In another heartbreaking loss, the Huskies take an early lead but mistakes lead to BC chances, and a game winning goal with 2.8 seconds remaining.
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WRBB Sports Hockey, QuickCast BC
Monday, November 7
7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Season tip-off preview
Thursday, November 10
9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Guest panelist: TBD
Friday, November 11
3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
Interview: Bill Coen
4:45 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball Pre-Game
5:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Boston University Terriers
from Case Gymnasium in Boston, Mass.
with Patrick McHugh and Andy Towne
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game on WRBB Sports Extra
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Boston College Eagles
from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Jared Shafran
Saturday, November 12
NCAA Field Hockey Tournament – First Round
11:15 a.m. – NCAA Tournament Pre-Game
11:30 a.m. – Northeastern Field Hockey: Huskies vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
from the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
with Alex Faust, Andy Towne, and Jared Shafran
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Jared Shafran
Sunday, November 13
NCAA Field Hockey Tournament – Northeast Regional Final (If Nec.)
1:45 p.m. - NCAA Tournament Pre-Game
11:30 a.m. – Northeastern Field Hockey: Huskies vs. UConn/Princeton
from the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
with TBA
WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey BC, BU, Field Hockey, Penn State, UMass
The Boston Red Sox and Hockey East jointly announced today that the second renewal of the Sun Life Frozen Fenway would have two additions: Boston College will play Northeastern in a primetime showcase, preceded by a high school rivalry game of Catholic Memorial vs. B.C. High. The BC/NU game will start at 6:00 p.m., while the preceding game will start at 3:00 p.m. No word yet on any television coverage.
From a Red Sox press release:
“After the January 7th hockey doubleheader at Fenway Park sold out in less than a week, we wanted to offer hockey fans another opportunity to watch an outdoor game at the ballpark this winter,” Red Sox executive vice president and chief operating officer Sam Kennedy said in a statement. “The addition of these two games also gives Boston residents a rare chance to see two popular local teams compete at both the high school and collegiate level.”
From a Northeastern press release:
“Our hope at Northeastern is for our student-athletes to make memories that will last them a lifetime,” Northeastern Director of Athletics Peter Roby said. “Playing hockey against Boston College at Fenway Park as part of its 100th year celebration will certainly be a memory our players, coaches, alumni and fans will never forget”.
The marquee matchup will be the 214th installment of the Northeastern – Boston College series. The Eagles have won three-fourths of the decisions and hold a 152-46-14 advantage since the first game was played on Feb. 3, 1933 (BC, 8-6). It will also stand as the 84th Hockey East matchup between the Huskies and Eagles with BC owning a 50-24-8 (.343) edge in 82 league contests.
WRBB Sports Hockey BC, Fenway
Andrew Merritt of the MetroWest Daily News reported today via Twitter that an announcement is expected to reveal Boston College and Northeastern as the teams to take part in a third college hockey game at Fenway Park in January:
Official announcement's coming, but word is there's more hockey to come at Fenway Park: BC vs. Northeastern, Jan. 14. Gametime is 6 p.m.
If this is indeed the case, it would be the second outdoor hockey opportunity for both programs. The Boston College men’s team took part in the inaugural Frozen Fenway in 2010 with a game against Boston University, while Northeastern’s women’s team played UNH in the opening game of the event.
WRBB Sports Hockey BC, Fenway
It was a game that left a sour taste in your mouth. Northeastern was playing as routine a game as you can possibly play against No. 1-ranked Boston College. The Huskies held a 3-1 lead with about 12 minutes remaining in the third, yet as we’re so often reminded with games in Hockey East, it requires a complete 60 minute effort (in this case, 65 minutes) to get the job done. The Huskies were cruising on the back of Joe Manno’s first two career goals, but a world-class dangle through traffic by Barry Almeida brought the Eagles to within 3-2, and a goal-mouth scramble just three minutes later gave the Eagles the tying goal. From there, the Huskies looked to be on their heels, and BC took advantage four minutes into the overtime period, getting a rising Patch Alber shot deflected down into the net.
Box Score, via GoNU.com | WRBB QuickCast highlights | Post-game pressers
Our post-game bullet points:
- The Huskies played very strong for about 50 minutes, seemingly flipping the script from Friday’s performance – this time, it was NU who was frustrating an opponent with a stingy forecheck and solid defensive play. But it all unraveled after Barry Almeida’s goal – NU had to ratchet up the intensity to match Boston College’s increased physicality, and couldn’t do it. They struggled to sustain offensive pressure to extend the lead or, after the game had been tied, score the go-ahead goal. BC scored 3 unanswered to get the win.
- Chris Rawlings again had a solid game, though once again, short range shots and lateral movement on plays directly in front of the net let him down. On the game winner, Rawlings could do nothing about the deflection. But again, you have to wonder about the defense in front of him in a tight game. The calls for Clay Witt to get a start continue to echo in the distance – could next week’s game at UNH be the chance to see Witt in net?
- Give credit to Boston College for not backing down, because it was a team that looked puzzled and quite frustrated after two periods. Jerry York is a master at calming his team down and getting them re-focused on the task at hand. Of the two teams on the ice, BC had more talent, but over the last 10 minutes, they had a lot more poise, and were rewarded with the win.
- Joe Manno continues to improve by leaps and bounds. His two goals were fantastic examples of his strength on the puck, and they certainly will make the season-ending highlight reel. Being paired with a very mature Braden Pimm and another strong skater in Ludwig Karlsson made that the best line out there for NU last night.
- Johnny Gaudreau came as advertised, with all of the skill on the puck as expected, though he did not score a point on Saturday night. Luckily Northeastern did not seem distracted by his presence on the ice, though Anthony Bitetto got some words and shoves with Gaudreau during the game. Gaudreau has a deceptive slapshot, but still seems like he could develop more strength on the puck.
- Patrick Wey will be out 6-8 weeks, as disclosed by Jerry York in Saturday’s post-game press conference. Wey suffered a severed tendon on his foot after a skate blade cut through the tongue of his skate.
Next Saturday, the Huskies head back on the road to take on UNH at the Whittemore Center. WRBB will be there with live coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Alex Faust Hockey BC
The Huskies forfeit a 2-goal lead halfway into the third period, eventually losing in overtime 4-3 to the #1-ranked Eagles.
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WRBB Sports Hockey, QuickCast BC
Boston College coach Jerry York and sophomore Bill Arnold talk about the team’s come-from-behind victory over Northeastern at Matthews Arena.
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Northeastern coach Jim Madigan looks back at a difficult weekend as the team prepares for a road game at UNH next week.
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WRBB Sports Hockey, Press Pass BC
Thursday, October 20
9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
No guest panelist this week
Friday, October 21
3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
Interview: Ken Nichols
7:15 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:30 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Merrimack College Warriors
from Lawler Arena in North Andover, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
Saturday, October 22
6:45 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. Boston College Eagles
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
WRBB Sports Hockey BC, Merrimack
We’re on the cusp of a new hockey season, but before we begin, we have two season previews remaining: today, we look at last year’s regular season and Hockey East tournament champions – the Boston College Eagles.
Last year: 30-8-1 (20-6-1 HEA), finished 1st in regular season standings, won Hockey East championship, lost to Colorado College in NCAA tournament first round.
What happened: Boston College started the season (once again) as the team to beat last year. The team sat in first place in the national rankings for most of the season and looked destined for another national championship – in our WRBB bracket pool, BC was heavily favored to win it all. Yet despite an 8-game winning streak leading into the NCAA tournament, they were stunned by Colorado College in a largely empty Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Were they too complacent? Untested when their backs were against the wall? Perhaps. But sometimes the NCAA tournament is full of crazy upsets, and for the way BC played throughout the season, they likely deserved better – stellar offense helped carry them through the year, despite a defense that was at times inconsistent (it allowed 4+ goals on 10 occasions).
Key losses:
- John Muse (G): A two-time national champion, and one of the best goalies we’ve seen in the NCAA tournament (a record of 8-1). Despite not being the most skilled goalie, he stepped up when it mattered and deserves a hefty share of the credit in BC’s two national title runs in the last four years. In addition to the national championships, he backstopped the Eagles to three Hockey East championships, three Beanpot championships, and two first-place regular season finishes. That’s quite a glittering resume.
- Brian Gibbons (F): One of the most consistent forwards in the league, Gibbons departs BC with 164 career points, but more importantly, 108 career assists. He was crucial in setting up BC’s talented, athletic forwards and was tied for second in the nation in short-handed goals (4)
- Cam Atkinson, Jimmy Hayes (F): Both left to sign professional contracts over the off-season, and can you blame them? They had both achieved all there is to achieve at the college hockey level, and both were always threats to score on the ice, from any angle. Atkinson in particular will be tough to replace: 68 goals in three seasons, including a staggering 31 last season. Atkinson finished tied for 10th in the nation in points per game (1.33, with UNH’s Paul Thompson), second in the nation in goals scored (31). Hayes, meanwhile, had a nose for big games, scoring the Beanpot game winner over Northeastern, one of five game-winning goals on the year. Their departures mean that four of BC’s top 5 scorers from last season will have left.
- Philip Samuelsson (D): Perhaps one of the most criticized early departures of the off-season, Samuelsson leaves after a sophomore year in which he became a key part of BC’s defense, but many believe still could have spent another year in college hockey to develop.
Key returners:
- Brian Dumoulin (D): One of the best defenseman in all of Hockey East, he was named to the all-conference first team, and scored more points than any defenseman in the league last year. Dumoulin rejoins a BC defensive corps that is highly talented (with names like Tommy Cross, Patrick Wey, and Edwin Shea) and largely intact from last season. And in all of this, Brian is still only a junior. Look for him to again be one of the top-performing defenseman in the league, if not the country.
- Chris Kreider (F): The New York Rangers had at one point wanted Kreider to leave the team, but Kreider wanted to stay, and his decision may pay dividends – he’s one of the most exciting players to watch in the conference, and coming back for his junior season may be what Boston College needs after its offensive firepower was somewhat depleted during the offseason. After a terrifying injury late in the season last year, Kreider should be back to full health.
- Patrick Wey (D): With a new goaltender at Boston College, the defense will have to play tighter, and perhaps no BC defenseman will be more counted on to do the job than Wey. Wey wasn’t the type to join the fray on offense, but was as solid a defenseman as anyone in the league.
2011-2012 Outlook: Boston College lost a lot of offense to graduation and early departures, but as we often say, they don’t rebuild – they reload. Expect plenty of freshmen to get chances to contribute – Jerry York is confident in his recruits, and has no problem putting them into pressure situations. At the same time, the most important area of the team – goaltender – has quite a bit of uncertainty. Parker Milner saw very limited time the last two years, and Chris Venti has barely seen game time. The defense will become more of a focal point for BC, much as they will try to retain their reputation for a run-and-gun offense. There may be some surprise results in the first half of the year, but counting BC out of a home ice spot would be foolish. They’ll be contenders, just as ever.
–Alex Faust
WRBB Sports Fall Sports, Hockey BC, Fall Preview, Hockey East