This late in the season, and I'm not sure I have previewed UMass. Well, the Minutemen have fallen hard back to Earth since their meteoric rise to the top 10 early on this year. UMass currently sits at sixth in Hockey East and could possibly fall out of the playoffs entirely or get the last home ice spot - such is Hockey East. The Minutemen need this game badly. A win can keep them on pace to at least make the playoffs and keep the dream of a trip to the NCAAs alive. Unfortunately for UMass, BC needs this win to keep pace with UNH and set up at worst a potential four point series with the Wildcats next weekend. Both teams have high-powered offenses. Should be a good one.
Players to watch: - James Marcou (UMass): Marcou is one of the top scorers in the nation, currently sitting at #7 with 43 points. Most of those (33) are assists, but this kid can find the net. - John Muse (BC): Muse almost undoubtedly gets the nod tonight, since he has sat out the last two. Last time out, Muse lost to Northeastern, but he was also a part of that 7-1 beatdown of the Minutemen on NESN just a few weeks ago. - Joe Whitney (BC): Mr. Whitney, both of your linemates have scored hat tricks in the past six days. It's your turn buddy.
The good times just keep rolling. That’s two straight games, two straight 7 goal nights. This time the victim was Merrimack, who came in with a five game unbeaten streak. Cam Atkinson scored a hat trick in the win, while freshmen Parker Milner and Chris Venti shared the second Eagle shutout of the year. The win puts BC four points up on Maine for second place and just two behind league leader UNH.
Likes:
-Freshmen stepping up. For the second straight game BC has relied on freshman goalie Parker Milner in net. For the second straight time he has delivered. Granted, he did not have to face a ton of shots since the play was mostly in the Merrimack end, but still an outstanding job.
-Atkinson. This top line is awesome. Every team tries to shut it down and no one can. Cam just extends a hot streak for these three guys that I hope continues into late March.
Dislikes:
-Is there anything? Every aspect of the game was great. The only thing I can say is that it sucks that there guys aren’t appreciated more on campus. True, there is no tailgating for hockey, but at least they win. Had to have been 75-90 students in the house last night, with even fewer expected for the last two games due to spring break.
Next up for BC is a home meeting with UMass. BC has punished the Minutemen the last two times they faced them, and now they get them at home. Hopefully this hot streak continues and the Eagles can put more pressure on UNH.
Random thoughts:
I would have to say I would rather grab second place here. Call me defeatist, but a first round match-up with either UMass or Merrimack and then a potential semifinal meeting with Maine would be better than a potential matchup with BU in the semis. I know we all hate them and would love to beat them, but they scare the crap out of me. Then again, if you can go up to Durham and beat UNH and win the regular season, there is no reason why you can’t beat anyone in this league. We’ll see how the chips fall next weekend and go from there. Remember, the only trophy the really matters is the one at the end of the road.
I walked around Conte last night and noticed the Beanpot is in the trophy case. I have been there in championship years before and never noticed it on display. I always thought it was like the Stanley Cup or something. Anyway, it was good to see it in OUR trophy case and not down the road for a change.
Another weekend, another split for BC hockey. The boys in maroon and gold let Northeastern capitalize on a mistake early Friday night and ended up dropping a close one 3-2. Sunday, the tables were turned as BC rode Brian Gibbons to a 7-1 win to keep pace with UNH in the Hockey East standings. This team plays much better at home, which will be a benefit as they have 3 of their last 4 games at Conte Forum. This should help immensely as they push toward the playoffs.
Likes: - Gibbons staying hot. Alot has been said here about how teams are going to game plan for BC's top line of Gibbons, Atkinson, and Whitney. It has not mattered. Gibbons scored three goals on the weekend (all in one game), and surpassed the 100 point mark for is college career. Can't really complain much about that. - Milner still going strong. This bodes well for the future as well as the present. Any rest you can give Muse before the playoffs is money in the bank. - Offense clicking. 40 shots on Friday and 49 on Sunday. Some of those will go in.
Dislikes: - Mistakes in our own end. These keep hurting us. Friday was a great example of this. NU's first goal occured right off the bat because of a turnover. These will hurt us more as the games get bigger. The young defensemen need to take care of the puck in their own end (Samuelsson!). - Penalties. BC is tops in the conference in PK. Know why? Because they always seem to have a guy in the box! This has cost them games this season, no question. Maybe as we move into a more national stage we will get away from the Hockey East refs who apparently get a bonus for every call they make.
BC is now #7 in the USCHO poll, 11 in the INCH rankings. They also stand 4 points behind UNH for first in the conference. If BC takes care of business at home these next two games, we could have ourselves a showdown series for the regular season title on the first weekend of March. It starts with Merrimack tomorrow night. Go BC!
Just two games this weekend for the Eagles, both against cross-town rival Northestern University. NU will host BC on Friday at 7pm, followed by a rematch Sunday at 3 in Conte Forum. The Huskies have faced the Eagles once this year, a 5-1 BC win at Conte Forum on November 7th. The Huskies have been hot lately, winning five of their last six including a sweep last weekend of a ranked UMass team. They have also played a tight 2-1 loss to BU in the Beanpot semis, so needless to say, this is not a series BC can take lightly. (Nor can they ignore Merrimack on Tuesday night, but that is for another column.) BC has been consistent in their last few games, also winning five of their last six.
Players to watch:
NU's junior firepower - Husky juniors Wade McLeod and Tyler McNeely are the top two scorers on the team with 25 and 23 points respectively. McNeely had a great Beanpot with two goals in the consolation game against Harvard.
Chris Kreider - This kid continues to burn red hot! Kreider's game winner with 13 seconds left on Sunday meant two big points for BC and kept them in the hunt for the regular season title. Another big weekend will be needed from him as NU will key in on BC's top line.
Chris Rawlings - The freshman goaltender has been solid in NU's recent run of wins, and it could be said that he is the reason they have stayed above water all season. Rawligs is a big kid who covers alot of net. BC is going to need to get the young goalie rattled and force him to make mistakes. This is not the rookie they saw back in November, however, so they will need to get timely goals and capitalize on mistakes made by the NU defense.
Parker Milner - York has been pretty consistent in giving his freshman goalie at least one night in net every weekend. Milner has not disappointed, posting a 2-1 win last time out against Lowell. I would expect the same this weekend, with Muse going in front of the Pound Friday night and Milner playing the more comfortable game at home Sunday afternoon.
Predictions: Friday - BC 3 NU 2 Saturday - BC 5 NU 2
NOTES: - Sunday's game (@3pm) will be broadcast on ESPNU for anyone who can't make it out to Conte. If you can make it, get down there to see the Eagles! - This is game two of a four game homestand for BC. They will play Merrimack on Tuesday night and then UMass Friday night. - Tickets are probably available for all of the games left on the schedule, but Friday vs. UMass is a must see as the BC students will be starting Spring Break and will more than likely not be there. This goes for the HUGE series with UNH on March 5-6 as well.
The polls, despite a loss last Friday, have been quite kind to the Eagles. This is mostly due to the fact that they won the Beanpot and managed a split with a decent Lowell team. With that in mind....
USCHO: The USCHO poll has BC at #8. This is up 2 spots from last week. It is also a big compliment that BC continues to be ranked above UNH, who are ahead of the Eagles in the standings. It should be noted that BU has also re-entered the rankings at 20, while UVM stayed at 17 despite losing and tying Merrimack.
USA Today: BC went up in the media poll as well, from 10 to 9. Deserved. UNH and Maine are the only other HE schools in the poll, at 13 and 15, respectively.
INCH: INCH has BC up again this week, but only to 11 from 12. They seem to think that BC is not a top 10 team. I am willing to give them that, but Yale and Michigan State? I think BC can beat both.
Poll average: 9.3
That puts them right in the top 10. A nice weekend against Northeastern should put them in a solid home ice spot for the HE playoffs and an almost guarantee return to the NCAAs.
The weekend went about mediocre, as BC split its home and home series with UMass Lowell. The Riverhawks took advantage of a post-Beanpot hangover from the Eagles to completely dominate in a 4-1 win Friday night at Tsongas Center, while BC got a last-second goal from Chris Kreider to win at home 2-1 on Saturday.
Friday night's game was ugly for BC as yet again Samuelsson turnovers lead to opposition goals. To top it all off, BC spent most of the night in the penalty box, which UMass Lowell took advantage of. One thing that can be taken away from this whole series, however, is that BC better hope Lowell doesn't show up on their schedule as the playoffs begin, because these guys seriously have our number.
Likes: - The play of the younger guys, including Milner. The freshmen are starting to come along, especially Chris Kreider. You will see other BC blog guys blowing Kreider up big time, much of which is because he belongs to their beloved Rangers. I will tell you this: It is an absolute shame that the Bruins let this local kid slip through their fingers. Lets just hope he stays at the Heights for a few more seasons. - Penalty kills. This ties in with a dislike, but when the Eagles get in the box, they tend to keep the other guys off the scoreboard. Now, if they only didnt have to do it as much as they are..... - Carter Hutton is a very good goaltender. I hope people don't think BC letdown in this series. Lowell is just good enough to hang with the Eagles on a nightly basis. Watch out for these guys down the road in Hockey East.
Dislikes: - Penalties! These guys are killing themselves with undisciplined play. Friday was bad, but Saturday it finally got to Jerry as he blew up on Shea after he got called for boarding with 2 minutes left in a tie game.
The fun continues for the BC Eagles this weekend as they travel north to take on the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell Friday night before they host UML at Conte Forum. BC is on a serious roll as they have won 4 in a row since the last time they visited Tsongas Arena. The more encouraging thing has been that in those four wins, BC has scored 22 goals (an average of 5.5 goals/game). Along the way the Eagles picked up a little hardware with their Beanpot win, which should ignite the students at the Heights and maybe get them out to a few games. An early start Saturday night should help too, along with a craptastic basketball team.
UML presents a few problems for the Eagles. They are a tough team that does not give up easily. They also play extremely well in their rink, so it will be huge for BC to get up early and take the crowd out of the game (and I would expect a big turnout for this game, given that BC is coming off a televised beat-down of UMass and the Beanpot). As we've mentioned before, UML has two strong goalies that can steal games, along with a few returning scorers from a team that made it to the Hockey East finals last year.
Players to watch:
Carter Hutton (UML) - arguably the better of the two goalies for the Riverhawks, Hutton sports a 2.1 GAA and has backstopped UML to 8 wins this year. He made 25 saves in a 3-1 win over the Eagles on January 23rd.
Kory Falite (UML) - the Riverhawks leading scorer, the senior has 14 goals on the season. On a very senior-heavy roster, Falite is the glue that keeps the UML offensive attack together. He also figured in the last meeting between these two teams, netting a goal.
Chris Kreider (BC) - this boy is on fire. A quick YouTube search will reveal that Kreider has to be BC's most exciting player. He also adds another offensive weapon and can take attention off the top line of Gibbons, Whitney, and Atkinson.
The Eagles could suffer from a post-Beanpot hangover Friday night, but UML is struggling lately, losing 3-1 to Merrimack (yes, Merrimack) last Saturday night. I expect UML to come out strong and maybe get one past BC early. I also expect that Jerry is going to go with Milner in one of these games this week given Muse's workload over the last few weeks, but we shall see. UML will try to out-physical BC, but they don't have the horses to run with these guys. As long as the refs don't screw us, I forsee a three point weekend.
Predictions: BC 3 UML 3 (Friday) BC 5 UML 1 (Saturday)
BC Students: SATURDAY'S GAME IS AT 5PM! THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME TO GET TO THE GAME, THEN GET READY TO GO OUT. BASKETBALL IS JUST GOING TO BREAK YOUR HEART. COME SEE YOUR BEANPOT CHAMPS RETURN HOME ON SATURDAY!
After 60 minutes of depends-worthy action, BC stands victorious on the Garden ice. Monday night, the Eagles grabbed a big lead, then almost lost it to a scrappy BU team 4-3 in the Beanpot final. With the win, BC gets their 15th title and bragging rights for the rest of the year. As can be expected, since this is their national championship, the Terriers are devastated. Good.
This game should be a preview of what the Eagles can be for the rest of the season: A young, talented team that has their veteran goalie (so it seems) back for the long haul that is "trophy season." The thing that made me most proud was that this team cracked a bit (especially in the third period), but for the most part they kept their composure and rose the BU storm and did just enough to keep the score in their favor. They didn't fall for BU and their coach's shit as the game went on. This should be a good experience for the young guys who will almost undoubtedly see these clowns again down the road toward a Hockey East championship.
Likes: - Muse. Again. He played the way BC needed him to play. Aside from two turnovers, BU earned everything they got. - The student crowd. Bout damn time. Hopefully these guys realize that this team is good. Unlike the hoop team that continues to poop themselves on a nightly basis. - The BU crowd. I know, I know, but they were right on in response to BC's taunts. BC was on too. - Chris Kreider. Dear God, please do not let this kid leave early. He could be something special, along the lines of Gionta or Gerbe. - Gryba getting bundled. Faaaaantastic.
Dislikes: - Ulf's kid. Philip Samuelsson must have been feeling the steely gaze of Cam Neely somewhere in the Garden. This was one of his worst games as two of his turnovers lead directly to BU goals. - Jack Parker. Jesus, man. You have been coaching this game for 20 plus years. It wasn't that bad that you had to go after the refs. Your team sucks, deal with it.
All in all, a great college hockey game. But, what would you expect from these two teams? I don't want to jinx anything, but these guys are special. The first step to a three trophy season is already accomplished. Now its time to focus on #2, Hockey East. The Eagles can make huge steps toward a regular season title this weekend with a solid showing against Lowell. A sweep would at the least keep them on pace with UNH. The Wildcats have Providence this weekend, so two wins could get the Eagles within a point of UNH.
Bottom line, these guys are playing their best hockey at exactly the right time. Lets hope it continues.
Friday night the Eagles put on an offensive display that could rival what we see in the Superbowl tonight. The Eagles rattled off seven goals en route to a 7-1 win over UMass on NESN Friday, pushing them past the Minutemen and ensuring the Eagles stay in second place in Hockey East.
BC came out red hot and, despite committing an early penalty, scored 4 goals in the opening frame. The second period brought more of the same as BC scored 3 more times to take a 7-0 lead and silence the capacity crowd at the Mullins Center. UMass finally got on the board in the third with a goal from star James Marcou, but that was the only blemish on the night for the Eagles. Some likes and dislikes:
Likes: - Muse's play in net. Muse now has not given up a goal in over 100 minutes. Kudos to the defence for keeping the shot numbers low. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come from BC's leading netminder. - Offensive firepower starting to heat up. This is huge for BC, as they are still down a defenceman. They will need to outscore their opponents for a while, as they are hitting the toughest stretch of the season starting with the Beanpot final tomorrow night.
Dislikes: - Losing Price. Not sure how long he will be out after leaving the game Friday, but Patch Alber on the third line can only last so long. Hopefully they can keep the pressure coming from the first line, but you have to think BU and Lowell are going to try and shut them down. BC is going to need offense from the Kreider and Hayes. Price is also the captain, which a young team needs on the ice. BC 7 UMass 1 Box
And now on to the Beanpot. Monday night BC plays BU for the 250th time. What better place than in the Garden for the Beanpot title? We know how much this thing means to the Terriers. (Evidenced by the fact that they thought they were one-upping a Mass road sign declaring BC the 2007 national champs by putting up their own billboard reminding Bostonians everywhere they had won the Beanpot more than any other school. Like Bills or Buccaneers fans bragging about how they beat the Colts and Saints, while watching those teams play for the Super Bowl.) With that said, this game is also big for BC. They sit at 7 in the PWR, which firmly puts them in as a 2 seed. A 1 seed would be better. Plus, as we all know, BC has never won the big prize without winning the Beanpot first. (The 1949 championship happened before there was a Beanpot.)
So, how does this happen? BC needs to learn from their last two matches with BU. They will not be able to force their offensive will on the Terriers like they have done the last two outings against weaker defensive teams. The big word here is rebounds: BU scores with their defensive players, and they like to crash the net. BC is going to have to clear out the traffic in front of Muse. The big keys will be to keep the BU forwards off Muse and to get as many chances as possible on Milan, who likes to give up big rebounds. If someone is in position to capitalize on these, BC will score. They will also have to get a lead and build on it. A close game favors BU, who as we know like to win and tie games with bullshit, flukey goals. An OT game almost certainly will mean an Eagle loss. You score, you win. Plain and simple.... and BC has been doing a lot of that lately, right? So.....
Its February, which means its Beanpot time! In lieu of looking at who the Eagles will play this year, we will handicap the entire field and make predictions. BC comes into the tournament on a high note, notching a dominant 5-2 win over Providence at home Friday night. Lets see if this translates into another Beanpot title come next Monday night.
The Field:
BostonCollege (13-8-2, 2009 lost in semis)
The BC Eagles enter the tournament as the only team in the field above .500. Sitting at 13-8-2, they are in second place in Hockey East. A young team, BC is lead in scoring by junior Brian Gibbons. In fact, their top line of Gibbons, Cam Atkinson, and Joe Whitney has been responsible for 33 goals on the season. An opposing team would do well to shut down this top line, but other BC scorers are starting to hit their stride, such as freshman phenom Chris Kreider, who lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 2010 World Junior Tournament.
In net, BC’s top goalie is junior John Muse, but coach Jerry York has gone with a rotation of both Muse and freshman Parker Milner this season due to Muse’s off-season hip surgery. Milner has been a breath of fresh air for the Eagles, having lost only one game, a 5-4 setback to arch rival BU on January 22nd (A game he played very well in).
The key to beating BC this year has been to get under their skin. As a young team (4 seniors) they are prone to get a bit off their game if a team comes in and tries to out-physical them. BU has done this to perfection twice this year, as has Vermont and UMass-Lowell. Putting them a man down exposes their lack of defensive depth, as two of their top D men are out with injury. They are a very talented team, with plenty of big game experience under their belts and should be considered the favorite along with rival BU to hoist the Beanpot this year.
BostonUniversity (9-11-3, defending champions)
The defending national champions have been up and down all year, but mostly down except for games against BC and UMass. The Terriers have struggled mightily this year, and with good reason. They lost quite a few players in the off-season to graduation and the pros, and the young talent brought in by coach Jack Parker has not yet blossomed into what he had hoped. BU is lead by their upperclassmen, namely Brian Bonino, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Colby Cohen. They have played some fantastic games this year, most of them coming after the Christmas break, but for some reason they have not been able to stay consistent. For example, a week after soundly beating BC at FenwayPark, the Terriers went on the road and played terribly in a 3-1 loss to last place Providence. For their efforts this year (or lack thereof) the Terriers sport a 9-11-3 record, good for sixth in Hockey East.
Much of the issues for BU have been between the pipes, where sophomore Kieran Milan has struggled at times. He has had a penchant for giving up long rebounds and leaving loose pucks uncovered. In essence, this means that in order to beat BU, you have to play BU style hockey: crash the net, be physical and be in the right place at the right time.
Last years Terrier team thrived on the big games, getting good bounces and capitalizing on opponents mistakes. For BU, there is no bigger stage than the Garden on the first two Mondays of February, so look for their best effort in both games these next two weeks. BC may be the favorite on paper, but no one counts the Terriers out in the Beanpot.
HarvardUniversity ( 5-11-3, 2009 lost in semis)
The season has been a tale of two halves for the Crimson. In the first half of the year, Harvard struggled to notch just one win before Christmas, dropping games to two Beanpot rivals (BC and BU). Since Christmas they have won 4 of 8. Now this may not seem like a lot, but when you win one game in the span of almost two months, it’s a step in the right direction. The source of most of their fire has come from freshman Louis LeBlanc, who has scored a goal in all but one game since coming back from the holiday break. Senior forward Alex Biega has also been a steady contributor to the Crimson’s resurgence.
Coach Ted Donato also knows a thing or two about playing in the Garden. As a former Bruin and Harvard great, Donato has skated the Garden ice in victory before. He will rely on last years’ goaltender Ryan Carroll to propel the Crimson to the finals for the second time in three years, as Kyle Richter, Harvard’s starter at the beginning of the season, has struggled this year. Their goal will be to keep the shots on the net to a minimum and allow their hot scorers like LeBlanc a chance to steal a few games.
Harvard comes in as arguably one of the hottest teams in the field. Unfortunately for them, their first round opponent happens to be the other hot team, BostonCollege. Should make for a great opener, one many people may not even see.
NortheasternUniversity (11-11-1, 2009 runners up)
Last season Northeastern caught lightning in a bottle and almost won both the Beanpot and Hockey East, making their first NCAA tournament in a while. That was with phenom goaltender Brad Thiessen in net. Thiessen is gone, leaving head coach Greg Cronin with a newly renovated building and no go-to goalie. Freshman Chris Rawlings has been the stalwart in net this year so far, playing in 20 of the Huskies games this year, posting two shutouts.
Offensively, NU is lead by some of their upperclassmen, namely Kyle Kraemer and Tyler McNeely. Freshman Jake Newton has also been contributing as well. The Huskies are not a high-scoring team, so a team that would want to knock them off need only generate a ton of offense and pepper their young goalies. Defensively, the Huskies are young, so that is not a difficult thing to do. NU will try to work deep in corners and generate second chance goals, something they have been able to do effectively en route to a .500 record. They have not been able to string together more than 2 wins all year, but they are consistently splitting series, which has allowed them to keep pace in Hockey East. Unfortunately for NU, this is one and done, so they will have to bring their A game to the Garden in Round 1. They also draw Beanpot legend BU in the first night, so a good game is going to be needed to dispatch the perennial champs.
Predictions:
Round 1:
BC-Harvard: BC is hot, so is Harvard. Talent should be the difference maker in this one. All depends on which BC team shows up. BC 5 Harvard 3
BU-NU: BU IS the Beanpot. Going with my head on this one and predicting a Terrier win, but a close one. BU 3 NU 2 (OT)
Second round predictions can wait until next week.... enjoy the games!
