Scouting Report: James McCluskey

This is my annual attempt at being Mel Kiper or Todd McShay. I'll cover the big names and the likely BC free agents. Today's profile is James McCluskey.

I am a huge fan of James McCluskey's NFL upside...and this has nothing to do with his agent being a friend of mine. Think of all the rave reviews we've heard about Mike McLaughlin from Baltimore and Denver. How versatile he is...how the NFL needs more blocking fullbacks, etc. Now imagine a player who fits many of the same needs but can also catch the ball.

The flipside is that for all the hustle and hype people have for pluggers, scrappy fullback types, they are also a dime a dozen. McLaughlin is on his second team without ever having played a snap in a live game. I see McCluskey in that same mode, but I think his offensive skills will keep him on a team as a free agent.

If anything McCluskey was underutilized due to injuries and offense during the later part of his BC career. In 2008 -- before he broke his leg -- he was a solid runner and pass catcher. As his career progressed and the offense changed, he didn't touch the ball as much. But that didn't stop his blocking. McCluskey opened holes the past two years and won most of his one-on-one battles.

As for measurables, McCluskey has the size. He's probably a little slow at 4.92 for what any NFL team would want, but as a FB/special teams player, he can get away with that.

I am 99% sure that McCluskey will not hear his name called this weekend. Conversely, I think he will be a popular guy once the lockout really ends. If he finds the right offense and the right depth chart, he can make an impact in 2011.

Guest Hockey Blogger: Mook gets us ready for BC-BU

Mook's back and he's got some opinions on BC's huge weekend against BU. A good showing can get us off the NCAA bubble. Here are his answers to my questions.

1. BC has played well the past two weeks. What is the difference between now and their midseason swoon?

Mook Williams: Goaltending, skating, and offensive philosophy.

John Muse is smelling the postseason, and that raw scent turns him into a monster between the pipes. This guy plays for clutch games, and probably can't even fake it during the middle of the season. Everything about Muse looks better recently, from his positioning to his reflexes. Muse is sharp right now, and of course a sharp goaltender will make a world of difference for any hockey team.

BC is skating like they should be. There is a lot of power in those strides, and they are beating defenders at a much higher rate than during the midseason doldrums. THIS is what we have all come to expect from BC teams, year in and year out. Watching them move up and down the ice last week, oftentimes right past UNH defenders, was a thing of beauty.

And maybe going hand-in-hand with the boost to their skating comes an improved and more practical offensive philosophy. Guys are getting into the slot more, getting in front of the goalie, and not trying to make the fancy play. There appears to be less cycling and more aggressive lines taken straight to the net. Now cycling typically is a trademark of a good Jerry York team, but perhaps this year the coaching staff realized that it wouldn't work with this group of players, and have simplified things. I watched this team generate about seven odd-man rushes in the third period against UNH in Game 1 of that short series. Although they converted none of these rushes, the fact that they kept generating them, and kept focusing on getting to the slot and the net, was very impressive. I'm excited to see this brand of hockey against BU.

2. BC is 0-2-1 against BU this year and only scored 3 goals total in the games. Was there anything positive to take away from the earlier meetings?

MW: There wasn't anything positive, and I mean absolutely ZILCH, to take away from the third game. BU completely dominated BC in every way.

As for the 1-1 tie . . . that outcome could have been a lot worse for BC were it not for the play of John Muse, who had a fantastic game that night. He showed that night that if he's on, he can equalize all that impressive talent and size coming off the BU bench.

The 3-1 BU win on BC ice was capped off with a BU empty net goal, so the game was a lot tighter than some may assume. The game featured tight checking and conservative play, and lots of iron hits by BC. Shot totals were kept low, and the ultimate game winning goal was scored on a penalty shot by Chris Connolly. This game may be the best indicator of what we can expect on Friday night. BC needs to turn the hit posts and crossbars into goals if they want to win, as BU doesn't yield many great scoring opportunities.

3. What is the key to this weekend?

MW: John Muse is the most important player on the ice for BC. BU is so talented, that you KNOW that Muse is going to have to make some great stops to keep BC in the game. In front of Muse, BC's blueliners need to maintain the grit and physicality that they displayed against UNH. I saw a much edgier BC defense corps (Petrecki excluded, that man always lives on the edge out there) against UNH, with guys like Anthony Aiello liberally applying lumber to the Wildcats whenever they got near Muse. This nasty attitude needs to continue, provided that the BC Dmen keep everything between the waist and the shoulders.

And finally, keep the simplified offense going. Drive and cut to the net every chance you have, and get as many pucks on BU goale Kieran Millan as possible. Make him feel the pressure of being in the Hockey East tournament semifinals, a place where Muse has already thrived.

Getting on the board early is always important, but WOW will it do wonders for the Eagles on Friday night if they can get there. Getting the lead on BU will take BU out of its conversative defensive shell, which can often be tough to crack. BU normally gets away with this type of play because they have enough talent up front to get the job done without any gambling.

Something hardcore BC hockey fans are wishing for but will never receive: GET THE FORWARDS OFF THE POINT ON THE POWERPLAY. As a BC hockey observer, I just don't feel comfortable with those guys out there. It opens us up to dangerous shorthanded opportunities (UNH scored 2 shorties in Game 1 last week), and I do not think that the forwards on the point give BC that much more of an advantage then having defensemen play there. But, alas, this adjustment will never happen.

4. What is your prediction?

MW: BU wins 3-2 in OT and ends BC's season. But hey, BC may just be on another magic run right now, so this prediction is not made with much confidence. I think this game will make the Hockey East slogan "Great Hockey, Guaranteed" completely on point. Keep in mind that BC has its whole season to play for (it ends with a loss), but BU already has a #1 NCAA tournament seed locked up. With a BC win, they might be in the tournament even with a loss on Saturday night (although many other games will have to break in a certain way for this to happen). IF BC wins this game and the following one on Saturday night, you can book them for the Frozen Four in Washington DC. No one will be able to stop that kind of momentum. Drop the puck.

Beanpot Guest Blogger

Although I am able to see more BC hockey than I used to, I still don't get enough to be considered well informed (some would argue that doesn't stop me on other BC items...). My old radio colleague Mook Williams has a much better feel for what's going on with the defending National Champs, so I've asked him once again to guest blog on the Beanpot and BC hockey. My questions and his answers follow.

1. The team has not looked like the defending National Champions. Ferriero and Smith obviously miss having Gerbe on their line, but that is not the whole story. What is going on? Why does the team seem to take two steps forward and two steps back?

Mook Williams: I like to laugh and say that BC is presently "sticking with the game plan" right now - they seem to always look terrible in the month of January, at least for the past 3-4 years, and this year is no exception. Of course, the expectations are even higher this season with the national title last year and a crop of good freshmen coming onto the squad. The problem right now, more than any of the past seasons, however, is that BC is taking way too many penalties. Part of the problem is that Hockey East officials are . . . well . . . terrible on most nights. Apart from bad officiating, which both teams on the ice are subject to, there appears to be a lack of concentration and focus out there for all 60 minutes. Defenseman Nick Petrecki gets the bad rap of taking too many penalties, but many of them are reputation-based (I mean, how much of a joke was that major late in the game against Lowell?). However, Petrecki's problems this year are representative of many on the roster - lapses in focus, failure to keep the legs moving, and a delay in decision-making. The good news is that this problem can be remedied in a matter of one night. As for Petrecki, I think you are going to see a dominant end to the season for him.

A bigger problem is that there is a lack of scoring leadership, especially recently. Brock Bradford got off to a hot start, but has since tailed off, with no one else filling the gap or supporting him. There certainly are plenty of candidates on this team to explode offensively: Gibbons, Smith, Ferreiro, Hayes, Atkinson, and / or Whitney. For whatever reason, no one has caught fire. At this point in the season, only Bradford is in double-digits in goals scored. Yikes. One of the few true bright spots this season, senior power forward Kyle Kucharski, is second with 8 goals, and only 4 penalty minutes. I think this guy has a good shot to have a lengthy pro career . . . but in the midst of other forwards with bigger names and in strong Hockey East, Kyle being second in goal scoring isn't what you wanted to see when you broke this team down in October.

Pop quiz (and don't use Google) - who has more goals, Andrew Orpik or Ben Smith? The answer . . . neither, both have 3. More assists? Both have 9. Smith has played one more game. Orpik is another bright spot, as he's really brought the checking hammer out this season, even more so than last, but Ben Smith is a guy that the Eagles need to provide scoring leadership, and it hasn't happened. Is he injured? Or is he just going to have a hot finish? He's shown that he steps it up as springtime nears. Ben always does things subtly on the ice, so focus in on him the next time you see BC play to see how he's skating out there.

In goal, John Muse has been off and on, but we saw the same performance last season before he ratcheted it up several notches to help carry the team to a national title. I believe we'll see focus and lateral movement improvements in him during the coming weeks. Will we see him actually get a regular season game off? Don't count on it.

Some credit goes out to Matt Price, who never stops motoring, and recently Malcolm Lyles, who deserves to dress for all remaining games this season. As does Matt Lombardi, who displays his commitment to grinding every time he's out there. BC needs more of the same from these guys, along with more passion from other, in order to compensate for a loss that is greater than not having Nathan Gerbe on the team: not having the "glue guys" named Brennan, Bertam, and Greene.

I'm maybe the last remaining BC observer to believe this, but I still expect this team to pull it all together in LATE February, and grab yet another Frozen Four birth. I also predict that they will "see" several teams coming down as they are on the way up - i.e. BU and Notre Dame. Coach Jerry York has already shown every one several times that he owns a copyrighted "formula" to getting deep in the NCAAs every year. Until he puts a team out there that fails to stick to the plan, and who knows this could be the one, I won't doubt him or his teams.

2. The team lost to Northeastern earlier in the Fall. How much can you look to that game as an indicator of what will happen in the Beanpot Opener?

MW: I don't necessarily see the October 18, 2008 game as being too much of an accurate preview for the first round BC/NU Beanpot matchup. That game occurred what seems to be eons ago - BC was ranked No. 1 in the country and came into a red-hot intense environment at Matthews Arena. The game was a competitive 4-3 NU victory, earmarked by two shorthanded NU goals. It was BC's first loss of the season.

Right now we have BC at the bottom of it's season, struggling to get off the mat, while Northeastern is flying high as a new national power. NU is getting great scoring support from its two younger classes, and has already received an impressive 8 power play goals from senior leader Ryan Ginand. Thiessen in net has been solid, as usual (well, other than in his last game against UMASS). As I type this, BC would be left on the outside looking in for the NCAAs if the season ended today, while NU would be a strong No. 2 seed. However, we've seen this all before from both teams: NU has gotten off to good starts and dropped, and BC has certainly lagged in the middle of the season . . . repeatedly . . . only to emerge as a dominant force later. Let's take a look at who NU has beaten this season: BC, Alaska (also tied), PC (three times), Maine (three times), Bentley, Vermont (twice plus a loss), UNH (plus a tie and a loss), Lowell, Western Michigan, and Merrimack (twice). Not exactly an SEC football caliber hitlist.

Although I'm not too confident in BC just yet (way too early in the season for that), I think that NU is about to drop like a rock. BC takes this game in a close matchup, and starts to wake up. I don't see BC getting by BU in the championship game - I mean, come on, it's the Beanpot!

3. Many of York's teams have lost focus midseaon only to rally down the stretch. Do you expect another Frozen Four run and how important is the Beanpot in sparking a potential run?

MW: I think that I got ahead of myself in half-answering this question up in #1. As to the second half of the question, I don't usually put too much importance on the two non-conference regular season games known as The Beanpot, but for this struggling BC team, it is potentially huge. BC has a great opportunity to use this tournament as its own personal purgatory - face a top-performing NU team, and maybe also a dominant BU team, address the many team ills through adversity and pressure, and come out a much stronger team. If they fail in the Beanpot, or at least don't obtain a moral victory in a close loss, it won't be the end of BC's season, but it will definitely be a cause for greater concern. Coach York always acknowledges the Beanpot as a great litmus test to see if his teams are close to being ready for postseason tournament play. Well, let's see it . . . will the "sleeping giant" defending national champs be awakened?

Guest Hockey Blogger: Mook Williams' summer update part II

This is part two of Mook's summer update. In this portion he gets us up to speed on the new faces.

ATL_eagle: What about the incoming players. Who will make an impact right away?

Mook Williams: What additions are coming in? Well, let's start with an unusual one - Brock Bradford. Now here's a guy who really fell on hard luck in 07-08. Brock suffered from not one, but TWO distinct and unrelated broken arm injuries. Together, these injuries took Brock from being a guy who was expected to be one of the team leaders in 07-08 and transformed him into a guy who was forced to contribute off the ice only. BC was able to obtain a medical redshirt for Bradford for 07-08, thereby saving a year of eligibility in case Brock wanted to play for BC in 2009-10 (just a hunch, but I would be surprised to see the Bruins property playing for BC beyond this season). More newsworthy than the red shirt, however, was the fact that the team elected Bradford as its Captain for 08-09. There's no question that Bradford is a highly skilled two-way player, but to be voted Captain after missing most of the previous season certainly is something special, and HAS to tell you something about this guy. It's tough to guarantee anything for a guy coming off serious injuries, and he'll have to re-adjust, but I look at Bradford as a major addition to the 08-09 squad, and quite frankly, I expect him to be in the top 10 of most / all Hockey East offensive stat categories, in addition to +/- .

Now what about the freshman class? If you didn't know anything about BC's incoming freshman class, and only read the above, you'd already think BC was in good shape for 08-09. Here's the great news - by all accounts (and I certainly am no "recruit-nik" so none of the accounts are mine) BC has a stellar incoming freshman class. Here are the guys coming in:
Tommy Cross - 6'3, 210# - D - Simsbury, CT
Ed Shea - 6'0, 180# - D - Shrewsbury, MA
Barry Almeida - 5'9, 185# - F - Springfield, MA
Jimmy Hayes - 6'5, 210# - F - Dorchester, MA
Paul Carey - 6'1, 190# - F - Weymouth, MA
Malcolm Lyles - 5'10, 177# - D - Miami Gardens, FLA (yes you read that right)
Cam Atkinson - 5'8, 165# - F - Greenwich, CT
Tommy Atkinson - 5'8, 165# - F - Greenwich, CT
Chris Venti - 6'0, 170# - G - Needham, MA

Three of these guys have already been drafted by NHL teams: Cross, Hayes, and C. Atkinson, while most of the rest are highly regarded. Comparing the incoming guys with the outgoing guys...the numbers don't match up, do they? There are far more guys coming in than leaving. This can only mean the following: an every-week competition for some guys to play themselves onto the ice on Friday and Saturday night and out of the stands in a suit-and-tie. If even half of the new guys coming in play solid hockey, you are going to have good hockey players on the sideline for each and every game this season. DEPTH is going to be one of BC's best attributes this season, save for the goaltending position. Injuries happen, and when they do, BC will be one of the best, if not the best, teams in the NCAA to deal with them. Heck, their own captain already has successfully fought through two serious ones in the same season himself.

ATL_eagle: Anything else we should know?

Mook Williams: Two other random notes: the NCAA championship banner will be raised prior to BC's first home game on October 10 against Wisconsin, and BC will be playing two exhibition games in Canada over winter break due to a too-long gameless stretch on the schedule, If Nathan Gerbe stayed on for his senior season, I would have said that there's no way that BC loses more than 5 games in 08-09. With Gerbe gone, this team will be more "normal," for sure, but still one of the top five teams in all the land. I look for this team to be there in the Frozen Four in Washington DC come April 2009, and be the favorite to win it all.

NOTE TO ALL CHICKEN LITTLES: Hopefully, after three successive seasons in a row where BC slumped somewhere in the middle but turned it on at the end to reach the national title game, the pattern of bashing the team in early February and no-showing games (ahem, "Super"fans) will go by the wayside. The talent and heart on this 08-09 BC team guarantees them to be a threat to win it all, even if they just sneak into the NCAA tournament as the last at-large bid. From both a talent and intangibles perspective, this team should never be counted out. I apologize for the "fluff piece" tone of this article, but apart from the usual issues of chemistry and balanced play that all championship-caliber teams experience, and the minor questions surrounding Bradford's comeback, I see very few weaknesses for this squad. This lack of cynicism is very non-attorney-like, but I have to call 'em as I see 'em. To those expecting more negativity, I apologize - maybe try me next time.

Guest Hockey Blogger: Mook Williams' summer update part I

Football is not the only season approaching. With a National Championship to defend, I thought we'd check in with BC Hockey Guy Mook Williams. Here is part one of his update.

ATL_eagle: What's happened since Denver? What departures were big deals? What other roster issues do we need to know about?

Mook Williams: Other than the post-championship news that superstar Junior forward Nathan Gerbe would be leaving for the Buffalo Sabres organization and the team's visit to the White House and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, there has been little news coming from the Boston College hockey program during the summer of 2008 (this is a good thing). Beyond Gerbe, the Eagles lost the following players to graduation:
-- Mike Brennan (D)
-- Matt Greene (F)
-- Pat Gannon (F)
-- Dan Bertram (F)

Backup goaltender Andrew Margolin is also rumored to be transfering away from the program (frankly, no one blames him considering if he stayed he'd be a career backup to John Muse). Finally, BC was able to obtain a medical redshirt for injured forward Brock Bradford.

Other than Margolin, who saw little action behind "Iron Horse" John Muse during 2007-2008, BC's losses to graduation / early departure are significant. Each one of the skaters that departed were standout leaders on the squad, starting first and foremost with now ex-Captain Mike Brennan, the anchor of the Eagle blue line corps. Setting Gerbe's NCAA best offensive skills aside for a moment, the Eagles are also losing a handfull of guys with grit, hustle, and finely-tuned defensive awareness. These special attibutes have always stood out during the Jerry York era, and when present, perfectly compliment the annual BC scoring barrage. Some BC teams have these qualities in spades, while others have to work hard to develop them. Losing a bunch of "glue guys" at once should present a challenge for the guys remaining on the team, even considering how promising the 08-09 squad looks.

I'm not particuliarly worried, however. Why? Well, let's start between the pipes - John Muse showed the heart of a champion against UNH in the Hockey East semifinals, and played outstanding hockey from that point until the final seconds against Notre Dame in the National Championship game. His performance against UNH and Miami of Ohio are certainly two of the greatest goaltending performances in BC history, and were borne from precise positioning in the crease, focus, and mental toughness. Muse had plenty of opportunities to let down in tough situations in March 2008, but he simply did not. Take all of this and add in the fact that he already showed he is capable of logging every minute in a season during his freshman campaign, and you have a solid foundation for a top-contending team. Make no mistake about it, Muse isn't the second coming of Rick DiPietro or Cory Schneider skills-wise, but the half-second or so he lacks in pure talent he makes up for in many other ways.

OK, the goaltending outlook is sunny, both on talent and intangibles, so what about the returning skaters? Well, there are a number of guys that stand out in terms of having talent and intangibles. Nick Petrecki - how did you like his postseason play, especially with how he stood up to Miami of Ohio at the beginning of that contest and told them "you are not pushing BC around tonight?" He's your 08-09 blueline monster. Ben Smith, Brian Gibbons, Joe Whitney - these three guys should pursue careers in standup comedy once their hockey-playing days are over, because their timing in making big plays is impecable, and they know how to finish strong. Maybe the star of Gerbe was glowing too bright for the nation to take much notice of these three Eagle forwards, but I sure was watching, and so were the Hockey East coaching staffs. I expect all three to have big years on both ends of the ice, improve their games, and continue their quiet dominance of the opponents (although, they won't be able to stay on the DL much longer, sorry to say). Although others do deserve mention, I can't end this paragraph without saying a word about Milton Ontario's Matt Price. Although his pure stats from last season don't tell this story, I witnessed Price as one of the key cogs in BC's puck possession scheme during the latter half of the season and during the postseason. Price carried the puck and gained possession of the puck in many key moments in BC's late season run, and wasn't afraid to pay the price(seriously, that pun was SO unintentional) when ganing the offensive zone for the Eagles. Each and every year BC's mantra is "push the puck, cycle, push the puck, cycle," and Price was one of the understated reasons as to why the BC system succeeded with this philosophy in March and April of 2008.

Guest Hockey Blogger: Mook Williams

It's that time again. BC enters the Frozen Four red hot. We can taste a championship and we are facing North Dakota. To get a better understanding of how BC got here and what we can expect, I've brought back my hockey expert and former 'ZBC partner Mook Williams to answer a few questions about the Frozen Four.

1. How do you explain the team's post Beanpot slump? How were they able to snap out of it during the HE Tourney and the NCAA regional?

Mook Williams: Considering what we saw this year throughout the season, it's tough to explain the post-Beanpot slump. Was it John Muse hitting a wall after starting every game this season? The other freshman hitting a wall? Gerbe cooling off? The "BU effect" of placing too much value on the Beanpot? I think it might have been a little bit of each of these factors, a "perfect storm" if you will, that sent BC into an uncharacteristic late-season slump. For a while, it didn't seem like they were coming out, but Coach York managed to break through just in the nick of time.

2. How does BC matchup against North Dakota?

MW: Each year, when you look at the BC / North Dakota matchup, it's always tough to decide which way the edge leans. I can tell you one thing, one man is going to determine the outcome of this game - his name is Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux. The wiry 5'10 155 pound Senior goaltender has been on fire this season, posting a super-nasty 1.63 GAA,.936 save percentage, and 6 shutouts. On a team with skaters as dangerous as North Dakota, those numbers look even more impressive. If any one man in the Frozen Four can steal a game, it is Lamoureux. However, he was the Sioux's starter last year, and was on the losing end of a 6-4 defeat (the last 2 BC goals were empty-netters), so BC has gotten to him before. We'll see how he comes out this year, with plenty of talent ahead of him such as TJ Oshie, last year's Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan, Senior defense standout Robbie Bina, and 6'7 240 lb. Junior defenseman Joe Finley. Just as they did in pulling one out against Miami, BC is going to have rely on their speed, tenacity, and goaltending to survive. Aggression is the word of the day, and the team with more of it will come out on top. They had two exciting but scoreless periods cut short by the fog in Conte Forum earlier in the season, and the theme of "payback" looms large for the Sioux, but I don't see the Sioux containing the amazing team chemistry and guts shown by the Eagles as of late. Unless Lamoureux stands on his head (and this could happen), I see BC winning again, and knocking North Dakota out for the third straight season.

3. Despite all these Frozen Fours, BC has only won the championship once during this stretch? We all know the various heart aches and tough losses. Outside of luck, do you see an overriding theme to these losses and is there something York can do differently this year?

MW: It's easy to tag BC with the "Buffalo Bills" of college hockey moniker - always getting to the Frozen Four, but almost never winning it (second most Frozen Four trips in the NCAA, but yet only 2 titles to show for it). You get that impression when looking at the team from afar, but when you go year-by-year, BC just happened to get eliminated by a tough opponent in a tough game. In 1998 you had the upstart Eagles taking national favorite Michigan to OT and falling an inch short of victory, in 1999 you saw the Eagles lose a tight-checking national semifinal OT game to eventual champion Maine, in 2000 you saw BC blow a third period lead in the championship game to the Sioux, in 2001 you saw them win it all, in 2004 you saw a more-shallow BC team run out of gas and into a brick wall in the opposing goal in the national semifinal, in 2006 you saw them almost pull out a win as heavy underdogs on Wisconsin's home ice, and last year you might have seen the first disappointing York-era Frozen Four loss when BC lost a tight game to underdog Michigan State. So, although last year was a game that BC should have won, you can't discount this team for coming up short - in a single-elimination format, it's tough to run off a streak of championships. Just getting to the Frozen Four as many times as BC has in the York era has been amazing, and unsurpassed by any other program. If BC manages to win this year's title or next year's they have the right to the "Team of the Decade" crown. As for York doing something differently, I hope that he doesn't. When you get this far, it's the players who win or lose you the games. York has taken them through practices, drilled them all year, and most likely has prepared them well for the teams they will see in the Frozen Four - it's now the Eagles' time to shine on the ice. Sure, a well-timed TO can turn the tide, like it did against Miami, but I firmly believe that once you get to the Frozen Four, coaching doesn't have much of an effect on the game's outcome.

Beanpot Guest Blogger: Mook Williams

Mook Williams, one of my former WZBC broadcast partners, is back as a guest blogger to catch up us on BC hockey. Tonight is the Beanpot and the chance for this young BC team to make its mark. Below are my questions and Mook's answers to the matchup with BU and what lies ahead.


1. Much was made of the early season dismissals from the team. Based on the BC’s recent upturn, it doesn’t really seem to be an issue. What is your take?
Mook Williams: Although lately it doesn't seem like the early season dismissals haven't had an effect lately, I think that they are going to start to become a factor as the season progresses through February and March, combined of course with Brock Bradford's hard luck injuries. O'Hanley? Nah, not a star by any means, and really isn't a consistent starter on a championship hockey team. However, he adds some depth to the bench and allows you to spell guys at both forward and defense, as he could play both. Alright, minor loss. However, I believe that Motherwell was a pretty big loss because it left the Eagles without a developing defenseman who was getting better year after year, and who was a guy who played a decent point on the power play. The loss of Motherwell TRULY exposes the lack of depth on the BC blue line - unfortunately, the Eagles may wear thin back there as the season progresses, especially against good teams (heck, they only have 1 win versus top 10 teams as it is right now).

2. BC dominated BU earlier in the year and then struggled in a tie this month. What was the difference in the three meetings?

Mook Williams: The difference was pure emotion. BC came into the first meeting on a downslide after playing through a few consecutive rough games, and decided to stop the slide at Agganis and take it to a stunned Terrier squad. The REVERSE happened in the second meeting - BC was playing well and BU was (and still is, really) in a rough spell. Perhaps fired up by the rivalry, what happened in the last game, and the packed crowd at Conte, BU came out and dominated the sluggish Eagles. BC was lucky to draw a tie in that game, and John Muse deserves all the credit for that. The Terriers were all over the ice, playing with their hearts on their sleeves, and truly showed you that on any given night in NCAA hockey any team can win (I think we've seen this maxim proven true time and time again during the last couple of college hockey seasons). I expect BOTH teams to be fired up for the Beanpot, and a great game on Monday night.

3. What is your prediction for Monday’s game?

Mook Williams: Come on, it's the Beanpot!!! Gotta pick BU in OT, 4-3. BC with the huge shot advantage, of course.

4. The Beanpot has been a bump in the road the past few seasons. Do you expect this year to be any different? Can this team make another run at the Frozen Four?

Mook Williams: I think there's a chance that this year could be very different in the 'Pot because of BC's relative youth, BU's awful team, HU's subpar team, and NU's regenerized (but recently slumping) team. I could see NU easily winning this tournament, and I could also see BC overcoming BU this time around and squeeking out a win in the title game.

As far as the national title race is concerned . . . if Brock Bradford was healthy, I wouldn't have any doubt that they would be in Denver. However, without him, it's going to be very tight and close. I'd lean towards them not making the Frozen Four, due to their inconistent defensive hockey. John Muse has been a pleasant surprise, but who knows how he will play in the postseason?? Will he step it up his freshman year, a la Scott Clemmensen (prior to, ahemm, Josh Langfeld's shot), or will he bomb in his freshman year (See Cory Schneider). I love the offensive hockey, the overall flow, and the skating, it's just that the blue line has been really suspect (even the top guys, like Brennan, haven't been great), and the postseason goaltending is a question that won't be answered until March. Hey, it's there for the taking for BC . . . other than Michigan, I'm not overly impressed with any other national team. If BC can win the Hockey East tournament, and right now that is a big IF because the tourney is going to be a deep one, that will be an indication as to whether they can get to another Frozen Four. Tune in!