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 !