Boston College Men’s Hockey v. Wisconsin: Final Thoughts and Predictions

Well everyone, the long wait is over. It has finally arrived, now in regular season form!

(Men’s) hockey season.

Last week we got a sneak preview as to how the Eagles look this year, but now we start playing for keeps, so let’s see how the Eagles stack up against their first opponent, the University of Wisconsin. Let’s break it down

Breaking Down the Series

1. Bunch of Yutes: ...wait I’m sorry, bunch of what...? What was that word?

Uhh... what word?

Bunch of what...?

What?

Did you just say yutes?

Yeah, bunch of yutes.

What is a yute?

Oh. Excuse me your honor. Bunch of youuuuths.

...

...

...

1. Bunch of underclassmen: All but one of Wisconsin’s top five returning scorers are sophomores. That means a bunch of younger guys are going to need to step up in order to make up for the departure of top two scorers Ryan Wagner and Trent Frederich. Look for guys like Linus Weisbach, Wyatt Kalynuk and Seamus Malone to pick up the slack.
2. Depth at the Heights: One of the most remarkable takeaways from the game last week is the amount of scoring depth the Eagles have. All but three players were +1 or better. Plus/minus isn’t always the best indicator for player caliber, but it definitely shows that there is a decent amount of diversity in scoring amongst the Eagles. That can wear teams down, especially the Badgers. But another way to wear a team down is...
3. Wahlstrom: Yeah. Not a whole lot to say. He’s as advertised, folks.

Random, Possibly Incorrect Fact from Wisconsin’s Wikipedia Page:

The Badgers compete in something called the Big Ten hockey conference.

Sounds made up.

Beer of the Game:

Wisconsin Brewing Company’s Badger Club Amber Lager

Madison remains one of my favorite cities that I have ever visited, and certainly was up there amongst the cities visited on my Wide World of Law School World Tour. When I got into Madison, I went to a Wisconsin/Minnesota hockey game at the Kohl Center (a bucket list trip for any red-blooded college hockey fan). After the game, I fancied a pint. I had a piano bar picked out (yeah that’s right. Madison has a piano bar. How cool is that), but when I got there it was packed. So I went next store to the Wisconsin Brewing Company Brew Haus on State Street. When I got in I got greeted by a very kind bartender who recommended I try the Badger Club Amber.

My biggest regret from the trip was that I didn’t bring any back to Boston with me. It is absolutely delicious. Paired best with cheese curds.

Predictions:

Hope springs eternal during this time of year for BC hockey fans. It is the point of the year where the team shows so much promise. I love this time of year, because it gives me the pretense to say stuff like: I think BC will walk out of the Kohl Center undefeated.

Arthur: 4-1, 5-1 BC sweep

Laura: 4-3, 5-1, BC Sweep

Grant: 3-3 tie, 3-2 BC

Peter: 1-1 Tie, 3-2 BC

Steven: 4-1, 4-2 BC Sweep

Out of town predictions will return when there aren’t a billion out of town Hockey East games to pick.