BC - UMass Quarters
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 9:09 pmBC, the number two seed in HE faces off against the number seven seed UMass. BC swept the season series 3-0 by an aggregate of 12-3, however the most recent game it took OT before Chris Kreider scored as time wound down. In that game, UMass was able to take BC out of their game by slowing the pace, BC was outshot and did not draw a single penalty (something unheard of given the speed of BC's forwards). Modeling the game plan that UML was able to prefect against BC in the middle of February. Given some of the possibilities this is one of the teams that I felt BC matched up most favorably with (them and Mack).
For UMass, they got off to a torrid start at 9-2-0 before Thanksgiving, however since Thanksgiving they have really tailed off 7-14-0 (including a 4 game winning streak), before sweeping a goalie-less Maine in Orono. They currently rank 8th in HE in scoring at 2.88 goals per game and 6th in goals allowed per game at 3.12. One stat that is alarming for them and could be a major issue for the Minutemen, they rank last in HE in PK % at 77.5%, allowing roughly 1 PP goal per game, while BC is #1 in HE at 86.1%. For UMass to have a chance to advance to the Garden this year their hopes are going to rest on junior goaltender Paul Dainton. While mediocre numbers wise, 8th in GAA (2.93) & save % (.906), which one will show up for the Minutemen? Will it be the goalie who allowed 4 goals on 12 shots in 1 period and was yanked in a 7-1 loss, or will it be the goalie who saved 31 out of 33 and deserved a better fate in a 2-1 OT loss? For UMass to have a chance, it will need to be the latter. UMass has two forwards that carry the bulk of their scoring in junior James Marcou (10-36-46) and sophomore Casey Wellman (20-21-41). Marcou ranks #2 in assists and #7 in points nationally and was considered a Hobey Baker contender around Christmas but has really faded, coinciding with his teams' fall. UMass does not boast a deep scoring attack as only 5 players have more than 17 points, compared to BC with 9.
For BC, as per usual with a Jerry York team they are peaking at the right time, 9-2-1 after a disappointing weekend in late January. Long separated from the logjam inside HE, the only question facing the Eagles as the regular season wound down was whether it would be the #1 or #2 in HE. After a disappointing tie in Durham, NH where BC blew a 3 goal lead on the big sheet for the second time this year, the Eagles had to settle for #2. While BC has assured itself a spot in the NCAA tourney, they are playing for a #1 seed and to stay close to home, currently #4 in the PWR they are currently in position to do so (for those PWR nerds out there root for Maine & Mack). While BC is always known for a high octane offense the surprise, as a unit, this year has to be the play on teh blue line. They finished the year #1 in goals against by more than 10 goals in 27 games, a question mark with 3 freshman, 2 sophomores, & 1 senior comprising the core to start the year, it has been a very pleasant surprise. This is core is lead by freshman Brian Dumoulin who leads HE in +/- and is a great first pass defenseman, he registered his first goal in the last game of the year at the end of the 2nd period. Offensively, BC is led by a big three of Brian Gibbons (15-27-42), Cam Atkinson (21-20-41) & Joe Whitney (13-18-31) who have gelled after being put together as a line to start 2010. The huge question surrounding BC this playoffs is who will be in between the pipes for the stretch run? Here are the stats for the two goalies:
Muse: 12-8-2, 2.40 GAA, .910
Milner: 9-2-1, 2.10 GAA, .914
Personally I do think Muse will start game 1 and we'll go from there. Something that cannot be overstated is the BC senior's record in HE & NCAA play is: 17-2, including 10-1 in HE play.
I expect BC to sweep this series as UMass doesn't have the firepower to keep up with BC.
Here is York's conference call from this week: http://hockeyeastonline.com/media/audio/3-9-10confcall/york.mp3
Some highlights:
1) Shea will be benched for freshman Patch Alber
2) Talked of the emergence of Dumoulin
3) No comment on who will be in net this weekend
4) Had a nice comment about Craig Janney not knowing the national picture on Friday night in regards to pulling the goalie. As a note if UNH had scored into the empty net we would have fallen from #5 to #11 in the PWR.
For UMass, they got off to a torrid start at 9-2-0 before Thanksgiving, however since Thanksgiving they have really tailed off 7-14-0 (including a 4 game winning streak), before sweeping a goalie-less Maine in Orono. They currently rank 8th in HE in scoring at 2.88 goals per game and 6th in goals allowed per game at 3.12. One stat that is alarming for them and could be a major issue for the Minutemen, they rank last in HE in PK % at 77.5%, allowing roughly 1 PP goal per game, while BC is #1 in HE at 86.1%. For UMass to have a chance to advance to the Garden this year their hopes are going to rest on junior goaltender Paul Dainton. While mediocre numbers wise, 8th in GAA (2.93) & save % (.906), which one will show up for the Minutemen? Will it be the goalie who allowed 4 goals on 12 shots in 1 period and was yanked in a 7-1 loss, or will it be the goalie who saved 31 out of 33 and deserved a better fate in a 2-1 OT loss? For UMass to have a chance, it will need to be the latter. UMass has two forwards that carry the bulk of their scoring in junior James Marcou (10-36-46) and sophomore Casey Wellman (20-21-41). Marcou ranks #2 in assists and #7 in points nationally and was considered a Hobey Baker contender around Christmas but has really faded, coinciding with his teams' fall. UMass does not boast a deep scoring attack as only 5 players have more than 17 points, compared to BC with 9.
For BC, as per usual with a Jerry York team they are peaking at the right time, 9-2-1 after a disappointing weekend in late January. Long separated from the logjam inside HE, the only question facing the Eagles as the regular season wound down was whether it would be the #1 or #2 in HE. After a disappointing tie in Durham, NH where BC blew a 3 goal lead on the big sheet for the second time this year, the Eagles had to settle for #2. While BC has assured itself a spot in the NCAA tourney, they are playing for a #1 seed and to stay close to home, currently #4 in the PWR they are currently in position to do so (for those PWR nerds out there root for Maine & Mack). While BC is always known for a high octane offense the surprise, as a unit, this year has to be the play on teh blue line. They finished the year #1 in goals against by more than 10 goals in 27 games, a question mark with 3 freshman, 2 sophomores, & 1 senior comprising the core to start the year, it has been a very pleasant surprise. This is core is lead by freshman Brian Dumoulin who leads HE in +/- and is a great first pass defenseman, he registered his first goal in the last game of the year at the end of the 2nd period. Offensively, BC is led by a big three of Brian Gibbons (15-27-42), Cam Atkinson (21-20-41) & Joe Whitney (13-18-31) who have gelled after being put together as a line to start 2010. The huge question surrounding BC this playoffs is who will be in between the pipes for the stretch run? Here are the stats for the two goalies:
Muse: 12-8-2, 2.40 GAA, .910
Milner: 9-2-1, 2.10 GAA, .914
Personally I do think Muse will start game 1 and we'll go from there. Something that cannot be overstated is the BC senior's record in HE & NCAA play is: 17-2, including 10-1 in HE play.
I expect BC to sweep this series as UMass doesn't have the firepower to keep up with BC.
Here is York's conference call from this week: http://hockeyeastonline.com/media/audio/3-9-10confcall/york.mp3
Some highlights:
1) Shea will be benched for freshman Patch Alber
2) Talked of the emergence of Dumoulin
3) No comment on who will be in net this weekend
4) Had a nice comment about Craig Janney not knowing the national picture on Friday night in regards to pulling the goalie. As a note if UNH had scored into the empty net we would have fallen from #5 to #11 in the PWR.
