Jerry York’s Eagles won their record 16th Hockey East regular season title, the most by any other team in the league. The Eagles finished strong winning their last four games (after finishing 4th in The Beanpot….) by a combined score of 18-6. The Eagles captured first place with an 18-6 conference record (18-13-3 overall) and finish the season ranked #18 in the polls. (BU suspiciously moved to #20). The #18 Eagles will have another first-round bye heading into the HE Tournament and will face-off at home on March 9 against a team yet to be determined.
I gotta admit, no matter who we play I like our chances of getting the the HE Finals on St Patrick’s Day: 18 total wins, 18 goals in their last four, and a #18 ranking to end the season; first postseason game is on March 9 (a derivative of 18), and the Finals start on March 16 to match their sixteenth 1st place finish. Can’t argue with that.
Notice the Eagles’ conference wins match total wins for the season. They have only beaten teams from Hockey East, and have an 0-5-2 non-conference record. Historically, young BC teams come together in the second half of the season starting in January. This group of freshmen and sophomores waited a little longer – the last four games of the season. Maybe, finding their rhythm is a more appropriate word choice.
Forwards Graham McPhee and freshman Logan Hutsko lead the team in goals scored, each with 12, and Hutsko is the overall points leader with 29. BC did not put up eye-popping offensive numbers this season by any stretch, averaging just 2.94 goals per game (3.30 in HE), which put added pressure on sophomore goalie Joseph Woll.
Goalie Joe Woll had notched his first shutout of the season at Maine (5-0, 33 saves) in game one of the final series on February 17, and was named Hockey East’s Defensive Player of the week. At the beginning of the season Woll was one of the nominees for the Richter Award for top goaltender in the country, but unfortunately is not in the conversation now with a 15-10 record, a .911 save percentage, and only one shutout. Yet his 2.53 GAA is a strong indicator and testament to how good he played this year, despite the 10 losses. Boston College has just not scored as much as a Jerry York coached team usually does, and won a a few 2-1 games (and lost a few more by only scoring twice as well).
Recently the offensive attack has shown life and the passing (another hallmark of a Jerry York coached squad) has been fast and on-point. Earlier in the season BC skaters just were not connecting in the passing game, slow passes, hesitation, and missing the mark. The games at Massachusetts and Maine were the best offensive outings I have seen all season – the passing was fast and on-point and produced 10 goals. BC has yet to put together a couple of blowouts at home in Conte Forum.
So this is the team we need to see in the Hockey East tournament (please). BC has home ice advantage, solid goaltending and a defense that, while not scoring goals, blocks a ton of shots. As for the forwards. the talent is there – they just have not thrown enough shots towards the net (even though they consistently average 30 – 31 shots per game). They are constantly trying to pass – trying to master York’s system – and in doing so have created too many missed opportunities for scoring chances.
The Hockey East is, in my opinion, the best in NCAA hockey; any team is capable of winning on any night. The league is drawing some of the best players in the country (and overseas – there are three Finnish players on BC), and with the resurgence of hockey in Massachusetts there is plenty of good talent to fill out any roster.
But with losing every non-conference game, finishing #18 in the polls, and not having the dependable offensive juggernaut as in years past, Boston College may indeed have to win the Hockey East Championship outright in order to secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament this year.
The NCAA Regionals are in Worcester again this year where BC has an impeccable record of winning, and becoming the de facto “host team” in Worcester might not be tempting enough for the Selection Committee if BC has a poor showing in Hockey East. Providence and Northeastern are ahead of BC in the polls; BC and #20 BU will need to battle for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Looking forward to Saint Patrick’s Day already! – BC
