Alright, we are back again. I wanted to offer a few thoughts on BC's last two games- a win at New Hampshire on Friday and a tie at Northeastern just under 24 hours ago. I am mostly going to focus on the Northeastern game, given that it was the most recent contest, but we will touch on the Hockey East opener at the Whittemore Center as well. Lastly, I want to hit on some very quick recruiting updates.
First off, BC got its first win of the season on Saturday night, a 4-2 victory over the then undefeated UNH Wildcats. As Coach Brown alluded to in his press conference after the NU game, it was absolutely pivotal for the Eagles to avoid an 0-2 start. Things started off bleak- UNH scored a nice power-play goal halfway through the first period when former St. Sebastian's star Levin Devlin beat Mitch Benson with a high wrist shot. The Eagles responded, tying the game up and then eventually taking the lead towards the end of the second thanks to a wicked shot off a face-off from Colby Ambrosio- it was his first of the season. BC got the eventual game winner from Matt Argentina, as he tipped a Cade Alami shot home to give them a 3-1 lead. The Eagles held on for dear life in the third period- UNH made it a one goal game after they thoroughly dominated the first ten minutes of the frame, but Nikita Nesterenko and Colby Ambrosio hooked up with just under two minutes left to give BC the insurance goal they needed to win.
I thought this game was somewhat similar to what we saw against Quinnipiac- just with a better result. BC played harder and had more chances than they did against the Bobcats, but they still had a large chunk of the game (the entire third period) where they were vastly outplayed by the opponent. Mitch Benson made a few stops late in the period to hold onto the win and in my mind, he has been one of the real bright spots so far for this team. Yes, he's let in a goal or two he would like to have back (the second goal versus Quinnipiac) but he looks very comfortable in-between the pipes- something BC did not have a season ago. My other takeaway from the UNH game (and this also applies to the NU game) was that BC's best players were, well, BC's best players. Nesterensko and Ambrosio carried the load with Gauthier out and that was why they were able to get out of the Granite State with three points.
Onto last night. This was not a game I expected BC to win- Northeastern is, on paper, a top-ten in the country and they were coming off a pretty brutal home loss to Providence on Saturday. Right off the bat, let me say that I was impressed with how BC played for the entirety of the game- I do not think it's a stretch to say that BC was the better team for large portions of the game- they consistently applied pressure in the offensive zone, but fell victim to couple of defensive breakdowns that led to Northeastern goals. I am not going to do a play by play, because if you're reading this, I assume you watched the game to, but I do want to take a deeper dive into BC's lineup and look at a few players.
Obviously, Cutter Gauthier changes everything about this team. I had only seen videos of him before last night but even I could tell from the get-go that he has a mix of size, speed, and skill that is simply uncanny. I thought he struggled out of the gate- he took a bad penalty on the opening shift- but as time went on, he was by far the best player on ice for either team. There are obvious signs of just how much the staff trusts Gauthier- they had him out there almost every other shift towards the end of the game and in the overtime period. His goal, BC's third, was just a play that very few players in the world can make- it reminded me of Chris Kreider when he got the puck on the wing during his heydays at BC. Furthermore, the addition of Gauthier clearly has a massive impact on Nesterenko and Ambrosio- how could it not? Those three guys were all over the ice all night long- Ambrosio made a special play on his goal, BC's second, going through an NU defender and then beating Levi from up close. As for Nesterenko, he also played an outstanding game- I am just hoping he can still walk after playing the first three minutes of the overtime period- he legitimately did not get off the ice and had a two chances to give BC the win in the extra frame. All that is to say that when Gauthier is in the lineup, BC has a top line that is capable of scoring on every shift and it totally changes the dynamics of this lineup.
I thought BC's second line was fine, but Trevor Kuntar definitely stood out. Coach Brown noted in his postgame press conference that you need a nasty shot to beat Levi without a screen and Kuntar provided that on his power-play goal, BC's first of the year, from just outside the right face-off circle. Kuntar was consistently winning puck battles behind the net and in the corners, leading to good BC chances. His two linemates, Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, each made a couple of rookie mistakes- Gasseau took a bad tripping penalty that led to a Northeastern goal and Jellvik got beat by Jack Hughes on the tying NU goal, which was a four on four goal. I have no doubts that over time, those two guys will develop into strong players for the Eagles and the team will need it because production from players not named Gauthier, Nesterenko, and Ambrosio is going to be pivotal.
I thought BC's third line got better as the game went on. They had a few shifts early in the first period where they got beat on the walls, leading to good chances for NU, but they turned it on in the third period and OT. Christian O'Neill had a very strong shift in the overtime period, nearly beating Levi from a shot just outside the face-off circle towards the end of the overtime frame. The additions of O'Neill and Cam Burke certainly give BC more speed on their third line than they had a season ago- neither player may be a hot-shot NHL prospect, but they play hard, can skate, and apply a lot of pressure on the forecheck.
From my perspective, the strength of this team may be its quartet of puck-moving defensemen. Between Marshall Warren, Lukas Gustafsson (who I really like as a freshman), Eamon Powell, and Aidan Hreschuk (who the staff clearly has a ton of trust in, given how often he plays), BC has four guys that can push the puck up the ice and create offense from the backend. They still have some work to do in their own end- the size of Cade Alami and Mitch Andres helps in this department- but I feel much better about BC's defensive core today than I did over the summer after the departures of St. Ivany and Helleson. If Powell and Hreschuk continue to develop into top-tier Hockey East defensemen, it will be a game-changer for this club. Lastly, I am obviously not an NHL scout, but I have no idea how Lukas Gustafsson went undrafted- the kid can flat out play.
Overall, when you have a lead with under ten minutes left, you never want to walk out of the building with anything less than a win, but if BC plays like they did last night throughout the year, they are going to win more hockey games than I thought they would. BC is going to be heavily reliant on that first line- there is a significant gap in sheer talent between that line and the rest of the lineup- but when you have a player like Gauthier, who can create offense for you with the snap of a finger, it allows everyone to take their game up a notch. Let's just pray he can stay healthy. Obviously, they had a chance to put the game away when they got a power-play on the Gauthier goal, but a horrible call on Ambrosio ended that opportunity after about forty seconds. They had another chance with just under three minutes left and had the puck in the NU end for basically the entirety of the power-play, but they passed up on a couple of shots (particularly at the end of the man advantage) that could have given them the edge. On the flip side, the penalty kill is a work in progress as the Eagles have now allowed a power play goal in each of their first three games- I have no real concerns here, killing penalties is tough and they will get better at it as the season goes along.
BC will conclude its season series with UNH on Sunday- the Cats are coming off a 5-1 loss at Merrimack last night and will have to play Army on Friday night at the Whittemore Center. There is no reason why BC shouldn't take care of business and start off Hockey East play 2-0 before a massive game at UConn next Thursday.
Recruiting Updates
Okay, now for the topic everyone really wants to talk about! BC's 2023 recruiting class continues to light up the scoresheets as Will Smith (19 points in 10 games) and Ryan Leonard (17 points in 10 games) are leading the way for the USNTP U18 team. I would keep an eye out for their linemate, Gabriel Perreault, who is still uncommitted. Perreault is from Illinois, so one would think Notre Dame and Wisconsin (not sure what is happening in Madison these days) are the favorites, but you never know. BU also has a track record of recruiting good players out of Illinois, so time will tell if BC makes any type of move there, but imagine if they could get the entire first line of the NTDP on the Heights next fall? Obviously, BC has a big class coming in next year and whether or not they have open scholarship money will depend on what happens with their four juniors- Nesterenko, Ambrosio, Kuntar, and Powell. I obviously do not expect Gauthier to be around next season, but who knows.
Secondly, there are a few USHL prospects I would look out for. 2005 born defenseman Maxim Strbak of Sioux Falls (USHL) decommitted from Vermont last week and is projected to be a first rounder in this year's NHL draft. The Slovakian defenseman could be a target for the Eagles- who are already bringing in two highly-rated defensemen in Aram Minnetian and Drew Fortescue.
Last but not least- there are two Chicago Steel players, Nicholas Moldenhauer and Michael Hage, that BC could be after. Now, I don't think either of these two will end up in Chestnut Hill (Michigan seems to be the leader in the clubhouse), but they're definitely trying to add at least one more high-end piece for next year's class.
Ok, that is all I have for now. Until next time.
Go Eagles
