Boston College Athletics
Men's Ice Hockey Season Preview
September 13, 2004 | Men's Hockey
Sept. 13, 2004
As the Eagles approach the 2004-05 season, they do so once again with the same lofty goals the program has established for itself for many years. Each member of the program - to a man - has, however, come to know how difficult it can be to meet the self-imposed expectations.
The complicated combination of these standards and the daily challenges inherent in the college hockey world has motivated the Eagles to develop what they believe to be the winning formula. Led by a veteran coaching staff, Boston College has combined a roster of talented players with a fierce work ethic.
Head coach Jerry York believes the 2004-05 Eagles have a solid corps of veterans at each position - forward, defense and in goal - but he also recognizes the talent and experience lost from last year's 29-win club.
"We have a good base from which to build, but early in the season we'll really try to replace some four-year players who carried the load for us since their freshman year," the coach said. "Offensively, we have to replace the playmaking of Ben Eaves, the goal scoring of Tony Voce, and the character play of Justin Dziama and Ty Hennes. Defensively, J.D. Forrest was a stalwart for four years and Brett Peterson logged some minutes as well. Now we have to look for other people to jump up."
Some names immediately jump to mind. Senior Ryan Shannon and junior Patrick Eaves are returning All-Americans who promise to spark the offensive attack. Senior Andrew Alberts, another 2003-04 All-America choice, gives the Eagles one of the nation's elite defensemen. Senior goaltender Matti Kaltiainen returns after recording 27 wins and a 1.76 goals against average last winter.
All totaled, the 2004-05 Eagles feature 15 returning lettermen, including nine seniors and four juniors. The team's four captains - Shannon and alternate captains Alberts, Eaves and Ryan Murphy - will lead the charge.
Shannon, an All-America second-team honoree in 2003-04, is a dynamic performer. He enters his final season with 105 points in 116 collegiate games.
Alberts, who gained All-America first-team accolades last winter, also captured Hockey East's 2003-04 Best Defensive Defenseman honor. A big, bruising blueliner, he returns as the Eagles' most experienced player (119 games).
Eaves, who earned All-America second-team honors last winter, appears primed for a spectacular season. He posted 41 points in 34 games in 2003-04, despite missing four games with a knee injury and three games while he was playing with Team USA in the 2004 World Junior Championship in Finland.
Murphy is a solid, two-way forward who has not missed a game in the past two seasons. Last winter, he recorded 15 points in 42 games. He's best remembered for his overtime goal against Boston University last February that gave the Eagles their 13th Beanpot crown.
The four captains will have plenty of support. The team's returning players accounted for 67 percent of last year's offense - 67 percent of the goals and 67 percent of the assists.
ON OFFENSE
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 10/5
Newcomers: 4
"We've lost a great playmaker in Ben Eaves and a prolific goal scorer in Tony Voce, and those are two areas of concern. We have to address the situation and certainly try to minimize that effect to our offense ... Ryan Shannon is an explosive player who sees the ice very, very well and is equally adept at killing penalties as he is on the power play."
The Eagles return 10 forwards, including two 40-point scorers - junior Patrick Eaves and senior Ryan Shannon - and two more that tallied at least 19 points - juniors Stephen Gionta and Chris Collins.
Yet, the veteran coach also recognizes there are some holes to be filled. Five lettermen are gone, including Ben Eaves and Tony Voce. Eaves finished his career with an amazing 169 points in 125 games. Even more, though, BC will miss the confidence and poise Eaves brought to the team. Voce totaled 167 points in 160 collegiate games. He capped a stellar career with a team-high 47 points, including 29 goals. Voce gained All-America first-team accolades in 2003-04.
Shannon and Patrick Eaves both return after All-America campaigns. Shannon tied with Voce for the 2003-04 Hockey East scoring title, totaling 27 points in conference contests. His point production played a large part in the Eagles' success, as witnessed by the team's 23-1-3 record last winter when Shannon posted a point.
"Ryan (Shannon) is clearly one of the top players I've had here at BC," York said. "He has true leadership skills and he's earned the respect of all people connected with our team. He will be our top leader."
Eaves continued to impress in his second season wearing the Maroon and Gold. Despite missing eight contests during the season, he still tallied 41 points, including an impressive 26 points in 20 Hockey East games. He tied for ninth nationally in points per game.
"Patrick is certainly considered one of the top players in the country," York said. "Injuries have curtailed the number of games he's played in the past, but now he's more mature and more focused on what he has to do. He's healthier, he's bigger and he's stronger. I believe he's ready for an outstanding year."
Dave Spina, Ryan Murphy, Ned Havern and Taylor Leahy complete the list of senior forwards. Spina is extremely skilled with the puck; Murphy and Havern are tenacious two-way players; and Leahy, who has also seen action on defense, brings a more conservative approach.
"All (our senior forwards) are capable of being very strong leaders and excellent role models," the coach said.
Spina had his 2003-04 season limited by an ankle injury. Still, the Mesa, Ariz., resident registered 12 points, including two shorthanded goals. York expects more from a healthy Spina this season.
"We all expect Dave to have a very good year," York said. "With his early injury last year, he never had the chance to show the type of impact we thought he might have."
Murphy is a stalwart who is equally effective at both ends of the ice. An integral member of the Eagles' special-teams units, he tallied one power-play goal and one shorthanded goal last winter.
Havern posted 11 points in 2003-04, including eight goals. The Arlington, Mass., product made his points count, finishing the campaign with a team-leading four game-winning goals. He tied for the Hockey East lead with three decisive goals in conference action.
Leahy notched three points last winter, including one goal and one assist in the Eagles' home win over New Hampshire that clinched the league regular-season title. At 6-1, 198-pounds, the sturdy Leahy provides the team with a forward who can battle in the corners.
"Taylor is really a jack of all trades," York said.
Joining Eaves on the list of junior forwards are Collins and Gionta. York believes this class will play an important role in this team's success.
"This junior class (including defenseman Peter Harrold) is an excellent class," the coach said. "The four players will have a big say in how well we do this year. They're just four, but they're four very key components."
Both Gionta and Collins are exciting and speedy forwards who create many scoring chances for themselves and teammates. Both played in 41 games last winter. Gionta registered 24 points - nine goals and 15 assists - to gain the team's Most Improved Player Award. A feisty forward who welcomes the battles in front of the net, he finished last season with a stellar plus-19 rating.
Collins tallied 19 points - nine goals and 10 assists - in his sophomore season. He enjoyed three multiple-point games and scored two game-winning goals. York looks for greater production from the Fairport, N.Y., resident in 2004-05.
"This is a big year for him," York said of Collins. "He's certainly capable of putting up some numbers for us offensively. I look for him to be much more consistent as a goal scorer."
Sophomores Brian Boyle and Joe Rooney return for their second seasons after easing into the college game on last year's veteran club. Both showed promise and will be expected to make more significant contributions this season.
"Both Brian and Joe have to raise their level of play this year, and they understand that," York said. "Last year they were more observers than key contributors, but they learned a lot. They had a great rookie experience - playing but not having the outcome of games depend on them."
The 6-foot-7-inch Boyle registered eight points in 35 games in 2003-04, netting three power-play goals. Rooney, who gained the team's Most Outstanding Freshman honor last winter, recorded six points in 34 games.
York and his staff will welcome four newcomers to the forward lines - Joe Adams, Dan Bertram, Pat Gannon and Matt Greene. Adams is the younger brother of senior defenseman John Adams, while Greene is the younger sibling of sophomore defenseman Justin Greene.
Adams, who hails from Wayzata, Minn., played the 2003-04 season with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL).
Bertram played last season with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, capturing the league's Rookie of the Year honor by recording 55 points in 44 games.
"I expect Dan to be a factor during his initial year with us," York said of Bertram. "He has good speed and he has a history of scoring goals. He's got great goal-scoring abilities, but he's still 17 (years old)."
Gannon, who starred at Arlington (Mass.) High School, played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League last winter. He registered 59 points - 22 goals and 37 assists - in 69 games.
Greene begins his college career after enjoying a distinguished career at Boston College High School. A two-time Boston Globe Super Team selection and a two-time Boston Herald Dream Team choice, he shared Catholic Conference MVP honors in 2003-04.
"Matt is a player who will bring defensive tenacity to our offense," York said.
ON DEFENSE
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 5/2
Newcomers: 3
"Our three senior defensemen are going to be instrumental in our success this year. Andrew Alberts and John Adams are very dependable and very reliable players at this level, and Greg Lauze has worked very hard in the offseason and I think he's going to be a very good player for us this year."
The Eagles return four of their top six defensemen from last season. The returnees, comprised of three seniors and one junior, give BC fans great reason for optimism as the unit ranked second in the nation last winter by allowing just 1.93 goals per game.
Senior Andrew Alberts is an imposing and veteran presence on the blueline. The 6-foot-4-inch resident of Eden Prairie, Minn., earned All-America first-team honors after registering 16 points in 42 games. Alberts gained All-Tournament honors at the Great Lakes Invitational in December and at the NCAA Tournament's Northeast Regional in March.
"Andrew had an All-America season last year," York said. "He has a lot of attributes to bring to the defensive corps. He brings size and grit. His stick skills are much better now, and he's capable of contributing from the blue line with his shot."
Fellow Minnesotan John Adams and Greg Lauze complete the list of senior defensemen. Adams played in all 42 games last winter, bringing his three-year total to 101 games played. A steady force on the blueline, he recorded 10 points - three goals and seven assists - in 2003-04.
"John Adams has really come along," York said. "His strength is at a completely different level than it was early in his career. His stamina's better."
Lauze, who made his BC debut last year after playing two years (2000-02) at Merrimack College, saw action in 35 games in his first season with the Eagles. He totaled 10 points - two goals and eight assists. Both of his goals were power-play tallies.
Junior Peter Harrold has established himself as one of Hockey East's finest defensemen. After earning BC's Most Outstanding Freshman honor in 2002-03, Harrold raised his game further last winter. He played in 40 games, registering 14 points and finishing with a plus-19 rating. Harrold played a key role in the Eagles advancing to the 2004 Frozen Four, netting the gamewinner against Niagara in the NCAA Tournament's opening round, then assisting on Ben Eaves' brilliant overtime goal against Michigan in the quarterfinal round.
"Peter has had an outstanding career here at BC so far," York said. "The coaching staff believes that even this year he'll raise his level of play. He's very dependable defensively and he's added a lot to our offense."
Three freshmen - Mike Brennan, Brian O'Hanley and Todd Perry - round out the defensive corps. Brennan, who hails from Smithtown, N.Y., played the last two years in the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was a member of the U.S. National U-18 Team that captured the gold medal at the Under-18 World Championship in Minsk, Belarus this past April.
O'Hanley earned All-Scholastic honors at Boston College High School in 2002-03, before taking a postgraduate year at the Salisbury (Conn.) School. He earned All-New England and All-Founder's League accolades with the Crimson Knights last winter. He totaled 39 points.
Perry played the past two seasons with the Brockville Braves of the Central Junior Hockey League. He gained league All-Rookie Team honors in 2002-03 and captured All-League accolades last winter.
IN GOAL
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 1/0
Newcomers: 1
"This is the best we've been going into a season since I've been here at BC in terms of depth of goaltenders and quality of goaltenders."
Senior Matti Kaltiainen returns for a fourth season in the BC net. After playing 18 games as a freshman, the Espoo, Finland, product played in 30 games as a sophomore and 38 games as a junior. The 2002-03 Hockey East ITech Goaltending champion, Kaltiainen showed continued progress last winter. He finished the season with a 1.76 overall goals against average, ranking him second in the nation. In Hockey East action, he posted a 1.60 goals against average, the second-best average in league history.
Freshman Cory Schneider will provide competition and push for time in net. Schneider, a Marblehead, Mass., resident who played his schoolboy hockey at Phillips Andover Academy, was the 2004 recipient of USA Hockey's Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year award. Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Schneider led Team USA to two medals - one gold and one silver - in international competition.
Senior Robbie Miller will serve as a back-up for the Eagles. He has seen action in two games in his three seasons with the club.
