EagleOutsider.com

Big game to close out the semester.

Michigan has been an up and down team, split vs UNH, stomped UML & lost to BU.

Kudos to Bob at EA with the following update:

There were only 15 skaters, plus three goalies, on the ice for the Wednesday practice as the flu bug has hit The Heights. Fitzgerald, Calnan, Linell, Savage, and Jeke were home in bed. Jerry York predicted they will all be back on the ice by the Michigan game Saturday night.

Steve Santini will not be playing this weekend. Screws come out of his damaged wrist on December 22 and he will be cleared to resume playing at that time. He will report to the World Junior Team USA training camp at BU beginning Monday, but his status for that prestigious tournament is still unknown.

Brian Billett will probably rejoin the team right after Christmas, York said. The senior goaltender has been dealing with personal, off-ice issues.

Will be interesting to see if / who bounces back from the flu. With Santini still out we're already pretty light there.

Good news on Brian, this team is going to be pretty depleted for the WJC

Good. What this team needed was the flu. Hoping they can get a W tomorrow night.

On the other end, we got a commitment from a kid who'll be coming in next year as a 20-year old D man. Had read on the USCHO site that may signal the staff is planning on seeing one of their starters leave next year. I know the thought is Hannifan, but maybe Matheson bolts as is speculated every year?

b0mberMan {l Wrote}:Good. What this team needed was the flu. Hoping they can get a W tomorrow night.

On the other end, we got a commitment from a kid who'll be coming in next year as a 20-year old D man. Had read on the USCHO site that may signal the staff is planning on seeing one of their starters leave next year. I know the thought is Hannifan, but maybe Matheson bolts as is speculated every year?

Yeah thanks for bringing that up.

I think we've all assumed Matheson is leaving this year. The thing that interests me is apparently they aren't done recruiting the blueline. Maybe it's just insurance in case Noah leaves which makes sense considering he's going to be a top 5 pick. Zero inside info but I'm thinking he's sticking around another year. Though I guess it depends who drafts him...

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if we got a 2nd year of Hanifan. It's rare to see a blueliner go up to the NHL so young, even at a top pick. But some of that is going to depend on the club and Hanifan's priorities.

So where has this team been in the first half?

That first period was probably the most impressive of the year. They looked so much faster than they have all season.
Imagine how good Demko would be with good hips? Hard to have a quiet 41 for 42 night but it felt as if it was. Good job commanding the game.
For all the shit Destry has gotten over his first 3 years, he deserves some serious kudos. He's turned into a damn good player. It no longer looks like he ran a marathon before every shift & that move he had in the 2nd period where he looped from the faceoff circle to the center of the ice was a power move he hasn't shown in his first 3 years here.
Some kudos are also due for Quinn Smith. Kid isn't the most talented and will probably never be more than a 3rd liner but he brings it every single night, blocks shots, kills penalties & brings the physical game.

Thought Michigan got away with a lot of cheap shit as well. Thought the refs missed headshots on Gaudreau & Calnan, then at the endd of the game the cross check to the back of Destry's upper back / neck that sent him head first into the boards at the end of the game.

Good way to end hte first half. Get Santini healthy & let's see where this team can go.

Was really Demko's game. I do like some of the new line combos, too. Was Sit hurt for a period in the 2nd? I saw Linnel out there on a few shifts up front, but he was back on the blue line after a while.

Really was a tame atmosphere for the game. I didn't realize that students didn't have tickets for this game. It was really unfortunate based on who I was bracketed by:

1) In front 2 Michigan fans who called BC "classless" anytime there was pushing and shoving. Never mind that Michigan was initiating most of those . At one point I heard one say "they can't even fill their own stadium with a big team like Michigan in town." STFU.

2) Three dudes who were on kid duty that night. They gave their sons (probably 4 to 6) whatever soda and candy they asked for and let them run and scream and kick me in the back all night. They weren't BC fans, and the dads were talking about the "it's not a college sports town" and all that trope. Then of course the most mind-boggling statement of "20 years ago, this place would've been packed for BU-BC." No shit. It was packed 2 months ago for BU-BC.

Anyhow, the refs were god awful. I'm 99% sure that they called icing on Michigan when they were on the PK.

sucks that the students didn't get seats for this game, odd

thought michigan got away with a lot

ex thanks to salzano but launches here no? maybe it's just in the follow through



thought they also got gaudreau with a head shot as well

Kinda hard to tell but it looks like he just blows him up with more or less a hip check and his momentum carries him up in the follow through.