Boston College Athletics
Online Chat With Hockey's Head Coach Jerry York
March 15, 2005 | Men's Hockey
March 15, 2005
CollegeSports.com Moderator: Hi, everyone and welcome to another special edition of Tuesday @ The Rink. We are now joined by Boston College Head Coach Jerry York.
Jerry York: Hello, everyone. I'm looking forward to answering your questions.
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John (Newton, Mass.): Coach York, Patrick Eaves missed the last ten minutes of the game on Saturday night after he was hit in the corner. What is his status and will he play against Maine this weekend in the final 4?
York: He has a bad bruise to his back and shoulder and is having a problem with his lungs. He is going to see a pulmonary specialist on Wednesday. He is very doubtful for this weekend and has not practiced at all this week. We need to wait on the medical reports before we go any further. We are a little nervous and apprehensive about it.
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Joe M (Boston, Mass.): Hi Coach. Congratulations on a great season. Have you decided whether you'll be going with a goalie rotation straight through the Hockey East and NCAA tournaments, or will you be sticking with "the hot hand."?
York: We have not made a decision on Friday night's starter. On Thursday, we will inform the goaltenders on who will play of Friday. We will play which ever goaltender we feel will give us the best chance to win that game on Friday. But we have not made the decision yet. It's a tough decision because we have two great goaltenders.
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John (Chestnut Hill, Mass.): Coach York, in all your years at BC, who has been the most talented player you have coached.
York: That is a difficult answer to come up with - there are so many players that I can name. Probably the person that combined the grit and talent level to the highest degree wold be Brian Gionta. Mike Mottau would certainly be on the list, so would Marty Reasoner. Ben Eaves, too.
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Tim (Belmont, Mass.): what is the biggest difference in your mind between this years team and ones you have had in the past.
York: I think the good teams we have had here all had similar qualities. This year's team has ten seniors, which closely resembles the makeup of the 2001 team that had eight seniors. We've got a good mix of skill and physical strength. It is very similar to many of the past teams.
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John (Holliston, Mass.): What are your thoughts on this year's freshman class?
York: I like the class. Schneider has had a terrific season for us. I think he is the headliner of the class. I really like the class as a whole, though.
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Andrew: Who would move up to the top line in Patrick's absense?
York: We are going to move Chris Collins up with Ryan Shannon.
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Mike (Newton, Mass.): What happened to Ryan Foster, Joe Pearce and Todd Perry?
York: They are all doing very well. Ryan Foster and Joe Pearce are sophomores here at BC. Todd Perry went back to Canada to play Junior A for the Barrie Flyers.
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Scott Holewinski (Phoenix, Ariz.): Coach York, Many coaches enjoy scheduling non-conference games because it exposes teams to a different style of hockey which can be helpful during the NCAAs. With the addition of Vermont next season in Hockey East, how will that impact your non-conference scheduling and do you feel that 27 league games plus the Beanpot are too many games vs familiar opponents? Congrats on the regular season title and best of luck in the post season.
York: The addition of Vermont has limited the number of non-conference games we can schedule. However, we were fortunate enough to be able to schedule three non-conference games. We will play games at Bowling Green, at Michigan and home versus Harvard and also two games at Denver's Holiday Tournament.
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Joe (Cambridge, Mass.): Do you think Patrick Eaves will be around for his senior year?
York: That is a decision Pat has not made at this time. He will make it at the end of the academic year. We will sit down with him and discuss that after the season. We certainly would like to see him stay and play his senior year at Boston College.
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Dave (Boston, Mass.): Do you think a prolonged NHL lockout will affect college hockey?
York: I think it affects everyone in the hockey world. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that we missed watching the NHL on TV and at the FleetCenter. We are very optimistic that the CBA will be worked out over the next few months and that the NHL will start on time next year.
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John (Milton, Mass.): Could youtalk about your rivalry with Jack Parker going all the way back to ou BC High days?
York: Jack and I have competed against each other in a lot of athletic events since the 1960s, running the gamut from high school to college. I think we've both built up a great deal of respect for each other and I think the rivalry between the two schools and the hockey programs is as good as it has ever been. It makes for a great atmosphere and great games. Probably, right now, it is at its pinnacle, with both teams playing for a League Championship and next week for the National Championship. Its been great for both of us.
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Ken (Needham, Mass.): In your time at BC what game was the most momentous and memorable?
York: The one that jumps out is the 2001 NCAA title game against North Dakota. It brought a National Title to the University and was the culmination of four straight trips to the Frozen Four.
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Bob (Brick, N.J.): Coach, Talk about what Ryan Murphy has meant to you and the BC program.
York: I think Ryan has had a very, very good career here at BC. He has become a terrific leader for our hockey team. He is certainly going to play a pivotal role as we compete for the League Championship this weekend.
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Jim (Melrose, Mass.): Jerry - I've always respected the way that you coach your defensemen. Year after year, your defensemen are a smart, savvy group. At a high level, how do you groom your blueliners? Do you teach them to "think the game" in practice? Or do you give them tactical advice and tell them "what to look for" during the course of a game?
York: I think our defensive corps has been very stable and very solid since I've been here at BC. A lot of the credit goes to the assistant coaches that work in that area of our program. They are the ones with the daily involvement with that group of players. They would be Scott Paluch (now the coach at Bowling Green), Ron Rolston (now with the National Development Team) and presently Greg Brown.
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Neal (Madison, Wisc.): What do you see in the other 3 teams remaining in the Hockey East Tournament? Any Supprises?
York: I don't think there are any surprises. All four teams playing this weekend finished one through four in the regular season. I truly feel that any of the four can win this championship and, more significantly, and of the four can win the National Championship. That is how strongly I feel about the caliber of the teams this year in Hockey East.
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CollegeSports.com Moderator: Unfortunately, that is all Coach York has time for this afternoon.
York: Thank you everyone. I had a great time.
