Boston College v. UMass Lowell: Final Thoughts and Predictions

Yeah. Ok.

I know a lot of y’all have a lot of questions. I’ll try to address some of them here.

Q1: Dude. What?

A: Yeah. I know. I don’t really have a reasonable explanation for the dichotomy this past week. It’s probably worth noting that there is a considerable amount of talent on the Eagles roster that made the most of its limited opportunities. The Eagles only attempted 30 shots in the game (which is pretty bad) but made the most of those opportunities. It is also worth noting that Hayden Hawkey has been somewhat leaky when shots get to him. He has one of the best goals against averages in the league, but his save percentage at .905 is pedestrian. So that’s my best rendition of throwing stuff on the wall and seeing if something sticks.

Q2: Yeah, but Maine.

A: Yeah. I know. I don’t have an explanation, other than to say getting out shot (on goal’d) 21-8 in a period is not good. But sometimes games like that happen, and if it weren’t for the season thus far the game would be written off as just a fluke, because games like that *do* happen. But alas, it’s within the climate of the season thus far, and needs to be treated as such.

Q3: So how worried should I be?

A: Fairly worried. We’ve known for a little while that BC would need to win the Hockey East tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament, and a good seed facilitates that. Realistically there is not a real possibility BC misses the Hockey East tournament, but there is a possibility the Eagles slide down the standings. BC could theoretically lose home-ice advantage, and right now there doesn’t appear to be any easy games for BC. That said, BC has shown that it can beat the best in Hockey East right now. Providence and Boston University have yet to beat Boston College. So it’s not impossible, but the backslide should be concerning.

Q3: Can we play Providence every weekend?

A: No, but you can be heartened to know BC plays Providence three times this year.

Q4: Don’t we play UMass Lowell three times too?

A: Yep.

Q5: ...So BC plays two of the best teams in Hockey East three times each this year?

A: Pretty much, yeah.

Q6: That’s dumb.

A: Not a question, but yeah.

Q7: So, how worried were you watching the Providence game?

A: Oh I didn’t see it live, I was with the UGA club hockey team down in Savannah at a tournament.

Q8: Wait, UGA has a hockey team?

A: They do! You can (and should) donate to them here.

Q9: So you’ve fully embraced the whole southern thing huh?

A: Roll Tide Pawl.

What to watch for this weekend:

1. Jekyll and Hyde: UMass Lowell has been so hot and cold they could have a Katy Perry song written about them. One weekend they drop a game to lowly RPI at home, the next weekend they beat UMass in their own building. The River Hawks have been consistently inconsistent, so it’s tough to say how the River Hawks will come out.
2. Offensively offensive: UMass Lowell is about where BC is in terms of Corsi for %, which is about average.
3. Stop asking for a third point: I just did a whole q/a thing. Stop being mean.

Random, Possibly Incorrect Fact from UMass Lowell’s Wikipedia Page

UMass Lowell is No. 152 in the US News rankings.

Liquor of the Game

Hockey season has been stressful. Beer ain’t gonna cut it.

Knob Creek Bourbon

Yeah I don’t have a tidbit here. I’ve never had it. This was a special request from Marisa Ingemi of the Boston Herald.

Predictions

BC has been very good at home, but has been snake-bitten away from the friendly confines of Kelley Rink. I think this is a split with the home teams winning each game.