College Hockey Update:  Last weekend presented three top fifteen matchups, and Boston College continued on it’s roll of late, topping Boston University in OT to take the 64th Beanpot Championship by a 1-0 margin. Watching this one from the Philosophers Club, with my buddy Barney in tow for the third period and OT, I was treated to two completely different games within a game.  In the first it was all BC as they fired twelve of the first thirteen shots.  BU goalie Sean Maguire was up to the task, and play evened out a bit, as the first ended 0-0, but BC outshot BU 23 to 12.  The pace of the two teams was very different; on two power plays, BC was less inclined towards stick handling, cycling players through the zone, and passing regularly, where on it’s opportunity, BU players were handling the puck, trying to break in on their own, and passing to each other in pretty much fixed positions.  In the second, things changed quite a bit. The defensive play became even more stringent by both teams.  It seemed as though anyone with a puck had an opposing player right in front of them in every instance, limiting the opportunity for shots; the second ended 0-0, and BC outshot BU 9-8.

The third was very much the same as the second, except that most all of the action was in the BC zone.  BU seemed to control a lot of the action, but solid defense limited BU to only nine shots, compared to BC’s six in the third, and the game ended in regulation 0-0 for the first time ever in the 64 years of the Beanpot (first ever scoreless, not the first into OT). In OT the pace changed and BC was up and down the ice, as was BU.  The puck was in the BU zone, and pressure by BC’s Alex Tuch made it difficult for BU to get any break going when they grabbed the puck and fed it out.  As they did, a BC player managed a light check on the Terrier pursuing the puck, and BC’s Santini got the puck away and had very little pressure on him.  He found his teammate Sanford in the neutral zone, which happened as the BU players were moving down ice and were at about the blue line.  Sanford then fed it to Alex Tuch in the BU zone.  Tuch actually faced two BU players, with one in front of him, following him as he skated to the right, across the zone into the slot.  The other was further back in the zone, closer to the net, skating across in the other direction.

As the two defenders drew close to each other, Tuch was completely screened out of sight of BU goalie Maguire.  The timing on this shot was incredible.  As Tuch slowed, opening up a gap between him and his closer defender, he fired the puck when the further BU player was still in front of him.  The second defender  did not stop between Tuch and the goal, but overskated the defensive position, and as he did, the puck came blistering out from between the two BU players and high into the left corner of the net, almost completely unseen by Maguire, to give BC the win, 1-0, two minutes into OT.  In the awards ceremony after the game, Maguire was given the Eberly Award, given to the goalie with the highest saves percentage who played both games.  In addition, and surprisingly, he was also awarded the award for the Tournament MVP. Not too sure why this didn’t go to either Alex Tuch, or (goalie) Thatcher Demo of BC.  Could this be a little BU goalie sympathy hanging over from Matt “Let’s Toss One In For Providence” O’Connor’s NCAA Championship game performance last April, mixed in with the blind, out-of-nowhere goal that gave BC the win last night?  Well, if it is, BU doesn’t need the sympathy. they just need to come through and win.  BC entered the game having edged up to #3 in the poll that came out before the game yesterday, having beat Harvard in the Beanpot last week, and having beat New Hampshire on Friday.  BU entered the game having moved up two spots to #7 in yesterday’s poll, having beaten Northeastern in the Beanpot last week, and having beat UMass-Amherst Friday, but largely after losses caused descents in the poll by both Harvard and UMass-Lowell.

In other top-fifteen action last weekend, Quinnipiac managed a tie against Cornell Friday night, and Quinnipiac held at #1 (having also beat Colgate the next night); Cornell moved up two spots to #15 (having also beat Princeton the next night). Harvard lost to Yale Saturday night, and Harvard dropped two slots to #9 (having also lost to BC in the Beanpost last week, and having beat Brown on Friday night); Yale edged up to #10 (having beat Dartmouth Friday night).

Elsewhere, St. Cloud State split with Miami of Ohio, and edged down to #4; Providence swept Maine, and edged up to #5, and Michigan split with Michigan State, and edged down to #6. Notre Dame swept Vermont and moved up two slots to #8; UMass-Lowell managed a tie with Northeastern, and then lost to New Hampshire, dropping Lowell down three pegs to #11; and Michigan Tech swept Lake Superior State, and edged up to #14.  An idle North Dakota held at #2, an idle Nebraska-Omaha held at #12, and an idle Denver held at #13.

Last weekend Providence College had huge help from its senior forward Nick Saracino, of St. Louis, MO., who scored the game winning OT goal his team’s 1-0 win Friday night, and added an assist in his team’s 4-2 win Saturday night, both against Maine.  The 5’11” 185lb. forward is tied for fourth on his team with nine goals, and is third in assists, with fifteen.  He has been a solid four-year contributor for the Friars, as he scored 14 goals and had 24 assists last year, he scored 10 goals and had 18 assists his sophomore year, and he scored 11 goals and had 7 assists as a freshman.  Prior to Providence he played two seasons for the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the USHL, scoring a total of 20 goals and tallying 53 assists in 99 games during those seasons.  Providence College is 19-5-4, is ranked #5, and plays a home-and-home series with Connecticut this weekend.

This weekend presents three top-fifteen matchups, as #2 North Dakota travels to play two at #13 Denver, #7 Boston University plays a home-and-home series with #11 UMass-Lowell, and #10 Yale travels to play one game at #15 Cornell Saturday night.

This provides the top fifteen teams, rankings, records, and last weekend’s results:

[table id=125 /]

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom