Boston College Hockey vs. Providence, 1/8-1/9: Final Thoughts and Predictions

It feels like things have fallen apart alarmingly quickly for the Boston College men's hockey team. After carrying a 13-1-1 record in to their final game before the mid-season break, BC has dropped three straight games. More troublingly, BC is dealing with serious depth issues—none more worrisome than the injury to goaltender Thatcher Demko, which will likely force freshman Ian Milosz into the spotlight tonight in his first ever collegiate appearance. The kid hasn't even taken a college class yet, but will be counted upon to be the stopper as BC looks to stop their skid against the defending national champions.

The bad news is...well, everything about that first paragraph. The good news is, this is the stuff legendary performances are made of. Can Milosz and the Eagles make it happen this weekend?

atFriday, January 8, 2016; 7:00 PM; Conte Forum; Boston, Mass.
atSaturday, January 9, 2016; 7:00 PM; Schneider Arena; Providence, R.I.

THE MATCHUP

Record	13-4-1 (6-1-1 HEA)	14-2-1 (4-0-2 HEA)
Pairwise	15th	5th
KRACH	13th	5th
Team Offense	#5 (4.00 G/GM)	#9 (3.56 G/GM)
Team Defense	#3 (1.72 GA/GM)	#5 (1.89 GA/GM)
Streak	L3	L1

Storylines

• Milosz's possible debut: Goaltender Ian Milosz spent the fall semester with the Junior Bruins and was on the radar for BC to come in for the 2016-17 season. When goaltender Chris Birdsall suffered a concussion that has forced him out for significant time, BC needed to act and add a backup goalie to the roster. Unfortunately, it looks like the guy they brought in for depth is going to be counted on to start in some key games. Let's see how he does. He's played well for the Junior Bruins.
• A full strength lineup, at least up front: The Eagles haven't skated with a full lineup of forwards since their home game against Northeastern in early December, dealing with a spate of injuries, suspensions, and Colin White missing due to World Juniors. The full offensive lineup will be back tonight and they'll be called upon to step it up from previous performances. Will the lines look the same as they did in the first semester or will York try something new?
• Nick Ellis: can he keep it going?: Heading in to the break, Providence goalie Nick Ellis was actually putting up better stats than Jon Gillies put up last season—alarming as that may be for all of Providence's competition. National college hockey people seem to be waiting and waiting for Ellis to come back to earth. Will it happen?

Brave, an energetic and friendly young cat, made the Gifford predictions this week. She's deaf, so I don't know how well she understood the rules, but she quickly picked Providence for both games. Brave is guessing Providence will win 2-1 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday. 

You can visit Brave and friends at The Gifford Cat Shelter, located right across from BC at 30 Undine Road in Brighton. Founded in 1884, it is the oldest no kill and cageless shelter in the U.S. More information is available at http://www.giffordcatshelter.org/.