Eagle Links 9/8

Sorry for the minor impasse in posting, I was busy enjoying the rest of my labor day weekend after the huge win on Saturday. Back in the full swing of classes and such (and it sucks but you just gotta push through). But there were some good things being said about BC and its potential (because that's all we can comment on after playing an opponent like Northeastern.

Unlike some people, Scout.com actually has a going to a bowl (albeit the EagleBank bowl in DC) vs. Army in their Week 1 bowl projections. Hey, one step at a time.

Kent State's QB is very confident about beating BC next week. He is also very ignorant about the defense at the Heights, remember its not about who you lose, its about who you bring in to replace those losses. Good to see the Kent State coach showing some respect though.

Blaudshun thinks BC might actually be a contender again? Really, I could of swore this was the guy who thought BC wouldn't win a game and should move back to the ACC. Maybe he is being forced to change his tone?

HD also had some nice things to say about BC for a change. We all love to hate on her a lot but she is finally showing some respect to what happens here at BC.

Both QBs will be playing against Kent State and possibly after that. Spaz sticks with the old motto of "If it ain't broke." Hey, I can't decide who was the better QB after last week either.

Some BC fans on USCHO.com fan forums pieced together the BC hockey schedule in its entirety. It may not be perfect but its better than nothing. (Thanks to J.D. whoever you are).

Date Opponent Time Note
Sun 10/04/2009 St. Francis Xavier (ex)
Fri 10/09/2009 US Under-18 Team (ex) 7:00 ET
Sat 10/17/2009 @ Vermont 7:05 ET
Fri 10/23/2009 @ Notre Dame (nc) 7:35 ET
Fri 10/30/2009 Merrimack 7:00 ET
Sun 11/01/2009 @ Merrimack 4:00 ET
Fri 11/06/2009 @ New Hampshire 7:00 ET
Sat 11/07/2009 Northeastern 7:00 ET
Sat 11/14/2009 Vermont 7:00 ET
Sun 11/15/2009 Vermont 4:00 ET
Fri 11/20/2009 @ Maine 7:00 ET
Sat 11/21/2009 @ Maine 7:00 ET
Fri 11/27/2009 Clarkson (nc) 4:00 ET
Tue 12/01/2009 Merrimack 7:00 ET
Sat 12/05/2009 @ Boston University 7:00 ET
Wed 12/09/2009 @ Harvard (nc) 7:00 ET
Sat 12/12/2009 @ Providence 7:00 ET
Fri 01/01/2010 vs St. Lawrence (nc) 4:35 MT (1)
Sat 01/02/2010 @ Denver (nc) 7:05 MT (1)
Fri 01/08/2010 vs. Boston University 7:30 ET (2)
Sun 01/10/2010 Providence
Fri 01/15/2010 Maine 7:00 ET
Fri 01/22/2010 Boston University 7:30 ET
Sat 01/23/2010 @ Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Fri 01/29/2010 Providence 7:00 ET
Mon 02/01/2010 vs Harvard (nc) 5:00 ET (3)
Fri 02/05/2010 @ Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Mon 02/08/2010 vs Northeastern/BU (nc) 5:00/8:00 ET (3)
Fri 02/12/2010 @ Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Sat 02/13/2010 Mass.-Lowell 7:00 ET
Fri 02/19/2009 @ Northeastern 7:00 ET
Sat 02/20/2009 Northeastern 7:00 ET
Fri 02/26/2010 Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Sat 02/27/2010 @ Massachusetts 7:00 ET
Fri 03/05/2010 @ New Hampshire 7:00 ET
Sat 03/06/2010 New Hampshire 7:00 ET

(1) - Denver Cup (Denver, CO)
(2) - Fenway
(3) - Beanpot (Boston, MA)

One last thing. I have been invited to blog over at Raycom Sports.com as they are adding a blog nation there this year. You guys should all check it out as it will be me and a few other BC bloggers so it should be great. Here is the link: http://bostoncollege.raycomsports.com/blog/

Eagle Links: 5/27

There is a nice little article in the Globe this morning about BC and their trip to the NCAA tournament.

The boys at BCInteruption had a nice Q&A session yesterday with the people at the College Baseball Blog about BC and their NCAA run.

Mickey Wiswall has been spectacular all season and the Herald is giving him some nice print time this morning. Good to see the Eagles are getting some nice publication in both papers after all getting to the NCAAs is a huge accomplishment.

BCI made a good point on Twitter. In the NCAA Lacrosse championship, when the attendance is down it is the economy. But when it comes to football and the ACC championship game, its the matchup and the BC fans.

Tony Sanchez gets a lot of love nowadays and it is a great thing for BC and their baseball program. The College Baseball Blog have him as one of the top 50 players in college baseball.

BC Hockey has got the insurance goalie that they were looking for incase Muse can't get back from his hip surgery before the season starts. The Eagles have added goalie Parker Milner from Waterloo and forward Brooks Dryoff from Phillips Andover.

I'll be back later with a Q&A with Rivals associate for the ACC baseball tournament, Travis Everette.

Memorial Day Eagle Links: 5/25

This afternoon the Eagles awaited word from the NCAA about whether or not they had made the 2009 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Well at about 12:36 they found out the good news that they were in the tournament but they also found out the bad news that they were in the #1 overall seed in the tournament, Texas' bracket. The Eagles finally made it back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1967, but they are going to need some stellar pitching from Pat Dean, JB MacDonald, Mike Dennhardt and John Leonard if they want to do anything in this regional. The Eagles will play the Texas State Bobcats (41-15) from the Southland conference on Friday at 2 PM EST.

Here is what the Bracket looks like:
#1 Texas (40-13-1)
vs.
#4 Army (34-19)

#2 Texas State (41-15)
vs.
#3 Boston College (33-24)

The bracket is a double elimination which gives the Eagles some flexibility but I feel if they want to have any chance they are going to need to win the first game against the big bats of Texas State on Friday. I will have my preview of that game up by Thursday night!

Ivan Maisel has gone crazy on us, he believes BC should have a football game against Auburn at Fenway Park. I think having a game at Fenway may be huge for BC as they definitely need to do something to boost casual fan interest here in Boston and I think a game at Fenway may just do that. What I'm not sure of is playing Auburn. 1. I don't think they would want to play us and 2. I'm just not sure an Auburn/BC matchup would be that interesting for the casual fan.

A little old but The College Hockey News believes the Boston is a shoe in to host either the 2013 or 2014 Men's Frozen Fours. They believe the TD Banknorth Garden could "submit a bid written in crayon comprised of nothing but “we want to host the Frozen Four” and they’d probably still be the favorites for 2013." Well let me send a box of crayons to the TD Banknorth Garden, I want the Frozen Four back in Boston!

There have been rumors from Pittsburgh that a BC wide receiver is going to transfer to Pittsburgh (thanks to Eagle All Access for the link). They have stated that it may be Colin Larmond trasfering to Pitt but Mike Farrell from Rivals.com shot down the rumors quickly by saying,

I've been hearing rumors that Larmond is the rumored transfer to Pitt and, first off, I don't think there's a transfer to Pitt unless it's Hayden-Martin and it's not Larmond according to numerous sources.

Just wanted to end these Larmond rumors before they gain momentum.

Mike Farrell

Alright, off to do some scouting and searching for video on the Texas State Bobcats baseball team!

Hockey East Semifinals: Live Blog

#6 Seed Boston College vs. #1 Seed Boston University

Introductions have begun.

National Anthem just finished being sung. Puck is about to drop.

BC 0, BU 0 - Game on

BC 0, BU 0 - Yip hitting from behind. 5 minute Power Play for BC.

BC 0, BU 0 - Power play was awful. BU kills it off.

BC 0 , BU 0 - BU PP, Ferriero for hitting from behind.

BC 0, BU 0 - BC kills off the Power play.

BC 0, BU 0 - BU PP, Orpik for interference.

BC 0, BU 0 - BC kills off the penalty. 5:00 minutes left in the 1st period.

BC 0, BU 0 - John Muse is playing awesome so far. 2:48 left.

BC 0, BU 0 - End of the 1st. Good first period up and down action with a lot of penalties. Shots BU 9, BC 7.

Keys to the second period:
1. Stay out of the Box:C took to many penatlies that period. BU has a great PP and BC can't keep giving them opportunities.
2. John Muse: Keep it up. Playing very good again.
3. Scoring the First Goal: Score the first goal and put the pressure on BC but even if BU scores first, they got to keep their poise and not panic.

BC 0, BU 0 - Flurry of action to start. Shots for both teams.

BC 0, BU 0 - No whistles until the 15 minute mark. Fun period thus far.

BC 0 , BU 0 - BU Power Play on a questionable interference on Orpik.

BC 0, BU 0 - BC kills it off with some great blocked shots. No shots on Goal for BU.

BC 0, BU 0 - Another AWFUL call. BU PP. 4th in a row. This is getting out of hand.

BC 0, BU 0 - Another nice kill. Muse is playing great. Bad icing though so they can't change the dead tired PKers.

BC 0, BU 0 - Up and down action. Still waiting for the first goal. 5:31 left in the 2nd.

BC 1, BU 0 - Smith bats in a rebound out of mid around. Called a goal on the ice and is currently under review.

BC 1, BU 0 - It Stands. Ben Smith from Brian Gibbins at 17:50 of the 2nd.

BC 1, BU 0 - BC finally gets a power play. With 1:30 left in the 2nd.

BC 1, BU 0 - End of second. Another great period by Muse but it was huge to get the goal.

Keys to the third period:
1. John Muse - has gotta keep doing what he is doing. He is playing real good.
2. Score - If we score again BC will put all the pressure on BU. (Plus you can't win if you don't score more than the other team)
3. Stay out of the box - Like I said after the first. BU is unreal on the PP and if we keep giving them PP opportunities they are going to score.

BC 1, BU 0 - Puck is about to drop in the 3rd. Lets go Eagles.

BC 1, BU 0 - BC PP. Shattenkirk rough.

BC 1, BU 0 - BU kills it. 16:34 left.

BC 1, BU 0 - Another BU penalty followed by the patented whining by Jack Parker.

BC 1, BU 0 - BU kills it.

BC 1, BU 0 - BC penalty. Interference.

BC 1, BU 0 - BC kills it. 10 minutes left.

BC 1, BU 1 - Damn. 1-1.

BU 2, BC 1 - Wow.

BU 3, BC 1 - John Muse decides to stop playing. 3 goals in 45 seconds on 3 shots.

BU 3, BC 2 - Gibbons cut the lead in half. BC looks desperate but I'm not sure it is going to be enough.

BU 3, BC 2 - Muse is pulled. One last chance.

BU 3, BC 2 - 6 seconds left, faceoff to the left of Millan.

BU 3, BC 2 - Just short. Tough, tough day.

Good night folks, really really tough night. I'll try my best to recap it tomorrow.

Huge Day in BC Sports

I am not sure if I can emphasize this enough, but I'll try: TODAY IS A HUGE DAY IN BC SPORTS. We have NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament action and we have Hockey East Semifinal action. I am going to preview both games for you.

I'll start with the Basketball Game first:
#7 Boston College (22-11) vs. #10 Southern California (21-12) - 7:20 PM EST.
Boston College has had 6 days off since they last played vs. Duke in the ACC tournament. BC came oh so close in that game, losing by only 1 with a last second jumper from Rakim Sanders bouncing of the front of the rim. BC is also going to be making the trip back to the NCAA tournament after a year hiatus. They were one of the big surprises on Selection Sunday as well, not because they got in but because they got such a high seed (7 seed). The Eagles must have been exstatic to get out of the 8/9 slot due to who they would play if they are able to get past the first round.

Now onto the game. They are going to be facing one of the hottest teams in the NCAA tournament in Southern Cal. The Trojans caught fire at the end of the year winning 5 in a row, including 3 in a row to win the Pac-10 Tournament. They are considered the best 10 seed in the tournament by some people however they did finish 5th in down Pac-10 this year. USC should not be under estimated because they do have a great team and do play some great defense. But they do struggle mightly on the road, having only won 3 games on the road all season with one of them being against Chatanooga and the other being against lowly Oregon. BC may just have another advantage against them as well. They are going to be playing in the Metrodome in Minneapolis and it is often said that your shot changes in a dome. Therefore, BC playing in the Georgia Dome last week in the ACC tourament will give them a huge advantage against USC who hasn't played in a dome all year.

USC has some very great players which is going to lead to some very great matchups in this game. I am going to give a little preview of a few of those in this game:

DeMar DeRozan (USC) vs. Rakim Sanders (BC)
DeMar DeRozan is one of the premire Freshmen around the country and he is also one of the most athletic players in the nation. Rakim Sanders is also one of the most versitile wings in the nation as he can post up in the paint or drill the open three pointer. This is going to be the most intreging matchup of the game as these two will probably going to be going head to head on both ends of the floor. Rakim Sanders is known to be one of the better and most aggressive defenders in the ACC while DeRozan has been a question mark all year. If Rakim Sanders can hit his shots early and get hot he can definitely get the better of this matchup but if not BC may be in trouble because DeRozan is very good on the offensive end.

Marcus Simmons (USC) vs. Tyrese Rice (BC)
Marcus Simmons is known to be USC's lockdown defender. He was able to shut down UCLA's best guard Darren Collison in the Pac-10 and has really come on in the second half of the year. While Tyrese Rice is considered one of the best Points Gaurds in the country as he can put up 40 points in any game. Rice has struggle for the past couple weeks as he has only been shooting around 35%. But he seems to always show up in big games and this is probably the biggest game of the year. If Rice can take Simmons off the dribble and get to the rim a lot, I like BC changes but if Simmons is able to force turnovers BC may just be in trouble.

Taj Gibson (USC) vs. Josh Southern (BC)
Taj Gibson is the Pac-10 defensive player of the year and he can block almost everything on the defensive end but he can also put the ball in the basket on the offensive end. Josh Southern has matured over the season and his post game on both ends of the floor has improved greatly. The key to this matchup is foul trouble, if one of the two is able to stay on the floor while the other is in foul trouble then that team will be in trouble. Both of these guys have had trouble stay on the floor all year so if either team wants to win, these two need to stay discipline and stay on the floor.

There you have it...If BC can win two of the three matchups I think they will win. My prediction for the game BC 75 USC 71.

Now onto the other important game of the night....
#6 Seeded Boston College (18-13-5) vs. #1 Seeded Boston University (29-6-4) - Appox. 8:00 PM EST.
The rivalry renews. This time in the Hockey East semifinals. If you looked at the BC hockey team after the third BC/BU game (where BC lost 5-2) you would have thought these teams won't meet in the postseason this year because BC was playing that bad. However, Jerry York has worked his magic again and somehow got BC to win 5 of their last 6 beating Northeastern once, Providence twice and sweeping New Hampshire in the Hockey East Quarterfinals last weekend. This team just seems to love the playoffs and they seem to just know how to win when they need to and they sure need to win this game. BC is playing for their NCAA tournament lives, they are currently in 17th in the PWR rankings (the rankings the NCAA uses to select the field) and can only have any shot at the making the field if they win tonight. BU has a #1 seed all but locked up but they still have something to play for. BC has knocked BU out of the playoffs many a times in the last decade and this is their chance to do the same and you better believe they will be ready to play and I'm sure Coach York will have his boys ready to play as well. There are several things I think BC needs to do in order to win this game and I am going to give them to you along with my prediction for the game.

TOTH's Keys to the Game:
1. John Muse - if BC wants to have any chance, John Muse has to continue to play the way he has been playing in the last few weeks. He shutout UNH last Saturday, a week after recieving the Hockey East defensive player of the week title. He needs to build off of that success in order for BC to win.
2. Defense - I am not going to sugar coat it, the defense has been terrible all year up until the last few weeks as well. They need to play more responsibly defensively, not turn the puck over in the defensive and neutral zones. BU has some great scorers and play makers like Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy so BC needs to be extra careful around them. Petrecki needs to continue to be physical but he also needs to be smart and not get goaded into stupid penalties. If they play well, John Muse plays better as does the rest of the team.
3. Brock Bradford - BC needs to go up early and Brock Bradford is one of the best goal scorers in the country. If Bradford can give BC a lead early it is going to give them a huge confidence booster which could be the key to victory.

My Prediction: I think BC plays extremely well but I think they fall just short because of their weak backend....BU 3 BC 2 in 2OT. (I sure hope I am wrong though)

Here's to a great a great day for BC sports and I sure hope both teams can pull out the victories leading to an even better night!

GO BC!