According to sources, top prospect Michael Matheson has committed to Boston College. The 16 year old defenseman, who had college offers from BU and Vermont, dropped an opportunity to enter the QMJHL draft, where he was the projected #1 pick. Had he done this, he would have forfeited his NCAA eligibility. He will play one year in the USHL (our version of Canadian Junior... not nearly as good) before enrolling at BC.
Call this guarded optimism, but we shall see what transpires here. This kid could be good, and probably is, but I'm just not sure why someone passes over Quebec Major Junior (which is arguably better hockey than any US-based minor league, including the AHL) for college. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he did, but we're going to have to see how this plays out. To me, the best case scenario is that he plays one year here and moves on to the NHL. Solid grab by Jerry, though.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Moving On Up!!
With only the one game being Saturday, and the massive amount of snow in New England, things are delayed a bit....
BC moves to # 2 in both the USCHO and USA Today polls this week after a sweep of all 4 available points in Hockey East play. The Eagles had victories over arch rival BU (3-2 on Friday) and UMass Lowell (5-3 on Saturday). Yale remains the top team in the nation, but the Eagles are hard-charging toward the Bulldogs claim to #1. Other teams from Hockey East that are UNH (7, 8), Maine (12, 11), and Merrimack (14, 14). BU drops from both rankings after a tough weekend that saw the Terriers lose two of three to their ranked Hockey East brethren.
USCHO Poll
USA Today
As far as Pairwise goes, these are the 16 teams that would be in the NCAAs if the tournament started today:
1 Yale
2 Minnesota-Duluth
3 North Dakota
4 Denver
5 Boston College
6 Michigan
7 Wisconsin
8 RPI
9 Notre Dame
10 New Hampshire
11 Merrimack
12 Western Michigan
13 Union
14 Nebraska- Omaha
15 Dartmouth
16 RIT (auto bid from Atlantic Hockey)
Bubble: Miami, BU, Colorado College, Princeton
At first glance we see a very diverse tournament with some new faces, like Merrimack, N-O and Union, but any of those teams could find themselves on the outside looking in if they slip up or lose in conference tourney games. RIT, a Frozen Four team from a year ago as the 16 seed, is still in the hunt to repeat their fate, but Niagara is right behind them in the AH standings.
The Eagles seem to be getting screwed here by the computers, simply because they played Lowell and BU last week. This weekend, and several weeks to come, will be more of the same for BC, as they have Lowell again, then UMass, and then BU in the Beanpot. They do not have a “TUC” game (TUC = team under consideration, or any team that ranks in the top 25 in Pairwise) other than BU (which doesn’t count) until UNH on the last weekend of the regular season. BC, therefore, needs to win these games against “inferior” competition. You don’t get penalized for beating weak teams, but those wins don’t really count for a whole lot either. The best you can do is keep winning, and win more pairings in the rankings. A Hockey East regular season title, and a tournament title would most definitely garner the Eagles a #1 seed in the NCAAs and what should be a automatic nod to Manchester for the Northeast Regional (provided UNH doesn’t get a #1 seed as well, which would bump them into the NE and move BC elsewhere).
There’s still a whole lot of ifs, ands, or buts floating around, so that’s why they play the games. BC only has one this weekend, so they will need to focus on Lowell and winning in a place they seldom do.
BC moves to # 2 in both the USCHO and USA Today polls this week after a sweep of all 4 available points in Hockey East play. The Eagles had victories over arch rival BU (3-2 on Friday) and UMass Lowell (5-3 on Saturday). Yale remains the top team in the nation, but the Eagles are hard-charging toward the Bulldogs claim to #1. Other teams from Hockey East that are UNH (7, 8), Maine (12, 11), and Merrimack (14, 14). BU drops from both rankings after a tough weekend that saw the Terriers lose two of three to their ranked Hockey East brethren.
USCHO Poll
USA Today
As far as Pairwise goes, these are the 16 teams that would be in the NCAAs if the tournament started today:
1 Yale
2 Minnesota-Duluth
3 North Dakota
4 Denver
5 Boston College
6 Michigan
7 Wisconsin
8 RPI
9 Notre Dame
10 New Hampshire
11 Merrimack
12 Western Michigan
13 Union
14 Nebraska- Omaha
15 Dartmouth
16 RIT (auto bid from Atlantic Hockey)
Bubble: Miami, BU, Colorado College, Princeton
At first glance we see a very diverse tournament with some new faces, like Merrimack, N-O and Union, but any of those teams could find themselves on the outside looking in if they slip up or lose in conference tourney games. RIT, a Frozen Four team from a year ago as the 16 seed, is still in the hunt to repeat their fate, but Niagara is right behind them in the AH standings.
The Eagles seem to be getting screwed here by the computers, simply because they played Lowell and BU last week. This weekend, and several weeks to come, will be more of the same for BC, as they have Lowell again, then UMass, and then BU in the Beanpot. They do not have a “TUC” game (TUC = team under consideration, or any team that ranks in the top 25 in Pairwise) other than BU (which doesn’t count) until UNH on the last weekend of the regular season. BC, therefore, needs to win these games against “inferior” competition. You don’t get penalized for beating weak teams, but those wins don’t really count for a whole lot either. The best you can do is keep winning, and win more pairings in the rankings. A Hockey East regular season title, and a tournament title would most definitely garner the Eagles a #1 seed in the NCAAs and what should be a automatic nod to Manchester for the Northeast Regional (provided UNH doesn’t get a #1 seed as well, which would bump them into the NE and move BC elsewhere).
There’s still a whole lot of ifs, ands, or buts floating around, so that’s why they play the games. BC only has one this weekend, so they will need to focus on Lowell and winning in a place they seldom do.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Weekend Preview Jan 21-22
This weekend the Eagles have back to back games, and luckily don’t have to travel far for either. Friday night, BC jumps on the Green Line to take on Comm. Ave. rival BU at Agganis Arena. Then, Saturday, Jerry’s kids stay home to entertain the RiverHawks of UMass Lowell. Here is a look at both games, and what we can expect:
Friday, January 21, 2011 @ Boston University (7:30pm TV= NESN)
Its been over a month since these two rivals met in a much-hyped home and home series right before winter break. In that series, the Eagles scored a total of 14 goals to BU’s 7, winning both games easily. Since that series, the teams have gone in opposite directions. BC continued their winning streak all the way to last Sunday, winning four straight before finally falling to Maine. BU, on the other hand, have only won 3 of their last 7, including a bad losses to Brown and RPI and a 3-2 setback to Merrimack. They did, however, average 3 goals a game in that span. BU’s issues appear to be inconsistency across the board. Some nights they are scoring in bunches and keeping their opponents off the scoreboard, while others they are not scoring at all and letting in a bunch. There has not been a time where one facet of the game can make up for the other’s shortcomings and, because of that, the Terriers have been up and down.
Now, this is that magical time of year for BU, where they start to play great hockey heading into the first two Mondays of February, so expect a different Terrier team from about now until March 1st. Nevertheless, they are still a dangerously talented team that can score goals. And they are very young, which means the future is bright for BU. Their top two scorers are freshmen Alex Chiasson and Charlie Coyle, while in typical Terrier fashion they also have defensemen that can put the puck in the net. They play an aggressively physical game, and grind down opponents into submission. This is where they usually run into problems when they take on BC, who is more speed and finesse. They will try to slow down the game and draw BC into committing penalties, forcing them to be more careful and slow.
Between the pipes Kieran Milan has proven to be something of a one year wonder. His rookie season, Milan lead BU to the national title. Since then…. not so much. Junior Grant Rollheiser has been ok in relief, but both goalies were lit up like Christmas trees back in December.
BU ALWAYS gets up for BC. Always. This will be no different. BC will be out to get back on the winning track after a rough outing in Orono last weekend. There really are no excuses for the way they played Sunday, but Alfond Arena is a tough place to play. So is Agganis. Look for BU to get out to an early lead and force BC to scramble a bit. This could force the Eagles into mistakes. It may really come down to who Hockey East assigns to officiate this one. If they get a crew who loves to blow the whistle, this one can go either way. In the end, I think a veteran team like BC can overcome adversity, and I see them taking a season series sweep here.
Prediction: BC 3 BU 2
Saturday January 22, 2011 vs UMass Lowell (7pm, no TV)
UMass Lowell is, in the words of the immortal Joe Namath, “strug-a-ling.” The Riverhawks have lost a ton of talent from their teams of the last few years that could hang with anyone in Hockey East. With a goal differential of -45, Lowell ain’t doing so good. As one can gather, a lack of returning talent and an abysmal goal differential translates into very few wins. Well, 2 to be exact. Lowell has won 2 games in Hockey East this year, to go along with their two ties against Atlantic Hockey foes Niagara and RIT. Tough times indeed along the shores of the Merrimack River.
Sophomore Riley Wetmore is Lowell’s captain and leading scorer, with a 10-7-17 on the year, averaging almost a point per game. In net, Marc Boulanger and Doug Carr, both freshmen, see the majority of the minutes, with Carr posting both UML wins this year. Both have GAAs floating around 4. Not good. Bottom line, if you can’t score, and you can’t stop the other guy, you aren’t going to win.
So, this is where I put a positive spin on the Riverhawks and tell you how BC can lose this game. There is only one way: mistakes. If they take UML lightly and step off the gas a bit, they can get into a dogfight with this team. Look no further than the first meeting between these two teams, when BC let up in the third with a 4-0 lead and UML scored two quick goals to make it interesting. The Eagles ended up taking it 5-2, but it got a bit hairy there for a bit. Look for BC to go with Parker Milner in net, with Muse getting the work Friday against a tougher opponent. I still think BC rolls in this one, but they need to be focused and take care of business every night in Hockey East.
Prediction: BC 5 UML 1
Friday, January 21, 2011 @ Boston University (7:30pm TV= NESN)
Its been over a month since these two rivals met in a much-hyped home and home series right before winter break. In that series, the Eagles scored a total of 14 goals to BU’s 7, winning both games easily. Since that series, the teams have gone in opposite directions. BC continued their winning streak all the way to last Sunday, winning four straight before finally falling to Maine. BU, on the other hand, have only won 3 of their last 7, including a bad losses to Brown and RPI and a 3-2 setback to Merrimack. They did, however, average 3 goals a game in that span. BU’s issues appear to be inconsistency across the board. Some nights they are scoring in bunches and keeping their opponents off the scoreboard, while others they are not scoring at all and letting in a bunch. There has not been a time where one facet of the game can make up for the other’s shortcomings and, because of that, the Terriers have been up and down.
Now, this is that magical time of year for BU, where they start to play great hockey heading into the first two Mondays of February, so expect a different Terrier team from about now until March 1st. Nevertheless, they are still a dangerously talented team that can score goals. And they are very young, which means the future is bright for BU. Their top two scorers are freshmen Alex Chiasson and Charlie Coyle, while in typical Terrier fashion they also have defensemen that can put the puck in the net. They play an aggressively physical game, and grind down opponents into submission. This is where they usually run into problems when they take on BC, who is more speed and finesse. They will try to slow down the game and draw BC into committing penalties, forcing them to be more careful and slow.
Between the pipes Kieran Milan has proven to be something of a one year wonder. His rookie season, Milan lead BU to the national title. Since then…. not so much. Junior Grant Rollheiser has been ok in relief, but both goalies were lit up like Christmas trees back in December.
BU ALWAYS gets up for BC. Always. This will be no different. BC will be out to get back on the winning track after a rough outing in Orono last weekend. There really are no excuses for the way they played Sunday, but Alfond Arena is a tough place to play. So is Agganis. Look for BU to get out to an early lead and force BC to scramble a bit. This could force the Eagles into mistakes. It may really come down to who Hockey East assigns to officiate this one. If they get a crew who loves to blow the whistle, this one can go either way. In the end, I think a veteran team like BC can overcome adversity, and I see them taking a season series sweep here.
Prediction: BC 3 BU 2
Saturday January 22, 2011 vs UMass Lowell (7pm, no TV)
UMass Lowell is, in the words of the immortal Joe Namath, “strug-a-ling.” The Riverhawks have lost a ton of talent from their teams of the last few years that could hang with anyone in Hockey East. With a goal differential of -45, Lowell ain’t doing so good. As one can gather, a lack of returning talent and an abysmal goal differential translates into very few wins. Well, 2 to be exact. Lowell has won 2 games in Hockey East this year, to go along with their two ties against Atlantic Hockey foes Niagara and RIT. Tough times indeed along the shores of the Merrimack River.
Sophomore Riley Wetmore is Lowell’s captain and leading scorer, with a 10-7-17 on the year, averaging almost a point per game. In net, Marc Boulanger and Doug Carr, both freshmen, see the majority of the minutes, with Carr posting both UML wins this year. Both have GAAs floating around 4. Not good. Bottom line, if you can’t score, and you can’t stop the other guy, you aren’t going to win.
So, this is where I put a positive spin on the Riverhawks and tell you how BC can lose this game. There is only one way: mistakes. If they take UML lightly and step off the gas a bit, they can get into a dogfight with this team. Look no further than the first meeting between these two teams, when BC let up in the third with a 4-0 lead and UML scored two quick goals to make it interesting. The Eagles ended up taking it 5-2, but it got a bit hairy there for a bit. Look for BC to go with Parker Milner in net, with Muse getting the work Friday against a tougher opponent. I still think BC rolls in this one, but they need to be focused and take care of business every night in Hockey East.
Prediction: BC 5 UML 1
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
This Week in Hockey East
We are starting to enter the meat of the league schedule, and the race for home ice is getting hotter. As of this morning, the Hockey East standings look like this:
1 New Hampshire (10-1-2) 22 pts
1 Boston College (11-5-0) 22 pts
3 Maine (8-4-2) 18 pts
3 Boston Univ (7-4-4) 18 pts
5 Merrimack (7-4-3) 17 pts
6 Northeastern (6-7-3) 15 pts
7 UMass (4-6-3) 11 pts
8 Providence (3-7-4) 10 pts
9 Vermont (2-8-3) 7 pts
10 UMass Lowell (2-14-0) 2 pts
The race is closest at the top, where the top 6 teams all could conceivably grab a home ice spot. It will tougher for Northeastern to get it than, say, BU or Merrimack, but it can still happen. At the bottom of the standings, its safe to say that Lowell has its work cut out for them. They could catch up to Vermont for 9th, but thats not going to get them into the playoffs. A serious winning streak is going to be needed to get back into this thing. The race for the last few spots, really, is now between UVM, UMass, and Providence, with only two of those teams moving on. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, however, so anything can happen.
This week's slate of games are as follows:
Friday
Providence @ UNH 7pm
UML @ Merrimack 7pm
UMass @ Vermont 7pm
BC @ BU (7:30pm , on NESN)
Saturday
BU @ UNH 7pm
UML @ BC 7pm
Maine @ Northeastern 7pm
UMass @ Vermont 7pm
We could see some significant movement in the standings after this weekend, as Merrimack is making a move for home ice, beating BU last night and hosting cellar-dweller Lowell Friday. BU continues its murderer's row schedule Friday with a home date with BC, then they move up to Durham for the Wildcats Saturday. Maine drives down to Boston for one game with Northeastern, who are always tough at home, while UNH could be tested in both of their games this weekend.
At the bottom of the league, Lowell is going to have a tough time getting out of the basement with games on the road at Merrimack and BC, while UMass and Vermont battle for the last playoff spot up in Burlington all weekend. We should know more about who is in position for the postseason this time next week, with only a little over a month left to play. This is the time of year where season series wins are crucial, as home and homes determine the series outcomes. This stat can be huge when it comes down to ties for seedings and home ice. We'll see how this weekend plays out, it should be a good one.
As for BC, the Eagles sit right at the top, but have played three more games than UNH. They are going to need UNH to drop some of those in-hand games, which are against Providence, Maine, and Merrimack. This is definitely possible. BC still needs to take care of their own business and that starts Friday night at Agganis Arena against BU. We'll have more on this matchup tomorrow.
1 New Hampshire (10-1-2) 22 pts
1 Boston College (11-5-0) 22 pts
3 Maine (8-4-2) 18 pts
3 Boston Univ (7-4-4) 18 pts
5 Merrimack (7-4-3) 17 pts
6 Northeastern (6-7-3) 15 pts
7 UMass (4-6-3) 11 pts
8 Providence (3-7-4) 10 pts
9 Vermont (2-8-3) 7 pts
10 UMass Lowell (2-14-0) 2 pts
The race is closest at the top, where the top 6 teams all could conceivably grab a home ice spot. It will tougher for Northeastern to get it than, say, BU or Merrimack, but it can still happen. At the bottom of the standings, its safe to say that Lowell has its work cut out for them. They could catch up to Vermont for 9th, but thats not going to get them into the playoffs. A serious winning streak is going to be needed to get back into this thing. The race for the last few spots, really, is now between UVM, UMass, and Providence, with only two of those teams moving on. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, however, so anything can happen.
This week's slate of games are as follows:
Friday
Providence @ UNH 7pm
UML @ Merrimack 7pm
UMass @ Vermont 7pm
BC @ BU (7:30pm , on NESN)
Saturday
BU @ UNH 7pm
UML @ BC 7pm
Maine @ Northeastern 7pm
UMass @ Vermont 7pm
We could see some significant movement in the standings after this weekend, as Merrimack is making a move for home ice, beating BU last night and hosting cellar-dweller Lowell Friday. BU continues its murderer's row schedule Friday with a home date with BC, then they move up to Durham for the Wildcats Saturday. Maine drives down to Boston for one game with Northeastern, who are always tough at home, while UNH could be tested in both of their games this weekend.
At the bottom of the league, Lowell is going to have a tough time getting out of the basement with games on the road at Merrimack and BC, while UMass and Vermont battle for the last playoff spot up in Burlington all weekend. We should know more about who is in position for the postseason this time next week, with only a little over a month left to play. This is the time of year where season series wins are crucial, as home and homes determine the series outcomes. This stat can be huge when it comes down to ties for seedings and home ice. We'll see how this weekend plays out, it should be a good one.
As for BC, the Eagles sit right at the top, but have played three more games than UNH. They are going to need UNH to drop some of those in-hand games, which are against Providence, Maine, and Merrimack. This is definitely possible. BC still needs to take care of their own business and that starts Friday night at Agganis Arena against BU. We'll have more on this matchup tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday's look at the polls
This week saw only a little activity in the three big polls, with BC staying put at #3. Last week’s top dog Yale continues to roll, remaining at #1 in all three polls.
The USCHO.com poll saw only slight movements, with Denver jumping two spots to 4, while UNH was the biggest slider, down three spots from 4 to 7 after their loss to Dartmouth this past weekend. Here is their top ten, with Hockey East teams highlighted:
1 Yale 15-2-0
2 North Dakota 17-6-2
3 Boston College 15-6-0
4 Denver 14-5-5
5 Minnesota-Duluth 15-5-3
6 Michigan 15-6-4
7 New Hampshire 12-4-4
8 Notre Dame 15-8-3
9 Wisconsin 15-8-3
10 Maine 11-6-4
In the USA Today poll, we see pretty much the same thing, with Maine exchanged for Union in the 10 spot:
1 Yale
2 North Dakota
3 Boston College
4 Denver
5 Minnesota Duluth
6 Michigan
7 New Hampshire
8 Notre Dame
9 Wisconsin
10 Union
In the Pairwise Rankings, the formula used for the NCAAs, its pretty much the same. If the tourney started today, here is what the field of 16 would look like:
1 Yale
2 North Dakota
3 Denver
4 Minnesota-Duluth
5 Boston College
6 Michigan
7 Notre Dame
8Wisconsin
9 New Hampshire
10 Maine
11 Dartmouth
12 Union
13 Boston University
14 Merrimack
15 Nebraska-Omaha
16 RIT (current Atlantic Hockey 1st place, auto-bid)
This looks pretty good for Hockey East, with 5 bids, but that would be the max, I think. There aren’t really any league teams on the outside looking in with a shot to qualify, and Merrimack and BU are the teams with the most to lose right now, sitting firmly on the bubble. Coincidentally, they play each other (weather permitting) tonight at Lawler Arena. (Both teams tied the first two games.) The Warriors mark the beginning of a brutal week for the Terriers, who, in addition to their game in North Andover tonight, have arch rival BC at home Friday before a trip to UNH on Saturday. This week could really make or break the season for Parker’s crew. Its still early, however, and a lot can change as the meat of the conference season begins.
BC looks to be in good shape despite a loss to Maine Sunday night. They are cemented into the field as a 2, with the opportunity to move into a 1 spot with a good run. Their schedule coming up looks favorable, minus a trip to Agganis Friday night. All in all, you can’t be disappointed in what’s happened so far.
Up Next: A look around Hockey East
The USCHO.com poll saw only slight movements, with Denver jumping two spots to 4, while UNH was the biggest slider, down three spots from 4 to 7 after their loss to Dartmouth this past weekend. Here is their top ten, with Hockey East teams highlighted:
1 Yale 15-2-0
2 North Dakota 17-6-2
3 Boston College 15-6-0
4 Denver 14-5-5
5 Minnesota-Duluth 15-5-3
6 Michigan 15-6-4
7 New Hampshire 12-4-4
8 Notre Dame 15-8-3
9 Wisconsin 15-8-3
10 Maine 11-6-4
In the USA Today poll, we see pretty much the same thing, with Maine exchanged for Union in the 10 spot:
1 Yale
2 North Dakota
3 Boston College
4 Denver
5 Minnesota Duluth
6 Michigan
7 New Hampshire
8 Notre Dame
9 Wisconsin
10 Union
In the Pairwise Rankings, the formula used for the NCAAs, its pretty much the same. If the tourney started today, here is what the field of 16 would look like:
1 Yale
2 North Dakota
3 Denver
4 Minnesota-Duluth
5 Boston College
6 Michigan
7 Notre Dame
8Wisconsin
9 New Hampshire
10 Maine
11 Dartmouth
12 Union
13 Boston University
14 Merrimack
15 Nebraska-Omaha
16 RIT (current Atlantic Hockey 1st place, auto-bid)
This looks pretty good for Hockey East, with 5 bids, but that would be the max, I think. There aren’t really any league teams on the outside looking in with a shot to qualify, and Merrimack and BU are the teams with the most to lose right now, sitting firmly on the bubble. Coincidentally, they play each other (weather permitting) tonight at Lawler Arena. (Both teams tied the first two games.) The Warriors mark the beginning of a brutal week for the Terriers, who, in addition to their game in North Andover tonight, have arch rival BC at home Friday before a trip to UNH on Saturday. This week could really make or break the season for Parker’s crew. Its still early, however, and a lot can change as the meat of the conference season begins.
BC looks to be in good shape despite a loss to Maine Sunday night. They are cemented into the field as a 2, with the opportunity to move into a 1 spot with a good run. Their schedule coming up looks favorable, minus a trip to Agganis Friday night. All in all, you can’t be disappointed in what’s happened so far.
Up Next: A look around Hockey East
.... And We're Back!
Its been a while, I know. There have been quite a few developments since we last left you, chiefly another BC national championship! The 2010-2011 season has started off great, with the Eagles sitting pretty atop Hockey East and in the hunt for another trophy at the end of the year. We're going to try to keep the same schedule weekly as last year, with game recaps as they are played, poll updates and league discussions during the week, and previews on Thursdays.
Recently the Eagles headed north to Maine to play the #10 Black Bears, falling short 4-1 in a nationally televised game. Cam Atkinson had the lone goal for BC, as he continues to lead the team in goals. A rematch with BU looms Friday, followed by a visit from the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell. We will preview both games later in the week.
Up next: a look at the national polls.
Recently the Eagles headed north to Maine to play the #10 Black Bears, falling short 4-1 in a nationally televised game. Cam Atkinson had the lone goal for BC, as he continues to lead the team in goals. A rematch with BU looms Friday, followed by a visit from the Riverhawks of UMass Lowell. We will preview both games later in the week.
Up next: a look at the national polls.
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