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

Well the Boston College Eagles are scheduled to play Boston University.

Again.

Last week was a bit of a false start as the highly anticipated BC/BU home and home series was cancelled due to COVID mitigation efforts by the Boston University administration as a part of a department-wide shutdown. But the Terriers are back to the ice, and now the college hockey faithful, after dealing with a season of false starts, are going to get two of the best games of the year this weekend.

No one is really sure how Hockey East is going to figure out the regular season championship (@BurntBoats did some back of the napkin math based on an interview with Hockey East associated commissioner and friend of the blog Brian Smith), but any calculation is pretty much going to put BC and BU neck and neck, which means this weekend, particularly with how things are going, is going to matter a great deal in the however we’re going to get a Hockey East regular season champion this year race. So let’s talk about it.

Breaking Down the Series

1. Fear of the unknown: Let’s not beat around the bush, BU has barely played the requisite number of games to need two hands to count. What that means is that while we have an idea of how BU is going to be the weekend, there are still a lot of questions. There aren’t that many first year players on the team, but the returners haven’t seen a lot of the ice this year, so there are variables.
2. Scoring when we can: One thing is for sure, this game is between two of the most efficient offenses in the country. The two Comm. Ave schools are one and two in shooting percentage, and while their Corsi numbers leave a lot to be desired, I would attribute BU’s frankly abysmal Corsi numbers to small sample size and BC’s tumble to a stretch of brutal Corsi games. The jury is still out if either team has a dominant enough offense to take control of a game, but it is very obvious that if you give either team enough time and space to work there is enough talent to make teams pay.
3. Farrance: BC will be up against one of the best two-way defensemen in the country in David Farrance. Farrance is a strong distributor with the ability to find the net on his own. BC needs to keep tabs on him all night because while BU might not have an offense that can take over a game, Farrance can definitely dominate his shifts.

Random, Possibly Incorrect Fact from BU’s Wikipedia Page

BU is not from Boston, either. It was actually founded in Newbury, Vermont in 1837 before it moved to Boston in 1867. (This is totally true btw.)

Barley and Hops Based Alcoholic Beverage of the Game

Harpoon Bock Hog

From one of Boston’s best breweries, this cinnamon based lager is a quintessential winter drink. Plus, like BU, Harpoon also has ties to Vermont.

Prediction

I am really looking forward to these games because I think it’s going to be some of the best of the year. I think BC wins the first game. The second game is at dingy historic Walter Brown Arena, and I’m always afraid of the ghosts of that building haunting the Eagles.

Friday: 4-1 BC

Saturday: 2-2