BC v. Providence In-Game Comments: 3rd Period

This loss hurts. The possibility is very real now that both the men's hockey team and men's basketball team won't be playing in postseason tournaments (providing for about a month of really lonely blogging about BC sports). Here is USCHO's most recent Bracketology. Its reasonable to think that only 2 Hockey East teams will make the postseason. With other results tonight in throughout Hockey East, the Hockey East standings now look like this:

1. UNH - 38 points
2. BU - 29 points
2. Vermont - 29 points
4. Providence - 26 points
4. BC - 26 points (PC owns the head-to-head against us)
6. Northeastern - 24 points (luckily lost to Lowell tonight in OT)

Disappointing. Deflating. We'll need a huge turnaround tomorrow to get back on track. Here are the third period and game end likes and dislikes:

Likes:

• Whitney from the blue line. 3-2 Friars.
• A great flurry and an opportunity with roughly a minute to play, but ultimately too little, too late.
• Once again, getting way more opportunities than our opponent. We outshot the Friars 37-24.
  
• Overall, though, not much to like here. I'm really not sure where we go from here other than a desperately needed 2 point outing tomorrow night in Providence ...
  

Dislikes:

• Muse is the only goalie in Hockey East to start every game in net. I'm starting to question this season's plan by York. I'm usually not one to question anything about York given my enormous (albeit hetero) man-crush on him, but I'm genuinely curious. Has Margolin been red-shirted? Is he injured? More analysis on this in the coming days.
  
• Where is Gerbe and his Hobey hopes? Unless he does something incredible over the next 8 days, and in both postseason tournaments, his odds of taking home college hockey's most prestigious hardware is approaching 0%.
  
• Terrible penalty taken (Brennan with interference) with 3 only minutes to play. Essentially put the game out of reach.
  
• I wanted to give the crowd the benefit of the doubt (with late arrivals), but it didn't look any better come the 3rd period. Just thinking about loud here: shouldn't BC's event staff encourage those still sitting in the rafters after two periods to move into the red seats to watch the 3rd period? At least make it look respectable on television ...
  

For those readers curious about the ACC Select experience for hockey, here are some observations:

• For the first 11 minutes of the broadcast (including the opening comments and player introductions), there was no sound. I was getting a bit concerned until randomly it turned on ...
• Also, there's no sound or commentary between periods either
• The announcing quality is well, tolerated. If you can mute the game and listen on radio, that might be a bit better. "This is low quality broadcasting right here." and "I could poop." - color guy, ACC Select.com. Yep, they really said it.
• They flash advertisements and full-screen placards as play is going on. Somewhat annoying.
• And my biggest beef with the ACC Select hockey experience is they don't show the game clock on the screen, what team is on the power play, or how much time is left on the man-advantage. You don't realize how much you need these facts while watching a hockey game until you don't have them.
  

Overall, though, for big game viewing (read: Hockey East tournament time) and if you have a night off, its a viable option to catch our Eagles live for this New York resident. I'd be interested in seeing viewership numbers of BC hockey games on ACC Select to see how many people are watching and if its a viable medium for BC hockey. I can't imagine many people watch considering BC is the only ACC school that has a major D-I hockey program. And those who do watch are motivated by their online sports betting habits...not that there's anything with sports betting.

Let's hope the Eagles can get back on track tomorrow with a win at Providence. Otherwise, it might be another miserable weekend for Eagles fans ...

BC v. Providence In-Game Comments: 2nd Period

Deflated, through 2 periods. Only a few minutes after we draw within 1, Muse gives up another really poor loose puck right in front of the net. 3-1 Friars after 2 periods.

Likes:

• John Muse gets some confidence back with a huge stop on a penalty shot awarded to Providence about halfway through the period. If that goes in, this game is essentially over.
• Decent penalty kill from 9:11-7:11 after a stupid penalty by Petrecki
  
• We have some life. Orpik with the PP goal to cut the deficit to 1 with about 3 minutes left in the period.
  
• Outshooting our opponent 26 to 17. What is a like is also a ...
  

Dislikes:

• Did I mention that Sims was standing on his head and Muse wasn't up to the task? Midway through the second period, Sims had 17 saves and Muse had 3, and had let in 2 goals. I don't need to bust out my calculator to know that that's a poor goals against average through half the game.
• Both teams had stretches where they couldn't get anything together.
• Oh no! Bertram missed a WIDE open net to draw the Eagles closer.
• And Muse gives it right back with 2 minutes to play. Terrible puck management and a really soft goal. 3-1 Friars.
  

On to the 3rd period ...

BC v. Providence In-Game Comments: 1st Period

Brian: Yep, I shelled out the $4.99 to watch the game on ACC Select. This was actually the first game of the year I've gotten to watch live (read alot of online articles and looked over a ton of box scores). Here are my thoughts on the game after 1 period, 2-0 Friars.

Likes

• BC came out of the gate strong. The first 5 minutes were dominated by BC. Then Muse let in a really soft goal and all of the team's confidence was lost.
  
• BC's aggressive play. In typical BC fashion, we outshot Providence in the first period.
  

Dislikes

• A tale of two goaltenders. Muse looks like a freshman. Providence's Tyler Sims looks like a senior. It looks like Muse's confidence is completely shot after letting in two really soft goals.
• Gerbe misses a golden opportunity. He went in almost unabated on a breakaway and came up short. This team really needs him to step up down the stretch if we have any hope of making noise in the Hockey East tournament.
  
• Home ice advantage. What home ice advantage? I understand that this ticket wasn't in the student ticket package (since BC's spring break is March 3-7 and many students have headed home), but maybe the BC Athletic Department should rethink that strategy. Wouldn't it be better to give those tickets to students to give to other students / friends that will be in the area over break? Also, consider that the last two regular season home games aren't in the student season ticket package. That's really a downer for this class of seniors and Senior Day next Friday against Northeastern. The arena looks very empty. Really depressing.
  

Here's to hoping we have a better second period ...

Heels in Conte and the Big Finish

Jeff: Brian, (not so) big game against UNC tomorrow at Conte, you gonna be there?

Brian: Unfortunately, no. It is on ABC at 3:30pm. Looks like a majority of readers expect it to be a blowout anyhow.

Jeff: I'm trying to stay positive about the Eagles but after the ugly loss to Virginia Tech, it is difficult so I refrain from predicting a score or outcome.


Brian: We move to hockey. An article in the Globe about Massachusetts HS phenom Peter Starrett. BU, BC and Harvard are actively recruiting him. Chances he lands with the Eagles?

Jeff: If you're a star hockey player, why would you not go to BC?

Brian: This guy got a 800 on the math portion of the SAT. I think if he wants a Harvard education (with all due respect to my education at BC), more power to him.


Jeff: Men's hockey east action tonight and tomorrow against Providence College. Make a prediction.

Brian: I will be optimistic and say we make it a 4 point weekend. We desperately need the 4 points to stay apace in Hockey East.


Brian: Last one, women's basketball hopes to make the tournament. Minor setback last night in their 67-57 loss to the Cavaliers. Their last regular season game is this Sunday in Miami. Make a prediction.

Jeff: The freshman Storm and the Eagles get it done. I predict a win.

Under the Radar: Women's Lacrosse

We here at BC Interruption wanted to shine the spotlight on some of the other D-I varsity sports here at BC that fly under the radar. Even though we focus a majority of the content on this blog towards the revenue-generating sports (men’s basketball and college football), these representatives of the Heights are no more or less Eagles than Coach Jags or Coach Skinner’s squads.

Today we focus on the women’s lacrosse team. The women’s lax team is the only varsity lacrosse team for the school after the men’s team dropped from D-I to club status in 2002.

This year’s lacrosse team dropped its season opener on Sunday to #6 Maryland, 23-10 at Bentley College. They have to play the road warrior this season as they wait for their home field on the Newton Campus to be remodeled. They will play home games at Bentley College, Babson College and Westwood High School. Last year’s squad went 6-11, 1-4 in the talent-rich Atlantic Coast Conference. The other ACC schools that field women’s lacrosse teams are Maryland, UVA, Duke, UNC and Virginia Tech. To give some indication as to how strong the ACC is for women’s lacrosse, four ACC schools finished in the year-end media polls ranked in the top 5.

The Lady Eagles get a rare treat in a west coast trip starting this weekend as they take on St. Mary’s college Sunday, March 2 and Stanford on March 5.

Leave any other interesting factoids or comments about the team in the comment section below.

Best of luck ladies on a successful 2008 season!

No Mercy

The Red Sox showed Boston College no mercy today in their 24-0 win against the BC baseball team. The Sox set a record for runs scored in their annual exhibition against the Eagles. Their previous highest run total was 22 in 1996. BC was 1 hit over 7 innings, with the only hit coming in the top of the 5th off the bat of 3B Campbell.

If its any consolation, the Sox also broke out the lumber on Northeastern in the second half of a day-night doubleheader. The final score was 15-0.

Thanks to reader Melissa T. for the link.

Happy Time: Eagles in NHL, Men's Hoops and Baseball

Happy Birthday wishes, both early and belated, to our BC hockey alumni that made names for themselves in the NHL. Marty Reasoner (February 26), Joe Mullen (February 26) and Brian Leetch (March 3). Reasoner played 3 seasons on the Heights culminating in a trip to the 1998 NCAA championship game in his junior year (we lost in typical, BC heartbreaking fashion 3-2 in OT to Michigan). Joe Mullen, brother of Brian Mullen, played for BC from 1975-1979 and went on to have a successful career with the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. Mullen became the first American player to score 500 goals and 1,000 points in the NHL. Finally, Brian Leetch’s illustrious 19 season NHL career goes without mentioning. But did you know, for the Eagles, he only played one season (1986-1987), where the defensemen took home the Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and First Team All-Star honors as a freshman. The Eagles defeated Maine 4-2 that season to capture the 1987 Hockey East championship.

A not so Happy Anniversary to the BC men’s basketball team. On this date 3 years ago, you were throttled at home by the Pittsburgh Panthers in men’s basketball action, 72-50. The blowout denied the Eagles, led by Craig Smith and Jared Dudley, a chance at the regular season Big East championship. The Eagles took care of Rutgers in their final regular season game to capture the Big East regular season championship and the #1 seed in the Big East tournament. Sadly though, after receiving a first round bye in the Big East tourney, the Eagles were bounced by the West Virginia Mountaineers 78-72. A #4 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Eagles dispatched the Penn Quakers before being upset by BC alum Bruce Pearl and the #12 seed UW-Milwaukee Panthers in the round of 32.



An early Happy Trails to the BC baseball team. They face off against the World Series Champion Red Sox later today at 1:05pm. While we don’t expect the Eagles to win, this game has had its share of memorable moments, including Dice-K’s first pitch in the majors. BC’s two sport athlete Johnny Ayers knocked it into the outfield for a double. Eagles fans proceeded to see this clip ~1,871,615 times throughout the football season when Ayers would get onto the field to punt.

Eagles in the NHL, Part 2

Christian: I’m back, once again, for the second installment of Eagles in the NHL (here is installment #1). This edition focuses solely on the blueliners that played for BC in recent years. Enjoy!




Mike Mottau D (1996-2000), New Jersey Devils

Despite limited NHL success, Mottau did the one thing that Gionta couldn't do at BC, and that was win the Hobey Baker Award in 2000 as the nation’s most outstanding collegiate hockey player. He was drafted by the Rangers, but only played 19 games with them before being traded to the Calgary Flames in 2002. Hardly seeing time with the Flames, he spent the next few years bouncing around the AHL. It wasn't until this season did the Devils decide to take a chance on Mottau. They called him up from Lowell and he's played in a career high 57 games this season, tallying 4 G and 12 A. He's certainly seen a lot of ice time this year, and it looks like the former Hobey Baker winner's time in the NHL has finally come.

J.D. Forrest D (2000-2004), San Jose Sharks

Winning a National Championship in your freshman season is certainly a great way to start off your collegiate career. After playing with the Eagles for 4 years and becoming one of BC's top defensemen, Forrest played for two years in Finland before returning to the system that drafted him, the Carolina Hurricanes. He missed all of the 2006-2007 campaign due to injury, but is looking to make an impact this year. He has bounced around Carolina's ECHL and AHL teams this year before being traded this month to the San Jose Sharks for a player to be named later. He played 2 games for their ECHL Elmira Jackals before being called to play for their AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, where he now playing. Now that he's back in the states, hopefully he'll make his move to the NHL before long.

Peter Harrold D (2003-2006), Los Angeles Kings

Harrold was called up from Manchester this year the same day as teammate Brian Boyle (Feb 2nd), but unfortunately only lasted 5 games this season so far before being assigned back to the Monarchs with only 1 NHL assist in those games. Harrold also played 12 games last season for the Kings where he tallied 2 assists.

Andrew Alberts D (2001-2004), Boston Bruins

The Kings aren't the only team to have 3 BC alumni on their roster. Alberts rounds out the Eagle trio, and like Allen, he's currently hurt, but unlike Allen, he's on the injured reserve. Alberts wasted no time in getting to the NHL, playing only 14 games with Providence in the AHL before he played his first game with the Bruins during the 05-06 season. While nothing special in stats (as most defenders aren't), Alberts has played in 70+ games in his first two seasons with the Bruins and also led the team in penalty minutes last season. But that streak looks to come to an end as he remains on the IR due to post-concussion syndrome.

Stephen Gionta D (2002-2006), New Jersey Devils

Brother to Brian on the Devils, Stephen went undrafted but was later signed as a free agent by the Devils. He still has yet to play in any NHL games, but has made a name for himself as the current captain of the Devils' AHL-affiliated team, the Lowell Devils. As a side note, the Gionta brothers aren't the only brothers on the Devils... both Jay Pandolfo and Zach Parise have siblings who also play for the Lowell Devils. This could quite possibly be the first time 3 pairs of brothers have ever been in the same NHL franchise at the same time.

Bonus: Where Will They Be?

Did you know that both Andrew Orpik and Hobey Baker hopeful Nathan Gerbe, current members of the BC team, have been drafted by the Buffalo Sabres? It certainly seems that some systems tend to pick BC players a lot (Carolina, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Buffalo). Do they like the talent BC produces, or is it just a big coincidence?

Eagles in Blacksburg Tonight

Tonight the Eagles (13-12, 4-8) travel to Blacksburg, VA to take on the Hokies of Virginia Tech (16-11, 7-6 ACC) in men's hoops. Here is a preview of the game from the Virginia Tech Collegiate Times. SBR Forum thinks we are a good pick at + 5 1/2. We expect a close game with the Eagles looking to avenge their 81-73 OT loss to Tech at the Heights on January 26.

Neither team is tournament bound, so Skinner's squad is playing to string together a couple of solid wins to end the regular season on a positive note heading into the ACC Tournament.

The game will be televised on ESPNU starting at 7pm in what ESPN is laughably publicizing as "Judgement Week." Go Eagles!

Greatest Highlight, Round 3

The Boston College men's hoops team may have never gotten to the Final Four, but Flutie has in ESPN's Greatest Highlight. Be sure to vote for Flutie today.

Flutie is up against Boise State's Statue of Liberty play in their 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma in the semifinals. If you ask me, this is a no-brainer. 6 points > 2 points, and Flutie didn't need OT to knock off Miami. Go BC!

Headlines: Swept By UNH

Jeff: When the basketball team struggles I usually turn to hockey to find something to cheer about but not the case this weekend. UNH handed the Eagles two losses. What happened there?


Brian: Being in New York, I was unable to watch either game. So any analysis on the game I gathered from the reading articles online. In Saturday night's game, the power play absolutely killed us. We were 0 for 7 with the man advantage (not to mention 0 for 2 on Friday night). You can't expect to win when you miss those opportunities. Also, after the initial Hobey Baker hype, where is Nathan Gerbe? Since recording a 4 point night on February 8 against UMass Amherst, Gerbe has had about as quiet a February as anyone can have. 5 games, 0 goals, 1 assist. The Eagles have gone 2-3 (1-3 in Hockey East) in that stretch. Has the pressure finally cooled Gerbe and his red hot season?

Jeff: So much for Gerbe being the next Brian Gionta. The pressure can get to these kids though. Just talk to reigning SEC POY Chris Lofton of Tennessee who only hit one FG (which was a layup) in their win against Memphis. Its a lot easier to score when no one knows who you are. Still think the Eagles win the Hockey East Tournament?

Brian: The Hockey East tournament picture is looking bleaker. BC is now in 4th place with four games to play. Over the weekend, both BU and Vermont had 4 point weekends to jump 1 point ahead of the Eagles. Both the Terriers and Catamounts are in the driver's seat too for the remaining 4 games:

• BU - UMass, @ UMass, @ Providence, Providence
  
• BC - Providence, @ Providence, Northeastern, @ Northeastern
  
• Vermont - Maine, Maine, @ New Hampshire, @ New Hampshire
  

Not to mention that Northeastern and Providence are only 2 points behind the Eagles.

If the season ended today, we would play Northeastern with the home ice advantage in a 4 v. 5 first round Hockey East tournament matchup. Luckily, the season doesn't, and there's more hockey to play. But the margin of error for the Eagles is becoming much smaller. Ideally, we need to go into the HE tournament as a #2 or #3 seed to avoid playing New Hampshire before the championship game (the tournament does reseed after the quarterfinals, however, if the seeds hold true in the quarters, as the #4 seed, we would see #1 UNH in the semi).

The decision to buy Hockey East championship tickets is looking less promising at this point in the season. Here's to hoping the Eagles win out and go into the tournament as the #2, and are playing in the Garden on Saturday with me in attendance.

NOTABLE STAT: With the weekend sweep, New Hampshire has now beaten the Eagles the last 5 games and achieved its 12th consecutive 20 win season. An incredible accomplishment, considering the Eagles have only had 5 straight 20 win seasons (in 2001-2002, we ended the season at 18 wins). What is even more incredible is that New Hampshire has never won a National Championship in men's hockey (they have 1 in women's hockey). Could this be the year that UNH breaks through and wins the title? Let's hope not and hope that the Eagles make some noise in the HE tournament and the NCAAs.

Hoops Headlines

Brian: Rough weekend for the Eagles, the men's hoops team loses in Tallahassee and the hockey team gets swept by UNH. As I was not able to watch the basketball game, break it down for me.

Jeff: I didn't like the loss obviously and didn't like much about this game because BC should beat FSU on any court this year in my opinion. Once again though the guys shot way too many 3s in the second half to try and get back into the game. It wasn't as bad as last game, they only shot 10, but still they shot 30% from behind the arc and 70% from inside it in the 2nd half.

These kids are panicking a little when they get behind. There were far too many turnovers on simple outlet passes in the 2nd half. They had a mentality that they had to push the ball in order to close the gap but really all the needed was a few stops and a some quality offensive possesions. You can't just look at a stat like BC's 18 turnovers yesterday and say that they had too many turnovers or bad turnovers. If you watched the game yesterday you know that they had some terrible turnovers, rather than turnovers from good aggressive play.

I don't know though Brian, every game I watch I still see so much potential for this team so I still think they can win at Virginia Tech, and Miami as well as beat Georgia Tech and possibly UNC at home.

Brian: Although I'm not as optimistic as you, Jeff, I think its very important for this team to qualify for the postseason. It will take a few wins down the stretch to make the NIT. Any postseason exposure will be a good experience for this very young team. As much as losing sucks and Eagles fans have been spoiled the past few years, I think everyone needs to have some perspective and patience with this squad.

Jeff: Great point Brian, a few more weeks of practice and games would help this team in the long run, very similar to 6 and 7 win football teams making bowls.

A Weekend To Forget ...

... if you are an Eagles fan.

UNH downed BC 5-1, sweeping the weekend series and winning the Hockey East regular season title. The men's team has now dropped to 4th place in Hockey East with 4 to play.

In basketball, the Seminoles withheld a late BC rally to defeat the Eagles, 66-63. Florida State ended any hope that we will make the tournament this year, and without a late season surge, the N.I.T. might also be out of reach.

Thoughts and analysis tomorrow.

Eagles Blanked

I was not able to watch the game last night, but a 2-0 shutout at home is pretty disheartening. With the loss, New Hampshire extends its lead to 8 points in Hockey East and all but locks up the regular season championship with 5 HE games to play. Not only does UNH extend their lead, but now only 2 points separate BC from Boston University, Vermont, Northeastern, and Providence (Northeastern and Providence tied for 5th place).

If the Eagles aren't careful, with 5 games left - @ UNH, home-and-home with Providence and a home-and-home with Northeastern, they are in danger of losing home ice for the Hockey East tournament. Hopefully the Eagles earn the weekend split tonight at the Whittemore Center.

We'll have more analysis and more headlines on Monday. Go Eagles!

Tyrese Rice and the Big Finish

Jeff: Nice article praising Rice in the Herald this morning. In it he basically says what I stated earlier this week that the Eagles can win out the rest of the way and make the dance. Which puts a lot of weight on this game in Tallahassee tomorrow. Boston College needs a win tomorrow to get things started back in the right direction again. Florida State is very beatable and being an afternoon game on Saturday at a football school with a 4-8 conference record I don't expect the crowd to be an issue.

Brian: We are not making the Dance. I'm so happy that the Herald reaffirms your misplaced optimism, Jeff.

Brian: Huge Hockey East battle this weekend starting tonight in Chestnut Hill (on NESN). #2 New Hampshire vs. your #7 Eagles in a home-and-home. 6 points separate the two teams. Make a prediction.

Jeff: I'm going to go conservative and predict a split. We hoped that the Eagles would be fewer than 6 points back at this point and the Eagles just need to play some good hockey and get ready for the tournaments.

Brian: 80th Academy Awards this weekend. As I know you just love movies, best picture. Who ya got?

Jeff: Finding Nemo? Is that up for any awards?

Brian: Let's be thankful this is not weekly banter on pop culture. Best picture and director - No Country for Old Men, best actor - Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood).

Jeff: Other than the Academy Awards, what else you watching this weekend? Gonna watch BC-FSU? Or am I gonna have to keep you updated via text messages?

Brian: The BC game is not on television up north, text updates would be appreciated. I'll be shoveling out the walkways in Brooklyn. Great weekend for college hoops all around, capped with #1 Memphis hosting #2 Tennessee Saturday at 9pm.

Jeff: Other than basketball I might not turn on the TV this weekend. Andy comes into town Sunday, hopefully we'll be playing some golf if the weather cooperates.

Happy Time: Bob Ryan, Duke and Men's Hockey

It is time once again for the happys.

Happy Birthday Bob Ryan. Ryan is a 1968 history major graduate of Boston College. After graduating, he took a position with the Globe and soon was the beat writer for the Boston Celtics. He would later go on to become general sports columnist in 1989. Outside of Boston, Ryan is most well known for his airtime on ESPN, including guesting on The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn, and PTI. Say what you will about Ryan’s perceived lack of support for BC athletics (Lupica gives us much more pub) and momentary lapse of judgement, Ryan is still a great sports writer. I actually went up to him on the floor of a BC-UMass game when I was a student to compliment him on his writing. He had good things to say about our school and that year’s basketball team.

Happy Trails Duke Blue Devils. Last night you were dispatched by the U in men’s basketball, 96-95. It was the first win for Miami against the #5 Blue Devils in 45 years. The Hurricanes win proves I now officially have no idea what the heck is going on in ACC basketball this year. We light up Wake Forest for 112 points, win our 13th straight game against Miami, lose to the Blue Devils by 10, and then Duke loses twice in a week to Wake and Miami. Not to mention we give defending conference regular season champ UVA their only 2 conference wins. None of this makes any sense.

Happy Anniversary BC men’s hockey. On this day 4 years ago, you blanked lowly UMass Lowell 5-0 at Tsongas Arena in Hockey East action. The win pushed the Eagles unbeaten streak to 13 games. The Eagles were lead by netminder Matti Kaltianen (26 saves) and Tony Voce (3 points). The 2004 version of the Eagles would go on to make the Frozen Four in Boston, a game in which Jeff and I attended, only to have our hearts broken with a 2-1 national semifinals loss to the Maine Black Bears. That loss was probably the most depressing BC sporting event I have ever attended. Here's to hoping its the last, however, this blogger isn't holding his breath.

Eagles in the NHL, Part 1

The first installment of a few, here is a look at where Boston College men's hockey alumni have landed in the NHL. The research and player bios courtesy of our guest blogger and good friend christian.

Christian: Hey everyone! If you’re a BC sports fan, you are well aware of some of our great standouts that have made it to the pros in recent years, most notably Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, of course the Super Bowl winning Chris Snee. But lost in the shuffle are all of our immensely talented hockey players that make their way to the NHL. With 5 trips to the National title game and 1 Championship win in the last 10 years, you would certainly think some of these guys would make it to the next level. Of course some have had more success than others, but more than you probably realize have been playing in the NHL. And without further ado, here is your first installment of Where Are They Now? BC Hockey Edition.


Brian Boyle C (2003-2007), Los Angeles Kings

Boyle just got the call-up to the big leagues from the Manchester Monarchs and played his first NHL game on Feb 2nd of this year. Through his first 6 games, Brian has 4 G, 1A, and a +4 rating. I read that not too long ago the management was thinking about moving him to defense, in which case he may not see much action for a while. Looks like that's not the case, seeing as how is NHL career is underway. Unless, of course, that’s the reason he was just assigned back to Manchester two days ago. Either way, with a stat line like his in those first few games, don’t be surprised if his time away from the Kings is a short one.

Chuck Kobasew RW (2000-2001), Boston Bruins

After winning the National Title with BC in his freshman year, Kobasew left BC to head to the NHL; and seemingly for good reason. The 14th overall pick in the 2001 draft by Calgary, Chuck saw NHL action after playing only a year in the WHL. Starting in the 2002-2003 season when he was called up, Kobasew was a mainstay with the Flames for 3 seasons before being traded to the Bruins in the middle of last season. Never a true standout with the Flames, he has already tallied 19 G and 12 this season for Boston through 56 games, 1 G and 2A shy of his season highs with Calgary. It looks like Chuck just needs to play in Boston to find true success.

Brian Gionta RW (1997-2001), New Jersey Devils

A three time Hobey-Baker finalist and member of the 2001 National Championship team at BC, Gionta has emerged as a fan-favorite in Jersey. After a brief stint with the River Rats in the AHL, Brian played in 33 NHL games his first season out of college. Proving once again that he is a champion, Gionta helped the Devils win their 3rd Stanley Cup by tallying 9 points in 24 playoff games. In the 2005-2006 season, Gionta scored a team record 48 G (including 19 PP goals, also a team record), and also proving that he's a favorite amongst his teammates after they named him team MVP that year. The following season saw Brian plagued with injuries, and he started this season slow as well, but he's now recorded a point in each of the last 5 games. Unfortunately, Brian's name has come up in recent trade rumors, but all will be settled with the trade deadline fast approaching. This Devils fan is certainly hoping his Brian Gionta jersey doesn't soon become out-dated, though!

Patrick Eaves RW (2002-2005), Carolina Hurricanes

Eaves' career with the Eagles almost ended before it began when he suffered a horrific neck injury during a game against Maine on December 7, 2002. But that didn't stop Eaves from coming back and soaring. As soon as he left BC in 2005, he played 58 games for the Senators in the 05-06 season, who made him the 29th overall pick in 2003, scoring 20 goals. Unfortunately, this season again finds Eaves nagged by neck and shoulder injuries in what one can only assume is in some part due to his freshman year injury at Boston College. Most recently, however, Patrick was involved in a trade with defenseman Joe Corvo, sending both players to the Hurricanes for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Hopefully Eaves can pick up where he left off once he is fully recovered.

Bobby Allen D (1997-2002), Boston Bruins

Another member of the '01 National Champion team, Allen has seen limited NHL action since he left the Heights. He's bounced around the AHL, playing for Hamilton, Toronto, Albany, and most recently, Providence. While he was drafted by the Bruins, Bobby Allen's first NHL game came during the 2002-2003 season while playing for the Edmonton Oilers. He has since been reclaimed as a free agent by Boston and played in a handful of games this season. He has 3 A in his 47 game NHL career. While still with the team, he has not played since December 22nd, mostly due to injury.



Check back next Wednesday for part 2.

Greatest Highlight, Round 2

Its round 2. Flutie-to-Phelan 55 Flood Tip vs. Hammerin' Hank's 715th homerun. The competition gets tougher. Be sure to vote for the Flutie Magic today.

Headlines: Another Loss to the Cavaliers

Brian: Jeff, BC men's hoops lost another frustrating game to the Cavaliers of Virginia on Sunday to drop to 4-7 in ACC play. I was not able to watch the game on Sunday. Break it down for me.

Jeff: BC lost this game twice, yes twice. In the first half the Eagles went from up 10 to down ten after a long boring stretch of missed shots and turnovers. Then in the second half Boston College tried to get the lead back by shooting exclusively 3s for a stretch while there was still time left in the game. BC shot 14 3-pointers in the second half, hitting only 4. Meanwhile, Virginia shot 9-18 for the game. BC could've played better defense throughout but I blame these two stretches on why BC didn't come out with a W.

Do we blame Skinner? Possibly.
Do we blame the complete lack of students in the stands? Probably.

A home crowd usually makes it difficult for the away team to go on any long runs. The crowd of 7,154 on Sunday was quiet in large part because it consisted of 7,000 general admission and at most 154 students and i mean at most. The students have clearly given up on this team. They'll be at UNC for sure but they will not be at the Georgia Tech game because that falls over their spring break and I doubt many are making the trip to Charlotte for the ACC tournament.

Brian: Frustrating to say the least. Although I don't know if you can blame the fans for this L, Jeff. On the bright side, due to another odd quirk in our ACC slate, we have a week to work out the kinks before traveling to Tallahassee Saturday to take on Florida State (14-12, 3-8 ACC).

Jeff: No you probably don't blame the fans but there has been no home court advantage for this team this year.

Boston College is 4-7 in conference with games against FSU, VT, Miami and GT left whom all have losing conference records. Then throw in one home game against UNC. I believe that this team can get to 8-8 and I give them a chance to beat UNC in Conte. You and I both know that 8-8 in the ACC puts you at least on the bubble for the NCAA, 9-7 would get you in. Don't count this team out of the dance until they get that 9th loss, which I don't think they will get.

Brian: Ever the optimist, Jeff. I see BC going 3-2 in this stretch, pushing the Eagles to 16-13 (7-9). This doesn't factor in the ACC tournament. As you say, clearly not a tournament worthy resume, but I see this team making the N.I.T. and making some noise.

Mea Culpa Rice and the Big Finish

Jeff: Big win for the Eagles last night in hoops. Who had a better night? Tyrese Rice with his 32 points or me since I corectly predicted not only a win but a large margin of victory despite the Eagles having lost 6 in a row.

Brian: Both you and T Rice had a beter night than me. I was looking forward to catching the game on my Jet Blue flight from NYC-Sacramento only to be told on the JFK tarmac that the tvs weren't going to work for the entire flight! Totally bummed me out. Mea culpa to Rice and the Eagles and props to you for predicting the correct margin of victory.


Brian: Crucial Hockey East matchups this weekend. BC gets Lowell for a home-and-home while New Hampshire takes on Providence in a home-and-home. 5 points separate the Eagles and the Wildcats. What will be the point defecit after this weekend?

Jeff: I am going to say they cut it to 4 points. They make up one point with a win and a tie for the Eagles and a win and a loss for UNH.


Jeff: The Eagles have another home game Sunday against Virginia which I expect them to win. I am not going to say this will be an easy victory but I do expect a W and the Eagles to start creeping back up the ACC standings.

Brian: UVA's in conference record is deceiving. They have played a lot of good ACC teams close. Still, I'm hoping for a close win and some revenge on the Cavaliers.

TV Picks

Brian: Jeff, BC men's basketball returns home to face the NC State Wolfpack this evening at Conte Forum (7pm, ESPN). I will actually be able to watch tonight as I'll be on a plane to Sacramento (spending the long weekend with my girlfriend's fam). Are you going to get to watch the game tonight given that its Valentine's Day? Break down tonight's matchup.

Jeff: Brian, it's Valentine's Day so I think that might mean a few (more) empty seats in the stands tonight. But, it's on ESPN so that usually brings out a couple more students with signs. So I predict 6,200 in the stands. But will those people be cheering or quiet? I'm predicting big cheers. I expect a win and maybe even a big win. BC has been playing better despite being on a six game slide but that all ends tonight. NC State is a team Boston College should beat on their floor and I think tonight they continue to get healthier and become a more cohesive unit. Big game tonight for Rice, Oates, Sanders, Raji and Southern. You heard it here first. 12+ point victory for the Eagles tonight!

Brian: Wow! A 12 point victory when the line is -4 BC (which is pretty much a 50/50 toss up with the edge going to the home Eagles). A bold prediction. I like your optimism, Jeff. I think we'll win, but I don't think it will be by 4. I am predicting a 4 point (or less) victory by the Eagles tonight.

Happy Time

Let us dispense with the happys on Valentine’s Day.

A posthumous Happy Birthday to Francis Valentine Joseph “Frank” Hussey. Frank was a gold medal winner for the US in the team 4 x 100m relay during the Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris, France. Frank later matriculated at Boston College and ran men’s outdoor track, breaking records in the 100m and 200m events. In a bizarre sequence of events, Frank failed to qualify for the 1928 summer games in Amsterdam, so he and three other athletes stowed away on the S.S. President Roosevelt in hopes of attending the Olympics.

Happy Trails to BC hockey alumni (this courtesy of our reader christian). Patrick Eaves was traded with Joe Corvo from the Ottawa Senators to the Carolina Hurricanes for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Eaves would have been reunited with J.D. Justin Forrest in Carolina, however Forrest was traded from Carolina to the San Jose Sharks for the ambiguous “future considerations.” Forrest will be assigned to the Sharks affiliate in Massachusetts, the Woostah Sharks of the AHL (see what I did there?).

Happy Anniversary to the Beanpot champs. On this day in 1983, the Boston College men defeated Northeastern 8-2 in the Beanpot final. Then in 1994, BC needed a pair of OT victories to dispense of Northeastern and Harvard to win the ‘Pot. This pair of Valentine’s Day championship wins gave BC their 10th and 11th Beanpot championships. And until this past Monday's final, 1994 marked the last time BU did not play in the championship game.

Beanpot Champs

Congratulations to the Eagles on bringing the Beanpot back to the Heights. Hats off to Harvard for putting up one heck of a fight. I correctly predicted the Eagles would score 6. I had no idea Harvard would get 5 and force OT.

Headlines: Beanpot Finals

Brian: Last headline of the day, BC hockey. BC goes for its 14th Beanpot championship tonight, and first since 2004, against Harvard tonight (NESN, 8pm). BC hockey comes off a 4-1 win against UMass on Friday night. Props to me for guessing a 3-1 win and a big night from Muse and Gerbe (close enough!). Jeff, make a prediction for tonight's game.

Jeff: BC wins!

Brian: That's it?! Great analysis from our fan from the south ...

For some real analysis, don't sleep on Harvard. I watched part of the Harvard-Union game Friday night, a game in which the Crimson looked good and won 3-2. So they will be riding some momentum coming into tonight's game. However, Harvard hasn't won a Beanpot since 1992-1993, the Eagles burned them bad @ Harvard back in December 7-2, and I think the Eagles are getting hot at the right point in the season. Ultimately, I think the Eagles will be too much for Harvard tonight. 6-2 Eagles!

Headlines: Duke Makes Skinner Blue

Jeff: Shifting gears to basketball, the Eagles shot well Saturday and were leading much of the game down in Durham before losing by 10. Hopefully the young Eagles can gain some confidence from playing well on the road but unfortunately that is still another L and extends the streak to 6 losses in a row in conference.

Brian: I DVRed the game on Saturday (admittedly not giving the Eagles any chance of winning) and was out with my girlfriend in the city when a friend texted me the score. So we finished up lunch, I turned off my cell phone (so as to not get any text messages, e.g. "OMFG Rice is a beast. Coach K is crying. Eagles win!"), I ran home and watched the game in its entirety. Of course, being tied late gave me a little bit of false hope that the Eagles could pull off the upset. Some observations:

• If Rice played the way he did Saturday in our last 5 losses, we would have only lost 1-2 of those games.


• Freshman mistakes cost us this game. We turned the ball over 15 more times than Duke did (21-6)


• The Blue Devils kept us in the game with poor FT shooting (20-33, including missing 9 of the first 13). As written in the Charlotte Observer, this might come back to bite them in the ACC Tournament or the NCAAs. My advice: short the Dookies in the tournament.


• I hate Duke because they get all the calls. When you don't get the 50/50 ticky-tack calls and don't get opportunities at the line, you aren't going to beat the best teams in the country. I'm sure articles have been written about Duke in the past, about how they get all the calls, but when you get twice as many fouls called on you than the other team, and attempt 20 less free-throws, you can't expect to win any game in the ACC.
  

Jeff, your thoughts?

Jeff: The Eagles played well enough to keep it close, not to win. If they hadn't shot well in the first half they would not have been leading at halftime. The Eagles' turnovers hurt them yes but it was not an astounding number. This team gets turned over by almost every opponent and Duke turns everyone over so I thought the turnovers could've been even worse and if they played again would be only slightly better at best.

Headlines: Thoughts on New Football Schedule

Changes to 2008 schedule (rumored -> official)

• Oct 4 @ Florida State -> @ NC State
• Oct 25 Clemson -> @ UNC
• Nov 1 @ Wake Forest -> Clemson
• Nov 15 @ UNC -> @ Florida State
• Nov 22 Maryland -> @ Wake Forest
• Nov 29 @ NC State -> Maryland
  

Brian: Jeff, here is a comparison between the rumored 2008 schedule and the official schedule. Your thoughts?

Jeff: I am very happy with the changes. Instead of potentially starting 1-3 or 1-4 in conference now the schedule sets up that most likely scenario starts us 3-1 in conference. And as we know the team is going to be somewhat young next year so the later in the we go to Wake Forest and Florida State the better chance I give the team to win. Clemson is going to be the favorite to come out of our division next year and we'll be fighting with Florida State and Wake Forest for bowl positioning if Clemson does play up to expectations. I still have Oct. 4th circled on my calendar as a road game I will be attending, now it is just to see Tom O'Brien's squad rather than heading to Tallahassee to see the scenery. Anything you dislike Brian?

Brian: Overall, I do think the new schedule is more manageable for the Eagles. I am very upset though that the home Clemson game has been moved to November 1 for selfish reasons (I'm running the NYC Marathon the next day). So unless it is a noon or 1 o'clock game, I'm probably going to have to miss the Clemson game for the first time since we joined the ACC. What I think is unique this year and something that I think will be great for ACC football is that the last 4 ACC games for BC are all within the Atlantic division. Especially in November, you want games to count, and the Eagles are set up for a make-or-break month of November in their pursuit of a second straight ACC Atlantic crown. Much like Coach Jags did this year, if you break the season down into 4 quarters, I think we are looking at 3-0, 2-1, 3-0, 2-1 optimistically, with another shot at the ACC championship possible.

Jeff: Wow, 10-2. That is certainly optimistic but not impossible. I think if you asked me to predict a record for next season I'd go 8-4.

Brian: Like I said, I'll be highly optimistic at this point. 8-4 is definitely more realistic. I think that Va Tech won't be as good as last year, FSU won't be 100% back to form, and we'll get our revenge on Maryland. But we could finish anywhere from 6-6 to 10-2. We'll have to wait until the spring game to see what we are working with. I'd also like to analyze the other ACC schedules as we get closer to football season before coming up with a better season prediction.

The Greatest Highlight

Be sure to vote for the Doug Flutie hail mary as ESPN's Greatest Highlight. It's currently up against the 2005 Tiger Woods chip-in on his way to the 2005 Masters.

Seriously, ESPN? One of the greatest plays in all of college football up against a golf highlight? Still, Doug needs your vote because we all know who all the U fans are voting for.

Revised 2008 BC Eagles Football Schedule

So the Globe and the message boards jumped the gun ... here is the official 2008 BC schedule as per theacc.com.

Aug 30 @ Kent State (Cleveland)
Sep 6 v. GEORGIA TECH
Sep 20 v. UCF
Sep 27 v. Rhode Island
Oct 4 @ NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Oct 18 v. VIRGINIA TECH
Oct 25 @ NORTH CAROLINA
Nov 1 v. CLEMSON
Nov 8 v. Notre Dame
Nov 15 @ FLORIDA STATE
Nov 22 @ WAKE FOREST
Nov 29 v. MARYLAND

So what has changed? Every ACC matchup except for the games with the Techs. Also, turns out the ACC doesn't have that much of a sense of humor after all [piting us against TOB and the Wolfpack the last game of the season]. The @ NC State game has moved to an early October date.

Jeff and I will formulate our thoughts and post on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Friday night Hockey East update - the games that are the most important to BC all knotted up:

BC @ UMass, 1-1 end 2nd
Vermont @ Providence, 1-1 late 2nd
UNH @ Maine, 2-2 mid 2nd

A Date with the Dukies and the Big Finish

We go to the Big Finish on a day BC Interruption celebrates its 1000th visit.

Jeff: Big basketball game on CBS tomorrow when the Blue Devils go to Conte Forum. I'll say it again, BC has no chance to win but I hope to continue to see some improvement out of some of our young players. And maybe John Oates can build off his monster game Wednesday night.

Brian: It already makes me sick to my stomach thinking about losing to this team by 30 points, in front of 3x more fans than the Maryland game.


Brian: ESPN has BC on Bubble Watch. Unless we go on a ridiculous tear, I don't see us making the tournament and N.I.T. is debatable.

Jeff: Brian, why so pessimistic about BC basketball? 3 of our 5 conference losses have come from the 4 teams that you have making the NCAA tournament. So after that all we have is a road loss against Virgina and an overtime loss against V-Tech. After Duke tomorrow there are lots of winable games on the schedule.

Brian: 12-9 with no quality out of conference wins (outside of maybe Rhode Island) and bad out of conference losses = my pessimism. Although I continue to admire your optimism, Jeff.


Jeff: I saw on SportsCenter today some talk about Matt Ryan being the #1 pick and going to the Dolphins. Give me odds.

Brian: It would not be unprecedented for Parcells. The Tuna has done this before, turning a junior Washington State QB into a #1 draft pick. Dolphins need a lot more help than Matty Ice but its a good fit. Given that the Dolphins can do a whole bunch of things with the #1 pick, including trading down, I'll go relatively high on this and say 40%. It would be a ton of pressure on the Iceman though.


Brian: Hockey against Massachusetts (10-9-6, 5-8-5 HEA) tonight. Two teams going in opposite directions. Do the Eagles keep pace with New Hampshire and Providence tonight?

Jeff: Of course. I always expect BC to win in hockey.

Brian: 3-1 Eagles victory behind Gerbe and a solid performance from Muse.

Happy Time: Ridiculous Recruiting Story and Oates

No BC birthdays of note today or this week. If you know of any, please leave them in the comments section.


Happy Trails this guy. The Eagle in Atlanta linked to this story about a New York recruit who, while speaking with Jags and Bill McGovern, was interrupted by a helicopter landing on his HS practice field. Out came Greg Schiano and assistant Kyle Flood to recruit him for the SUNJ Scarlet Knights. This leads me to ask three things:

• What is Schiano doing wasting my parents and the good people of the State of New Jersey's tax dollars gallavanting around in a helicopter?
• Who doesn't want to play for this guy?
• And who is wowed by a helicopter landing on their practice field? Not a BC Guy.
  

This series of events lead to another classic quote from Jags [as reported by the Globe's Mark Blaudschun]:

"If that's what it takes [to get someone], I don't know," said Jagodzinski with a laugh. "I told Billy we should have shown him the jet packs we had under our seats."

We here at BC Interruption absolutely love Jags, if only because he is a quote machine!

Happy Anniversary John Oates. On this day yesterday, you were kidnapped and replaced with ... someone else completely and had the game of your life. 5-5 from beyond the arc (absolutely on fire in the first half), 8 for 8 from the floor and finished with 21 points, 4 boards, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Oates had 0 points in his last game against Clemson!

I don't know what you've done with the real Johnny Oates, but I like what you've done with the place.

Headlines: Recruits and Hoops

Jeff: By now anyone who follows Boston College enough to be reading this website knows that BC lost last night to Maryland by 5. There are a lot of goods and bads I saw in the game, but let's talk about what we saw in the stands. A LOT of empty seats. I understand weather might not have been great in Chestnut Hill last night but the weather should not play a factor into whether or not students show up. It was pathetic. Student sections were less than half full. If the students don't show up for Maryland I think it is then clear that they only care about UNC and Duke unless our ball team is in the top 25. I am dissapointed we have to talk about lack of fan support for BC AGAIN.

Brian: It was supposed to be Rivalry week on ESPN. Even though that label is some ESPN manufactured moniker to label the college basketball games of the week, you wouldn't have known it was rivalry week in looking in the stands. As you say, Jeff, very disappointing. And what was up with the Maryland fan sitting in the seats behind the basket? Did you see that?

Jeff: Well it was easy for that Maryland fan to get behind the basket because at tipoff there were not even enough students to fill the front rows. So sad.

Brian: Congratulations to Gary Williams on reaching his 600th career win. Williams was the Boston College coach in the early 80s when the Big East was just forming, and won 76 of those 600 games for the Eagles.


Jeff: National signing day was yesterday, BC signed 29 players. What did you like most about the class?

Brian: I try not to get too wrapped up in the recruiting process since I think that the gains from national signing day are realized much further down the line and recruiting rating services accuracy are marginal at best. I don't want to watch a ridiculous, cheezy, over the top press conference with a 17 year old kid picking one hat over another. That being said, I like a few things about the recruiting class.

• The emphasis on recruiting NJ kids again. It's clear that the recent success of Rutgers football has been boosted by keeping kids in state (and keeping them away from Syracuse which used to eat Rutgers lunch recruiting NJ kids). BC should continue to focus there. As a reader pointed out to me yesterday, if Rutgers was good 5 years ago, what's to say that players like Andre Callendar and Brian Toal wouldn't have stayed in state instead of coming to BC?
  
• Competition at QB. We brought in both Boek and Tuggle to provide some competition for Crane at the QB position
• Depth at RB. Headlining the class is Josh Haden, who is already on campus and may very well start this fall. But we also added Montel Harris, Jerry Kell and Eric Reynolds
• Bolstering the Secondary. Okechukwu Okoroha and Ugo Okpara, the latter who was committed to the Razorbacks before signing with the Eagles. They have height (6'1" and 6'2") and although I have nothing to base this on, envision them being absolute beasts in the Eagle secondary. I'm going to try to give them a nickname right off the bat - the roOKs.

Jeff: The two highlights of the recruiting class for me are the two QBs we have coming in and then stealing two players from SEC schools. Josh Haden was heavily recruited by Florida and then as Brian mentioned Ugo Okpara had originally committed to Arkansas. Getting back to the quarterbacks, I am hoping Cody Boek is the next Paul Peterson (my all-time favorite BC QB). And in my mind he will be until he proves otherwise or fails to win the starting job.

Over/Under: Men's Hoops Forecast

Brian: As christian pointed out, we would be remiss in not congratulating the BC men's hockey team for their 4-3 OT victory over Boston University in the Beanpot semifinals. It will be the first time in 14 years the Terriers are not in the championship game. Hats off to junior forward Nathan Gerbe for scoring 2 goals, his 20th and 21st goals of the season, including the game winner in OT. Boston College will go on to face surprising Harvard in the championship game next Monday. Harvard upset Northeastern 3-1 in the earlier semifinal.

Jeff: We move on to over/under, BC men's hoops style as they get ready to host the Maryland Terrapins tonight at Conte Forum. This is a rematch of their December 9 game in which the Eagles came away with an 81-78 victory.

1. Over/under 19 points for Tyrese Rice tonight (his point total from Terps-Eagles game 1)?

Jeff: Over. Tyrese averages 19.8ppg so I am going over.

Brian: Over, a lot over. Tyrese will carry us tonight but it ultimately won't be enough for the W.

2. Over/under 3 ACC wins in the month of February for the Eagles?

Brian: I'm going under. I don't see us winning tonight, certainly not against Duke on Saturday. That leaves us with NC State and UVA at home, and Florida State and Virginia Tech on the road. I only see us winning 1, maybe 2 of these games. Under.

Jeff: Wow Brian, that is pretty pessimistic. Of those 6 games we have we can beat five of those teams on any given night. 3 are at home and two on the road. I say we either win all 3 home games or win 2 home games and 1 away game giving us a push and leaving BC at 6-7 [in the ACC] at the end of the month.

3. Over/under the unpushable 4.5 ACC teams making the tournament?

Jeff: Over. Barely, but still over. Obviously Duke and UNC are in, Clemson probably in. Then I have two out of BC, Maryland, Virginia Tech and NC State making the dance. So five in all. NC State has the most difficult schedule left of those teams in question, but, similar to Maryland, is starting to play well at the right time.

Brian: Under. Only 4 ACC teams will make the dance this year. UNC, Duke, Clemson and Maryland.

4. Over/under a 3 point victory for BC tonight?

Brian: I'm going under. The spread is 1 point in favor of the Eagles. Even though we beat the Terps back in December, these are two teams going in opposite directions, and I think the Terps get the better of us tonight.

Jeff: Under. You are correct Brian but you have to at least give us a reasonable chance to win. The Eagles have only lost to Virginia Tech in conference at home and that was in overtime. The young Eagles are already confident from beating the Terps earlier in the season. Tonight is a good opportunity for them to bounce back. Stop fearing the turtle.

Brian: I'm just no longer that optimistic about the rest of our season. Plus we have beat Maryland and Gary Williams the last three times, I think the trend is reversed tonight.

Super Tuesday

I don't know about you, but now that the Super Bowl is over and the football season complete, I feel the same way as Peyton. August can't come soon enough.

Go Eagles!

Headlines: Giants Win Super Bowl

Jeff: Well at least the weekend got a lot better for you last night when the Giants beat the Patriots!

Brian: I had a good feeling about this game on Friday and an even better on about the game on Sunday. A great game overall, a dominant performance by the Giants front 7. In my eyes, this was history repeating itself. Many parallels to Super Bowl XXXVI between the Rams and the Patriots.

• Rams came into the game with a record breaking offense - "The Greatest Show on Turf."


• Heavily favored to win the game and very confident (14 point favorites).


• No one really gave the Patriots a chance to win.


• They were up against NFL MVP Kurt Warner.


• The Patriots weren't even expected to get to the Super Bowl, having lost the first two games of their season.


• A game-winning drive by a young QB.


• And then the improbable happened, a 3 point upset victory in the Super Bowl.
  

Jeff, your thoughts?

Jeff: Why wasn't David Tyree MVP?

Brian: I thought for a while that Justin Tuck was going to be named MVP. 6 tackles (5 solo), 2 sacks. Absolutely dominated BC Guy Dan Koppen and the Pats offensive line. But I can't disagree with Eli being named MVP. Eli escaping what was to be a sure sack made that sick Tyree catch possible.

Jeff: Well Tyree picked a good time to have his first TD of the season and then the sick catch was exactly that. But would you agree or disagree that prior to the fourth quarter, that game was perhaps going to go down as one of the worst and most boring Super Bowls ever? I mean the Patriots came in with the "greatest team and offense of all time" and stunk it up. Yes the Giants played well but they had turnovers that the Pats still couldn't do anything with. Brady looked not only not like an MVP but just not very good. I was rather bored with the game until the fourth quarter. I mean there were only 2 possessions in the 1st quarter! A Super Bowl record.

Brian: The game was somewhat boring, more gut wrenching than anything if you were a fan of either team. But I think this proves that defense does win championships. As an aside, the commercials absolutely stunk!

Anyhow, congratulations are in order to BC Guys Tom Coughlin, Chris Snee, Mathias Kiwanuka and Big Blue!

Headlines: A Weekend To Forget

Brian: A forgettable weekend for Eagles (and New England) sports. First, the men's hockey team was upset by Providence. Then the men's hoops team was blown out of Littlejohn in the second half. Then the Patriots were upset by my New York football Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Jeff, let's start with men's hoops as you were in attendance Saturday night. Break it down for the readers.

Jeff: It wasn't pretty Brian. I'm sure you watched the game and saw much of the same I saw like 3 shot clock violations early in the first half, and BC getting killed for rebounds and being completely unable to get into their offense for much of the game. But really as a fan seeing the shot clock violations was most painful. You would certainly think that at some point they could at least chuck up a three and hope for an offensive board rather than during all three violations the buzzer sounded mid pass rather than even someone trying to get a shot up.

As we touched on before the game, Clemson had two key injuries Satruday and the Eagles still got thumped. This week coming up we play Maryland at home who we already beat once so you would think there is a chance for a victory there but since we played in december, Maryland has several good wins including a great win at UNC. Meanwhile, the Eagles have several 20 point losses. Then later in the week the Eagles head to Durham to play a top 5 team in Duke so you can just mark that down as a loss right now. My feelings towards this year's basketball team have gone way south since they had that impressive victory over Wake Forest to go to 2-0 in ACC play.

As far as seeing a game at Clemson, it was another enjoyable road trip. It felt like going to an NBA game with the lights going out and all the fanfare they had before Clemson ran out on the court and as they announced their starting lineup. Then at half time we were entertained by a good dance team and then a team of elementary school unicyclers? Can you ride a unicycle, Brian? I doubt I can and here were 6-10 year olds doing all kind of tricks including jumping rope while on a unicycle! I looked for a video on youtube and couldn't find anything for that team but I'll tell you that that alone was worth the price of admisison.

What can you tell me about our hockey team?

Brian: I didn't get to watch the game so I'm left to analyze the game through the tea leaves of box scores and Hockeyeastonline recaps. BC went down early in the first period 2-0, only to storm back in the second period and knot the game at 2. Goals by Kyle Kucharski and Matt Greene's 8th of the season. In the third, Providence scored the game winner at 15:33. In typical BC fashion, we outshot Providence 38-23 and 14-5 in the third period. Frustrating to say the least.

BC now turns their attention to the Jack Parker Memorial Tournament tonight (8pm) in its first round matchup against Boston University. Here is an interesting read on the importance of the Beanpot written by a BU fan. Without question, regardless of the recent success of the Terriers in this tournament, Boston College has been the more dominant program vis a vis our archrivals down the B line. Let's hope for a BC victory tonight.

Hoops vs. Heels and the Big Finish

Jeff: The Eagles went into Chapel Hill last night and got thumped. There were brief moments in the first half where Boston College played well, including taking a 26-25 lead. After that though it was all UNC on their way to a 22 point victory. Tyrese Rice ended up leading all scorers with 20 but don't let that fool you into thinking he played well. Rice went 1 of 9 from behind the arc and well into the second half he was still in single digits for scoring. He scored most of his points while BC was down 25. The lack of size on the Eagles squad was also prevelant in the game. Blair picked up his third foul with nearly 10 minutes to go in the first half! Southern then had to play far more minutes than he is used to. His lack of experience showed when he ran into one of his teammates trying to make a simple cut in the flex offense. BC has two days away from Boston to get re-energized for the game at Clemson Saturday night which they can win if they play at a high energy level.

Brian: It wasn't even close and wasn't pretty to watch. Very similar to the Kansas game. I did take some offense to UNC's Tyler Hansbrough dunking the ball up 30. No class, but whatever. They can have basketball because they are miserable at football. The Eagles certainly showed that they are not an elite ACC team this year, but there is still hope that they can hang with the second tier ACC teams of Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland and Wake Forest the rest of the way.

Jeff: I have no problem with Tyler dunking the ball up 30. How old is he? 20? If we were talking about a high school game I would have a problem with it. But we're talking about big time Division I basketball. And not to mention that BC was in the game at one point and Roy Williams sat his starters down and gave it to them because he was not happy.


Big Finish


Brian: Preparing for a big weekend of sports, we go to the Big Finish. Jeff, reeling BC goes into Littlejohn tomorrow, losers of three straight. Clemson's point guard will be unavailable for the game. You will be in attendance. Make a prediction?

Jeff: I still like the Eagles chances. I think they will be energized. Clemson has some injuries too - key players with Stitt out and Booker not at 100% if he plays at all. I'm going with a 4 point Eagle VICTORY!

Brian: As always, I like your optimistic Jeff.


Jeff: Does BC hockey keep rolling this weekend against an improving Providence team? Or does it not even matter because they have their first Beanpot game against BU on Monday?

Brian: Of course this game matters. This is a Hockey East game we need to win (need 2 points to keep pace with UNH), the Beanpot nothing more than Boston bragging rights. I like the Eagles tonight. Gerbe has a big night and Muse has a solid game in net. 4-2 Eagles.


Brian: Last one, Super Bowl XLII. New York Giants vs. the 18-0 New England Patriots. BC Guys on both sides. Given the week off, have the media and fans falsely convinced themselves that the Giants actually have a chance to win?

Jeff: No, the Giants do have a chance but still no one including myself expect them to win.