Boston College Hockey vs. Boston University & Maine: Final Thoughts and Predictions

The ancient rivalry resumes tonight when Boston College travels to Agganis Arena to take on BU. Insert all rivalry cliches here. Strangely enough, a trip to Alfond Arena to play Maine on Sunday has become somewhat of an afterthought. It's a big weekend for BC, like they all are from this point on.

BC Roster Notes

BC should be at full strength for the first time since Halloween.

Projected Lines

Ryan Fitzgerald - Destry Straight - Austin Cangelosi
Zach Sanford - Adam Gilmour - Alex Tuch
Cam Spiro - Matt Gaudreau - Brendan Silk
Quinn Smith - Michael Sit - Chris Calnan

Defensive Pairs

Teddy Doherty - Michael Matheson
Scott Savage - Ian McCoshen
Steve Santini - Noah Hanifin

Goaltender:

Thatcher Demko

GAME FACTS

Game Time: 7:00 PM Friday, 3:00 PM Sunday
TV: NESN tonight. Fox College Sports on Sunday (see local listings; generally available via a Sports Package on Comcast)
Radio: WEEI 850 AM, BCEagles.com

Record: Boston College 12-7-2 (5-4-2 HEA), BU 12-3-4 (7-1-2 HEA), Maine 7-14-1 (2-6-0 HEA)

Goal Differentials:
BC: 64 GF, 49 GA - +15 GD
BU: 66 GF, 36 GA - +30 GD
ME: 55 GF, 72 GA - -17 GD

Team Rankings (Nationally):

Pairwise: BC #20...BU #8...ME #47
KRACH: BC #20...BU #8... ME #42

Last Time Out: BU is coming off a 3-point weekend at Wisconsin, tying the Badgers on Friday before smoking them on Saturday. Maine split last weekend with UMass.

Common Foes: Sort of unnecessary at this point of the Hockey East season—BC and BU have faced one another as have BC and Maine. BC lost to BU last time, and beat Maine in their first matchup of the season.

Players to watch: I hear tell of a certain Jack Eichel.

Blast from the Not-Too-Distant Past

There's an embarrassment of riches to choose from when trying to highlight a BC-BU game at Agganis Arena that was fun. Here's a game from when this year's senior class were freshmen, BC stomping BU 6-1.

The Pre-Game Watering Hole

T's Pub. It's got to be T's Pub. I mean, there are other choices, but, yeah...T's Pub.

Scoreboard Watching: Out-Of-Town Notes

I'm most interested in the Northeastern vs. Vermont series, a nice test for both teams right now. Also, Notre Dame is facing UConn this weekend, which...is pretty interesting, I guess. Neither team is really a tournament contender, but it'll be another statement-like opportunity for #icebus.

Predictions

Joe Gravellese:

BC 2, BU 1
BC 4, Maine 2

Hey, why not roll with the good tidings. I'm calling for a BC sweep. BC's got a great record at Agganis Arena and things are coming together for them defensively. Time for a huge win.

Brian Favat:

BU 4, BC 2
BC 5, Maine 3

New "Dan Rubin" Guy:

Grant Salzano:

BC 2, BU 1
BC 3, Maine 0

AJ Black:

(still waiting for AJ's predictions)

BU 4, BC 2

BC 5, Maine 2

BCI Prediction Standings

*pats self on back* I was the only one to call for a tie on Friday night and a win on Saturday. Victory for me!

STANDINGS

AJ 3
Brian 3
Joe Grav 1.83
New Guy 1
Grant 1
BCJacket5 1
Airforce987 0.5
Enzo 0.33
Beerfart 0.33

Can BC earn their biggest win of the season tonight at Agganis Arena? Will they continue to crawl toward the NCAA tournament bubble? Or will Jack Eichel turn frozen water into frozen wine? Leave your thoughts below.