Eagles in the Pros Update: Catching Up With Pat Mullane

This week on Eagles in the Pros we're checking in with Pat Mullane. Mullane played at BC for 4 seasons, winning 4 Beanpots, 3 Lamoriello Trophies, and 2 NCAA Tournaments. Mullane recorded 43 points as a senior captain in the 2012-13 season, ranking third on the team behind prolific scorers Johnny Gaudreau and Steve Whitney. His impressive and improved play over his four years with the Eagles led to a professional contract in 2013. He spent the 2013-14 season in the AHL and ECHL with Rockford and Toledo. He then signed with the Reading Royals (ECHL) for the 2014-15 season. Mullane recorded 23 goals and 39 assists for Reading during the regular season, and picked up 4 points in 7 playoff games. He spent this past season playing in Finland with Assat Pori, playing in 56 games for the team.

We checked in with Pat to get his thoughts on how BC prepared him for the pros and what comes next.

LB: What was your favorite thing about playing at BC?

PM: My favorite thing about playing at BC is the connections and friendships I have made. Other schools and teams have something similar but BC is unique in that most guys are either from the Boston area or come back to the Boston area to spend their summers—not every program has that. Going out to dinner on a Friday night in the summer with guys from the '02 class all the way up to the '14 class is one of the special parts of BC Hockey.

LB: Do you have a specific game or moment that stands out as your favorite as an Eagle?

PM: My favorite moment would obviously be the 2012 Frozen Four. It is hard to put together a better group of guys. We had great leadership in our senior class (Cross, Carey, Almeida, Shea, Venti, Atkinson) and our freshmen had a big impact for us that year, which always helps.

LB: How do you feel that playing at BC / for Coach York specifically prepared you for professional hockey?

PM: There are plenty of kids who chose other schools because they want to play first line right away because they feel this will prepare them better for pro hockey. But for guys at BC, looking back, playing with C. Atkinson, Kreider, Hayes, Hayes, Dumoulin, Gaudreau, B. Smith, Gibbons, Whitney was the reason all of us developed--not playing 25 minutes a night at a lesser school. Coach York always emphasized humility and hard work. He knows how to turn his guys from college hockey players into pros. BC continuously uses the phrase "Be a Pro" and I think it resonates with guys from day 1.

LB: What was the biggest culture shock playing in Finland?

PM: Europe was a great experience and the hockey was great. I think the biggest culture shock in Finland was the weather and change of seasons. People told me it was dark but when you drive to the rink at 8:30am and it's pitch black and then leave the rink at 2pm and the sun is already setting, you get a new appreciation for the word dark.

LB: Are you interested in continuing to play in Europe?

PM: I would love to go back to Europe. Whether that be Finland or Germany or Austria is still up in the air. Getting paid to travel the world and play a game I love is tough to turn down!

LB: Can you talk a little bit about the Comm Ave Classic and what inspired you to start it?

PM: I was extremely close with Dick Kelley during my time at Boston College and when he passed away I knew I wanted to do something in his honor. Also, being a year behind Pete Frates I had heard so many good stories about him, that having a game to benefit ALS and honor the man Dick was and Pete continues to be was a no brainer for Andrew Orpik and me.

LB: Can fans expect anything different this year? (This year's Comm Ave Classic will be played on July 15)

PM: Year 1 was a huge success but hopefully year 2 brings a sold out rink, some different players, and of course, a BC win!

And here's the new official Eagles in the Pros questionnaire, because you all know I can't be serious for an entire article.

Eagles in the Pros Questionnaire

Favorite Taylor Swift song? Blank Space

Favorite place you've travelled for hockey? Quebec City for the Quebec Pee Wee tournament is still one of my best memories.

If you could be on any reality TV show, which would you pick? Not much of a reality TV show but the class of '13 is trying to get Parker Milner on the Bachelor so stay tuned!

Cats or dogs? Dogs

Which teammate (past or present) would you want to be trapped on a desert island with? For survival sake- Patch Alber (he was a boy scout). For entertainment sake- Brooks Dyroff.

Thanks to Pat for joining us! Make sure to check out @BC_MIH_Pros for up to date news about him and all your other favorite BC Hockey alums.