled, especially down 4-1 on the road in an imposing environment.  There have been multiple games this season where they have overcome adversity to get a positive result- NU, MSU, and Denver among others- and I think that says a lot about the leadership from the staff and captains. I thought a lot of guys played at a high level over the course of these past two games- Alex Tuch seems to be rounding into that dominant force we figured he would be before the season began, Austin Cangelosi had three points, Zach Sanford is playing at the top of his game, and overall, they just seem to be gelling as a unit. The special teams numbers speak for themselves as the power play went 5 for 7 in both games combined while the penalty kill saved the day late in the third period on Saturday night. Providence was not going to let Colin White dominate them for a second straight game which is why we saw their #1 line and defensive pairing out there against #18 throughout the night, but that opened the door for BC's other lines to make something happen. On the defensive side of things, there is certainly room for improvement, especially in the turnover department, but I thought Teddy Doherty played his best game of the season, evident by his two points and +2 rating.

All in all, great weekend for the maroon and gold- I could not be proud of them. We can talk about the pairwise and Hockey East standings all we want but at the end of the day, the most important part of this series was BC being able to build momentum heading into next weekend and they accomplished that. Let's get ready for the scarlet and white.

Positives- 

1. The resiliency they showed after going down 4-1. After the game, while Blogger was fist pumping over the result, players were visibly upset by what I thought was a great result. In my mind, that says a lot about this team.

2. Power play. Coach Brown's unit had its best weekend of the year.

3. The two penalty kills in the third period. Again, hats off to Ian Milosz on what was one heck of a performance. I don't care how many goals he allowed, the fact that he came in here and gave his team a chance to win tells me all I need to know.

4. Tuch was terrific- he and Doherty were BC's two best skaters.

Negatives- 

1. That first period was not good. PC was skating circles around the Eagles.

Note- Coach York said Thatcher Demko's status is day to day which has me thinking there is a chance he goes next weekend. We will see what happens as the week progresses.

Next- Yup.

Go Eagles

Back On Track

Photo from BC Athletics

These past ten days have been nothing short of interesting. A few fans expressed their disappointment on the message boards and Twitter waves, media members were quick to point out that BC had fallen out of the NCAA picture, and the loss of perhaps their best player didn't help alleviate any worries. However, it seems as if Coach York and company didn't get the memo.

Thanks to three goals from Colin White, the Boston College Eagles picked up their biggest win of the season, dismantling the #3 Providence College Friars in front of a sold out crowd at Conte Forum. Before I get into a few thoughts on the game, I want to tip my hat to Ian Milosz. I can't imagine the butterflies that must have been flying around that kid's stomach all week and for him to come in and play like he did tonight is nothing short of remarkable. If the game was against a weak opponent and meant little to BC's pairwise standing, then this would not have been a shock. But it wasn't Alabama-Huntsville or Alaska, it was the defending national champions. Congrats to Ian on a night that he won't soon forget.

As for the rest of the team, I could not have been more pleased with their performance. Providence is one of the best defensive teams in the country and BC made them look like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. I thought the Eagles forechecked hard, forced turnovers, and generated dozens of "grade A" opportunities in front of the net, something they have struggled to do over the past few weeks. The power play, which went 3 for 4 on the night, was clicking on all cylinders. They certainly put a lot of emphasis on the man advantage throughout the week but I think it boils down to the fact that they were able to keep PC on their toes with crisp passing and quality shots. The staff switched the forwards, opting to put Colin White with Zach Sanford (who was awesome) and Alex Tuch (also great) in place of an ailing Adam Gilmour. Miles Wood, who returned from his one game suspension, teamed up with Ryan Fitzgerald and Austin Cangelosi on the second forward unit. If BC can keep up the pace on the power play, they could morph into a lethal offense juggernaut.

I am at a lost for words when it comes to Colin White's performance. I would have to sit down and think about it for a while but that was certainly one of the best individual performances I've seen out of a BC player not named Gaudreau in a long time. The fact that the kid can totally dominate a team of that quality after playing seven games in nine days halfway across the world is stunning. Everyone talks about being able to roll three or four scoring lines on a nightly basis and I certainly think that is a huge advantage but if you look at BC's best teams under Coach York, they all had a "go to" guy.  I don't think it is fair to compare White to legends like G or Gerbe after just 19 games but he is transforming into that perennial goal scorer.

It won't get much discussion but BC's play in their own end was the best it has been all year. Milosz was terrific, no doubt, but, he didn't have to face a ton of grade A chances outside of the PC power plays. I figured there was a chance Michael Kim would play but I didn't think he would play as much and as well as he did. In fact, I think you could make the case that the Jr Bruins product was BC's best defenseman- he made effective breakout passes, did not cheat up in the neutral zone, and blocked a couple of shots. There will be some growing pains for the midyear addition but if Kim plays like that on a consistent basis, he won't be in a suit anytime soon.

With all that being said, tonight is a huge test. The roles will be reversed as the Friars, losers in three of their past four games, will be looking to right the ship against a rejuvenated Eagle squad. I expect Providence to come out and play their best game of the season- just by reading Nate Leaman's post game comments, it is clear that he is going to light a fire under his club. They always play BC tough in that building and I expect tomorrow to be no different.

Why BC Won- 

1. Colin White dominated the game. When he and Miles Wood are in the lineup and playing well, BC's offense is scary good.

2. Ian Milosz stepped up. If I transferred into the top program in college hockey and had to start my first game against the defending champs, I'd give up ten goals in two minutes. Heck of a performance.

3. Team defense was outstanding. PC did not have many odd man rushes or grade A opportunities.

4. Power play was humming. Coach Brown certainly got his guys going at the right time.

Problems- 

1. I don't have anything. Crowd was awesome.

Players of the game- Colin White and Ian Milosz

Next- @ PC tonight. 7 PM.

Go Eagles

Providence Preview

BC will end their ten day hiatus this weekend as they take on the #3 Providence College Friars, the team they lost to in their last outing. I don't need to tell you how big of a series this is for the Eagles-with RPI's tie this evening, BC is currently the last team in the NCAA field and they're fighting with the Friars for home ice in the Hockey East playoffs while looking to end a three game losing streak. The task will be that much more difficult without star goaltender Thatcher Demko, who suffered an upper body injury two weeks ago versus Ohio State. Freshman Ian Milosz will make his first ever start after enrolling in the school this week.

Providence is in the midst of their own slide as they're coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to crosstown rival Brown on Sunday afternoon. The Friars have lost two of their past three games after starting the season 11-0-3. Nate Leaman and his crew will get a big boost as star defenseman and leading scorer Jake Walman is set to make his first start since getting hurt on December 5th against Merrimack. PC is one of the deepest teams in college hockey with seven players potting over ten points for the year, but their go to line consists of first rounder Mark Jankowsi, Nick Saracino, and Trevor Mingoia. Those are just three of the nine seniors on Providence's roster, which is tops in Hockey East and far more than BC's four. I don't think there is a significant difference between PC's first and second line but that top unit will see a ton of playing time, which was certainly the case down in South Florida. BC had a difficult time matching up with those three guys, all of whom play a skilled game with some physicality mixed in. I look for the staff to put Wood-Cangelosi-Calnan out there as much as possible against Jankowski and company so that they can match that bump and run style. PC's power play was able to get on the board against the Eagles in the first matchup and the addition of Walman on the blue line should only help their cause. I said this yesterday and I'll say it again, as tough as it will be to beat these guys with a freshman in net for the first time, the players in front of him can make a huge difference by staying out the box and blocking shots. BC has to make it a priority to get out to the point and defend as well as they can. They need to limit the shots that get to Milosz by forcing the PC defenders to dump the puck off the wall instead of going bombs away from the top of the zone.

I think the outcome of these games will depend on two things. Number one, BC has to avoid penalties, especially the unnecessary ones that plagued them down in Florida. I've always been a believer in "good" and "bad" penalties. Taking out an opposing player fifteen feet away from the puck will have no impact on the game, so why the need? If they give PC four or more power plays in each game, then they won't have a good chance of bringing home four points. Secondly, BC needs to create more offense, whether it's on the power play or five on five. Outside of the first twenty minutes against Ohio State, they have yet to record a period in which they generated a large majority of scoring chances. The return of White and Wood should jump start their respective lines but BC is going to need more out of Sanford, Tuch, and Gilmour. I think Sanford is playing at a high level, evident by his nine points in six games stretch but, his two wingers have not taken their games up to the notch needed to have sustained success. That is not a knock on Tuch or Gilmour because both have been banged up for a large majority of the season so, hopefully this layoff will have a positive impact on their games. Teddy Doherty took some reps at forward this week so I would not be shocked if he plays up while Michael Kim takes his spot on the blue line. However, with White back in the fray, I find it unlikely that the captain will join the forward ranks. Speaking of White, the staff knows he will be tired after seven games in nine days at the World Juniors but I think everyone is aware how vital these two games are for BC's trajectory, so expect #18 to play a regular shift.

No matter what happens, we're going to learn a lot about this club over the next 48 hours. The best teams deal with injuries and I'm convinced that if Milosz can play the way he's capable of, then he'll give BC a chance to win. They don't need him to stand on his head for sixty minutes because they have more than enough offense to put the puck in the net. The first ten minutes of the game will be crucial- if Milosz can make a few stops early and BC jumps out to a lead, then they will be able to play at a faster tempo. For the first time all season, BC's backs are against the wall, let's see what they're made of.

Scouting PC- 

Record- 13-2-3 (6th in pairwise)

Top scorers- Jake Walman (11-8-19), Mark Jankowski (8-10-18), Nick Saracino (5-13-18)

Team offense- 3.56 goals scored per game (9th)

Team defense- 1.89 goals allowed per game (6th)

Power play- 22.5% (11th)

Penalty kill- 85.3% (17th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Stay out of the box. The Eagles average 19.17 penalty minutes per game, which leads the country. The next closest team is Army, who is at 15.78. That is an astonishing difference.

2. The defense needs to cover for Demko's absence- blocking shots, limiting odd man rushes, and keeping PC away from the grade A scoring areas will be critical. Hopefully, Milosz will be able to manage his nerves in the first few minutes.

3. Need big games from Tuch, Gilmour, and Ryan Fitzgerald. All three of these guys have played very well at times, especially Fitzgerald, but they have not been producing enough offense as of late. It needs to be more than just the two freshmen.

Go Eagles !

Demko Out, Milosz In

Goaltender Thatcher Demko is out indefinitely with an upper body injury, as first reported by the Boston Globe this afternoon. Demko, who has started every game for the Eagles this season, appears to have suffered the injury on December 28th vs Ohio State although, he was able to play the next night versus Providence. Demko has not practiced at all this week and there is no timetable for his return- it could be next week, it could be next month.

Backup Chris Birdsall has made some progress as he skated with the team yesterday but the staff will hand the reins off to incomer Ian Milosz, who had his first practice this afternoon. The Boston Jr Bruins recorded a .924 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average in 17 games played.

The obvious reaction is that BC might be in big trouble, especially if Demko is out for an extended period of time. There is no way to sugarcoat it, losing a player of his caliber is a huge loss, but, I don't think it's time to hit the final nail on the coffin. Assuming Colin White is good to go, they will be able to roll three prolific scoring lines, something no other Hockey East can boast. It doesn't help that Milosz's first game will come against the defending champs but, if BC is able to tighten things up in their own end and stay out of the box, the task will be that much more manageable.

There is certainly a more "business" like attitude at the rink this week- they know how big these two games are for their pairwise standing.

I don't know what will happen vs the Friars but I can assure you the staff will have them ready to go.

Go Eagles