2009-2010 Boston College Men's Ice Hockey: Merrimack Game Guide

Merrimack Warriors (4-2-0, 1-0-0 Hockey East) at No. 13 Boston College Eagles (1-1-0, 0-1-0 Hockey East)

Time: 7:00 EDT
Date: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Place: Silvio O. Conte Forum (7,884), Chestnut Hill, Ma.

Links:

USCHO's This Week in Hockey East
USCHO's 2009-2010 Merrimack Season Preview
Warrior Rink Rat blog Tale of the Tape

Last Season: BC went 2-0-1 last season vs. Merrimack, with both games at Merrimack going to overtime.

Trends: Boston College is undefeated vs. Merrimack in their last 19 games spanning back to the 2002-2003 season. The Eagles hasn't lost to Merrimack since February 15, 2003. BC owns a lopsided 52-17-4 mark all-time against Merrimack.

Key Players:

The Eagles host the Merrimack Warriors tonight in a Hockey East matchup at Conte Forum. The Eagles are coming off a 3-2 victory at No. 10 Notre Dame. Merrimack is on a bit of a hot streak, having rattled off four straight home wins after losing a pair at North Dakota to open the season. Merrimack has defeated Holy Cross, Army, Vermont and Connecticut as part of their four game winning streak. Through six games, Merrimack is averaging 3.67 goals per game while only giving up 2.50. Merrimack has a pair of goalies - Andrew Braithwaite and Joe Cannata - who are each 2-1-0 on the season. The senior Braithwaite has had the slightly better GAA and save percentage, allowing 2.35 goals per game and saving 91.7 percent of shots.

Not sure how many fans will show up tonight on the night before Halloween, but the athletics department is letting kids in for free with their Halloween costume, so my guess is not many.

Prediction: These are the type of games that BC definitely needs early in the season to keep pace in the Hockey East standings. Eagles bring the Warriors back down to Earth a bit after their fast 4-2 start, and take care of business at home.

Boston College 4, Merrimack 2