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Pride on Ice Preview: Gophers Travel to Boston, Battle BC and Northeastern
By Grant Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/451666?referrer_id=388419
PREGAME NOTES
No. 3 Minnesota (7-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten) at No. 11/12 Boston College (7-5-0 overall, 3-3-0 Hockey East)
Friday 5:00 p.m. CT – BCEagles.com or MyTalk 107.1 FM
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts – Conte Forum (8,606)
No. 3 Minnesota (7-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten) at Northeastern (2-9-1 overall, 2-5-1 Hockey East)
Saturday 6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN1500
Boston, Massachusetts – Matthews Arena (4,666)
The No.3 Gophers are coming off three straight losses, two regular season games and one exhibition, but will look to rebound with a difficult two-game swing in Boston this weekend. The Maroon and Gold will open with their eastern counterparts in Boston College on Friday and will square off with Northeastern on Saturday.
BOSTON COLLEGE
Series History
Two of the biggest powers in college hockey have played a close series with Minnesota holding the 16-12-3 advantage. Minnesota hasn’t made the trip to BC since 1999 and are just 5-9-2 when playing in the Eagles’ home barn. The Gophers and Eagles met twice last season with the teams tying on Friday and Minnesota putting on a dominant 6-1 performance on Sunday. Six different Gophers tallied goals as the Maroon and Gold destroyed the Eagles early, tallying four goals in the first period.
Players to Watch
The Eagles are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the country. An impressive youngster for Jerry York is Minnesota Wild prospect, Alex Tuch. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound winger has played in 12 games and has tallied four goals and nine points. With Tuch’s size and skill, he may certainly cause some trouble for the Minnesota defense.
The most talented out of the bunch may be 17-year-old defenseman, Noah Hanifin. A projected top-five pick in the 2015 draft, Hanifin is already 6-foot-3 with some offensive ability. The young blueliner has two goals and seven points this season from the backend.
About the Eagles
Boston College is, well, Boston College. Always one of the most talented teams in the country, the Eagles are led by the winningest head coaching in college hockey history, Jerry York. York has coached four NCAA title teams with the Eagles, and one with Bowling Green. This year’s squad came into the season with high expectations but dropped four games in a row in early November. The Eagles have rebounded nicely and will enter the matchup riding a three-game winning streak.
“[Boston College] has a great program,” said Don Lucia. “They went through their little doldrums where they lost four in a row now all of sudden they’ve won three in a row. They’ve got a dynamic defensive core; they’re going to get up in the play. We have to be aware of that…It will be a good test. Obviously we have great respect for their program.”
The Boston College defensive group could give Minnesota problems this weekend.
“They’re big and they’re strong and they’ve got a couple good skaters who can really get up in the play,” said Kyle Rau of the BC blueline. “That makes it tough when you’re forechecking and they get the puck, you have to really backcheck otherwise they’ll beat you up the ice.”
NORTHEASTERN
Series History
The Gophers and Huskies have not met many times, but as is the case with most teams, Minnesota holds the edge, 8-5-0. Northeastern hasn’t hosted the Gophers since 1987 but are 0-3-0 when playing at home against the Maroon and Gold. The last meeting between the two squads ended in a 3-2 win for the Huskies in the 2011 Mariucci Classic championship game.
Player to Watch
Junior Kevin Roy is off to a solid start for the Huskies. The 5-foot-10 forward has tallied two goals and seven assists on the season, placing him second on Northeastern. Roy certainly isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. On the year, Roy leads the Huskies with 45 shots, 17 more than his next closest teammate.
About the Huskies
Northeastern has had a rough start to the season, going winless (0-8-1) in their first nine games. Things have started to come together for the Huskies who split a home-and-home with New Hampshire before another home-and-home series split with Merrimack. The good news for Northeastern is that both their wins have come when playing at Matthews Arena. The Huskies will have fresh legs for their matchup against Minnesota, only having to play one game this coming weekend.
“We have a quick turnaround and the next night we play Northeastern,” said Lucia. “I didn’t realize it until I just looked at the schedule, they don’t play the night before. We’ll switch rinks after we play on Friday and switch modes to play Northeastern on Saturday.”
By Grant Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/451666?referrer_id=388419
PREGAME NOTES
No. 3 Minnesota (7-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten) at No. 11/12 Boston College (7-5-0 overall, 3-3-0 Hockey East)
Friday 5:00 p.m. CT – BCEagles.com or MyTalk 107.1 FM
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts – Conte Forum (8,606)
No. 3 Minnesota (7-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten) at Northeastern (2-9-1 overall, 2-5-1 Hockey East)
Saturday 6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN1500
Boston, Massachusetts – Matthews Arena (4,666)
The No.3 Gophers are coming off three straight losses, two regular season games and one exhibition, but will look to rebound with a difficult two-game swing in Boston this weekend. The Maroon and Gold will open with their eastern counterparts in Boston College on Friday and will square off with Northeastern on Saturday.
BOSTON COLLEGE
Series History
Two of the biggest powers in college hockey have played a close series with Minnesota holding the 16-12-3 advantage. Minnesota hasn’t made the trip to BC since 1999 and are just 5-9-2 when playing in the Eagles’ home barn. The Gophers and Eagles met twice last season with the teams tying on Friday and Minnesota putting on a dominant 6-1 performance on Sunday. Six different Gophers tallied goals as the Maroon and Gold destroyed the Eagles early, tallying four goals in the first period.
Players to Watch
The Eagles are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the country. An impressive youngster for Jerry York is Minnesota Wild prospect, Alex Tuch. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound winger has played in 12 games and has tallied four goals and nine points. With Tuch’s size and skill, he may certainly cause some trouble for the Minnesota defense.
The most talented out of the bunch may be 17-year-old defenseman, Noah Hanifin. A projected top-five pick in the 2015 draft, Hanifin is already 6-foot-3 with some offensive ability. The young blueliner has two goals and seven points this season from the backend.
About the Eagles
Boston College is, well, Boston College. Always one of the most talented teams in the country, the Eagles are led by the winningest head coaching in college hockey history, Jerry York. York has coached four NCAA title teams with the Eagles, and one with Bowling Green. This year’s squad came into the season with high expectations but dropped four games in a row in early November. The Eagles have rebounded nicely and will enter the matchup riding a three-game winning streak.
“[Boston College] has a great program,” said Don Lucia. “They went through their little doldrums where they lost four in a row now all of sudden they’ve won three in a row. They’ve got a dynamic defensive core; they’re going to get up in the play. We have to be aware of that…It will be a good test. Obviously we have great respect for their program.”
The Boston College defensive group could give Minnesota problems this weekend.
“They’re big and they’re strong and they’ve got a couple good skaters who can really get up in the play,” said Kyle Rau of the BC blueline. “That makes it tough when you’re forechecking and they get the puck, you have to really backcheck otherwise they’ll beat you up the ice.”
NORTHEASTERN
Series History
The Gophers and Huskies have not met many times, but as is the case with most teams, Minnesota holds the edge, 8-5-0. Northeastern hasn’t hosted the Gophers since 1987 but are 0-3-0 when playing at home against the Maroon and Gold. The last meeting between the two squads ended in a 3-2 win for the Huskies in the 2011 Mariucci Classic championship game.
Player to Watch
Junior Kevin Roy is off to a solid start for the Huskies. The 5-foot-10 forward has tallied two goals and seven assists on the season, placing him second on Northeastern. Roy certainly isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. On the year, Roy leads the Huskies with 45 shots, 17 more than his next closest teammate.
About the Huskies
Northeastern has had a rough start to the season, going winless (0-8-1) in their first nine games. Things have started to come together for the Huskies who split a home-and-home with New Hampshire before another home-and-home series split with Merrimack. The good news for Northeastern is that both their wins have come when playing at Matthews Arena. The Huskies will have fresh legs for their matchup against Minnesota, only having to play one game this coming weekend.
“We have a quick turnaround and the next night we play Northeastern,” said Lucia. “I didn’t realize it until I just looked at the schedule, they don’t play the night before. We’ll switch rinks after we play on Friday and switch modes to play Northeastern on Saturday.”
