A look at the polls.... and Harvard

First things first, the polls. This week the Eagles check in at #10 in all three of the big polls (INCH, USCHO, and USA Today). This is a significant climb since last week most polls had BC at 14 or 15, completely (in this guy's opinion) misjudging the Eagles. Some of the early season's surprises like Quinnipiac have fallen back to Earth after dropping games they should have won. The top five pretty much stays the same, with last year's Cinderella Bemidgi State holding strong at #4 (deeservedly so, they have knocked off some big boys this year). Denver and Miami are still the top dogs in all polls, with the Redhawks rebounding from a tough post-Thanksgiving hangover to notch two wins over the weekend. December is usually a quiet month with exams and the holidays, so this is really the last chance alot of teams will have to rest up for the meatgrinder that is the stretch run of January/February, where we will see the most movement in the polls. Overall, BC seems to be coming together and they are right where we all thought (or hoped) they would be at the start of the season.

On to tonight's game. Harvard is struggling right now, and that is being nice. The Crimson have one win on the season, a 5-3 win over Dartmouth the only time they have been on the good side of the scoreboard this season. Despite their record, these smart kids have some talent as well. Harvard is lead by a pair of freshman snipers in Louis LeBlanc (a top NHL prospect) and Conor Morrison, along with leading scorer Michael Biega (3-7-10 in 10 games). Harvard's issues come in net, as junior Kyle Richter has returned after a year off and has not come back very strong, sporting a 1-7 record with a 3.67 GAA, and his backup Ryan Carroll isn't any better (4.34 GAA).

The last time Richter saw BC was in the championship year of 2007-2008, where BC lit him up like a Christmas tree for 13 goals in two games. This game makes me a bit nervous, as BC can often play to their competition (see Clarkson a few weeks ago). If BC stays out of the box and can manage a few quality offensive opportunities, I see no reason why they should not roll in this one. Harvard should be able to score a goal or two, however, as it will be tough to stop their speedy forwards.
Prediction: BC 5 Harvard 2