Demko Named Hobey Hatrick Finalist

Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko was named one of three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award this afternoon along with Michigan's Kyle Connor and Harvard's Jimmy Vesey. The winner will be announced next Friday at the Tampa Theater.

Of course, I am biased towards BC guys but no one in the country is more deserving of this honor than Demko. The junior out of San Diego holds the school's single season shutout record (10), boasts the second best save percentage in the country (.936), as well as the seventh best goals against average (1.85). In fifteen games against teams that qualified for the NCAAs, Demko went 9-4-2 with a .926 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average.

In my opinion, you can only determine the best players based off how they do against top end competition. Vesey and Connor are two of the finest forwards to play college hockey in some time but they simply have not fared well against the big guns. Harvard played twelve games against NCAA teams (only won two) and over the course of those games, Vesey recorded ten points. Of course, he had zero against Boston College. On the other hand, Kyle Connor's Michigan squad faced-off in five games against NCAA tournament teams (including both last week). Connor notched six points in those five games. The Winnipeg draft pick had zero goals in three regular season games against top 15 pairwise clubs. Given how weak Michigan's schedule was, I don't think it's fair to say the best player in the country comes out of the thinest conference in college hockey. Not to mention, the Wolverines had a cupcake non-conference slate that included Niagara, Northern Michigan, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, and Dartmouth.

This is the first year in a long time where I don't think there is a set in stone winner. Many in the media seem to believe it's Connor's to lose but we all know how they feel about BC- just look at the Beanpot MVP.

On another note, Matthew Gaudreau returned to practice this week. It will be interesting to see what the staff does with line combinations.

Go Eagles

Player Development

Tonight, I wanted to talk about an aspect of this team I feel has gone under the radar given BC is in the Frozen Four seemingly every other year and people figure that is only because they recruit as well as anyone. I'm not going to sit here and deny that the staff has brought in some extraordinary talent over the past three years. Boston College is a special institution that will always attract hockey players from around world. However, when you're a program like BC, people don't tend to focus on player development because there is an assumption that everyone is a superstar and there is little the coaches can do to further specific aspects of an individual's game.

After the 2015 season, some in the college hockey world (even BC fans) questioned whether or not players were improving at an expected rate. Some BU people went out of their way to say that if you come to BC, you will actually get worse as a player- considering there are more Eagles in the NHL than Terriers, that seems like an erroneous argument to make. Here is an article from my good friends down the street where they rip BC while also predicting that the Eagles would not have any success in March- how did BU do on Saturday? 

Anyway, I am not trying to make this a BC-BU thing- I want to discuss how well the staff has developed nearly every player on this roster. There are certainly reasons for this other than their development model- BC had a softer schedule (particularly early in the year) compared to 2015 and the infusion of players like Miles Wood, Colin White, and Casey Fitzgerald helped raise the bar all around the lineup.

Warning- If you read this blog, you know that I want absolutely nothing to do with math- I'm awful at it. However, we should dive deeper into these statistics and you have any problems, don't be afraid to shoot me an email. 

After calculating these numbers, I discovered that BC's average points per game among players on last year's squad (not counting those who left) was 0.48. I then did the same for this season and found it was 0.69 (again, only guys that were on the 2015 and 2016 squads). I'm not saying one year makes all the difference- this club is much better than last year's. My point is that calling out the staff for their "inability to develop players" after one down season is downright ridiculous. No school sends more kids to the NHL than BC does and if you think it's only because of recruiting, tell that to Ben Smith, Nathan Gerbe, Peter Harrold, Stephen Gionta, Cam Atkinson, or Brian Gibbons. All of these guys were either undrafted or picked up in the later rounds. They would not be in the NHL if it weren't for Coaches York, Brown, Ayers, and Cavanaugh. 

Enough math. Onto the Frozen Four. 

Florida Bound

For a 25th time, the most amongst any college hockey program, the Boston College Eagles are headed to the Frozen Four thanks to a heart stopping 3-2 win over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday night. The Eagles will return to Tampa Bay, where they await either Lowell or Quinnipiac for a chance to play in the National Championship game.

I could not be more proud of this team for the way they battled all weekend. As I said after the Harvard game, a lot of people (myself included) felt apprehensive about this weekend based on what happened against Vermont and Northeastern. BC is probably the most talented team in the country along with North Dakota, so it was certainly surprising to see them struggle against conference foes they usually have no problem taking care of. No matter how good or bad they are playing at any point, you cannot underestimate Coach York's ability to turn things up in time for the NCAAs. Their practices this week were fast and focused as there was clearly a centralized goal amongst each member of the program- they wanted to get back to Tampa Bay.

In terms of the game, it was interesting in that Duluth outplayed them for large chunks but when you have the best player in college hockey, it makes things a heck of a lot easier. I know Kyle Connor is a tremendous hockey player, he will go on to do great things at the next level, but I honestly cannot see the argument for anyone else other than Thatcher Demko winning the Hobey Baker. There were five or six saves over the course of this weekend where all you could do was sit there and stare in awe. Demko's performance in this regional ranks right up there with some of the best I have ever seen.

On the defensive end, there were a few times when Duluth had the puck in the BC end for a minute and half without any resistance, but I thought the Eagles did a pretty good job of limiting the grade A chances. Duluth is one of the best possession teams in the country (3rd in corsi for), but BC, to my surprise, outshot them 34-30. Once again, Casey Fitzgerald was their best blue liner, going +2 for the contest, while not one other defensemen broke even. Against teams like Duluth, who tend to forecheck hard and force turnovers deep in the offensive zone, Fitzgerald is able to use his speed in order to get out difficult situations. I thought the Bulldogs did a nice job of pinching down on the walls, which led to a handful of turnovers by BC's wingers, but unlike the Hockey East semifinals, they didn't make any killer passes that resulted in 2 on 1's or 3 on 2's. The game was not as open ended as Friday night was and I think BC had more odd man rushes than Duluth, although they would probably like to generate a few more. The Eagles have faced a bunch of high end lines this season- Vesey's, Poturalski's, and Heinen's to name a few- but Tony Cameranesi and company played as much as I have ever seen three guys play in a college hockey game. Whether it was power play, penalty kill, or late in the game, it seemed as if he, Austin Farley, and Karson Kuhlman were on the ice every other shift. As they did against Harvard, the staff mixed up the matchups throughout the game. They started out with Tuch's line against Duluth's top guns but as the game went on, they wanted Wood, Cangelosi, and Calnan out there because they feel that is BC's top defensive unit, along with McCoshen and Fitzgerald on the back end.

I think you would have a tough time finding a player that epitomizes all that is right with Boston College like Teddy Doherty does. Upon arrival, he was not a highly touted recruit, many believed he was too small to play on a consistent basis, and on top of that, they asked him to switch positions halfway through his career (before moving back). It's one thing to convert while playing for the Boston Jr Eagles when you're playing the 2001 South Shore Kings but it's another when you have to do that in Hockey East while going up against some of the best players in the country. His first goal came with six minutes left in the period thanks to a sensational pass from Adam Gilmour. The Minnesota Wild draft pick skated back against the grain before sneaking a behind the back, through the legs pass to Doherty, who's shot trickled past UMD netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo. After struggling early, I thought BC started to find their legs as the period went on and getting out to a start like that was huge for the cause. They had a chance to add to that goal when Duluth took a penalty with two minutes to play and even though it was their best power play of the night, they could not convert. Unlike the other four man advantages, where they had a tough time setting up, the Eagles moved the puck around like a work of art, only to see Kaskisuo swallow up everything they put on net.

As expected, Duluth came out firing in the middle stanza. Outside of the final ten minutes, their biggest push came in the early parts of the second as the Cameranesi line had one shift where they circled the zone for a solid two minutes before BC could get a change. Just when it seemed as if the score would be tied within seconds, Doherty recorded his second of the night after Chris Calnan did the dirty work in the corner to get the puck out front. For the past couple of weeks, I've felt that a healthy Calnan gives BC a real boost up front because he is so good at doing the little things- winning puck battles, blocking shots, and despite his size, he can get up and down the ice faster than almost anyone. Just as the Duluth defenseman was turning to go up ice, Calnan picked his pocket along the boards, and rifled a pass out front to Zach Sanford, who tipped it to Doherty. In my mind, that was the most important moment of the game because Duluth had been outplaying them from the end of the first to the beginning of the second and for BC to go up two must have been a killer for Scott Sandelin's team.

Although there were no goals scored, the end of the second period was vital because each team missed out on a couple power play chances. The Eagles had back to back opportunities as Andy Welinski and Dominic Toninato went to the box. Unfortunately, BC could not come through, but they did get a huge kill of their own when Santini went to the box for interference. Despite giving up a late goal, BC's penalty kill, led by Demko, was one of the main reasons they were able to survive this regional. Look at past BC National Championship teams, what is one thing they all had in common? A dangerous penalty kill. When Austin Cangelosi and Miles Wood are on the ice together, they put so much pressure on the points and if an opposing defenseman makes a mistake, the Eagles are going the other direction with a full head of speed.

I'll be honest with you, I thought the game was over when Ryan Fitzgerald roofed a snap shot on the power play with 13 minutes to go. Although it was as even a game as you could possibly get, there was no chance, in my mind at least, BC could blow a three goal lead in the biggest game of the year, in a building where they have had an endless amount of success. To Duluth's credit, they came back hard and notched a power play goal of their own with just over seven minutes to play. Austin Farley sniped one past Demko but I thought BC could have done a better job of preventing the puck from getting high to low with one simple pass. Even if Farley decided to pass that puck, it would have been an easy goal because it was a 2 on 1 down low with no one outside of Casey Fitzgerald, within sight. That being said, the last thing BC needs to work on is its penalty kill. However, just two minutes after Farley's tally, the Bulldogs made it a one goal game by winning a 50/50 battle in front of the net before sneaking the puck past Demko.

 In situations like the final minute of last night's game, you need your best players to make big plays and that is what BC got. Duluth had a prime chance to tie it up with four seconds to go but Austin Cangelosi came swooping in from the slot and got his stick in between the goal line and puck. I'm not a huge believer in "teams of destiny" but the fact that BC has had two goal line stops in the past three weeks is pretty incredible. In real time, it looked as if the interference call on Wood was reasonable but after seeing the replay, the Duluth forward clearly held his shoulder before going to the ice, making it seem as if Wood prevented him from getting to the puck. Some fans were wondering why Wood was on the ice, given his tendency to take penalties but imagine if Duluth scored there and he wasn't on the ice? We'd be scratching our heads wondering why one of the best two way players in the league was sitting on the bench. If they had to play that situation 100 times over, the staff would have him out every single time and rightfully so.

At the end of the day, it doesn't get much better than that. Duluth, for my money, was the best team BC has faced all season and if it wasn't for a few fortunate bounces, they could very well be in Tampa Bay. That program has come a long way over the past ten years and with the players they have coming in, I don't expect that to change any time soon. I think we can all agree that although the win is great, BC can certainly play much better. I thought they brought their B, maybe B+ game for most of the night. They won't be able to beat Lowell or Quinnipiac playing that way. The good news is that the best player in the country happens to be wearing maroon and gold, which is why Blogger is going to able to play some golf down in Florida. I thought Tuch's line, him in particular, was very good. As they get more reps in practice, they will only become better everyday. Obviously, Doherty came up big but Sanford and Gilmour played well, which is something they needed in order to advance. Sanford had a couple of bad turnovers early in the game but once the third period came around, he made some plays that helped preserve the win.

BC is onto their 12th Frozen Four in 20 years. For comparisons sake, BU has 4 in that same span. Anyone know how they did last night? Was it close?

Why BC won- 

1. Thatcher Demko. If I see one more article about how Kyle Connor should run away with the Hobey Baker, I don't know what I am going to do with myself. The best player in the country is #30 for the Boston College Eagles.

2. They were opportunistic. It might not have been BC's best game but they came through in the big moments. Tuch, Cangelosi, the Fitzgerald brothers, and Teddy Doherty were all great.

3. Coaching. I was at the rink everyday this week and I could tell each player was ready to run through a wall. Has a BC team ever blocked more shots over the span of two games?

Problems- 

1. It wasn't their very best. I am not trying to be picky, but they can be better.

2. Blogger's golf game needs some serious work for Florida- almost hit the clubhouse on the first hole Friday afternoon.

Player of the game- Thatcher Demko. Doherty close second.

Next- Either Lowell or Quinnipiac. 5 PM game on April 7th.

Go Eagles

Duluth Preview

Tonight marks a tremendous opportunity for this BC Hockey club as they face-off against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs for a spot in the Frozen Four. Scott Sandelin's squad edged defending national champion Providence in the first game on Friday, before the Eagles dispatched Harvard in the nightcap.

UMD is one of the hottest teams in the country as they have won eight of their past nine games, with the only setback coming in the NCHC championship against St. Could State. Despite the hot streak, Duluth was squarely on the NCAA bubble for much of the second half and needed at least one win last weekend in order to sneak into the field. Not only did they get a victory, it came against one of the best teams in the country- North Dakota in the NCHC semifinals. Unlike Harvard, a club that had only defeated two NCAA tournament teams entering Friday's game, Duluth has victories against five tournament competitors, including Providence, who they obviously took down last evening. With wins against giants such as North Dakota, Minnesota, St. Cloud State, and Miami, you may be wondering why they had to work so hard just to earn a bid. Despite all those quality wins, the Bulldogs have some eye opening losses, such as Bemidji State (x2), Omaha (x2), and Northern Michigan. BC and Duluth have a couple of common opponents outside of the Friars- UMD split with Lowell, lost three times to Denver, and won all four games against lowly Colorado College. It goes without saying, Duluth is not your typical four seed, in fact, they're probably one of the best teams in this tournament. They are a bit different from BC in that they don't like to get into a track meet but they aren't without some highly skilled forwards that can make things happen. Leading the way will be the senior duo of Austin Farley and Tony Cameranesi, who anchor UMD's top line along with sophomore Karson Kuhlman. I haven't watched much of Duluth this season, outside of the two overtimes last night and a regular season game at North Dakota, but that line generates the majority of scoring chances as Cameranesi and Farley rank first and second, respectively, in scoring. The interesting thing about this game is that one team will be led almost entirely by upperclassmen while the other is headlined by a few teenaged studs. Duluth's top five scorers are all either juniors or seniors while BC has four freshmen or sophomores on the top of their scoring chart. I think Duluth will try to win this game by frustrating BC via being physical, not giving them much room to operate through the neutral zone, and getting excellent goaltending, as they have all season. Sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo will get the start after stopping 36 of 37 Providence shots on Friday. The Finland native is one of the best goaltenders in college hockey, with a .922 save percentage and 1.93 goals against average.

I'd be shocked if this anything but a fantastic hockey game. We all know what happened in 2012 but these are two totally different teams, as not a single player from that game will skate tonight. Duluth is going to play a heavy game that might cause BC problems if they can't get the puck out of the zone in order to start the transition game. The Bulldogs are one of the top defensive teams in the country, allowing just 2.03 goals per game, which is good for 8th in the country. Unfortunately, when BC plays defensive-oriented teams such as Lowell, Vermont, or Merrimack, they tend to take more penalties because they can't seem to get in a rhythem at any point in the game. That is probably Duluth's game plan tonight- get in BC's head, force the Eagles into making bad mistakes, and capitalize on their chances. If BC is able to get off to another good start, it may cause Duluth to open up their style of play, which means the pace of the play should favor the Eagles. If the BC team we saw last night shows up, it will be awfully tough for anyone to beat them, but if the BC squad of last weekend appears, Duluth might have a shot of getting to their second Frozen Four in five years.

Scouting Duluth- 

Record- 19-15-5

Leading scorers- Tony Cameranesi (10-26-36), Austin Farley (14-15-29), Alex Iafallo (8-14-22)

Team offense- 2.69 goals scored per game (27th)

Team defense- 2.03 goals allowed per game (8th)

Power play- 14.6% (45th)

Penalty kill- 87% (5th)

Shots on goal per game- 34.64 shots on goal per game (6th)

Keys for BC- 

1. Can't get entangled in Duluth's style of play. This will be a chess match of sorts between a team that likes to play as fast as possible and a team that is known for the defensive prowess. When BC has a hard time breaking through the neutral zone, they usually vent that anger by taking penalties. Can't happen tonight.

2. Bring the same effort as last night. It may not have been a "complete" game against the Crimson but it was the next closest thing. If they play like that again, I can't see them losing.

Notes- Should be same lines. Gaudreau out again.

Go Eagles

One Down

Photo from BC Interruption 

After last weekend's debacle against eventual Hockey East champion Northeastern, which was preceded by an ugly series with Vermont, the feeling surrounding this club was not particularly positive. Some figured they would be one and done and given the expectations and talent on this squad, that would have been a huge disappointment. In fact, the Hockey East semifinals signaled the first time in over a decade where BC had been playing their worst hockey at the end of the year- that never happens. Everything looked like it was going downhill fast.

So much for that.

Thanks to two goals each from Alex Tuch and Austin Cangelosi, Boston College is one game away from heading back to Tampa Bay after defeating rival Harvard, 4-1. Last week, we talked about how BC had not played a "great" game in over a month, perhaps since the Beanpot final in early February. Although Harvard had their moments, the Eagles turned in one of their best performances of the year, en route to yet another victory in Worcester. BC was fast, they transitioned well, they stayed out of the box, and most importantly, they looked like a team that is zoned in on getting to a Frozen Four. Throughout the season, there have been a few instances where I did not think they were doing a good enough job of blocking shots, which sometimes led to goals for the opposition. I can't track down the exact number but I thought BC went out there and blocked everything they could- there was one instance in the second period where Harvard had a grade A chance from the slot before Cangelosi came out of nowhere to get in front of it. Those are the type of plays that win you championships.

Cangelosi was terrific but BC's three best players were Thatcher Demko, Alex Tuch, and Miles Wood. I try to get to practice three times a week and once in a while, I arrive before the team actually hits the ice. Ten minutes before the rest of the guys come out, Tuch, who already has the best shot on the team, is out there with Coach Brown working on a way to improve his snapshot. The fact that he puts in a little bit of extra work and then plays the best game of his career on a stage like that is what being a part of this program is all about. On Monday, the staff experimented with new lines, which included a revamped top unit of Tuch, Colin White, and Ryan Fitzgerald- turned out pretty well, I'd say. In the first period, BC matched those three up against Vesey's line and the former totally dominated the play as they forced Harvard's big three to play in their own end more than they would have liked.

Coming into the game, the staff's main objective was to get McCoshen and Casey Fitzgerald out there against Vesey as much as possible. Not only did they keep the best player in the country off the board, that pairing played ten times better than they did last Friday night. They were physical on the boards, avoided costly turnovers in the defensive zone, and made smart passes at the offensive blue line. I was surprised they rolled six defensemen for the majority of the game but Couturier and Savage played very well. After coming within inches of a costly turnover, Savage rebounded and made an unreal cross ice pass to Tuch who roofed one home early in the second to give BC a three goal advantage. I figured Couturier would be nervous and out of sorts in his first NCAA tournament appearance but he looked calm and made a couple of beautiful outlet passes that led to odd man rushes for the Eagles.

The biggest advantage BC had coming into last night's game was on the blue line. Harvard's defensemen had a difficult time getting the puck out of the zone when the maroon and gold turned up the heat. Against NU and Vermont, I didn't think BC forced nearly enough turnovers, mostly because they were too passive on the forecheck. On Friday, they were swarming the net and if it weren't for a couple of beautiful saves from Merrick Madsen, the Eagles could have had two or three more goals.

How about Miles Wood? Outside of perhaps Chris Kreider, I've never seen a player of that size skate so well. There must have been seven or eight times last night where he got the puck in the neutral zone, beat a Harvard defenseman wide, and made a play in the net-front area. Some scouts knock Wood for his "lack of skill" (ridiculous) but he made a sweet pass to Austin Cangelosi on BC's second goal. It is clear that BC believes Wood and Cangelosi are their two best defensive players because as the game went on, that line started getting the majority of shifts vs Vesey and company. Chris Calnan was the right wing for most of the contest but when they went against the Esposito line, Chris Brown took over for Calnan. The fourth line got one shift the entire game but Travis Jeke subbed in for Ryan Fitzgerald and Wood midway through the second period, likely because the staff wanted to give those guys some extra rest. Duluth is going to roll four lines for the entire game so it will be interesting to see what BC decides to do. I'm a fan of going with just your three top units for most of the game but in order to stay fresh, I think they might have to give Brown's line four to six shifts.

Last but least, I can't say enough about Thatcher Demko. I was on the other end of the ice so I did not get a great look but the two saves he made in the crease at the end of the first period may have been the difference in the game. I am not sure how Harvard was unable to get either of those past the goal line. Obviously, he made some spectacular saves that we could talk about for two or three more paragraphs but some of the little things he did made all the difference in the world. There were four or five times last night, especially late in the first and third stanzas, where BC needed a whistle and Demko stepped up to the plate.

Tonight will be a different beast. I will have a preview later in the day but Duluth will be their toughest game of the season.

Why BC won- 

1. Tuch and Wood were superstars. Incredible games from those two. Cangelosi also had his best game in three weeks.

2. Demko was a stone wall. If he plays like that for the rest of the tournament, this team will be a tough out.

3. Great penalty kill at the end of the game. Harvard decided to pull the goalie with 4 minutes to go while on the power play. Calnan and Cangelosi blocked a couple of shots before #26 recorded an empty netter.

Negatives- 

1. I try not to say anything about the officials but that call on Ryan Fitzgerald was one of the worst I have ever seen. You can't call that with five minutes to go in an NCAA tournament game. There was a clear hold on Harvard just a few minutes before and they flat out missed it. Other than that though, I thought it was a clean game.

Player of the game- Demko, but Tuch and Wood close seconds.

Next- Duluth tonight at 9.

Harvard Preview

Tonight, for the first time ever, Boston College will face-off against crosstown rival Harvard in the NCAA tournament. The contest will mark the second game of the season between the Crimson and Eagles, as the good guys took home round one in the first game of the Beanpot. Harvard continued to slip after that crushing loss, losing three of their next four games, but Ted Donato and his crew righted the ship in March and made it all the way to ECAC championship, where they fell to top seed Quinnipiac. To date, the Crimson are 19-10-4 with just two of those wins coming against NCAA tournament teams (Ferris State and Notre Dame). Unlike BC, a team that has made a habit of getting to the Frozen Four via Worcester, Harvard has not played at the DCU Center since 2003, when they fell to Boston University in the opening round.

Of course, the Crimson will be led by perhaps the best player in college hockey- senior forward Jimmy Vesey. The North Reading native is in the midst of another outstanding season, notching a team high 46 points in 32 games played. Many pundits expect Vesey to be a finalist for the Hobey Baker award. The senior alternate captain is not without any help though, as linemates Kyle Criscuolo and Alexander Kerfoot rank amongst the top point getters in the ECAC. As we said the first time around, the key to beating Harvard is keeping this line at bay. BC has last change so I expect Wood, Cangelosi, and Brown to be out there against that line unless they struggle early on. BC has to find a way to limit Vesey's space and not allow Harvard to get on the man advantage. Even though the Crimson have had a tough time finding the net over the past couple of games, they carry one of the most dangerous power plays in the country and if BC spends most of the evening on the man down, it won't be pretty. Although that first line gets all the attention, Harvard has some other forwards that can do some damage. The second line of Luke Esposito, Mike Floodstrand, and Colin Blackwell, despite not playing well against BC the first time around, possesses a lot of speed that can easily burn you on the outside. Freshman Ryan Donato, their third line center, has had an impressive rookie season, recording 13 goals and 8 assists, good for fourth on the team.

The one area where I think BC has a distinct advantage is the blue line. Defense is Harvard's weakness and it won't help that one of their top guys, Willy Sherman, is not expected to play due to injury (per the Harvard student paper). They don't have a go to pairing that can shut down BC's top line (a new trio) but I would expect St. Sebastian's product Des Bergin and Clay Anderson to eat up a good amount of minutes. Anderson leads all Crimson defenders in points with 14, while Bergin is tops in plus minus (+15). In order to exploit this aspect of Harvard's game, BC needs to get sustained zone time off the cycle, something they have been unable to do in the past three games. Not only are the Eagles a fast team with skill, they have a lot of big bodies that can fend off defenders up against the boards- they need to play to their strengths. It's similar to football when a team gets the ball and goes three and out. BC's offense as of late has been one shot before the other team comes down with an odd man rush thanks to the Eagles' inability to get pucks below the goal line before working it low to high. In the Beanpot, the Eagles did a tremendous job of wearing Harvard down, which is why the Crimson were unable to generate any chances of their own late in the game. It sounds cliche but the more time BC spends in the offensive zone outworking the opposition, the better chance they have of winning this game.

I've read a lot of predictions and analysis over the past week and I can't recall coming across a single piece that had BC winning this regional. Given the way they played against Vermont and Northeastern, I don't think you can blame some of the experts for picking against the maroon and gold. However, anyone who knows this team is aware they have a level to their game no other club in the country can attain. When they're playing fast, getting out in space, and avoiding costly turnovers, they're the best team in college hockey. Everyone in the program had high aspirations for this year's team and anything outside a Frozen Four berth would be a devastating blow but I know Coach York will have them ready to go. When it's NCAA tournament week, there is a totally different feeling surrounding Kelley Rink. In my mind, they had an outstanding week of practice- it was uptempo and had an all business feel to it. Unlike 2015, the talent is there. I often say on the blog that you can't win a horse race without a big time horse but that is not an issue with this squad- they have all the horses you can ask for. I know they can have success in this tournament if they get back to playing Eagle Hockey.


Scouting Harvard- 

Record- 19-10-3

Leading scorers- Jimmy Vesey (24-22-46), Alex Kerfoot (4-30-34), Kyle Criscuolo (19-13-32)

Team offense- 3.48 goals scored per game (9th)

Team defense- 2.33 goals allowed per game (16th)

Power play- 28% (4th) *******

Penalty kill- 83.5% (23rd)

Shots on goal per game- 32.45 shots per game (15th)

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Have to stay out of the box. This has been BC's kryptonite all year and if it continues, it may be the sole reason for their inability to win a title. They cannot give Harvard power play after power play.

2. Guys like Sanford, Cangelosi, and Gilmour must step up. Expect some different line combinations but that won't change anything unless certain players take their games to another level. BC is the deeper team- hopefully they use that to their advantage.

3. McCoshen needs to be a beast out there. I think Ian would be the first to tell you that Friday was not his best game. In order for BC to make a run, they need him playing well against other teams' top lines. I don't like signaling out one player but BC's defense lives and dies off of #3.

Notes- Expect lineup changes. It won't be the same look as last weekend.

Go Eagles

Notre Dame Set to Leave Hockey East

According to Mike McMahon of College Hockey News, Notre Dame informed Hockey East that they will be joining the Big Ten in 2017. According to CHN's report, ND sighted "travel" as the main reason for switching conferences.

With Notre Dame on the way out, the league will have to look for a replacement in order to get an even twelve members. The obvious choice is Quinnipiac, a program that has become a model of consistency as of late. I am all for inviting the Bobcats into the league, they're a top team, they have arguably the best rink in the East, and are within driving distance for every team in the conference. However, I am not sure QU will leave the ECAC, even if given the chance. Look at this from their perspective- why leave? They're already the best team in that conference, they have had success on a national level, and they have developed some terrific rivalries, especially with Yale. A few years ago, there was no comparison between Hockey East and the ECAC but that is not the case anymore with Yale and Union winning back to back National Championships.

Assuming QU stays in the ECAC, my #1 choice for a replacement would be Holy Cross. In order for the Crusaders to participate in such a high powered league, they would need to update their facilities (or build new ones) but for the time being, they could play at the DCU Center, which is right down the road from campus. In fact, I believe BC is scheduled to play there next season. From what I can tell, Holy Cross has taken their level of play up a few notches under new head coach David Berard- at one point this season they were a top twenty team.

From a BC point of view, the addition of Holy Cross could help reignite a rivalry that has crumbled over the past twenty or so years (outside of the 2014 loss). There are a ton of BC fans that are passionate with regards to the Holy Cross rivalry and two league games every year would only add to that.

Go Eagles

Staff Lands ISL MVP

The staff received a commitment from the top forward in prep hockey this afternoon as Thayer Academy's Casey Carreau announced his intentions to play at Boston College. The junior out of Acushnet, Massachusetts recorded 34 goals and 37 assists this season, which propelled him to becoming ISL MVP.

I think this is a huge get for BC. I'll be the first to admit that the quality of play in prep hockey has dropped over the past five years but Carreau is going to be a terrific player for the maroon and gold. I've seen him play a bunch- he's fast, skilled, and rarely loses battles. I was at one game a few weeks ago when he recorded an overtime goal, capping of a two point performance, to lead Thayer past Cushing and fellow BC recruit TJ Walsh. The line of Carreau, Ty Amonte (BU), and Aiden McDonough was the most potent trio in New England as they almost single handedly led the Tigers to a large school championship. 

Carreau's commitment now gives BC seven recruits, all forwards, in the class of 2017. I think that by that point in time, Colin White, Zach Sanford, Miles Wood, and Alex Tuch will have all signed professional contracts, whether that comes this summer or next. That being said, I like what the staff has done because they seem to have found a good mix of size, speed, and skill for the next five or so years down the road. 

Go Eagles 

Harvard Next Week

After a 5-4 loss to the eventual Hockey East champions on Friday night, BC will gear up for a rematch with rival Harvard in the NCAAs. The Eagles will be the #2 seed in the Northeast regional, which is rounded out by #1 Providence, #3 Harvard, and #4 Minnesota-Duluth. BC has won each of the past five Worcester regionals- 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008, and 2006. The last loss there was against North Dakota in 2005.

This will be the second meeting of the season between BC and Harvard. The two crosstown foes met in the first round of the Beanpot, which resulted in a 3-2 victory for the good guys. The Crimson are coming off a 3-1 loss to Quinnipiac in the ECAC championship.

Also, I wanted to congratulate Coach Crowley and the Lady Eagles on an outstanding season. It may not have been an ideal ending, but they made everyone at BC proud.

Go Eagles

Eagles Falter Against Northeastern

Photo from the Boston Globe

In their first Hockey East semifinals appearance since 2013, the Boston College Eagles fell a bit short against the red-hot Northeastern Huskies by a score of 5-4. BC will now gear up for the NCAAs next weekend where they will be a #2 seed, most likely in Albany, New York against either Harvard, Notre Dame, or Minnesota Duluth. There are other scenarios where they could play a team like Yale but that is less likely, from what I can tell.

Before I dive into my recap, I just want to state how impressed I was with Northeastern. Jim Madigan had his guys ready to run through a wall and despite the rough start, they kept fighting and eventually seized control of a game that should have been more lopsided than the final score. Not many clubs can turn it around like the Huskies have over the past two months and I truly think they'll be in the hunt for a Frozen Four bid. They flat out dominated BC for the majority of that game and if it weren't for Thatcher Demko, it would have been a three or four goal difference. Good luck to the Huskies tonight and beyond.

As for BC, there is no way to sugarcoat what went down on Friday night- it was a lackluster performance. Let's think about something for a minute here. When was the last time they played a full, 60 minute hockey game? The Beanpot final was probably their best game of the season but since then, they have not had a complete performance outside of maybe the second game @ Vermont. It seems that after every game, we can pick out four or five players that looked heads and shoulders better than everybody else. Miles Wood was by far BC's best player, Alex Tuch looked like he was giving everything he had in the tank, Ryan Fitzgerald made a few plays, but other than those three, no one jumped out.

The biggest issue for BC was their defensive zone play. They turned pucks over, forgot to cover guys, let a defenseman walk right in on the power play, and got beaten on simple one on one's far too many times. BC got off to a good start when Wood fired one home just fifteen seconds into the contest but shortly thereafter, one of BC's defensemen got toasted at the defensive blue line which led to a highlight reel goal from Zach Aston-Reese. I don't think BC had given up any goals thanks to a flat out one on one move all year up to that point but give Aston-Reese a lot of credit, he is a terrific player who made a couple big time plays. In a game filled with errors, BC's most glaring mistake came with just under five seconds to go in the opening stanza. They like putting the Sanford line out there late in periods, which is a good move because those guys are supposed to be BC's big guns but for whatever reason, two players on that line looked lost. Sanford got the puck behind the BC net with four seconds to go but instead of keeping it to himself (there was no NU player on him), he decided to flip a backhander up the boards which immediately led to a bang bang goal for the Huskies. Not only did Sanford turn the puck over, he forgot to pick up his guy in front of the net because the two defensemen were near the puck carrier with their backs turned to the far side of the ice. The result? A back-breaking goal with .09 seconds left in the period. Killer.

It is easy to say offense is not a problem after scoring four goals but that is not the case with this squad. Northeastern is not the greatest defensive team in the world and they held BC to 11 shots through two periods. I doubt BC has had that low of a total all season, I mean, they looked anemic for the entire first half of the game. Even when they used last change to their advantage, matching White's line with NU's fourth line at times, Northeastern got the better chances. Last weekend, I blamed BC's lack of productivity on Vermont's stellar neutral zone defense. This time, I am not sure what to say. You can't win big games with just a handful of guys playing at a high level, whether it's on offense or defense. They never used their size and skill to their advantage by cycling the puck, instead, they tried these crazy passes at the offensive blue line that either led to turnovers or offsides 9 times out of 10. Northeastern scored a couple goals thanks to their aggressive forecheck that forced BC turnovers while the Eagles, for the third straight game, let the opponent break the puck out with ease. Once the Huskies hit center ice, BC gave them the entire blue line, which allowed them to create great looks. I have absolutely no idea what they were doing on the fourth NU goal, also a power play tally. Defenseman Eric Williams was able to walk right in and rip a bomb past Demko without an Eagle in sight. The puck was in the far corner and once it got back to the NU point, BC's forward on the opposite side of the ice came over the cover that point but the guy that was already over there did not rotate back to the right point which led to an easy pass and eventually, a second straight power play goal for the Huskies.

Give BC kudos for battling back in the third. Despite every Eagle fan claiming this was the worst game they've played in a long time, the maroon and gold hung in there and gave it everything they had. However, another brutal turnover in the defensive zone led to the game winning goal and sent BC back to Chestnut Hill with its third loss in five games. Colin White has been the go to player for this team throughout the season and everyone makes mistakes, but that was not a smart play. Tuch made it a one goal contest with ten to go but a couple boneheaded penalties in the final three minutes ended any chance of a comeback. Once again, they made a few plays that you simply cannot make if you want to win hockey games at this point in the season.

In 2008, 2010, 2011 (outside CC), and 2012, BC teams did not make the mistakes this team has made over the past month. You can't win a National Title when you're taking this many penalties, turning the puck over at this rate, and breaking down like BC is in their own end. Goaltending can only take you so far when your defensemen struggle to keep pace with opposing forwards. I am not sure if BC had one blue liner who played "well" last night.

They have a lot of work to do this week. Coach York is the greatest there has ever been and I am confident he can right the ship in time for the big dance but there are a lot of holes at the moment. On paper, this as talented a team as BC has had but for one reason or another, they haven't been able to gel as a group and their play has taken a nose dive because of it. Don't let the final score fool you, that was an absolute beat down on so many levels and the fact that BC hung around was a miracle in and of itself.

A one and done in the NCAAs would be a huge disappointment given the talent and expectations everybody in the program had for this team entering the season. If last night was any indication, they aren't going anywhere unless they find a way to get back to the basics of playing hockey.

Why BC lost- 

1. Just got outplayed in every facet of the game. Not much more to it. The staff will get it figured out for next weekend but right now, things are shaky. I am not going to single out individual players but if you watched the game, you'd know who looked ready and who did not.

Positives- 

I can't think of anything. Brutal all around game. Wood was great, Demko made some fantastic saves but not much else to be pleased with.

Notes- This is the first senior class in the Coach York era without a Hockey East tournament championship.

Go Eagles

Northeastern Preview

Fresh off a tough quarterfinal series with Vermont, the Eagles will make their first appearance in the Hockey East semifinals since 2013 tonight when they face-off against the Northeastern Huskies.

Jim Madigan has his club playing some of the best hockey in the country as they've been winners of 11 straight games and are 18-2-2 in 22 games since starting the season 2-11-2. It's nothing short of incredible what these guys have accomplished over the past two months- they went from being one of the worst teams in the country to being in the hunt for an NCAA tournament berth. As of this morning, they are 14th in the pairwise but would likely need to beat BC in order to secure a bid. Even if they lose, there are still a bunch of scenarios which would have the Huskies competing in the big dance for the first time since 2009. How have they turned things around so quickly? First of all, their schedule has been one of the easiest in the nation but I'll be the first to say that winning any game in this league is challenging so I don't puck stock into this. That being said, the Huskies have won four games against Maine along with two against each of UMass, UConn, UNH, and Merrimack over the course of this streak. The other plus for NU has been the return of senior superstar Kevin Roy, who has 19 points in the 15 games since he returned from injury in late January-that includes a 4 point effort in Saturday's playoff victory at Notre Dame. From October to December, Northeastern had a difficult time finding a goaltender that could give them consistent play but freshman Ryan Ruck has quickly become one of the top netminders in the league.

When I look at Northeastern's roster, I see one of the deeper lineups in all of Hockey East. They have gotten steady production from guys Zach Aston-Reese (leading scorer), the Stevens brothers, and senior Mike McMurtry, who was without a goal for the first 14 games of the campaign before getting hot. In past years, it has been the Kevin Roy show but this time around, they have a supporting cast that can put the puck in the net if BC is not strong in their own end. Coming into the season, I thought defense would be NU's most glaring issue given that they did not have a true shutdown defenseman outside of perhaps Dustin Darou, who missed the entire first half due to injury. Although they may lack size on the backend, the Huskies have an abundance of puck moving defenders who love to join the rush and create offense. Sophomore Garrett Cockerill is their top scoring blue liner with 20 points on the season but freshman Eric Williams (14 points) has been a pleasant surprise for Madigan and his staff. Although BC has last change, I expect Northeastern to try and get Darou and Bruins draft pick Matt Benning out as much as possible against the White line. While the Eagles need to aware of NU's tendency to get defenseman entrenched in the offensive zone, BC will be able to do a lot of damage in their own offensive end if they are efficient. Last weekend, there were far too many turnovers and errant passes that resulted in quality chances for Vermont. Northeastern does not play a neutral zone trap like UVM does (unless they make an adjustment) so expect BC to generate more grade A opportunities. Ruck is a tremendous goaltender but this will be his first Hockey East tournament game at The Garden so the best thing BC can do is get pucks to the net and look for rebounds.

 I'll be the first person to state how impressive NU's recent run has been- I've always been a fan of the way they battle every time they take the ice against the maroon and gold. In my opinion, no one in the country gets as fired up and ready to go as Northeastern does when the opponent is one of the Comm Ave residents. Madigan will have his guys ready to run through as wall by game time but it isn't like BC is going to roll over. I see some of these message board posts and emails about whether or not the staff should rest players to gear up for the NCAA tournament. Seriously? Heck, nobody thinks BC is going to win this game. There is no way Coach York will let his club take a night off in order to get an extra day to rest- they're in this to win it. I don't think anyone in that locker room would tell you they played well last weekend, certainly not to their standards, but I think that experience made them a better hockey team because they know they can't just show up and win. When you take bad penalties, commit turnovers, and don't execute in the offensive end, you're not going to win playoff games. There was not a time last weekend where all four lines were playing well and in order to beat NU, a team that has gotten persistent scoring from everybody, each player needs to have a hand in the offense.

This is going to be a tremendous hockey game, no matter who comes out on top. The Huskies are playing for the lives and as Coach York always says there is nothing more difficult than taking sticks away.

Scouting Northeastern

Record- 20-13-5 (14th in pairwise)

Top scorers- Zach Aston-Reese (12-28-40), Nolan Stevens (17-20-37), John Stevens (10-22-32)

Team offense- 3.26 goals scored per game (12th)

Team defense- 2.45 goals against per game (19th)

Power play- 22% (9th)

Penalty kill- 79% (47th)

Shots on goal per game- 30.7 shots per game (29th)

Keys for the Eagles- 

I can't point to one thing- they must improve in all facets of the game. Outside of the penalty kill, there was not much to like about the way BC played last weekend. Whether it was the turnovers, static power play, or untimely penalties, they won't be able to beat NU by bringing anything but their A game.

Notes-

Last night, Hockey East held their annual awards banquet. Ryan Fitzgerald was named first team all league, Colin White took home rookie of the year and was second team all league, as was Ian McCoshen. Thatcher Demko took home co-player of the year honors along with Lowell's Kevin Boyle. Like Fitzgerald, Demko was also first team all Hockey East. Not the end of the world but McCoshen should be first team and Santini is arguably best shutdown defender league has had in a few years- how is he not at least second team?

The biggest snub, in my mind, was Coach York not getting coach of the year. That went to Nate Leaman of Providence, who has certainly done a remarkable job. In saying that, I'm not sure how they can avoid giving it to the best coach in the country year after year. Maybe BC will use this as motivation for tonight.

 Go Eagles.

Notes

So much for no blogging while in the Bahamas.

A few notes on some awards that were handed out today.

Hockey East announced their all rookie team, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

F- Colin White (BC)

F- Jakob Forsbacka- Karlsson (BU)

F- Max Letunov (UConn)

D- Casey Fitzgerald (BC)

D- Charlie McAvoy (BU)

D- Bobby Nardella (ND)

I have no clue why they named three defensemen and not a goalie. Obviously, the biggest omission is Miles Wood. This ranks right up there with the league naming Scott Wilson rookie of the year over Johnny Gaudreau in 2012. How in the world is Miles not on that team? He has more points, points per game, and a higher plus minus than Forsbacka-Karlsson. I understand he has had some issues with penalties but that should have minimal bearing on these type of things.

Steve Santini was named best defensive defenseman, which is not a shock considering how often he shuts down opponents' top guys.

Lastly, Thatcher Demko was named a Hobey Baker finalist, along with nine other players throughout the country. I'll expand on this more in a later post but I think he deserves to win the award.

Demko was also nominated as a finalist for the Mike Richter award given to the nation's most outstanding goaltender.

Back to the beach. Go Eagles.

Back to The Garden

Zach Sanford had a goal for BC 

To be perfectly honest, as the overtime period was set to begin, I didn't have a great feeling about BC's chances of getting to the TD Garden for the first time in three years. Despite missing some of their best players, Vermont was outplaying the Eagles for much of the game and BC could not find a way to solve UVM's neutral zone trap. My worries were this close to coming to fruition as Vermont missed out on a winning goal by a quarter of an inch just thirty seconds into the extra session. Then, out of nowhere, Ryan Fitzgerald, as he has done all season, came through with a clutch play and punched BC's ticket to a big time Hockey East semifinal matchup with Northeastern next Friday night.

First things first, I want to tip my cap to Vermont. They were missing their best defenseman and one of their go to forwards for the past two games but I could not have been more impressed with the way they fought throughout the weekend. Let's be honest, it could have been a different result on Friday if it weren't for a few late Christmas gifts from Michael Santaguida and somehow, someway, that puck stayed out of the net early in overtime. They made life miserable for BC's high end forwards, many of whom were practically invisible for much of the series. UVM does not lose much to graduation so I expect them to be in the hunt for home ice next season- they're a good hockey team.

As for BC, I'd be lying to you if I said that I was not shocked they won that game. For the majority of the contest, I thought Vermont won more puck battles, forced a bunch of turnovers, and generated quality scoring chances, but thanks to Thatcher Demko and a little bit of luck, the Eagles will get a chance to face a red-hot Huskie club. Zach Sanford got the scoring started for the maroon and gold when he lifted a backhander past UVM goaltender Packy Munson just four minutes into the contest. It's no secret that Sanford is probably my favorite player on the team, he is uber talented, but I think he can take his game up a couple of levels from where it was this weekend. I thought Alex Tuch was the driving force behind much of the offense that line created because unlike some guys, he was flying around doing all the little things. One play that stood out to me was in the second period when BC was in the midst of a long shift and a defenseman sent the puck down the UVM end and it looked like and obvious ice. However, Tuch came out of nowhere and beat the Vermont defenseman to give BC a chance at a change. At points last season, some observers were questioning his effort and drive. Fast forward twelve months, and I don't think anyone looks more determined to win a National Title than #12.

Unfortunately, BC let the Catamounts back into the game when Craig Puffer redirected a Rob Hamilton point shot. Not sure how none of BC's forwards jumped out to the blue line to block what was a relatively weak shot. It has been an issue all season- they have given up over a dozen goals by refusing to get in front of shots from the point. BC does not have a single forward in the top 108 in terms of blocking shots (league only), per College Hockey Inc's stats page. UVM continued to control the pace when Sanford was whistled for an obvious slashing penalty towards the end of the period. Whether it was because of BC's superior penalty killing or UVM's inept power play, the Cats could not get anything going on the man advantage throughout the weekend. That being said, the fact that BC's PK has not allowed a goal in 26 straight attempts is astonishing.

The second period was a tale of two halves for the Eagles. They scored an early goal thanks to an unreal play from Colin White (who played well) but immediately after that goal, White negated a power play and UVM answered on the 4 on 4. BC failed to clear the puck on the wall, it came out to the point, once again got to the net area, and a bad bounce resulted in a bang-bang goal. After that, I thought the Eagles upped the intensity in the offensive end and actually created a few good looks but Munson was there to make the stops. I thought the biggest difference between last night and tonight was the play of White's line. Not only was he better, Ryan Fitzgerald had the puck on his stick more than anybody on the ice and was always looking to make something happen. The staff relegated Matthew Gaudreau to the fourth line in favor of Joey Dudek, which proved to be a genius move. After an eight game point streak in November, Gaudreau has had a rough go with just two points in the past fourteen games and is without a goal since December 6th. Hopefully, he can find his groove in time for the NCAAs.

I figured BC would come out flying in the third but as always, Blogger was wrong. Vermont gave the Eagles all sorts of issues in the defensive and neutral zones, which finally led to the go ahead goal with fifteen minutes left. It seemed as if disaster would strike once again.

If you had told me before the game that Joey Dudek would score arguably the most important goal of the season (outside of Tuch's missile in February), I'd have told you to check into Mass General. Nobody has played better over the past five games than Dudek and the staff gave him a chance to hook up with White and Fitzgerald, hoping he would provide a spark. Just after the halfway mark of the final stanza, the Auburn, New Hampshire native tipped home a Casey Fitzgerald slap shot, which eventually forced the game into overtime despite a few last minute pushes from the home team. I can't say enough about Dudek- he was not getting the ice time he wanted for almost the entire season and a lot of guys would have thrown it in the towel during those type of situations. Instead, he pulled through and scored what might be the biggest goal of his young hockey career.

Like I said in the first paragraph, I can't believe that puck did not roll past Thatcher Demko in overtime. I'm not a huge believer in superstitions and coincidences but maybe that is a good sign for what is to come next month. A few minutes after that heart stopper, BC developed a mini 3 on 2 through the neutral zone before Ryan Fitzgerald sent Kelley Rink into euphoria after his shot deflected off a UVM defenseman's stick and into the net.

All in all, if they play like that against Northeastern or anyone in the NCAAs, it won't be pretty. We talked about having all nineteen guys coming together during this time of year but in my mind, not many players outside of the Fitzgerald brothers, Tuch, Gilmour, and Dudek were at the top of their games. On the defensive side of things, McCoshen's return clearly had an impact (he was +2) but there were a lot of times where BC failed to get the puck out of the zone and twice, those instances resulted in UVM goals. As the game went on, I thought they did a better job on the forecheck but for the first period and a half, Vermont was able to break the puck out with ease. BC did not force many turnovers until they got desperate- that needs to change. Casey Fitzgerald was the best defenseman for the Eagles. After a tough game on Saturday, he bounced back with an outstanding effort. I know it won't happen but I think he should be in consideration for rookie of the year in Hockey East. He has 24 points (tied for most amongst freshmen defenseman) and holds a +25 rating. Incredible. The fourth line did not play much in the second half and if my memory serves me right, the staff rolled three lines throughout the third period.

Winning is fun, we'll take it any day of the week, but I think everybody in that locker room understands that if they play like that vs the Huskies, they'll get run out of the building. No team is hotter than Northeastern and their season will be on the line- BC better be ready to go.

Why BC won- 

1. Luck. Rather be lucky than good I guess. I was shocked that they called back a UVM second period goal that would have tied it up at the time and obviously, the Cats came within a centimeter of winning in OT.

2. Need your best players to come up in clutch situations. Ryan Fitzgerald made a play when it mattered, all you can ask for.

3. McCoshen/Casey Fitzgerald pairing was dynamite. Those guys are going to get A TON of playing time over the next couple weeks.

Negatives- 

1. They did not play very well. Whether it was five on five or the man advantage, BC just seemed out of synch. They could not get anything going through the neutral zone and it seemed to really frustrate them.

2. First line was off. Just four combined shots on goal for Wood, Cangelosi, and Brown. They were a non-factor for most of the game.

Player of the game- Joey Dudek

Next- Northeastern on Friday @ 8 PM. Lowell and PC is other game. How did BU do this weekend?

Blogger is on vacation for the next three days so I probably won't have much on here but that usually changes.

Go Eagles!

UVM Forces a Game Three

Raise your hand if you saw that coming. Okay, put that hand down!

In a stunning upset, the Vermont Catamounts came back from a 2-0 deficit to score four in a row and force a game three with the #1 seeded Eagles. What can I say? Give Vermont all the credit in the world, they had a tough time early on but after the first period, they were the much better hockey team. Both clubs had to deal with absences but you wouldn't have known it by the way UVM battled. They were physical, did not give BC many scoring opportunities late in the game, shut down nearly all of BC's big guns, and controlled the face-off dot.

I thought the first twenty minutes of that game consisted of some of the best hockey BC has played in two months. Austin Cangelosi continued to light the world on fire as he notched BC's first goal, giving him four points in two games. It was BC's second power play goal of the weekend but in reality, the man advantage had a tough time generating any opportunities as the game went on. Shortly after, Alex Tuch roofed a snap shot past Packy Munson, giving the Eagles an all important two goal advantage heading into the middle frame. I'd say Tuch was one of three BC forwards that looked solid out there- you could tell he was hustling all over the ice looking to make a play each and every shift.

After Tuch's strike, things went completely downhill. Vermont knotted two second period goals, one coming just under three minutes into the frame when Brian Bowen redirected a Rob Hamilton point shot. Vermont dominated the first couple minutes of the period as BC's second line of Fitzgerald-White-Gaudreau looked out of sorts, which, unfortunately, was the case for the majority of the night. Many fans are wondering whether or not White is still hurt but either way, I think he'll have a big impact today. They need him to take over from time to time and although Saturday was not his best game, he will bounce back. Halfway through the second, former BU commit Liam Coughlin roofed a shot past Thatcher Demko, who appeared to be screened by his own defenseman on the play. No matter what happened, I don't think many goalies would have stopped that shot but BC did miss out on a few chances to clear the puck just moments before the goal. Coach York called a timeout immediately after UVM tied the game and to BC's credit, they swarmed the UVM net over the final ten minutes of the period but Munson was there to make every stop. Vermont's penalty kill is one of the worst in the country but they have been exceptional this weekend, despite giving up two goals. BC has some of the most talented players in the country on both units but for the better part of the contest, UVM completely shut them down.

The opening parts of the third period seemed to favor the road team and they were finally rewarded when Brendan Bradley gave them their first lead of the weekend. It would be the only advantage UVM needed as they stopped BC from creating any offense in the final minutes before adding an empty netter to seal the deal.

Disappointing, no doubt, but not the end of the world. They played a bad game, perhaps their worst of the year, but they still have a chance to get to The Garden next weekend and secure a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The staff will be forced to make some tough lineup decisions with Ian McCoshen back in the fray- do they move Doherty back to forward? Any changes to one of the top three lines? Personally, I like Doherty on the blue line because I think Calnan is more than capable of holding his own in a top three role but towards the end, they limited Calnan's shifts in favor of moving Doherty back up. This afternoon's outcome will not be decided on who plays and who doesn't, it's about who goes the extra mile to make a play. BC's forward core looked a bit listless towards the end of the game, maybe because they figured UVM would pack it in but whatever the reasoning, they need to bring their A game tomorrow. As I said earlier, I thought Tuch's line was very good as those three combined for 16 shots, but the White and Cangelosi lines did not create much after the first period. For a fourth consecutive game, I liked what I saw out of Joey Dudek, Travis Jeke, and Chris Brown- they certainly did their job and deserved every bit of ice time they got. On the defensive side, you could tell the loss of McCoshen was hurting them. He logs so many key minutes, especially late in the game, and Vermont just generated too many odd man rushes. The box score will say BC garnered 45 shots but over three quarters of those came in the first period and last ten minutes of the second. I'm concerned about this pattern of starting off well, getting out to a lead, and then proceeding to play down to an opponent's level. If they are fortunate to start hot once again on Sunday, they need to keep up the pressure and force Vermont into some unforced errors.

Last night's result aside, I am excited to see what BC brings to the table this afternoon. These guys have come a long way in 365 days and if they give it everything they've got, I think they'll play Northeastern next weekend. We all remember what happened a season ago against this very team in this very same situation. No coach will get his team more fired up for a winner take all game than Coach York- they'll be ready to go but it's up to the players to come through and execute. If they do that, everything will be just fine.

Why BC lost- 

1. Not enough offense in the latter half of the game. Yes, they had shots but not many of them were of the "grade A" variety.

2. Power play could not come through in the third. Just before UVM scored the winning goal, BC had a man advantage but they didn't even generate much zone time.

3. Poor forechecking. Vermont moved the puck out of the zone with ease on almost every breakout. Need to be more aggressive.

Positives- 

1. Tuch's line was great. #12 was BC's best player in my mind. Gilmour had another strong game.

2. Penalty kill was terrific. They have not given up a goal in the past 24 tries.

Notes- McCoshen back tomorrow.

Next- UVM today at 4.

McCoshen Out Saturday Night

Hockey East has suspended Ian McCoshen for one game due to his boarding penalty with under a minute to play in game one vs Vermont. The call on the ice was a five minute major for contact to the head. Vermont forward Brady Shaw will also sit due to the accruement of three game misconducts throughout the season.

I have not seen a replay so I will not comment but this certainly puts BC in a tough spot. With Josh Couturier presumably out (didn't practice this week), BC will likely have to move Teddy Doherty back to the blue line and put either Calnan or Brown on Tuch's line.

Go Eagles

Game One to the Good Guys

Photo from BC Athletics

Boston College is one game away from returning to the TD Garden after defeating the Vermont Catamounts 3-0 in game one of their best of three series. BC got goals from Adam Gilmour, Austin Cangelosi, and Ryan Fitzgerald while Thatcher Demko posted an NCAA leading 10th shutout of the season. The first line led the way for BC as Cangelosi and Gilmour each recorded a goal and two assists, while Miles Wood was a force all over the ice. The Eagles were solid in their own end, despite rolling 5 defensemen as Josh Couturier was sidelined. I marvel at how many minutes Ian McCoshen and Steve Santini eat up. I don't know if BC has ever had a blue liner play more in a season than McCoshen has this year- it is incredible.

The first period was certainly BC's best of the game as they utterly dominated the Catamounts in terms of possession and shots on goal. The Eagles took advantage of a horrible defensive zone breakdown by UVM when Cangelosi dished a pass to Gilmour, who one-timed a shot past Mike Santaguida. Just five minutes later, those two teamed up once again to put Santaguida in some trouble behind his own net, before Cangelosi took the puck and banged home his 17th of the year. Even though we're late in the season, I continue to be amazed by the development of certain guys, particularly Cangelosi and Gilmour. To say last year was a disappointment for #26 would be an understatement, but he has taken his game to another level in 2016. With the addition of Wood, I figured Cangelosi's point production would increase but I don't think anyone dreamed of him becoming one of the top forwards in the league. The Estero, Florida native now has 10 points in the past 7 games. As for Gilmour, I thought he had a decent sophomore campaign, but he has blossomed into a real threat over the past three months. The defensive aspect of his game has impressed me- they didn't have him killing penalties on a consistent basis in 2015. Fast forward a year and he has locked down a crucial role on BC's highly successful penalty killing unit. He is still adjusting to manning the point on the the second power unit, something he has never done in his career, but hopefully with more reps, #14 will continue to make strides in that department. Of course, a big part of that line's prosperity has to do with Miles Wood's sensational freshman campaign- he was all over the ice wrecking havoc on UVM.

Unfortunately, BC's performance took a slight dip over the final forty minutes. They didn't play poorly, it just was not anywhere near what they are capable of. Vermont took a pair of penalties at the end of the first and early in the second, which gave way to a BC power play unit that had been struggling with zero goals in its past twelve attempts. Ryan Fitzgerald ended the cold streak when he ripped one past Santaguida, ending the night for UVM's junior goalie. Once again, Cangelosi made an exceptional pass leading to a quality scoring chance. After that tally, BC seemed to have taken their foot off the pedal by allowing Vermont to generate far too many opportunities. The Eagles did not concede many "grade A' chances but UVM was buzzing around Demko for the final fifteen minutes of the stanza. We can talk about the need for scoring from all four lines but at the end of the day, if this team is going to Florida, it will because of their netminder. The Eagles had a chance to put Vermont away towards the end of the period when they were given two more power plays but were unable to muster much. The first unit of Sanford-White-Tuch, McCoshen-Doherty, had their chances, but give UVM credit for the way they killed.

Not much to talk about with regards to the third period. Vermont pressed hard and tried to get something going but in the end, BC was too much for the green and yellow.

Overall, not a fantastic game for BC, it can certainly be better, but this time of year, you take any win you can get. I thought Colin White was one of, if not the best players on the ice once again. BC's offensive outlook is totally different with #18 on the second line- he is the engine that makes the train roll. There was a scare when two UVM defenseman sandwiched White midway through the first period but he got right up and played the rest of the game. The staff gave the fourth line more ice time tonight than normal- especially Joey Dudek and Travis Jeke who were out there for almost every penalty kill. Neither of them killed any penalties from October to mid-February but the staff has clearly noticed their improved play and as long as they keep it up, I don't see any reasons as to why they won't see increased minutes. Calnan did not play a regular shift but when he was out there, that line was spending a lot more time in the offensive zone. Once again, BC took far too many penalties (6), with one of them being an Ian McCoshen five minute major late in the third. They were lucky he was not issued a disqualification because it would have put them in a quagmire.

Hopefully they can close out the series tonight.

Why BC Won- 

1. Cangelosi line was unreal. 7 points for BC's top trio.

2. Demko turned in another terrific game. 10 shutouts for the Canucks draft pick and he looked like a brick wall back there. When he is playing like that, it's just not fair.

3. Penalty kill came up clutch. UVM's power play struggles against BC continued as the Cats are now 1 for 21 against the Eagles on the power play this season.

Negatives- 

1. Power play was not great. Yes, they had a goal, but other than that, it was not an earth-shattering performance. I'm not worried, both units will get hot at some point.

2. No points from Tuch's line. I didn't think they played bad, but BC needs them to put the puck in the net.

Players of the game- Couldn't decide between Cangelosi, Gilmour, and Demko.

Next- game two tomorrow @ 7 PM.

Vermont Preview

If you asked me to list the most shocking losses I've experienced in my time following BC Hockey, the 2015 Hockey East quarterfinal against Vermont would be at the top. Despite last year being a difficult one for the Eagles, I didn't think there was a chance UVM would come in here and win that series. Then they did. A few hours after the third game, a YouTube video of head coach Kevin Sneddon dancing with a broom in the locker room surfaced and shortly after, UVM posted a behind the scenes clip of the team celebrating the win like it was the Stanley Cup. To say BC will have that on their minds is the understatement of the century.

Friday's game will be the third game in three weeks between the Eagles and Catamounts, as the former took the first two up in Burlington. UVM is coming off a surprising sweep of UConn last weekend in Hartford- the Catamounts had lost four in a row coming into the matchup, two to BC and two at Merrimack. Vermont's biggest issue over the course of the season has been their inability to put the puck in the net. Of the fourteen Hockey East teams, Vermont has the second lowest amount of goals scored (79) while BC, the highest scoring club in the league, has notched nearly double that number (134). Sneddon's squad was able to break out of that slump last weekend, specifically on Saturday when they potted home four tallies, which is the most goals they have scored since January 23rd at UMass. I think Vermont has more talent than they have shown for as Sneddon mentioned that he believed this forward group was the deepest he has had in his thirteen years at the helm. For whatever reason, goals have been hard to come by but guys like Mario Puskarich, Brendan Bradley, and Jarrid Privitera will pose a threat to BC. I expect Vermont to play a lot like Lowell did two weeks ago (at least in the first game). They won't create a ton of 5 on 5 chances, especially on the road, but they will capitalize on BC's turnovers and penalties, which is something the Cats failed to do in February. UVM is not going to win this series by getting into a track meet that allows for constant up and down play. When they can, Vermont will forecheck aggressively but once BC possesses the puck in their own end, you will see all five of Vermont's players clog the neutral zone hoping to stop BC from advancing the puck.  UVM makes their living off strong defense but they won't have the services of stars such as Mike Paliotta and Nick Luukko, such was the case a season ago. Alexx Privitera, Chris Muscoby, and senior captain Yvan Pattyn will log a ton of minutes for UVM but it will be interesting to see if they roll six defenseman and twelve forwards versus a deep BC team. The major difference between the Vermont team BC saw a few weeks back and the one they'll see tonight is in goal. Junior Mike Santaguida is expected to get the start after missing over two months due to injury. Santaguida has played 19 games this season with a 2.54 goals against average and .916 save percentage.

As for the home team, I would be shocked if they don't come out firing. The two weeks off should have done them good because they had been playing a ton of hockey throughout the month against some very good clubs. It's an overused cliche but the playoffs are a different beast and anyone can beat anyone on any given night- the fact that BC has missed out on The Garden two years in a row is mind-blowing. BC had not lost a quarterfinal series from 2004 to 2014 (18 straight wins), before Notre Dame came in here and stunned the college hockey landscape. Coach York will have the guys ready to go and I'm sure they played the video of Sneddon dancing in the locker room over 10 times to the players throughout the week. History aside, the most important thing BC can do this weekend is to play their best hockey. When these guys are on the top of their game, no one in the country has a chance of beating them. In the regular season, they could get away with off nights from some players because their top end talent is off the charts but they are not winning a National Title unless all 19 skaters are in rhythem and playing at a high level. If BC can roll four lines on a consistent basis, at least through the first two periods, then it will put Vermont in a tough spot because they won't have last change. I know you are wondering about injuries and while nothing is set in stone, I think there is a good chance BC has a full roster tomorrow night. Coach York said on Tuesday that Chris Calnan was "doubtful" but they monitored the situation as the week went on and from what I can tell, he looks relatively healthy. I think he might play tomorrow night but it is not a forgone conclusion. Other than Calnan, there are one or two other question marks but again, I would be surprised if anyone was out.

There is no denying that it was a successful regular season, one of the best in recent memory, but at Boston College, teams are not remembered for what they accomplished from October-February. It's about March and April. This group of players has the talent to win every game between now and April 9th but that can only take place if they get contributions from everyone and most importantly, they have to stay out of the box. Vermont had 15 power plays when these teams met up in Burlington. If BC gives them that many opportunities, history could repeat itself. Statistically, Vermont has been abysmal on the power play and penalty kill but as we saw with Providence a season ago, if you get your power play going and avoid the penalties, anything can happen. More often than not, these games are decided by special teams and if BC is not disciplined, they won't be at The Garden next weekend.

Scouting Vermont- 

Record- 14-20-3 (36th in pairwise)

Leading scorers- Mario Puskarich (10-17-27), Brendan Bradley (9-10-19), Jarrid Privitera (10-7-17)

Team offense- 2.14 goals scored per game (53rd)

Team defense- 2.65 goals against per game (28th)

Power play- 12% (56th)

Penalty kill- 78% (53rd)

Shots on goal per game- 31.70 shots per game (23rd)

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. Scoring from all four lines. Coach York always talks about playing your best hockey when it matters and for BC, their faith will be predicated on whether or not they can get contributions from guys like Calnan, Gaudreau, Dudek, and Brown.

2. Stay out of the box. Hopefully the playoffs bring a renewed sense of urgency with regards to not taking penalties. I am not worried about the penalty kill but the operation runs a lot smoother when they aren't a man down.

3. Come out heavy. The two weeks off are either going to have a positive or negative effect on the team. On one hand, they could be jacked up but on the other, they could be out of sorts. If Vermont takes it to them early on, it could set the tone for the rest of the game. BC needs to be ready.

Notes- I think everyone will play. Not definite yet- there are a couple of question marks.

Go Eagles

Updates

Here are a few updates ahead of BC's Hockey East quarterfinal series with Vermont-

Coach York said this morning that Colin White is "100%" and will be good to go this weekend.

As for Chris Calnan, his status is still up in the air. Lower body injuries can be nagging and this one has lasted longer than anyone expected but I do think he will return at some point- certainly for the NCAAs.

UMass fired head coach John Micheletto on Sunday morning after the Minutemen were swept by Boston University. I was surprised the move came at such an early juncture although I could not help but think back to the summer of 2012 when they had a chance to hire Mike Cavanaugh or Greg Brown before butchering both those opportunities. I have no inside information on this but I don't think Coach Brown will go for the UMass gig given that the BC job could open up in the near future. On the other hand, I do think UMass would be wise to give Coach Ayers a call and gauge his interest. Again, no inside scoop, just a suggestion given that they could have hired a BC guy last time around instead of an assistant from Vermont.

On the recruiting front, I would keep an eye on Thayer Academy forward Casey Carreau, who just took home ISL MVP honors after leading the Tigers to the large school championship. A lot of schools will be after him so it will be interesting to see what happens.

That is all I got.  Go Eagles

Rematch

Thanks to Merrimack's 2-1 win vs New Hampshire tonight, BC will face Vermont next weekend in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal matchup. UVM swept UConn in their best of three series.

The matchups-

1. Boston College vs 9. Vermont

2. Providence vs 7. Merrimack

3. Notre Dame vs 6. Northeastern

4. Lowell vs 5. Boston University

Go Eagles