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With the Boston College Men’s Hockey season on the horizon, we continue to take a close look at who will be finding themselves on the ice for the maroon and gold. Today, we breakdown sophomore forward, Mike Merulla.
Name: Mike Merulla
Number: 20
Position: Center/Right Wing
Class Year: Sophomore
Background: Mike Merulla had a rather quiet freshman year where he only played in three games. With limited exposure to the ice, Mike did not get much of an opportunity to showcase why he was one of the better BC prospects.
In his three games against Merrimack (season opener), Quinnipiac and Ferris State, Merulla’s only recorded statistic was a blocked shot against the Bobcats. However, do not let the empty stat sheet fool you of his potential.
Before committing to the heights, Merulla spent the 2015-16 season playing for the Aston Rebels of the Tier II North American Hockey League where he was quite the standout. In 48 games, he netted 24 goals, made 31 assists and had a +/- of 19.
2017-18 Outlook: While Mike clearly has not had much of a chance to showcase his skills for the Eagles, I have a strong feeling that he will be a great asset to the team this coming season. With a 6’0” 194-lb frame, he is one of the bigger forwards that I’m sure will use that as an advantage in pinning his opponents against the boards and playing solid end-to-end defense.
With the absence of Ryan Fitzgerald and nobody at the forward position being older than a junior, this is a golden opportunity for Merulla to demonstrate his play-making abilities that he exhibited during his time with the Rebels. I expect Jerry York to place Merulla on either the second or third line to start the season, but would not be surprised if he creeps his way onto the first line by season’s end.
Fun Fact: Mike is from Kennett Square Pennsylvania which, according to my wiki research, is the mushroom capital of the world producing over a million mushrooms a week.
Official BC Interruption Player Hashtag: #MerullaTheRuler