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Men’s Hockey Preview: the Inside Scoop on the ’11-’12 Team, Games to Watch, and Players to Look For!

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Morgan Gibbons Student Contributor, Boston College
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Julianne Wojno Student Contributor, Boston College
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BC chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

To my fellow Boston College Superfans, I understand your current state of despair as you follow our football team into a deeper ditch of losses with each passing game day.  You miss those days when you could rebute any sports argument with “yeah, well I go to BC,” and that was enough.  Sure you can trek over to Newton Campus to  follow our successful men and women’s soccer teams, but sometimes it just doesn’t feel the same.
 
To appease your concerns, I would just like to remind you all of one thing: hockey season is here!  I strongly suggest you shift your attention from the ACC to the Hockey East for some gratification.
 
Does 2001, 2008, and 2010 NCAA Division I champs ring a bell to anyone?  How about “Do it for Jerry”?  I’m sure just hearing these phrases brings a calming sensation all over, and you are ready to step out of your defeated depression and get yourself over to Conte Forum!

With two wins already under our belt, the Men’s Ice Hockey team will sure to be the remedy for our sports sorrows, or so we hope!  I mean come on, going into our first home game we are now nationally ranked number one!
 
With the loss of a lot of some key players from last year, whether from graduation or early leave for professional contracts (congrats to Cam Atkinson with his first NHL goal with the Blue Jackets last week!), those who closely follow our team may be hesitant to trust me just yet.  But with two wins at the Ice Breaker tournament this past weekend in North Dakota, it seems our Eagles can face the best, even when they’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Midwestern hockey fans…  That’s right, BC beat Michigan State 5-2 in the first game and North Dakota, formerly ranked #3, in the final tournament game with a score of 6-2.  

To top it off, BC was also ranked as the Hockey East Preseason favorite, coming off a season that won the Beanpot Tournament and the Hockey East championship, finishing with a 20-6-1 record and 41 total points.
 
The biggest challenge this year is discovering some new strengths on offense.  With the loss of some key scorers like Cam Atkinson and Jimmy Hayes, there has been skepticism on how BC will fare on the scoring front.  The looming question on a lot of Superfans’ minds is “who will do the scoring?”  Superfans must not forget, however, that BC hockey has a slew of fantastic fowards returning, including Chris Kreider, Steven Whittney, Patrick Brown, Patt Mullane, and Bill Arnold among others.  Furthermore, it seems that newcomer freshmam Johnny Gaudreu might be a talented addition, as he was named Hockey East Association Rookie of the Week on October 10, after an excellent showing in the Ice Breaker Tournament.  

BC defense is still strong, with powerhouses like Patrick Wey, Tommy Cross, Patch Alber, and Brian Dumolin returning, so there have not been many doubts about the capabilities there.  And despite the loss of goaltender John Muse, there is great confidence in junior Parker Milner, who has showed fantastic strength in the past two years.
 
Our first home game is this Friday against #3 Denver and HC BC hopes to see all of you there supporting our team!
 
Friday, however, is just the beginning.  We have a long, exciting season ahead, so to stay on top of you’re A-game, here is a quick break down on the can’t-miss games, players-to-watch, and perspectives for our upcoming season.
 
Can’t Miss Games:
  For me this is a no-brainer, any game is a can’t-miss game… but some are weighed more “heavily” than others.  BC was ranked as preseason favorite for Hockey East and rounding out the top 4 were Boston University, University of New Hampshire and Maine, who are always are clutch competitors.  

Everyone loves our rivalry with BU, chanting “sucks to BU” as loud as we can, so although our first match against them is on a Sunday evening, I suggest that you all get out of your Sunday studies on Nov. 13 and head down to Conte Forum to show your support!  If you miss it though, you can see them again here at Conte on Dec. 2or at BU on Dec. 3.
 
Another team that ranks high on my sport spectator schedule is Merrimack on Jan. 8 (which we will be following from home during winter break) and more importantly at home on Feb. 17.  No matter their record or ours, it always seems to be a tough match.
 
Although we all love supporting our teams at home, we have to recognize there are some crucial games on the road.  One such game is already soldout, with tickets on stub-hub selling for $200 a piece!  You guessed it, it’s the Holy War on ice: BC vs. Notre Dame.  Let’s pray for a win so that at the least, we can one-up them in hockey, right?!
 

Let us not forget the highly anticipated Beanpot Tournament that will take place at TD Garden with the first round game against Northeastern on Monday, Feb. 6 and the consolation/championship games the following week on Monday, Feb 13.  Get yourself down to Conte Forum early the morning that tickets go on sale to ensure your spot at the Garden!
 
Players to Watch

– Tommy Cross (Captain and senior defenseman)
– Brian Dumoulin (junior defenseman)
– Paul Carey (Assistant Captain and junior forward)
– Barry Almedia (Assistant Captain and junior forward)
– Steve Whitney (junior forward)
– Pat Mullane (junior forward)
– Chris Kreider (junior forward)
– Pat Wey (junior defenseman)
– Parker Milner (junior goalie)
– Patrick Brown (sophmore forward)
– Bill Arnold (sophmore forward)
– Johnny Gaudreau (freshman forward)
– Destry Straight (freshman forward)
 
Seeing players like these mixed in with their other strong teammates makes me wonder why someone would be skeptical of our Eagles!
 
Follow the team:
Some have season tickets (ME!) but some don’t (WHY?!).  Either way, you can follow our Eagles on their path to victory this season.  Whether you are a member of the BC Hockey Superfans Group on Facebook or a follower of @bcinterruption or @BCHockeyNews on Twitter, you can’t ignore the social networking attached to this team.
 
So get ready, get set… and go for (the maroon and) gold!  Hockey season is here and victory will once again synonymous with BC Athletics!
 
Photo Source:
http://www.bcinterruption.com/section/ice-hockey

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Morgan Gibbons

BC

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Julianne Wojno

Julianne is an Ohio native studying communication at Boston College with a concentration in journalism. She got involved with Her Campus BC when the chapter launched in December 2010. She began as an editor and contributing writer, and since has moved up the ranks to Campus Correspondent. Aside from working for Her Campus, Julianne is a certified personal trainer at Boston College's Flynn Recreational Complex and teaches group fitness as well. During her sophomore year, Julianne was a part of the Arrupe Program at BC and traveled to Guatemala, learning about the culture, political, social, economic, and religious issues of the country. Her goals post graduation include writing for a health and fitness magazine or working in communications for college or professional athletics. As for now, however, she is enjoying life at the University she loves so much! An avid hockey and football fan, one can always find Julianne in the stands rooting on BC and the Boston Bruins! Other hobbies include running, yoga, cooking, baking, and photography.