2012-13 Hockey East Thread

[SkinsFan09]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

1. Boston College - Defending NCAA champions and a very good recruiting class (Matheson especially). Also have one of the best talents in the nation in Gaudreau.
2. Boston University - Second most talented team in Hockey East but questions on defense and freshmen goaltenders are up in the air.
3. UMass-Lowell - They could very well finish second. Same coach, same core, still have Doug Carr so I see NCAA's in their future.
4. Providence - They bring in a very good class with Jankowski and Gillies. Key is Schaller staying healthy. Garden is not out of the question.
5. UNH - Less questions at goaltender than Maine and even without Moses, enough firepower to contend for home ice.
6/7. Maine - Maine lost 2/3 of most of their offense and still has subpar goaltending.
6/7. Northeastern - This is my Hockey East darkhorse to be a lesser version of Lowell last year. If the overage freshman hold together on D, this is a team with a senior goaltender and a very good top 6. Kevin Roy is an immediate impact player and I expect a season similar to Scott Wilson last year. If they can avoid the injuries they had down the stretch last season (losing 2/3 of the 3rd line and 2/3 of the 2nd line) they could challenge for home ice. If the D collapses and pressure is on Rawlings, they will fight for 8th with UMASS.
8. Merrimack - The seniors that turned the program around two years ago are gone and more importantly, so is standout Joe Cannata. I expect a big step back but still a playoff team.
9. UMASS - New coach, not too much talent, new system, too much to overcome.
10. Vermont - Would've been nice to get Zemgus because it's going to be a long season. Just hope Brickley is healthy this time around.

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

My quick thoughts based mainly on departures and not knowing a ton about the recruits..

Stock rising: PC, UML, BU - all three returning solid talent and goaltending

Stock neutral: BC (I'd say they're at the top of the mountain), UNH, UMA, NU

Stock falling: MC (Cannata impossible to replace? Scoring?), Maine (No more vaudeville duo of Abbot and Flynn), UVM

-People are bullish on UNH here, I'm curious how they'll replace Moses and whether they can actually get a solid year of goaltending.
-BU - addition by subtraction?

Looking forward to the last year of the 10-team format.

[bottomdweller]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

My quick thoughts based mainly on departures and not knowing a ton about the recruits..

Stock rising: PC, UML, BU - all three returning solid talent and goaltending

Stock neutral: BC (I'd say they're at the top of the mountain), UNH, UMA, NU

Stock falling: MC (Cannata impossible to replace? Scoring?), Maine (No more vaudeville duo of Abbot and Flynn), UVM

-People are bullish on UNH here, I'm curious how they'll replace Moses and whether they can actually get a solid year of goaltending.
-BU - addition by subtraction?

Looking forward to the last year of the 10-team format.

How can UVM's stock fall anymore than where it was last year? Are you predicting a 0-win season for them this time around?

[UVM Cat in Texas]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

How can UVM's stock fall anymore than where it was last year? Are you predicting a 0-win season for them this time around?

Agree. UVM can't go much lower.

[SkinsFan09]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

Agree. UVM can't go much lower.

There is no chance UVM finishes higher than Maine, Merrimack or Northeastern this season. Zero. Better to accept it now.

[UVM Cat in Texas]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

There is no chance UVM finishes higher than Maine, Merrimack or Northeastern this season. Zero. Better to accept it now.

We'll see. On paper, I would tend to agree with you. The games are played on the ice, however, and I think we'll surprise some people.

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

We'll see. On paper, I would tend to agree with you. The games are played on the ice, however, and I think we'll surprise some people.

Well, if Tim Thomas hadn't gone crazy..

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

Also, has anyone heard anything about a Frozen Fenway occurring this year?

[sterlippo1]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

Also, has anyone heard anything about a Frozen Fenway occurring this year?

please no

[BeanpotForum]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

Few thoughts:

UMass Amherst has a solid junior class and now has stability in net. They will finish higher than UNH who was a below average team wthout Moses. I think we all agree UVM will be last but with the loss of Cannata and no offense, Merrimack will be 9th. Northeastern will be exciting with the large recruit class but their defense and reliance on youth will hinder them all year..they will be 7th or 8th. I like UMass 6 and Maine 5th as both have enough returning talent to compete. At the top, I like BC, BU, Lowell and Providence 4th. lowell was overated last year and will take a small step back.

[Patronick]

Few thoughts:

UMass Amherst has a solid junior class and now has stability in net. They will finish higher than UNH who was a below average team wthout Moses. I think we all agree UVM will be last but with the loss of Cannata and no offense, Merrimack will be 9th. Northeastern will be exciting with the large recruit class but their defense and reliance on youth will hinder them all year..they will be 7th or 8th. I like UMass 6 and Maine 5th as both have enough returning talent to compete. At the top, I like BC, BU, Lowell and Providence 4th. lowell was overated last year and will take a small step back.

Overrated? Do me a quick favor: go look up the meaning of that word, write it down on an index card and repeat it to yourself each morning until you understand its meaning and proper usage.

Lowell was picked to finish dead last last season. No one overrated them. Did they far exceed expectations? Absolutely. But to use the word "overrated" is just silly.

You could argue that they're overrated coming into this season. You'd be wrong, of course, but you could argue it.

[J.D.]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

I'm pretty surprised to see BU picked so high by so many considering what they've lost. Yes, still a good amount of talent returning...

Guess we'll see.

[BeanpotForum]

By the end of last season Lowell was overrated in my opinion. Their talent, although solid, is not equal to that of BU and BC. It's easy to be the underdog and fly under the radar. I firmly expect Lowell to take a few steps back this year as they will have a target on their back. They are a good team, not a great team.

QUOTE=Patronick;5497182]Overrated? Do me a quick favor: go look up the meaning of that word, write it down on an index card and repeat it to yourself each morning until you understand its meaning and proper usage.

Lowell was picked to finish dead last last season. No one overrated them. Did they far exceed expectations? Absolutely. But to use the word "overrated" is just silly.

You could argue that they're overrated coming into this season. You'd be wrong, of course, but you could argue it.[/QUOTE]

[Martin St. Louis Fan]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

There is no chance UVM finishes higher than Maine, Merrimack or Northeastern this season. Zero. Better to accept it now.

Geez, the guys who drew up last years dreadful power play and penalty kill are now with UMass.. I think that says a lot. IMO

[unhpuckfan2001]

Re: 2012-13 Hockey East Thread

They will finish higher than UNH who was a below average team wthout Moses

I'm confused as to why you're speaking of UNH w/out Moses in the past tense when he just graduated last year?

They're above-average in net with Casey DeSmith, who, assuming he doesn't fall victim to a Sophomore Slump, should make them better early on than they were last year. They also have many young players who UNH fans watched develop over the year; not that BU was a powerhouse, but UNH gave them a helluva run in the QF's last year. I think UNH will be between 3-6, hopefully on the higher end.

Completely arbitrary:
1BC
2UML
3UNH
4BU
5Maine
6PC
7NU
8UMA
9Mack
10UVM