Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

[Federal League]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I'm going to have to disagree. Every year around February we see BC suddenly a) make a few slight adjustments to the breakout and to the power play and b) find line combinations that they stick with and ride for the rest of the year. I've got to think at this point that York spends most of the year sort of scheming (I'd love to read that notebook of his), then makes the proper adjustments for the most important games.

I'm sure they're not "holding back" in the sense of not giving 100% effort on the ice, but every year BC's game plan isn't quite where it needs to be until the end of the year.

I think the same can be said about every team, though. Everyone makes adjustments as the year goes along, with the hope that by February and March, their plan is finalized and successful. York's just better at making those adjustments than most. BU, North Dakota, Michigan... they're all notorious for getting better as the season goes along, too. It's not so much that BC or those other teams do anything different than anyone else- they're just better at it.

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I'm going to have to disagree. Every year around February we see BC suddenly a) make a few slight adjustments to the breakout and to the power play and b) find line combinations that they stick with and ride for the rest of the year. I've got to think at this point that York spends most of the year sort of scheming (I'd love to read that notebook of his), then makes the proper adjustments for the most important games.

I'm sure they're not "holding back" in the sense of not giving 100% effort on the ice, but every year BC's game plan isn't quite where it needs to be until the end of the year.

All of this is evidenced by the "ladder" schedule they have in the locker room.

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I think the same can be said about every team, though. Everyone makes adjustments as the year goes along, with the hope that by February and March, their plan is finalized and successful. York's just better at making those adjustments than most. BU, North Dakota, Michigan... they're all notorious for getting better as the season goes along, too. It's not so much that BC or those other teams do anything different than anyone else- they're just better at it.

This was an excellent post.

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I do think Maine will end the year as Hockey East's 2nd best team, but I think we saw this weekend the gap between BC and everyone else in the league when they put it all together.

Don't agree at all.

With all the freshmen at BU, they are a better team than Maine already and will only be that much better come March. UNH is also looking pretty good. BC, BU, UNH all have a better goaltending situation as well. I'm not totally convinced Maine is any better than the 4th best team. As such, I think it's unfair to say this weekend showed the gap between BC and everyone else. Just not fair to UNH and BU to say that right now (the gap is still there, it's just nothing we learned this weekend). Take out their wins vs. North Dakota, which may not be fair, but still, and here are their other wins.

UML 2-8-2
UVM 1-4-3
NU 2-7-3
NU 2-7-3

Their losses were to a mediocre MSU (4-5-3) and BC (8-4-0) x 2.

Of their 3 ties, 1 was a good tie (BU) and 2 were not good (MSU, and freaking Uconn).

At best, they've played 5 games against what I would consider to be good teams and they are 2-2-1. If you were to add mediocre MSU to that list and say they played 7 good or ok teams, you've got 2-3-2. So this weekend Maine basically blew what they gained in the North Dakota series and those wash and you're left with the rest, which is nothing to get too excited about. If Maine is better, they'll need to show me for me to conclude that they are indeed better.

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I think you're a very good poster, but you're delusional if you think anyone in HE is holding anything back at this point in the season. Everyone understands the importance of every game, and no one, even BC, is going to take for granted that they'll make the NCAAs and can therefore afford to hold something back.

Um.... have you been watching BC for the last say... 15 years or so?

[walrus]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Don't agree at all.

With all the freshmen at BU, they are a better team than Maine already and will only be that much better come March. UNH is also looking pretty good. BC, BU, UNH all have a better goaltending situation as well. I'm not totally convinced Maine is any better than the 4th best team. As such, I think it's unfair to say this weekend showed the gap between BC and everyone else. Just not fair to UNH and BU to say that right now (the gap is still there, it's just nothing we learned this weekend). Take out their wins vs. North Dakota, which may not be fair, but still, and here are their other wins.

UML 2-8-2
UVM 1-4-3
NU 2-7-3
NU 2-7-3

Their losses were to a mediocre MSU (4-5-3) and BC (8-4-0) x 2.

Of their 3 ties, 1 was a good tie (BU) and 2 were not good (MSU, and freaking Uconn).

At best, they've played 5 games against what I would consider to be good teams and they are 2-2-1. If you were to add mediocre MSU to that list and say they played 7 good or ok teams, you've got 2-3-2. So this weekend Maine basically blew what they gained in the North Dakota series and those wash and you're left with the rest, which is nothing to get too excited about. If Maine is better, they'll need to show me for me to conclude that they are indeed better.

Maine will be as good as their D and goaltending gets. I think most Maine fans knew this coming in. Maine has no guys with any kind of big game experience so its a crap shoot at best as to whether these guys can compete with the big boys or not. BC has a tradition of winning(maine used to), its a big deal

[Federal League]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Um.... have you been watching BC for the last say... 15 years or so?

Did you watch BC hockey in 2008-09? That's what happens when you do take it for granted.

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Did you watch BC hockey in 2008-09? That's what happens when you do take it for granted.

Are you kidding me? They didn't take it for granted, they just stunk and had a banged up John Muse.

You're going to use 08-09 to disprove what Jerry York does every year? Tell me you're joking.

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Gotta agree with Carmine here. Even with the early departure of Gerbe, I think if Muse was 100% (which he wasn't close to) in 08-09, BC wins a few more games and makes the NCAA's. From there, who knows what happens...

[Federal League]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Are you kidding me? They didn't take it for granted, they just stunk and had a banged up John Muse.

You're going to use 08-09 to disprove what Jerry York does every year? Tell me you're joking.

Did you read my post at the top of the page? Never once have I tried to discredit anything York has done. I have all the respect in the world for York and BC, and I think most people here realize that.

As for 08-09, York referenced a championship hangover both during and after the season. What exactly do you think a championship hangover is? Having witnessed BU's first-hand last year, I think it involves an awful lot of taking things for granted.

[joegrav]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Gotta agree with Carmine here. Even with the early departure of Gerbe, I think if Muse was 100% (which he wasn't close to) in 08-09, BC wins a few more games and makes the NCAA's. From there, who knows what happens...

The '08-'09 team did have some issues with championship hangover/taking things lightly. However by the end of the year even that team came on strong. They went up to UNH and mauled them in HE QF's (granted, it's UNH in the postseason...) and came within one horrible minute of upsetting #1 BU and probably squeezing into NCAAs - with an injured Muse.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the reason why BC does so much better at the end of the year. I DO think York knows what adjustments need to be made earlier than he makes them, but he kind of lets the players figure it out for themselves early in the year. Just my opinion as a BC observer, obviously I have no inside information.

To me, there's a difference between maybe players taking things for granted (BC '09, BU '10) and the coaching staff holding off on optimal gameplan adjustments until the end of the year.

I'm not quite smart enough to articulate what the exact tweaks are to the breakout and power play that seem to always happen at the end of the year - maybe someone like Carmine would better be able to explain what I'm talking about.

[joegrav]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Don't agree at all.

With all the freshmen at BU, they are a better team than Maine already and will only be that much better come March. UNH is also looking pretty good. BC, BU, UNH all have a better goaltending situation as well. I'm not totally convinced Maine is any better than the 4th best team. As such, I think it's unfair to say this weekend showed the gap between BC and everyone else. Just not fair to UNH and BU to say that right now (the gap is still there, it's just nothing we learned this weekend). Take out their wins vs. North Dakota, which may not be fair, but still, and here are their other wins.

UML 2-8-2
UVM 1-4-3
NU 2-7-3
NU 2-7-3

Their losses were to a mediocre MSU (4-5-3) and BC (8-4-0) x 2.

Of their 3 ties, 1 was a good tie (BU) and 2 were not good (MSU, and freaking Uconn).

At best, they've played 5 games against what I would consider to be good teams and they are 2-2-1. If you were to add mediocre MSU to that list and say they played 7 good or ok teams, you've got 2-3-2. So this weekend Maine basically blew what they gained in the North Dakota series and those wash and you're left with the rest, which is nothing to get too excited about. If Maine is better, they'll need to show me for me to conclude that they are indeed better.

Fair enough. I think Maine's forwards are the 2nd best in the league but I see your point. I'm not a believer in BU yet, I supposed I could be looking through partisan blinkers but I don't think freshmen will be able to carry them to major hardware this year. I feel like their record is mostly smoke and mirrors right now.

UNH will be good in the regular season like they always are, but looking at their roster, I don't know, I just don't see them being a truly strong contender at the end of the year. That's why I like Maine as the #2 most likely HE team to make the FF, despite their iffy goaltending situation.

[J.D.]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

I think the same can be said about every team, though. Everyone makes adjustments as the year goes along, with the hope that by February and March, their plan is finalized and successful. York's just better at making those adjustments than most. BU, North Dakota, Michigan... they're all notorious for getting better as the season goes along, too. It's not so much that BC or those other teams do anything different than anyone else- they're just better at it.

I know BU was great two years ago--pretty much from start to finish, but since when do they have a reputation for getting better as the season goes along? Really, the two that stand out have been BC under York and UND under Hakstol.

With all the freshmen at BU, they are a better team than Maine already and will only be that much better come March.

I don't think BU is already better than Maine right now. In the one head-to-head meeting, they tied at BU and BU needed a late EAG. That game seemed to be pretty even. The only edge I think BU has--and it's a big one--is in goal. They had that same goaltender edge in the HE semifinals last year. Guess we won't really know until the two game series up in Orono.

I still think BC is the best team in the league, but now with DiGiorolamo breaking out, I put UNH #2, followed by Maine and then BU/Merrimack.

[sterlippo1]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

Did you watch BC hockey in 2008-09? That's what happens when you do take it for granted.

no, they just weren't very good, we loved kyle kucharski but when he's one of your best players................

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Boston College 2010-2011 In-Season Thread: Long Live The "Eagle" Empire!

No disrespect to Tommy Atkinson, but am curious as to why he's seeing all the ice time over Brooks Dryoff. I realize Atkinson has a bit more experience, but Dryoff looks to have been a much more productive prep player (2nd leading scorer at Andover) and has much better size, whereas Atkinson looks to have been more of a role player. I trust that Jerry knows what he's doing, but still a bit perplexing. Either way, I don't think I trust our current 4th line as much as I did last years.