HETW Team Previews: Boston College Eagles
Hockey East This Week’s conference preview continues with a look at defending national champs, Boston College.
Last Year: 29-10-3 (16-8-3) Beanpot Champions, Hockey East Champions, National Champions
What Happened: Last year’s Eagles were the textbook definition of a team getting hot at the right time, even though they had a consistent run all year long. Starting with a 7-1 drubbing of Northeastern on February 21, Boston College went undefeated to the wire, posting a 12-0-1 record on their run to the program’s fourth national title. The Eagles’ season looked on the verge of sputtering when John Muse hit a mid-season slump. However, their shoot-first offense (1385 SOG, the most in Hockey East) came through in the end, as the team from Chestnut Hill lit the lamp 171 times last year.
Key Losses:
- Carl Sneep (D) – Sneep posted career-highs in goals and assists last year while playing in 42 games. What will be harder for BC to replace will be his voice of leadership in a young defense corps.
- Ben Smith (F) – Sure, the Eagles won’t be hurting for offense this year, but it’s still hard to replace a 37 point scorer with 16 G.
Key Returners:
- Cam Atkinson (F) - First on this list couldn’t be anyone but Atkinson. The nation’s leading goal-scorer in 2009-2010 with 30 tallies, Atkinson will be looking to anchor the BC offense again this year.
- Brian Dumoulin (D) – Dumoulin posted numbers uncharacteristic of a freshman blue-liner last year, including a team-leading +/- of 40. His 21 A show that he has great on ice-vision, something that will be very valuable following the departure of Sneep.
- Brian Gibbons (F) – Senior, and a returning 50 point scorer. Having him on this list is a no-brainer.
The Outlook: Boston College had a bit of a tumultuous offseason; three players (whose names you should know by now) were charged in connection with an incident involving alcohol, minors, and a Green Line trolley, in addition to losing a recruit to a conference rival. However, you have to believe coach Jerry York will have those distractions out of the way by the time October rolls around. The Eagles look like they are set for another solid season, as they are returning all but four skaters. Combine their high-powered offense with a solid defense and good goaltending, it’s hard to see Boston College being anywhere but near the top of the standings this year.
