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

Well, guess BC isn’t getting that series with Northeastern after all.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 issues at Northeastern, Hockey East cancelled the series this weekend. BC will now shift focus to a home-and-home series with Merrimack.

Breaking Down the Series

Historically I’ve broken this section down into three bullet points. However, I don’t know if that’s appropriate for this series. The reason for that is that there is really is limited data from Merrimack’s season. The Warriors have only played six games this season, four of which against Northeastern and two of which were against Massachusetts. Any analysis is based off limited data. That said:

1. Merrimack’s offense hasn’t been impressive. The Warriors don’t make of their chances, with the 13th worst shooting percentage in the nation. Merrimack is also not strong at even strength, with one of the worst Corsi For % in the nation. That means the Warriors don’t control the puck all that often and when they do they don’t do a whole lot with it. This isn’t a recipe to beat a team like BC. Even with potential injuries limiting the offensive corps, BC is still a offensive juggernaut and can dominate possession and stifle the Merrimack offense, which is already bad without even mentioning…
2. Merrimack also has one the worst goaltending performances in the nation. As a corps, the Warriors have the worst save % in the nation. Not just bad, the worst.

It’s hard to say if the Warriors are as bad as they appear on paper—they’ve faced some stiff competition this year and one can wonder if there would be more of a regression to the mean. That said, BC can absolutely dominate and take control of this game if the Warriors let them.

Random, Possibly Incorrect Fact about Merrimack from its Wikipedia Page

We say this a lot, but damn Merrimack’s page doesn’t have a lot of info. The college is on 220 acres.

Barley and Hops Based Alcoholic Beverage Of the Game

Still a good beer, even after a game cancellation.

Predictions

Merrimack ain’t Northeastern. Get the brooms.

5-1 BC Sat.

4-2 BC Sun.