Eagles "Defeat" Gophers in Shootout

When University of Minnesota forward Travis Boyd scored a tic-tac-toe power play goal that has become all to common against the BC penalty kill to make it 2-0 Gophers just four minutes into the game, I put my hands on my head and groaned "here we go again". Nope. Not tonight. Thanks to some unbelievable leadership from captain Patrick Brown and some magical play from Minnesota native Mike Sit, the Eagles rallied to score three goals in 1:11 in the first period and eventually "won" the game in a shootout. It goes in the books as a tie.

Let me start out by saying this, that was the best non BC-BU game I have ever been to. Mariucci Arena is the best college hockey atmosphere in the country and if you ask me, nothing is even close. Everyone, aged 5 to 80, is decked out in maroon and gold jerseys donning a giant "M" on it. I love Conte Forum and the other rinks around Hockey East but this plays blows them away. It's a special place to be in and I cannot wait to get back there on Sunday afternoon. As for the game itself, well, it was quiet apparent that Thatcher Demko was nervous as heck going in. The kid is my age, seventeen years old and he is playing goalie for the best program in college hockey on the road in one of the most hostile environments the sport has to offer. Yea, he struggled early but give him credit because he made some huge saves down the stretch. 

The pace of this game was something I don't think I have ever witnessed before. It was odd man rush after odd man rush and whether you're a fan of the big sheet or not, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that didn't think that was some of the most exciting hockey they have ever seen. I thought BC's third and fourth lines held their own versus the Gophers' top units as the staff put the Sit, Straight, and Silk line out there numerous times vs Minnesota's big line of Condon, Kloos, and Cammarata. What a night for Mike Sit. Heck, what a season so far for Mike Sit. You have idiots like me writing about how Richardson should be on the fourth line and he goes out and scores two goals in front of his hometown team. How amazing is it that a kid scores zero goals in eighty plus games before going out in front of his childhood idols and shoving it right back in their face ? Truly an amazing story. 

Although he was -2 and only had one goal, Johnny G was spectacular tonight. If it wasn't for some unreal saves from Gopher goalie Adam Wilcox and a few unlucky pipes, "G" would have had three goals and BC would have won in regulation. He is just a cut above everyone else on the ice and the extra room on the big sheet certainly benefits him greatly. I thought all six of BC's defensemen held their own tonight, especially in the final two periods. It took them a while to adjust to the pace and rink dimensions but once they did, they did a great job of getting the puck to the forwards in space and joining rushes when they could. Steven Santini was a physical force in his own end tonight. He really looked good even when he was up against Warning and Rau. The steps that all six guys have made from Michigan to this point have been huge and in reality, that's what the staff wants to see at this point. 

95 % of the time, I'm disappointed  about tie and will usually go on a rampage about how bad the team played. I have to tell you, it's been a long time since I've been so proud walking out of the rink. That game was over. The Gophers were up 2-0 in front of their home crowd  against the youngest team in college hockey who just happened to be starting a 17 year old goalie. This team could have given up like the last time we were up here. But they didn't, they fought each and every shift and if they continue to do that, man we've got a heck of a club. 

Positives- 

1. The effort. It doesn't get any better than that. Each and every guy played with pride and determination tonight. 

2. Secondary scoring. Two goals from Sit and a game-winning shootout goal from Brown. I'd say our bottom two lines are coming along just fine. 

3. Steven Santini. Thought he was tremendous tonight. Not that I thought any defenseman was bad but I thought he played his best game of the year. +2 rating. 

Negatives- 

1. Nothing too concerning. Penalty kill needs work, so does power play. Not worried about Demko. He is a teenager and just won a shootout vs the top team in the country on the road. Let's get real. 

Player of the game- Mike Sit 

Next up- Gophers on Sunday.2 PM Eastern time 

Note- Make sure to look at Sports Center's top plays tomorrow morning. 

GO EAGLES 

Previewing the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers

For the third and fourth times in three years, the Boston College Eagles will face-off against Big Ten rival, Minnesota. This time it will be two games between the perennial powerhouses @ UM's Mariucci Arena. Here is something for you to think about. When BC traveled out to St.Paul last year for the Mariucci Classic, their starting defensive group vs the Gophers was Sullivan, Doherty, Wey, Matheson, Jeke, and Peter McMullen. Now, in no way is that an excuse for the embarrassing 8-1 to the Gophers but comparing that D core to this years is like comparing apples and oranges.

The Golden Gophers are ranked #1 in both the USCHO and USA Today polls as they are 4-0 on the year with wins over Mercyhurst, UNH, and Bemidji State (x2). Obviously, Minnesota is a good club. There are certain teams that are good almost every season. BC is one of them and so is Minnesota. They are a great example of how a college athletic program doesn't have to go all over the world to recruit top end talent. They have TWENTY kids from the North Star state. Yes, Minnesota is a young and talented bunch much like Boston College but let's get real here for a second. They lost the entirety of their top power play unit from a year ago, a group that ranked #1 in the country and utterly embarrassed BC's PK. Bjugstad, Haula, Budish, and Schmidt were all world class college hockey players. You don't just replace those guys.

In terms of numbers, the Gophers know how to put the puck in the net as they rank third in the country with 5.00 goals per game (BC is second with 5.67 goals per game). Another advantage BC has over the Gophers (surprisingly) is the amount of penalties taken. So far this season, Boston College has taken fifteen penalties while the Gophers have made twenty one trips to the sin bin. Unlike BC's previous opponent, Wisconsin, the Gophers are extremely strong in net. Sophomore Adam Wilcox is without a doubt one of the top netminders in the nation and currently has allowed just 1.50 goals per game this season. He was absolutely sensational against the Eagles last December.

Overall, I think BC matches up well against the Gophers. I will take BC's top two lines over any other combinations in the country, including Minnesota's top unit of Rau, Warning, and Fasching. If Johnny G, Gilmour, and Arnold can find a way to outplay these guys and make Warning a non-factor, I think BC has a great chance to win. The Gophers will have last change which could make in difficult to get these guys, along with Matheson and McCoshen, out there every shift when Rau and Warning are out but if they can do that, look for a big night from the Eagles. It's plain and simple. BC just needs to continue to stay out of the box, create odd man rushes, and avoid turnovers that will lead to high quality scoring chances for the Gophers.

Inside the Numbers- 

1. Minnesota leads the all time series 15-12-2. BC is 1-6-1 vs Minnesota @ Mariucci.

2. Coach York is 4-1-3 versus the Gophers.

3. The last meeting was won by.....we aren't going to talk about that.

4. Johnny G (2.33) and Sam Warning (2.25) rank 1st and 2nd in the NCAA in points per game.

Keys for the Eagles- 

1. No penalties. Minnesota always has a good power play....much like Michigan. We all know how that went.

2. Help Demko settle down early. I think it would pay huge dividends if BC was able to garner a one or two goal lead after the first period.

3. Score on the power play. I didn't like the way either unit looked versus Wisconsin. I think the larger sheet of ice will allow BC to move it around quicker and hopefully score some goals.

Projected lineup 

Johnny G- Arnold- Gilmour 

Fitzgerald- Hayes- Cangelosi 

Smith- Brown- Calnan 

Straight- Sit- Silk 

McCoshen- Matheson 

Santini- Savage 

Macleod- Linell 

Demko

GO  EAGLES !!!

A Big Week Ahead

It's all about revenge this week for the Eagles.

One of the hallmark's of Coach York's regime @ BC has been his famous "24 hour rule". Basically, don't get too down on a loss and don't get too high off a win. You have 24 hours to enjoy the victory or on the other hand, 24 hours to get over a tough loss. Well, it's been almost seventy two hours since the Eagles put a beat down on the #2 Wisconsin Badgers so all focus shifts to UW's arch rival, the new #1 team in the nation, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Everyone remembers last year's 8-1 blowout loss to Minnesota in the final of the Mariucci Classic and let's get one thing clear, even though BC didn't have Alber or Johnny G, eight goals is eight goals. It's embarrassing any way you look at it. It doesn't happen around here. Ever.

This week has to be one of the best weeks of preparation all season. I expect that BC will be practicing on Olympic ice surfaces throughout the week in order to prepare for the large sheet @ Mariucci. Historically, BC has been pretty solid on the big sheet, I mean they have played UNH really well up at the Whit over the course of the last four or five years but for some reason, they looked like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off on the big ice last season versus the Golden Gophers.

Lineup wise, I don't think you will see the staff change anything. I thought Linell and Macleod were better on Friday although they were the only two Eagles that were -1. Look, BC doesn't need those two to be at the offensive level of McCoshen, Santini, Matheson, and Savage but they do have to be strong in their own end. In the final analysis, the play of these two guys were leaps and bounds better than it was versus Michigan or even RPI. Adjusting to the big ice versus a real fast team like the Gophers is going to be a brutal test but if they continue to trend upwards, good things will happen.


The final thing that needs to be addressed is the goaltending situation. I thought Billett was solid on Friday as he made some nice initial saves but he continues to struggle a bit in the rebound category. Obviously, he will start a game this weekend thanks to his continued consistent play and if I had to bet, it would be on Sunday. If that happens, Thatcher Demko will be starting his first ever road game in one of the most hostile environments in college hockey. Look, he's going to have to play in these type of situations one day so why not just break him in now instead of waiting ? He played well against RPI and I'm sure the rest of the guys are extremely confident in his ability to stop the puck so hopefully he gets a chance to show the rest of the country what he is all about on Friday evening.

That's all I got.

GO EAGLES !

Message Sent



Johnny G scores the third BC goal. Photo by The Heights.

It's not every night when you walk out of a rink wondering if that's the best game you've seen your team play in the regular season in a long, long time. One fellow writer asked me that question midway through the game and I just kind of laughed at it. No way. Then I continued to think about it for the remainder of the game. Is it the best regular season BC game I have ever seen ? No. That is the 9-5 beat down of the Terriers in 2011 @ the Jack Parker Rink. But I gotta tell you, what took place @ Kelly Rink tonight was one special performance by a handful of really talented hockey players. The only way you're going to stop Johnny G is by having one of your defenseman take out some sort of weapon and physically go after the kid. I mean, some of the things he does on the ice are just out of this world. That pass he made to Kevin Hayes for the 5th BC goal ? I would argue that no other player in college hockey could make that play. O and by the way, he reached the one hundred point plateau tonight, getting his 101st and 102nd points in the process.

On the defensive side of things, I continue to be blown away by the play of all three freshmen. The best part about them is that they all offer different strengths to their game. Santini isn't particularly flashy and won't impress much in the offensive end but by the end of the year, he might have the best +/- out of any of the three. He was +4 tonight. McCoshen has been as good as advertised as he burned his home state team tonight with a +6 rating and two points. The guy I want to talk about for a second is Scotty Savage because in the two games he has played, he has been tremendous. In fact, he has been so good that the staff has him running the second power play unit with Danny Linell (who was also real solid tonight). Next week will be two brutal test for these guys, especially on the big sheet of ice, but if they continue to play like they have been, this team could go a long way.


Of course, guys like Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, Mike Matheson, and Austin Cangelosi will get all of the accolades from the papers and everyone else but I want to take a moment and point out something that happened to a guy tonight that has been a long time coming. Mike Sit scored his first career goal when he fired home a wrist shot on a 2-1. It was BC's seventh goal. For anyone that has followed this team closely over the course of the past three years, they would know that Sit has had some struggles in the offensive end and he probably should have more than his share of goals by now. Whether this is just the beginning of a nice run for him or not, it was a pretty cool sight to witness. Good for him.

All in all, I'm really thrilled about this game. The potential of this team is sky high and we have realized that the past two games. Coach York said after the game that he was impressed with all eighteen skaters in white tonight. When these guys play as one cohesive unit such as they have the past game and a half, they are the best team in college hockey.

Positives-

1. Everything.

Negatives-

1. Power play was 0-2. Sour grapes.

Player of the game- Austin Cangelosi/Johnny G

Next up- Weekend series @ Minnesota.

GO EAGLES !

Previewing the Wisconsin Badgers/ Goalie Update

The Eagles will host arguably the biggest non BU home game in recent memory tomorrow night as the high powered Wisconsin Badgers will make their first trip back to Chestnut Hill since Banner Night in 2009 when the Eagles defeated the Badgers by a 5-4 score. Wisconsin is 2-0 this season with a pair of victories over the Northern Michigan Wildcats. The Badgers are loaded up front with big names such as sophomore Nic Kerdiles, Mark Zengerle, Joe LaBate, and Michael Mersch. On defense, Wisconsin returns Jake McCabe, Frankie Simonelli, and Joe Faust. The one area where Wisconsin may be a little weak is in net as they rotated goalies all throughout last season. According to Andy Johnson of Bucky's Fifth Quarter, Landon Peterson is playing goalie tomorrow night for Wisconsin.

Obviously being the #2 team in the country, Wisconsin is going to pose a lot of problems for this young BC team. Like the Eagles, they're deep at both defense and offense and have a real good top two lines that will present some issues for Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and the rest of BC's high powered offense. In the eighty plus college games he has played, there haven't been  many teams that have shut down Johnny G and hopefully the Badgers aren't the first to do so but their depth up front will make for an interesting matchup. I look for BC's second line of Kevin Hayes, Austin Cangelosi, and Ryan Fitzgerald to continue to play at a high level much like they did Sunday. If Wisconsin stacks up against the Johnny G line, look for that line to have a big night.

The big question for me is how will BC's defense hold up against a high octane offense like Wisconsin's ? If BC plays like they did over the final thirty minutes versus RPI in which they spent very little time in their own end, then I think they have a chance to win this game. If they take penalties and play on their heels for the whole game, they will be run out of the building. You can't take penalties and expect to beat good hockey teams. To be honest, BC was a little lucky to get away with that win last weekend. If they do that tomorrow, they have no shot. Let the big guns do their thing, play solid in your own end, and stay out of the box.

Scouting Wisconsin

Rank- #2 (2-0-0 record) both wins vs Northern Michigan.

Head Coach- Mike Eaves

Key players- Nic Kerdiles, Jake McCabe, Mark Zengerle, and Michael Mersch

All Time Series- BC leads 12-9

Last meeting- BC beat Wisconsin in the 2010 National Championship

Notes- Wisconsin returns 81 % of it's scoring from a season ago.


Keys for BC-

1. No stupid penalties.

2. No stupid penalties.

3. Get it going early and often. Also, no stupid penalties.


Projected Lineup-

Johnny G- Arnold- Gilmour

Fitzgerald- Hayes- Cangelosi

Smith- Brown- Calnan

Straight-Sit- Silk

Savage- Santini

Macleod- Linell

Matheson-McCoshen

Billett is playing.

Go Eagles !

Eagles Overcome Rough Start, Blowout RPI

Ryan Fitzgerald scores his first goal. Photo from New England Hockey Journal.

The Boston College Eagles picked up their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, dominating the last forty minutes of play versus the RPI Engineers, en route to a 7-2 victory in front of 3,915 fans (yikes) @ Conte Forum. First of all, I thought the first twenty minutes were worse than any of the three previous periods versus Michigan. The Engineers dominated the frame and BC was very lucky to be tied going into the locker room. I mean, you don't see teams come into Kelly Rink and outshoot the Eagles by eleven shots through a period (shots were 13-2 in first stanza). If they play like that versus Wisconsin next weekend, it won't be pretty.

Thankfully, the tide turned and BC's big guns started to show up. Johnny G, Kevin Hayes, and Billy Arnold were much better than they were Thursday night. They got a ton of scoring chances as they combined for seven shots on goal. Another big reason why they were able to keep up with RPI early on ? The power play. It finally started clicking. Whether it was Kevin Hayes' tap in off a beautiful pass from Johnny, just two minutes into the game or Hayes returning the favor early in the second, BC's top unit looked superb in their only two appearances. After RPI's Jimmy DeVitto made it a one goal game midway through the second frame, two of BC's biggest newcomers, Austin Cangelosi and Ryan Fitzgerald, hooked up on a nice give and go towards the end of the period to put BC back up by two. I thought Cangelosi looked a lot quicker today than he did on Thursday. It is going to take him some time to adjust to Kevin Hayes' style of play but once he figures it out, it will be deadly combination. I thought Fitzgerald and Hayes both played spectacular once again and were two of the better players on the ice for BC.

After Billy Arnold scored a beauty of a goal to make it a three goal game just seconds into the third, I thought BC did a good job of keeping the pressure on RPI and forcing turnovers that resulted in a couple of insurance goals. A real solid final forty minutes from the Eagles tonight.

Obviosuly, I'm pleased with the win and how the team played but there are a few problems. First of all, I have no idea what the heck the staff is going to do with this goalie situation. I think Demko played well enough to play Friday night but they can't just give up on Billett because he lost one game @ Michigan. If I had to take a guess, I think we will see Demko next weekend but we will certainly see both of them vsMinnesota in two weeks.

Another thing I'm worried about is the quality of guys that are sitting out. Teddy Doherty didn't miss one game last season and actually played a pretty vital role on a team that made the NCAA's. Tonight he didn't even dress. Coach York was extremely impressed with Scotty Savage's play so I wouldn't be shocked if the same six defensemen dress next weekend. Also, Evan Richardson, who played on the second line in the exhibition game, did not dress, in favor of Destry Straight. When you have guys like Doherty and Richardson sitting in the bleachers, you know you've got a pretty good club.

Positives-

1. Penalty kill was sensational. Give credit to Coach Ayers and the PK unit...they looked much better tonight.

2. Power play came through. I liked the way they moved it today.

3. Stars shined. Johnny G, Hayes, Arnold, Cangelosi, and Fitzgerald all played great games.

Problems

1. The penalties have to stop. It's becoming a trend and if it continues, it's going to be tough to win trophies.

Player(s) of the game- Johnny G and Kevin Hayes

Next Up- Wisconsin on Friday night.

New Lines For RPI

Here is todays lineup.

 

Johnny G- Arnold- Gilmour

 

Fitzgerald-Hayes- Cangelosi

 

Smith- Brown- Calnan

 

Straight-Sit-Silk

 

 

Macleod- Linell

 

Savage-Santini

 

McCoshen-Matheson

 

Demko

Lots of changes.

Previewing the RPI Engineers

This afternoon, the Eagles will play their home opener versus the preseason favorite in the ECAC, the RPI Engineers. The big news concerning this afternoon's game is that freshman phenom Thatcher Demko will make his first colligate start. A lot of people have asked what I think the staff will do with the goalie situation. Let's say Demko plays real well today and gets the win, I believe he should start next weekend versus the nations top team, Wisconsin Badgers. If Demko struggles today, then it should be Billett. Either way, both guys will get a lot of opportunities to play in the coming weeks assuming they continue to play at a high level.

This will be the 38th meeting between RPI and Boston College with the Eagles holding a 19-14-1 lead in the series, including a 9-1 mark versus Renssealer @ Conte Forum. RPI has also played just one game this season, defeating Scared Heart last night 6-0, a day after Sacred Heart pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college hockey history, beating #1 Lowell @ Tsongas Center. Although they may not be as notable as a Michigan or a Wisconsin, this RPI is real good and in my opinion, a definite top team in the nation. The Engineers return twelve forwards from last seasons club and rank among the most experienced team in college hockey. Saturday night saw the Engineers got two goals from junior Ryan Haggerty and a thirteen save shutout for star goalie Jason Kasdorf. This will be the first meeting between RPI and Boston College since October 11th, 2007, a 4-1 victory for the good guys.

The bottom line is this club can't get off to an 0-2 start, especially with the Badgers and Gophers looming. I look for BC to be sharper on the penalty kill and in their own end because those were clearly the two biggest issues versus Michigan. The best way to solve the bad penalty killing problem is to not take penalties at all. The less time spent in the box, the better the chance BC has of winning this game. I'm sure the staff will make one or two changes in the lineup but probably nothing too dramatic. Each line had some scoring chances on Thursday night and if they can start cashing in on those opportunities, then BC has a great chance of winning this game today.

Keys for the Eagles-

1. Stay out of the box. If this becomes a trend this season, BC is in big trouble. No dumb penalties today.

2. Try and get some of the early momentum. I bet there will be a pretty decent crowd there today. If BC can score one or two goals early, it will get everybody energized.

3. Don' leave Demko out to dry. Like I said yesterday, Michigan might have had fifteen odd man rushes on Thursday. You can't expect your goalie to continue to bail you out on plays like that. BC needs to prevent those today.


Scouting RPI-

Rank- 15th in nation (1-0-0)

Leading returning scorer- Matt Neal (8-22-30 line a season ago)

Other top players- Jacob Laliberte, Ryan Haggerty


Go Eagles !

Eagles Fall To Wolverines

First of all, sorry for the lateness of the post. I just haven't had the time to sit down and write a full recap of the game. Obviously, it stings to start off the season out there and come home with a loss but that's an extremely underrated Michigan club with a power play that is as good as any in the country. Historically, Red Berenson teams have had some of the best power plays in college hockey and they proved it on Thursday night. They made our penalty kill look silly. Both of their goals on the man advantage were two passes and then a quick one timer in the slot. Why was the guy in the slot not surrouned by at least one maroon jersey ? Both times, Moffat (the goal scorer on both occasions) was wide open and there was nothing Billett do about it. BC was just way too aggressive at times, I mean Michigan must have had fifteen odd man rushes and if it wasn't for Billett's outstanding game, it could have been a lot worse. Dumb penalties + bad execution on the penalty kill + an amazing game from Racine = a game in which BC could have won even though they didn't have their best stuff.

On the offensive side of things, I thought the Wolverines did a good job of "containing"  Johnny G. He had some solid chances but he wasn't a factor each and every shift like he usually is. Credit UM's young but talented defensive group. I was impressed with their play. I thought Kevin Hayes was probably BC's best forward as he had a bunch of chances to put the puck in the net but was robbed each time. Guys like Cangelosi and Calnan need to be better in order for the Eagles to have three lines that can consistently generate chances in the offensive end. As the game grew on, I thought the third line was better but they have got to find a way to put the puck in the net when possible. There were two or three "grade A +" chances for them but they missed they net completely both times.

Defensively, I was disappointed by a couple of things. First of all, the penalties were killer. Macleod and Doherty each picked up bad penalties for contact to the head and interference when neither action was needed. If BC gives RPI five power plays tomorrow afternoon, they're going to get blown out of the water. You can't give good teams opportunities to score on the man advantage. It killed the Eagles last season and if they keep this up, it will hurt them again. It's the first game so of course there are going to be a lot of mistakes, especially when you have seven freshmen in the lineup. I'd like to see BC cut down on those mistakes and start capitalizing on RPI's errors tomorrow.

All in all, tough way to start but the young guys probably gained a lot of valuable experience that will hopefully lead to better performances as the year goes on. I thought a couple of guys like McCoshen and Fitzgerald played really solid games. If more guys can continue to chip in and help out, there will be a lot of W's for this club.


Problems-

1. Penalty kill. It needs some serious work.

2. Need to start burying chances. The Eagles had a lot of chances to tie it up in the second period. They have to find ways to put the puck in the net.

3. The team, as a whole, needs to limit their mistakes. Michigan had a lot of solid chances thanks to BC errors in the neutral and defensive zones.


Notes-

1. Demko is starting tomorrow.

2. Look for lineup changes.


Go Eagles

Previewing the University of Michigan Wolverines

 

 

 

It was just about six months ago when I walked out of the Dunkin Donuts in Providence feeling defeated and embarrassed. I remember wanting to crumble up my lineup chart and toss it at the nearest Union fan.  It's been a long, eventful, offseason for the Boston College hockey program since then with lots of changes made in order to do one thing- Let last March never happen again. Tomorrow is just game one but it's as big a first game as you could ever imagine.

I probably said this in last year's opening preview but I have to be honest, I've never been more optimistic about a Boston College Hockey team than I am about this one. There is talent everywhere, defense, forwards, and in between the pipes. Tomorrow night is a chance for the guys to show the college hockey world that they're not just the most talented team in the country, but they are the best. This isn't a Michigan team loaded with NHL talent like former years, but it's a Michigan team that has bitter feelings about missing the NCAA's for the first time in 22 years last season. They're going to come out hungry in front of their always rowdy home fans, determined to send a message that Michigan hockey is still amongst the country's best.

As for the game itself, it's real simple for the Eagles. If they can get over their nerves early on, then  they should win this game. Don't take any stupid penalties that will get the home crowd into it, do whatever you can to score first, and hope that Billett can make some early, confidence boosting saves in the first few minutes. It's not like Brian has never won a big game in his life, I mean he won games @ Yale and @ Boston University. That's big time. Unlike last season, BC will have a deep defensive group that can help support it's goaltender. The staff has created three solid parings that each have different strengths and weaknesses. Linell-Macleod are a solid defensive duo that will most likely be put out against Michigan's second line. Matheson-McCoshen are arguably the most talented tandem in the country so they will be going against the Wolverines' first line. Look for Doherty-Santini to also get some substantial playing time.

Michigan's biggest question marks are their defense and goaltending. Of the six defensemen that started for them on Sunday vs Waterloo, three are freshmen, two are seniors, and one is a junior. They're young and inexperienced.  Hopefully BC is super aggressive tomorrow night. If they are, they will force turnovers, odd man rushes, and will compel the Wolverines into taking penalties, resulting in numerous scoring chances. When pucks are below the goal line, the Eagles have to use their speed to attack it, not just lay back and let them break the puck out. I watched some video of UM's game this weekend and the biggest thing that stuck out to me was their inability to create clean breakouts. Force these young defensemen to make tight passes in their own zone.

In goal for Red Berenson's crew will be Steve Racine who recorded a 2.65 GAA and a 5-4-3 record a season ago. It took Michigan a long time, almost three months, to decide on who would be playing goalie on a nightly basis which goes to show just how much confidence they have in this guy. A young D corps + an average goaltender should = lots of scoring chances/goals for the Eagles.

In terms of BC's lineup, there are two things I'm looking at. First, who will play right wing with Ryan Fitzgerald and Bill Arnold. On Sunday, the staff had Evan Richardson out there and I thought he looked pretty good. Yesterday in practice, they had Adam Gilmour out there with that line. Personally, I like Richardson in the spot because of his speed but having Gilmour fill the spot doesn't really make a huge difference as he is a solid two way player. The other question I have is who will be on the fourth line. Unlike last year, the staff has a lot of choices on what they can do. I think it will probably be Sit- Gilmour- Silk but it may be Richardson-Sit- Silk. Either way, it's a pretty good fourth line.

 

 

All in all, tomorrow night is going to be a learning experience for this team. It will be a great experience for the young guys but let's be honest, they're not there for the thrill of playing @ Michigan. They're there to win the game. It may be the ugliest sixty minutes of hockey we see all year but if they get the job done, all will be well in Eagle Hockey land.

 

 

Players to Watch-

 

Philip De Giuseppe- 9 goals, 19 assist a season ago. Leading returning scorer that is playing (Guptill is out)

 

Boo Nieves- 8 goals, 21 assist last season, has the most points of any returning Wolverine (besides Guptill)

 

Michael Downing- The highly touted freshman defenseman is solid, physical, puck moving type that will make life tough on BC's top line tomorrow night.

 

 

Series Notes-

 

Boston College is 6-11-0 all time versus Michigan. The Eagles are 0-4 all time @ Yost Arena

 

Coach York is 4-4 versus Michigan while @ Boston College

 

UM won the last meeting in 2011 at the Great Lakes Invitational thanks to 3,000 BC penalties (it felt like it)

 

 

Projected Lineup

 

Johnny G- Kevin Hayes- Austin Cangelosi

 

Ryan Fitzgerald- Billy Arnold- Evan Richardson

 

Quinn Smith- Pat Brown- Chris Calnan

 

Mike Sit- Adam Gilmour- Brendan Silk

 

 

Mike Matheson- Ian McCoshen

 

Isaac Macleod- Danny Linell

 

Teddy Doherty- Steve Santini

 

Brian Billett

 

 

GO EAGLES !!!

 



Breaking- Brian Billett Named Starting Goalie

Sources have indicated to the BC Hockey Blog that Brian Billett has been named starting goalie for Thursday's game versus Michigan. Look, Brian Billett has won a couple real big games for this club over the course of the past two years and I look forward to seeing him succeeded in this new role. It's well deserved for a great kid that has been patiently waiting his turn.

Weekly Update

Well, we've got a lot to cover today. Let's get going.

First off, the staff has cut defenseman Colin Sullivan. Many are shocked by this move but count me as one of those who is not. After Sully's season a year ago, this seemed inevitable and the fact that they gave him just five or six shift on Sunday afternoon didn't seem to bode well for his chances of making the team. Sullivan will now try and continue his career in juniors. Good luck to Colin as he moves on from Boston College. I hope to see him playing college hockey very soon, wherever it may be.


Here is the weekly injury report-

Michael Sit- Will play Thursday night vs Michigan

Destry Straight- Highly doubtful for Thursday's game with an undisclosed injury.

Everyone is making the trip to Ann Arbor.


The goalie decision may be announced tomorrow afternoon. I've got nothing for you tonight.


Red Berenson confirmed that Alex Guptill is still suspended for the BC game on Thursday.


Here are the lines they ran today. Little different than Sunday.

Johnny G- Hayes- Cangelosi

Fitzgerald- Arnold- Gilmour

Smith- Brown- Calnan

Richardson- Sit- Silk


Doherty- Santini

Matheson- McCoshen

Macleod- Linell


I'm still trying to figure out a way to watch the game Thursday night. If I find out, I will certainly post it somewhere on the blog.

Go Eagles.

Observations From Sunday's Victory

The Boston College Eagles opened the 2013/14 campaign with a solid 8-2 exhibition win over the St Francis Xavier University X-Men on Sunday afternoon at Kelly Rink. I'm not going to really recap the game because the last forty minutes was just goal after goal. Even in the first twenty minutes, after which BC was down a pair of goals, I thought they played real well. There were two goals going into this game. 1. Win and 2. Don't lose anyone. Both were accomplished although Isaac Macleod and Steven Santini were both tossed late in the third period, something that I am sure upsets the staff. Anyways, the big thing I took out of this game was the amount of options BC has throughout it's lineup. They can mix and match as much as they want. I thought all four lines looked really good, especially the fourth line of Cam Spiro- Adam Gilmour- Brendan Silk. Spiro was one of those guys that needed to have a big game and he certainly did. I'm not going to say he  "clinched" a spot in the lineup for Thursday night but I would be highly disappointed if he is sitting in the crowd versus the Wolverines. He deserves to be playing. The small but ultra fast guys like Cangelosi and Richardson were as good as advertised as I think the first line of Johnny G- Hayes- Cangelosi has some serious potential. Here are the top five things I noticed.

1. Demko looked fine. He stopped everything he faced but two X-Men shots rang off the post. Also, he gave up two pretty bad rebounds that could have been capitalized on. At the end of the however, all that matters is he doesn't let up any goals and he accomplished that today. I fully expect him to be in net on Thursday.

2. Each and every freshmen had some bright spots. Of the ten that got a chance to play, I was most impressed with Richardson, Cangelosi, and Calnan. All three of them compliment their linemates real well. I've always thought that Calnan was the "dark horse" of this class even though he is an NHL draft pick. If he continues to play like he did this afternoon, he will have a productive season.

3. The lineup situation this season could not be any more different from last seasons. The staff can pretty much do whatever they want. Every I look on the lineup card, I see guys that can score goals and help the team in some sort of way. We didn't have that last season versus Union and it ended up being the difference. Since Spiro played so well, I'm not sure Destry Straight is a shoe-in for Thursday's game because I believe that both Spiro and Quinn Smith have earned the right to play.

4. All the goals are great but the power play looked bad. They just couldn't get anything going. Too many bad/stupid passes through the middle of the zone that were picked off and iced. I'd like to see them work it low to high, have Matheson and McCoshen rip one-timers and have the three others surround the net looking for a rebound. It might not be flashy but it could get the job done. They tried to get cute with the puck.

5. Top three performers- 1. Kevin Hayes 2. Cam Spiro 3. Evan Richardson

New Projected Lineup

Johnny G- Hayes- Cangelosi

Fitzgerald- Arnold- Richardson

Smith- Brown- Calnan (I really hope they keep these guys together)

Spiro-Gilmour-Silk

Linell- Macleod

Matheson-McCoshen

Doherty-Santini

Note- Michigan lost to Waterloo today, 2-1.


Go Eagles !

What To Look For Sunday Afternoon

Well, in exactly four hours, Boston College Hockey will be back at Conte Forum to open the highly anticipated 2013-2014 hockey season. I can't remember where I have been so optimistic about an Eagle club, mainly because all of the talent on this roster. If you ask me, we've got three of the top five forwards in Hockey East, the best freshmen class in the history of the Coach York era, the best defenseman in the country, and a team that is twice as deep as last years squad that managed to make an NCAA tournament and win a Beanpot. So yea, I'm absolutely pumped for this to begin.

If your one of those people that think exhibition games don't matter, than I don't know what to tell you. There are three or four guys on this team that need to play extremely well tomorrow and if it matters to them, it should matter to us, the fans. If they have a scoreboard, it matters. This St Francis team is a big, physical team so I think it will be a good eye-opener for some of the smaller freshmen on the team like Fitzgerald, Cangelosi, and Richardson. Here are the top things I'm looking for tomorrow.

1. How will Demko look ? This is his first game in a BC uniform so I assume there will be a good amount of nerves running thorough his system tomorrow night. He won't play the whole game but if he impresses during the time that he is out there, then the job should be his.

2. How will Danny Linell fare on the blue line ? Everyone wants to talk about Demko and all the questions around having a freshman goalie. I'm more concerned with the play of the 6th defenseman, whoever it is. Put it this way, Danny Linell is going to be in the lineup Thursday night but I think the staff will feel a lot better about the move if he impresses tomorrow afternoon.

3. Will Destry Straight and Brendan Silk look faster ? These are the two biggest question marks up front. Destry has had an up and down two years at the Heights while Silk was solid at times last season but looked slow and out of it at others. I'd be surprised if Straight plays a lot (or if he does at all) because he has been held out of practice this past week due to an injury. I've been impressed with Silk thus far but he needs to play well tomorrow in order to cement a spot in the lineup. Same goes for Michael Sit.

4. What will the power play units be ? They've been working on it a lot in practice and to me, both units have looked out of synch (yea I know, the season hasn't even started and  I'm already on my typical power play rant). Here is what we should be seeing tomorrow.

Unit One- Johnny G, Arnold, Hayes, McCoshen, and Matheson

Unit Two- Fitzgerald, Cangelosi, Straight/Richardson, Doherty, and Linell.

5. Will the staff play everyone and if they do, what will the top four lines be ?

Here is the projected lineup

Johnny G- Hayes- Cangelosi

Fitzgerald- Arnold- Richardson

Smith- Brown- Calnan

Straight- Gilmour/Sit- Silk

McCoshen- Matheson

Macleod- Linell

Doherty- Santini

Demko
Billett
Barone (Expecting all three to get time)

Updates

Just a few notes to pass along. I was fortunate enough to talk with Coach Brown and Coach Ayers after practice today. Here is some of what they said and more.

Injury report- Straight out, Sit barley staking in red medical jersey, Smith back in.

Lines (Straight was out so not sure if these are solid)

Johnny G- Hayes- Cangelosi

Fitzgerald- Arnold- Richardson

Smith- Brown- Calnan

McMullen- Gilmour- Silk


McCoshen- Matheson

Santini- Doherty

Macleod- Linell


I asked the coaches what they thought of the team so far, specifically the freshmen. "It's hard to tell with these short practices but they have adjusted to the speed of the college game, at least at practice, really well. It can be really difficult to come in here and get used to the speed, they have done a good job".


On what they are looking for Sunday vs St Francis Xavier- "Nothing to particular, want to see us play well".

Have they named a starting goalie for Thursday yet ? "No decision yet. Thatcher has to earn it. there will be a lot of scouts in Michigan watching him but in order for him to play on Thursday he has to earn the job first. All three goalies look real good. It will be a hard decision".


That's all I got.

Go Eagles.

Reports- Guptill Out For BC Game

It's pretty hard to believe we are just seven days away from our first preview of the 2013/14 season. As always, I will be including key players to watch on the opposing club. Shockingly, possibly the best forward returning this season for Michigan will not be skating next Thursday when the Eagles come to town. Jr forward Alex Guptill has been suspended by head coach Red Berenson for off ice issues occurring this past summer. Guptill has had a history of off and on ice problems since he arrived at Yost Arena. Guptill is Michigan's leading returning scorer as he had recorded thirty six points a season ago.

Go Eagles.

Decision Time

For the five or six year I've seriously followed Boston College Hockey, I can't ever remember their being a preseason where the staff had to make some cuts to the roster. That's pretty amazing if you think about the talent we have been fortunate enough to watch around here the past few years. Unfortunately, I don't think that streak will continue this season. The staff needs to make some changes to this team simply because there is too many guys that will never see the ice. I'm not going to sit here tonight and make predictions on who will be gone by next Thursday night and who won't be because that would be extremely disrespectful to the staff but even more so the players that walk into the rink each and every day and put their heart on the line for this team and this school. Playing a college sport, let alone at such a prestigious institution like BC, has to be one heck of a challenge both on the ice and off. I mean not only do you have the staff and team looking after your every move, but you've got insane bloggers writing about every time you screw up on the penalty kill or power play. It cannot be easy, whether your the best player on the team or a guy that rarely plays.


There is always a slim chance that the staff could keep everyone on the team for the start of the season and make some tough decisions as the season progresses but I just don't see twenty eight guys getting on a plane to Ann Arbor next Tuesday. As good as it must feel to be the best coach in college hockey history, this is the one week of the year where it must stink to be Coach York. These aren't players from an old regime. Nope, these are his recruits. Guys that he offered the chance of a lifetime to play at Boston College, whether it was on scholarship or not. It must be the worst feeling in the world having to say to one of those kids "sorry, we don't have room".

I said I wouldn't make any predictions and I won't but I will say this- Danny Linell is going to play a bigger role on this team than I originally thought. The staff really likes him back there on defense even though he struggled at the end of last season. I'd be shell shocked if he isn't in the starting lineup next Thursday. However, there is an exhibition game Sunday afternoon and it could be the biggest game of the year for some guys  (no joke). This could be their final shot at making a last impact on the staff (assuming they wait that long to make cuts). If and when they do make these decisions, I don't expect that there will be more than two or three. Maybe one defenseman and two forwards, nothing too major.

Once again, here is the projected lineup as of today. Minimal changes. Bold indicates major battle for spot.


Johnny G- Arnold- Cangelosi

Hayes- Fitzgerald- Calnan

Smith/Straight- Brown- Richardson

Straight/Smith- Sit/Gilmour- Silk


Matheson- McCoshen

Macleod- Santini

Doherty- Linell/ Savage (Linell in lead)


The interesting thing here is that Mike Sit continues to battle a lower body injury. He tried to skate in a red medical jersey today but only lasted about five minutes. If he can't stay healthy, then the door for Adam Gilmour to claim that final center spot is wide open. Also, Destry Straight is a little banged up but I wouldn't worry about that.

That's all for now. Tense couple of days upcoming in the land of Eagle Hockey.

Go Eagles !!

Latest Lineup Projections

Over the course of the last couple of months, I've been taking numerous stabs at trying to predict the lineup for this season. I've only been to a couple of practices but I think I've got a bit of a better sense of what the lineup will like fourteen days from now @ Michigan.

Here is my latest stab


Johnny G- Arnold- Calnan

Fitzgerald- Hayes- Cangelosi

Straight- Brown-Richardson

Smith- Gilmour- Silk


I don't know about you but I really like that lineup. I think the third and fourth lines are going to be leaps and bounds better than last years and also I don't think you will find a better 1-2 punch in Hockey East than BC's first two lines. Coach York said at Hockey East media day that he expects "at least eight" freshmen to be in the lineup and above I have five which leaves us with three. Now for the defense.

Santini- Matheson

McCoshen- Macleod

Doherty- Savage


A week ago, I had no clue who was going to get the final defensemen spot. Seven days later, I'm still not even close to 50% but I have seen and heard all good things about Scotty Savage. There is no doubt that he is a talented player that will be a solid four year guy but the big question was will he start right away. The staff still has time to figure it out but right now, I think Savage slightly leads Linell for the final spot.


Another notable thing I took away from media day was that Coach York didn't say who was going to be the starting goalie. Now, I wasn't thinking he was going to go in there and say flat out that Thatcher will start game one but it sounded to me like it was a relatively close contest between him and Brian Billett. We should know who is in the lead come late next week.


That's all for now.

Go Eagles.

14 days.

John Muse Signs With Bruins

Former Boston College goaltender, John Muse, has signed a contract with the Boston Bruins, returning to the TD Garden where he amassed a 13-2 career record in the Beanpot and Hockey East championships. The two losses were to Northeastern in the 09 Beanpot and to Boston University in the 09 Hockey East semifinals (ugh). Congrats to John, hopefully he will have a chance to show some of  his TD Garden magic this season.

Go Eagles.

Preseason Predictions/ All Hockey East First and Second Teams

With Hockey East media day rolling around this week, multiple writers have submitted their season predictions and all selections for first and second teams, most valuable player, and rookie of the year. While I won't be there on Tuesday, here is what I would have for my first and second teams.

First team-

Johnny Gaudreau, Kevin Hayes, Kevin Roy (NU), Mike Matheson, Matt Grezlyck (BU), and Jon Gilles (PC)


Second team-

Scott Wilson (UML), Bill Arnold, TJ Tynan (Notre Dame), Trevor van Riemsdyk (UNH), Christian Folin (UML), and Connor Hellbuyck (UML)


Player of the Year- Johnny G

Rookie of the Year- Austin Cangelosi

Hockey East Teams in NCAA's- BC, Lowell, UNH, and Notre Dame


Order of finish-

1. Lowell

2. Boston College

3. Notre Dame

4. UNH

5. Providence

6. Maine

7. Boston University

8. Merrimack

9. Vermont

10. Northeastern

11. UMass- Amherst


Tournament champion- Boston College

A Couple Of Early Observations/ Injury Report

Although the team has only had two "official" practices to this point, I've made a couple of observations. The first thing that jumped out at me was the excitement surrounding this club. Yea, it sounds cliché but there seems to be an energy surrounding this team that I haven't seen in a long time. Maybe it has to do with all the new freshmen or maybe it's the two new coaches. Either way, the energy these first couple of days has been off the charts. Here is what else I noticed.

1. Demko looks good. There is a heck of a difference between stopping pucks in front of your teammates at practice and doing it on opening night @ Yost Arena but so far, I have been super impressed by Thatcher Demko. His size really jumps out at me but also his ability to move laterally is something that has stuck out.

2. Multiple freshmen are going to be thrown into the fire right away. By my count, it looks like six freshmen are locked in to play on opening night. Others, such as Scotty Savage (who I think has looked solid) and Adam Gilmour will be competing for the final spots in the lineup.

3. Brendan Silk looks a lot quicker. Let's face it, last year was not a great one for Silk. He struggled in all three ends and didn't seem to have the speed to play at this level. I was blown away by how fast he looked yesterday.

4. The 6th defensive slot is anyone's guess. As I said earlier, I liked what I saw out of Savage but I just don't see the staff starting three freshmen defenseman on opening night @ Michigan. He has looked much better than Linell has but I think it's too much of an uphill battle for him to start on opening night simply because I don't think the staff would ever start three freshmen defenseman. I'm usually wrong so, I probably will be this time.


5. Johnny G and Kevin Hayes look sensational. While I think Johnny G will go on to win the Hobey this season, I think people are seriously overlooking Kevin Hayes in Hockey East. He is every bit as skilled as Johnny is and if he can stay injury free, I look for him to have a huge year.

6. My top three freshmen- 1. Fitzgerald  2. Demko  3. McCoshen/Richardson


On the injury front (yea, already) Mike Sit could be out for a couple weeks with a knee issue. Nothing serious....he should be ready to go opening night (if he is in the lineup). Colin Sullivan is out this week with an illness.

Go Eagles.

Chris Brown Commits to Boston College

No family has a richer hockey history @ Boston College than the Browns do with Coach Brown being arguably the best defenseman ever to play here and his brother Doug who went on to have an outstanding NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. It appears that tradition will continue as Doug's son and Patrick's brother, Chris, has committed to BC for the fall of 2015. Christopher played for Bloomfield Hills/Cranbrook last season, the Michigan division one high school state champions. Brown was drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers in the fourth round of the USHL draft.

Brown recorded 50 points in 31 games last season

Congrats to Chris on his commitment...if he is anything like the tough, defensive minded player his brother is, then BC could have a nice third or fourth line addition for next season.

Go Eagles.

Examining the Key Battles Heading Into the "Preseason"

In college hockey, there really is no "preseason" or "training camp". In reality, teams only have 30 days to prepare for their opening game, meaning a team like BC, with lots of new faces, is going to have to really skate hard these next three and a half weeks before they fly out to Ann Arbor. I don't know if I can remember a year where there will be so many individual battles for lineup spots October 10th @ Yost Ice Arena. I mean in reality, I think only 7 guys- Johnny G, Arnold, Hayes, Matheson, Smith, Macleod, and Brown are set in stone to start next month. So, let's take a look at the battles taking place.


1. Who will play with Johnny G ? I'm fairly confident the staff will keep Arnold and Hayes together because when Hayes was healthy, they worked real well last season. I think each guy compliments the other in multiple ways and I also believe putting a skilled forward like Fitzgerald could really make for a big first line. That leaves us with the question, who will the staff put with Johnny G ? I'm a firm believer that Johnny makes the guys around him 5x better than they are because of how skilled he is but if you put a bigger, more physical forward like Chris Calnan with him, he could really "protect" Johnny from the goons that will surely go after him this season. Putting Calnan at center with the most skilled forward coming in, Austin Cangelosi, at right wing, would make for a really dangerous second line. Prediction- staff puts Calnan, Cangelosi, and Johnny G together.


2.  Which two guys will win the last two defenseman spots. Whether you like it or not, the staff is going to put Linell on defense. Personally, I don't love the move because Danny thrived in a fourth line role two seasons ago. He isn't a first or second line winger like he had to be last season. With all the skill in front of him this time around, I would like to see him on fourth line right wing but the staff is going to try him at defense. Two other guys, Teddy Doherty and Scotty Savage, will compete along with Linell for the 5th and 6th spots on the blue line. Let me put it this way, I'd be absolutely shocked if Teddy Doherty is not playing opening night @ Michigan. He is a solid offensive defenseman that could be a huge asset on the second power play unit. Expect him to win spot #5.  As for the 6th slot, it's going to be a pretty tough choice for the staff. I think by midseason Savage will eventually be an everyday guy but for October and November, I believe they will give the 6th spot to Linell.  Defense on opening night- Matheson/Santini, Macleod/McCoshen, Linell/Doherty.


3. How will the staff sort out all the skill coming in ? The best thing about this season compared to last is that the coaches will have a lot of options. At the end of last season, they had zero options up front. It was four forwards and one defenseman every power play, every late game situation, and they eventually ran out of gas. Well, now they have about 7 or 8 really skilled forwards that will be able to play power play, kill penalties, and help out in late game situations. Yes, Johnny, Billy Arnold, and Kevin Hayes will get more minutes than anyone but guys like Cangelosi,Gilmour, Calnan, Fitzgerald, and Richardson are expected to come in and play some serious minutes both 5 on 5 and on the power play.

4. Who will be the goalie ? Everyone I run into ask me the same question...." Ya, they lost Milner, who the heck is going to replace him....a freshman ? " This kid Demko is good.....really, really good. He is one thing that Parker Milner just simply wasn't: he's big and he takes up a ton of net. You don't get accelerated a year to sit on the bench and watch. He is going to play opening night, without question.


Line Projections-


Hayes- Arnold- Fitzgerald

Johnny G- Calnan- Cangelosi

Smith- Gilmour- Richardson

Straight- Brown- Silk (Big battle for right wing)


Defense

Matheson-Santini

Macleod- McCoshen

Doherty-Linell 

Power Plays-

First Unit- Johnny G, Arnold, Hayes, Matheson, McCoshen

Second Unit- Fitzgerald, Cangelosi, Calnan, Doherty, and Santini/Gilmour.

The Notebook- August 20th

The colder temperatures swirling around Chestnut Hill these days can only mean one of two things....either hockey season is coming upon us or golf season is coming to a close. One awesome fact, one terribly sad one. Anyways, it's been a while since I last wrote a Notebook column because in all honesty, there isn't much to write about. In about two or three weeks, I'll begin the previews, address the questions I have about this team, and all that fun stuff. Until then, here is a look inside the Notebook.


1. BU forward Sahir Gill has left school after a fallout with the coaching staff. Sources have indicated to the BCHB that Gill had his scholarship stripped and was going to be academically ineligible for the first semester so he jumped ship. That's gotta be twenty departures in the past four years for those guys.


2. I reported last week that Marty McInnis will be named a volunteer assistant coach and while that remains true, don't expect the staff to officially announce it until mid/late September.

3. A lot of people have been asking about the health of Kevin Hayes after his freak leg injury last season versus UMass-Lowell. Thankfully, Kevin has made a full recovery and is helping out multiple youth hockey camps around the area this summer. He will be good to go for the opener @ UM.


4. While the school still hasn't announced the full schedule, the one I have up on the blog is 100 % right so if you plan on traveling to Michigan, Minnesota, or Penn State, those are the dates.


That's all for now. How bout that PGA Championship win for Jason Dufner !

Go Eagles !

Sources- Marty McInnis to be Named Volunteer Assistant Coach

It seems that Coach York has finished his revamping of the staff as sources have indicated that he will hire former Eagle standout Marty McInnis as a volunteer assistant coach. McInnis played at Boston College from 1988-1991 before embarking on a 15 year career in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, and Boston Bruins.


With the addition of McInnis, the Eagles will have two new coaches behind the bench to go along with 10 freshmen. Lots of new faces this season.


Welcome back to the Heights Coach McInnis !

Go Eagles !

Demko, Santini, and McCoshen Survive Cut

Freshmen Thatcher Demko, Steven Santini, and Ian McCoshen avoided being cut this week and World Jr Camp. According to reporters in Lake Placid, the best out of these three has been Santini, who continues to display his strong play in the defensive end. After a tough first game against Sweden, Ian McCoshen rebounded with a goal in the United States' victory over Finland yesterday. According to Chris Peters of United States of Hockey, Demko has struggled at times but has also made some good saves.

In other recruiting news, Joey Dudek recorded a goal and two assist for the US in their victory over Russia this morning @ the Ivan Hlinka Invitational Tournament in Slovakia.

Go Eagles !

Eagles Set to Hit World Jr Camps

Multiple Eagles, both players and coaches, will be attending their respective countries World Jr Championship Camps. Representing the United States will be Thatcher Demko, Steven Santini, Ian McCoshen , along with Coach Brown  who will serve as an assistant to Minnesota head coach Don Lucia. The lone Eagle trying out for the Canadian team will be Mike Matheson.

It's a long way off but if all four of these guys make their teams, BC will be without a large portion of their starting lineup for their games in Pittsburgh and possibly the January 4th game vs Notre Dame @ Fenway Park. The gold medal game is set for January 5th.

Go Eagles !

Conor McGlynn Offically Decommits from Boston College

2014 recruit Conor McGlynn will not be attending BC as he has opted to sign with Kingston of the OHL. In terms of recruiting and future lineups, this really isn't a big loss. In reality, McGlynn was not a scholarship player and might not have played until his sophomore season. Interestingly, he told the New England Hockey Journal last year that he was "100 % committed to BC" and "nothing will change that". Obviously, things changed.

Right now, there are four forwards slated to arrive next season. Tanner MacMaster, Joey Dudek, Zach Sanford, and Alex Tuch. Expect the staff to increase that number by next fall.


Go Eagles.

Freshmen Expectations.....The Defense

With the losses of Pat Wey and Patch Alber, the Eagles will need two, maybe three, freshmen defensemen step in and play at a high level right away. Thankfully, the staff has landed arguably it's best recruiting class ever and there are two real stars coming in next season. Last season, I stared in awe at how freshman Mike Matheson came in and played at such a high level. His skating, his ability to run a power play, and his blistering shot never failed to amaze me on a daily basis. There were high expectations for Mike last season and 95 % of the time, he exceeded them (the penalties bring him down 5%). This fall, I think Eagle fans will once again be star-struck when they see Steven Santini and Ian McCoshen. They're two similar players, both big, physical, and defensive minded (Santini more so than McCoshen) players that can do whatever the staff ask of them. They'll kill penalties, skate on the power play, and go up against an opponents top line. Let's take a more in-depth look.

Let's face it, the defense in the latter half of last season flat out stunk. They barely got by Vermont and proceeded to get torched by BU and Union in what were two embarrising defensive performances. Now, those two games certainly don't rest on the play of 4 or 5 guys because in reality, that's all BC had, 4 defenseman that could really play. I mean, Teddy Doherty and Mike Matheson were playing every other shift ! In an NCAA Tournament game....as  FRESHMEN !  Just goes to show how thin the defense was last year. Those guys just ran out of gas. Thankfully, reinforcements are on the way.

Not only are McCoshen and Santini two of the most talented defensive recruits BC has ever landed, they are two guys that will compliment BC's returning 3 guys tremendously. The way I look at it is, Matheson is the most talented offensive defensmam in the country and Doherty is also a guy that is better in the opponents end than he is in his own. The great thing about McCoshen is that he's a hybrid type. He is solid in both ends....something BC hasn't had since Brian Dumoulin. Santini on the other hand is a shut down defenseman that would go great along with Matheson. The Eagles didn't have a guy towards the end of last season where they could just put him out and be confident that he could help shut down another team's top line. Steven Santini will be that guy this season. He isn't a big offensive threat that will score goals and pick up assist like Mike Matheson or even Ian McCoshen but he will get a ton of ice time particularly in late game situations when the team needs to close the door. As the season goes on, he will develop a more well rounded offensive game because he is a good skater and  possesses a heavy shot but that's not really what he was brought in to do. If he becomes a "hybrid" type, that's awesome, but if he continues to be a shut down defenseman like he has been over the course of the last few seasons, then he will shine at BC.


Of course, Matheson, Santini, McCoshen, Doherty, and Macleod leave us with one more open spot. Incoming freshman Scotty Savage, who is flying under the radar thanks to his two fellow newcomers, will certainly have a chance to impress the staff and earn a spot on opening night.  I think he'll be a bit of a project and I expect that Danny Linell will start the season on defense but by years end, I wouldn't be the least bit shocked to see Savage playing on a nightly basis. Even if he doesn't play, he gives the staff a lot of options if someone doesn't step up or if there are injuries problems such as last year.

Anyways, that's that. I hope you are enjoying The Open as tomorrow sure looks like it'll be a beauty.

Go Eagles and Go Lee Westwood !

Taking a Look At Expectations for Each Incoming Freshman

If you ask any loyal BC Hockey follower about what their expectations are for this upcoming season, I would bet every single one of them would tell you that they are extremely high (when are the not). I am no different. I expect this team to be good when the season gets underway but as it progresses into "trophy season", I expect them to be REALLY good. The problem with all these expectations is that a lot of them rest on the performances of BC's star studded freshmen class which includes 4 of College Hockey News' best recruits coming in next season. While BC loses Pat Wey and Patch Alber on the blue line along with Pat Mullane and Steven Whitney up front, there is a solid core of players returning, including three highly talented forwards and a couple of young defenseman who were very impressive at times last season.

Anyways, I thought it would be a good idea to look at each incoming freshman and assess some reasonable expectations for them. Let's start with the forwards.


Austin Cangelosi- Even though he was not drafted last month, Cangelosi could perhaps be BC's best incoming forward. He has the speed and creativity that the staff looks for when recruiting, which is why I think there is a chance we will see him on the first or second line at times this year. One thing BC lost with Mullane and Whitney is two great penalty killers and guys that logged a lot of minutes. With Cangelosi, they get that back as I expect that he will play a big part of both the power play (most likely second unit center) and the penalty kill. I'd really like to see the staff put him on a line with Johnny G as I think that could make for some pretty exciting hockey. Player he compares to- Cam Atkinson.


Ryan Fitzgerald- A local kid, Fitzgerald will bring a lot of much needed help on both the offensive and defensive ends. "Fitzy" doesn't really have a weakness to game as he is a great offensive threat who can play on the power play but is also the type of guy who could make a big differences in the defensive end, whether it be 5 on 5 or on the PK. Like Cangelosi, I think we will see Fitzgerald play a role on the first or second line....most likely at left wing. Player he compares to- Brian Gibbons/Billy Arnold


Chris Calnan- Unlike Fitzgerald and Cangelosi who are both smaller guys that use their speed to make an impact on the ice, Chris Calnan is a guy who uses his big 6'3 frame to assert himself on the ice. One thing BC really lacked last season was size up front as we saw a bigger/stronger Union forward core impose their will on a smaller Eagle lineup. While I am not sure where the staff will insert Calnan, I think that he would work really good around two playmakers such as Johnny G or Cangelosi because he can attract a lot of attention in front of the net and will free up space for the smaller/more skilled forwards to do their jobs. Player he compares to- Jimmy Hayes


Adam Gilmour- Like Calnan, Adam Gilmour is another good sized forward (6'2) but unlike his former high school teammate, Gilmour is the type of guy who will try to make his mark on the college game with his puck handling. Gilmour isn't the type of big forward who will go in front of the net and create space. Instead, he will try to use his good puck handling skills to help create plays for the guys around him. This kid can put the puck in the net, evident by leading the Muskeegon Lumberjacks in goals scored and points last season. The big problem last season for the Eagles was they lacked guys that could score on the third and fourth lines. Gilmour is the type of kid who could really help out in this area because I think there is a great chance he wins the battle for third line center and even if he doesn't, he'll be a dangerous fourth line center that teams will have to watch for. It may take some time for him to develop, but once he hits his stride, he could be big time. Player he compares to-  Kevin Hayes


Evan Richardson- If there is one "wild card" in this years class, it would be Richardson. I don't say that because of his attitude or his ability to play, but because we really don't know that much about him. Yes, he had a couple of fantastic seasons for the Powell River Kings of the BCHL but BC hasn't had a great track record of players coming out of that league. Richardson is another one of those small but super quick and highly skilled forwards that could find himself on the second power play unit to start the season. I think it will take a bit of time for him to develop into a great player but if he do that sooner rather than later, he is in a position to have a productive season. Player he compares to-Steven Whitney


Matthew Gaudreau-  Let me get one thing clear before I start. I hope no one expects this kid to be his brother. That is like expecting a 14 year old kid who is a 5 handicap to become the next Golden Bear (Jack Nicklaus...the greatest). On the other hand, I do expect that Matthew could come in and earn a spot on the fourth line this October. He is going to have to impress the staff in September but I really think he could turn into a solid fourth line/defensive minded "grinding" forward. Player he compares to- Patrick Brown



We'll do the defensemen tomorrow or the next day.

Happy Open Championship Week.

Go Eagles !

The Notebook- Week of July 4th

I hope everybody had a fun and safe 4th of July. Hockey season is approaching day by day.

Here are the Eagles that are participating at NHL Evaluation Camps this week. The list could change but I wouldn't expect it to.

Florida Panthers- Ian McCoshen and Mike Matheson

Chicago Blackhawks- Kevin Hayes, Pat Mullane, and Chris Calnan

Anaheim Ducks- Steven Whitney

Calgary Flames- Johnny G and Billy Arnold

New York Rangers- Patrick Brown and Teddy Doherty

Minnesota Wild- Adam Gilmour

Boston Bruins- Ryan Fitzgerald

Washington Capitals- Zach Sanford and Patrick Wey

Toronto Maple Leafs- Teddy Doherty

New Jersey Devils- Steven Santini

Montreal Canadians- Colin Sullivan

San Jose Sharks- Isaac Macleod


In other news, goalie Brad Barone will redshirt a year so he will be a sophomore this upcoming season. I don't think it would be out of this world for him to compete for some time this year. If he improves his game over the summer, then he should see some ice.

BC's game @ UMass has been rescheduled from 11/16 to 11/14 (a Thursday) due to some conflicts with UMass football. Who the heck wants to go to Amherst on a Thursday night.

It was reported earlier this week that BC is looking for a volunteer assistant coach. I had my money on Mike Mottau getting the job but he just signed a two year deal with the Florida Panthers. I'm sure the staff will still hire someone as pretty much every team in Hockey East has four coaches.


Good luck to all the guys at the NHL camps and GO EAGLES !

Four Eagles Selected On Draft Day

Three current Eagles and one future Eagle were selected within the first five rounds of yesterdays NHL Entry Draft held in New York. Ian McCoshen (Florida), Steven Santini (New Jersey) and Zach Sanford (Washington) were all selected in the second round while Ryan Fitzgerald (Boston) was selected in the fourth. First and foremost, congrats to these guys as they have achieved something that have worked for their entire lives. Fitzgerald, McCoshen, and Santini will all be integral parts of this years squad while Sanford will arrive in the fall of 2014.

Here are some comments from Coach York on the guys selected (No Sanford because he is not enrolled at the university).

Ian McCoshen- "Ian has had an excellent three-year run in the USHL, and he’s still just 17. That’s an anomaly in junior hockey today. PK O’Handley has done an excellent job as his coach in Waterloo and we’re excited about what he may bring to our team. He can be a power-play point man, because he shoots and distributes the puck well. His real strength is his defensive ability. He keeps tight gaps and will continue to get stronger. He really has terrific balance to his game on both sides of the puck -

Steven Santini- He and Ian McCoshen are really very similar in size and makeup – they will actually be roommates this fall at BC. Steven is a bit more of a defensive player than Ian. His skating mobility is outstanding and he can make a good first pass out of the zone."

Ryan Fitzgerald- "He’s a player who certainly has the bloodlines you love to see in a hockey player. He makes plays you can’t teach. Beyond that, he has a great grasp of how to play hockey as a team sport. He’ll make everyone else on the ice better. Despite his size, he has a real on-ice strength, and that will keep improving. He’s a good checker as well, especially for someone with his offensive skill."

These quotes are from College Hockey Inc's website.

I expect that all three of these guys will start right away. I would be shocked if we don't see Fitzgerald placed on either of the first two lines and we will certainly see Santini and McCoshen play a lot of minutes next year right off the bat.

Go Eagles.

Coach Jim Logue Announces Retirement

After 20 years of service to the Boston College Hockey program, Jim Logue has announced his retirement. Coach Logue has played an integral part of helping develop some of the best goaltenders college hockey has ever seen such as Cory Schneider and Scott Clemmensen.

Personally, I would like to wish Coach Logue the best in his retirement and thank him for all he did to help the BC Hockey program.

Go Eagles.

Multiple Eagles Named to Jr Team Camp Rosters

The following Eagles were named to their countries' respective World Jr Championship summer camp rosters.

United States- Thatcher Demko, Steven Santini, Ian McCoshen

Canada- Michael Matheson

The Notebook Part Two

Couple of important notes.

The schedule is FINAL ! You can check it out on the "2013-14 Schedule" tab.

Conor McGlynn will not be attending BC next season. He may still come in 2014 as a walk-on.

Matthew Gaudreau is indeed coming to the Heights next fall.

 Pat Brown and Teddy Doherty will attend the New York Rangers prospect camp. Doherty will also tryout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Go Eagles.

The Notebook

Boston College will make it's first trip to the Bright Center since 2010 (a 3-2 win for the good guys) on November 20th according to the ECAC schedule which was released Sunday afternoon. 

Here is the current non-conference schedule (in order).

@ Michigan, RPI, Wisconsin, @ Minnesota (x2), @ Harvard, Army, Holy Cross, Three Rivers Classic (Pittsburgh), @ Brown.

Apparently, there is room for one last game and there is a rumor floating around that BC may travel out to Penn State and their brand new state of the art arena. We'll see what happens.

Forward Kevin Hayes has started skating again after his gruesome leg injury in February. He will be ready to go for the opener @ Michigan.

Go Eagles.

Hanifin, Dudek, and Sanford Selected in QMJHL Draft

 BC recruits Zach Sanford, Noah Hanifin, and Joey Dudek were all selected Saturday in the QMJHL draft. The biggest battle coaches face on the recruiting trail is luring these young, talented players to their schools instead of them fleeing to the big bucks up north in Canada. Well, now the staff is going to have to do everything they can to keep these three guys committed to BC. If I had to rate the panic level concerning each of these three guys, with 1 being very low and 10 being all out panic mode, I would have Dudek at 8, Hanifin at 7, and Sanford at 6. Dudek was the only one tweeting about how happy he was to be drafted by the Quebec Ramparts (the same team that took Brandon Shea away from BC), so I am a bit concerned about that.

Obviously, more will develop over the course of the next few days/weeks so be on the lookout for updates.

Go Eagles.

A Numbers Game

With all the rain causing all the golf courses to close, I thought it would be a good time to examine a couple of major issues I see regarding next years roster. My biggest problem is the number of forwards that could be on the roster come next fall. By my count, there will be 18 guys battling for 12 spots next season up front. Here is how I look at it.

Locks- Johnny G, Arnold, Hayes, Cangelosi, Fitzgerald, Smith, Brown, Richardson, Calnan, Gilmour, Straight. That's 11 guys.

Guys who will be battling for the final slot- Silk, Sit, McGlynn, Matty G, Spiro, Linell, and possibly one more walk-on.

So....this is a good problem to have, if you ask me. I think those top 11 forwards will be as talented as any group in the country and I expect that five freshmen- Calnan, Gilmour, Fitzgerald, Richardson, and Cangelosi will step up and play in the top 9 spots as soon as the season gets going. If Quinn Smith can build off of what he did at the end of last season, I think we could see him playing a big role on this team, maybe even getting some power play time on the second unit (even though he is more of a grinder). I wouldn't say Destry Straight is a definite lock but he made some strides at the end of last season so it'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up. He's got to get quicker with his feet and he needs to score more than 15 points this season.

As for the final forward spot, well, that's going to be an interesting battle. If I had to pick one guy out of the ones mentioned above, I would pick Linell BUT I don't even know what the staff plans to do with Linell this season because he did play defense last year. I think he has the speed to keep up with the more talented guys on the squad and I also think his defensive zone play could be a nice asset to a third or fourth line.

Everyone always says the key to winning a National Championship is having an outstanding goalie that plays out of his find for four straight games. I slightly disagree. I think the biggest component of a championship team is depth. Last years BC team had zero scoring from their third and fourth lines. The 2010 and 2012 teams' third lines could play against another teams first line. Let's take a look at the projected lineup.

Johnny G- Cangelosi- Fitzgerald

Hayes- Arnold- Richardson

Smith/Straight- Brown- Calnan

Smith/Straight- Gilmour- TBD

Nice.


While I really like the forwards next season, I think the blue line is where this team is going to be unbelievable. There is a small chance that there are three first round draft picks running the point next season (Matheson, Santini, and McCoshen). Mix those three in with Teddy Doherty, Isaac Macleod, and Scotty Savage (most likely), it comes out to be one of the most talented group of defenseman BC has had in some time. Now, I don't expect Santini and McCoshen to come in here and become the next Brian Dumoulin's of the world,  but it is reasonable to think that they will be given the chance to log lots of minutes on 5 on 5, the PP, and the PK. McCoshen and Matheson are two guys that can really skate and make things happen with the pucks on their sticks while Santini is a mixture of both, but is more of a defensive minded, physical presence in his own end. Isaac Macleod made some huge steps last season and his play in his own end along with the fact he is the only senior on the blue line, will hopefully help the young guys develop their play in the defensive zone.

Of course, the staff is going to have to make some tough decisions about playing time but I would think that what I have above is a pretty educated guess on how next years roster will look.

Happy (almost) US Open week and GO EAGLES

Privetira Brothers Out at Boston University

Jr defenseman Alexx Privitera and his brother Jarrid (an incoming freshman) have parted ways with the BU Hockey program per US Hockey Report. Alexx, one of BU's best players, was suspended for the remainder of last season by Jack Parker after laying a vicious hit in the consolation game of the Beanpot vs Harvard.

My first reaction was let's find a way to get the kid. I know he has had some problems with penalties over the past few seasons but playing under Coach York could really change him. I am by no means implying that the staff will go after them because they may not have any room but keep in mind that Privitera's college decision came down to BC and BU. It's a longshot but adding Alexx Privitera to the squad next season would be a huge boost.

Go Eagles.