Boston College Athletics
Men's Hockey Preview: Ledyard National Bank Classic
December 29, 2010 | Men's Hockey
Dec. 29, 2010
Game #17
No. 4 Boston College (11-5-0, 9-4-0 Hockey East) vs. Colgate (3-12-1, 0-5-1 ECAC)
Ledyard National Bank Classic
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 - 4 p.m. EST
Thompson Arena (3,500) - Hanover, N.H.
Game #18
No. 4 Boston College vs. Dartmouth (6-4-1, 5-2-1 ECAC) or Mercyhurst (7-9-1, 5-7-0 Atlantic Hockey)
Ledyard National Bank Classic
Friday, Dec. 31, 2010 - 4 or 7 p.m. EST
Thompson Arena (3,500) - Hanover, N.H.
BC RETURNS TO ACTION THURSDAY IN LEDYARD HOCKEY CLASSIC: No. 4 Boston College returns to competition in the Ledyard National Bank Classic at Dartmouth College against Colgate on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. in the first contest of two preliminary-round tournament games. Host Dartmouth will face Mercyhust at 7 p.m. (following the BC - Colgate game) in the second first-round game of the four-team tournament. The consolation and championship games of the classic are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 31 at 4 and 7 p.m., respectively ... BC entered its semester break on a three-game win streak during which it outscored opponents 20-7 (a 6.7 goals per game average).
INTERNET AUDIO: Audio broadcasts of all Boston College hockey games - home and away - will be available free of charge through www.bceagles.com with Jon Rish (play-by-play) and Ken Hodge (color) calling the action.
TWITTER UPDATES: Live in-game news updates, in short form, on Boston College hockey are available through Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCSportsNews
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game updates will be available through Dartmouth College's official athletics web site: www.dartmouthsports.com. Real-time stats of all college hockey games are available through the Hockey East Association's official web site: www.hockeyeastonline.com
THE POLLS: Boston College improved four spots - to No. 4 - in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll and improved three spots - to No. 5 - in the USCHO.com poll after capturing a two-game weekend sweep of then-No. 2 Boston University in its most recent competition (Friday - Saturday, Dec. 3-4). The Eagles suffered their first defeat of the season at No. 17 Notre Dame on Oct. 23, to fall from the nation's top spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com polls. The Eagles had received the nation's top preseason billing and were the nation's top-ranked team through the opening two weeks of the 2010-11 season before falling to No. 2 in the Oct. 25 polls. THE ROSTER
By Position:
GOALTENDERS (3): Parker Milner (Pittsburgh, Pa.), John Muse (East Falmouth, Mass.), Chris Venti (Needham, Mass.)
DEFENSEMEN (7): Patch Alber (Clifton Park, N.Y.), Tommy Cross (Simsbury, Conn.), Brian Dumoulin (Biddeford, Maine), Isaac MacLeod (Nelson, British Columbia), Philip Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Edwin Shea (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Patrick Wey (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
FORWARDS (14): Barry Almeida (Springfield, Mass.), Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.), Patrick Brown (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Cam Atkinson (Greenwich, Conn.), Tommy Atkinson (Greenwich, Conn.), Paul Carey (Weymouth, Mass.), Brooks Dyroff (Boulder, Colo.), Brian Gibbons (Braintree, Mass.), Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.), Kevin Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.), Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.), Pat Mullane (Wallingford, Conn.), Joe Whitney (Reading, Mass.), Steven Whitney (Reading, Mass.)
By Class:
SENIORS (3): Brian Gibbons (Braintree, Mass.), John Muse (East Falmouth, Mass.), Joe Whitney (Reading, Mass.)
JUNIORS (8): Barry Almeida (Springfield, Mass.), Cam Atkinson (Greenwich, Conn.), Tommy Atkinson (Greenwich, Conn.), Paul Carey (Weymouth, Mass.), Tommy Cross (Simsbury, Conn.), Jimmy Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.), Edwin Shea (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Chris Venti (Needham, Mass.)
SOPHOMORES (9): Patch Alber (Clifton Park, N.Y.), Brian Dumoulin (Biddeford, Maine), Brooks Dyroff (Boulder, Colo.), Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.), Parker Milner (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Pat Mullane (Wallingford, Conn.), Philip Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Patrick Wey (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Steven Whitney (Reading, Mass.)
FRESHMEN (4): Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.), Patrick Brown (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Kevin Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.), Isaac MacLeod (Nelson, British Columbia)
Miscellaneous:
Average Age (as of 10/1): 20 Years, 7 Months
Youngest Player (as of 10/1): Patrick Brown, 18 years, 4 months
Oldest Player (as of 10/1): Tommy Atkinson, 22 years, 10 months
Most Games Played: 136, Joe Whitney
Fewest Games Played: 8, Kevin Hayes
Home State/Territory Breakdown
Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Connecticut (4), Maine (1), Massachusetts (12), Michigan (1), New York (1), Pennsylvania (2), British Columbia, Canada (1)
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Boston College went 3-for-10 in power-play chances over the last two games and has scored at least one power-play goal in six straight, combining for a 34.8 percent conversion rate during the stretch (8-for-23). The team leads its conference and ranks tied for 10th nationally with a 22.7 percent success rate (15-for-66) on the year.
• Boston College went 11-for-12 on the penalty kill over the last two games to improve its season kill rate to 90.6 percent (77-for-85), which is good for second in the nation trailing only Clarkson (90.9).
OFFENSE
Goals Per Game (National Rank): 3.29 (19)
• BC scored nine goals by seven different players in two games last week - Cam Atkinson (3), Patch Alber, Paul Carey, Brian Gibbons, Jimmy Hayes, Pat Mullane and Patrick Wey
SERIES INFO VS. COLGATE:
• Thursday's game against Colgate will mark the 24th meeting between the teams yet the first since the 1983-84 season. Boston College is 21-2-0 in the all-time series against the Raiders.
• The Eagles and Raiders last met on Jan. 27, 1984, a 4-3 overtime home BC victory.
SERIES INFO VS. DARTMOUTH:
• Boston College is 61-29-0 in the 90-game all-time series against Dartmouth, including a 3-3-0 record in six games under Jerry York.
• BC's senior class is 1-0-0 against the Big Green, having earned a 2-1 overtime victory at Dartmouth on Nov. 30, 2008.
THE LAST DARTMOUTH MEETING:
• Sophomore Brian Gibbons tied the game with 38.2 seconds left in regulation and freshman Barry Almeida scored the overtime gamewinner to lift Boston College to a 2-1 win at Dartmouth on Nov. 30, 2008.
• Sophomore goaltender John Muse recorded 22 saves in 63:03 to capture the win.
SERIES INFO VS.MERCYHURST:
• Boston College is 1-0-0 in the all-time series against Mercyhurst.
• The only previous meeting between the Eagles and Lakers took place in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Worcester, Mass.
THE PREVIOUS MERCYHURST MEETING:
• Ned Havern and Greg Lauze each tallied one goal and one assist to lead Boston College to a 5-4 win over Atlantic Hockey champion Mercyhurst in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's East Regional on March 25, 2005.
• Pat Gannon, Brian Boyle and Mike Brennan also scored for the Eagles, who fell to North Dakota 6-3 in the East Regional title game the next night.
LAST (TWO) TIMES OUT:
• Ten Eagles scored the team's 14 goals as Boston College outscored Boston University 14-7 in a-two game, home-and-home series sweep of the Terriers on Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4. BC swept a two-game series against the Terriers for the first time since January 2007.
• The Eagles went 18-for-21 on the penalty kill over the two games against Boston University.
• Junior Barry Almeida and sophomore Chris Kreider each scored their first collegiate shorthanded goals in the weekend sweep. It marked the team's fourth and fifth shorthanded goals of the season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Boston College went 0-for-3 in power-play chances in a 5-2 home win against Boston University (Dec. 4) after going 3-for-8 in man-advantage opportunities in the team's 9-5 win at Agganis Arena the previous night. Though Saturday's game snapped a string of seven straight games in which the Eagles have scored a power-play goal, the team has combined for a 32.3 percent conversion rate in the last eight games (11-for-34). This season, the team leads its conference and ranks 10th nationally with a 23.4 percent success rate (18-for-77) on the year.
• Boston College went 11-for-12 on the penalty kill over the last two games, is 29-for-33 over the last four games and owns a 89.6 percent kill rate this season (95-for-106), which is good for second best in the nation.
OFFENSE
Goals Per Game (National Rank): 3.75 (3)
• BC scored 14 goals by 10 different players in its two most recent games - Cam Atkinson (3), Chris Kreider (2), Steven Whitney (2), Barry Almeida, Bill Arnold, Paul Carey, Brian Gibbons, Jimmy Hayes, Philip Samuelsson, Joe Whitney.
• Brian Gibbons has tallied multiple-point efforts in four of the last six games and has at least one point in 14-of-16 games this season.
• Cam Atkinson has 14 goals in 16 games and ranks second in the country in goals per game. Atkinson also ranks tied for fourth nationally in power-play goals with six.
Scoring Streaks ...
• Four players enter the Ledyard National Bank Classic with scoring streaks of four games or more in tact - Brian Gibbons (7 games; 3-8--11), Cam Atkinson (5 games; 6-3--9), Joe Whitney (4 games; 1-4--5) and Jimmy Hayes (4 games; 2-2--4).
DEFENSE
Goals Per Game (National Rank): 2.12 (tied-4th)
• Goaltender John Muse has started 13 of 16 games and ranks third nationally in save percentage (.939) and seventh nationally in GAA (1.87). He has 30 or more saves in six games.
• Sophomore Patch Alber leads all defensemen with a +12 rating, while classmates Brian Dumoulin (+10) and Patrick Wey (+9) rank second and third, respectively.
• Brian Dumoulin has tallied two assists in each of the last three games.
John Muse, SR. GOALTENDER
• John Muse has played in 123 games and is 72-36-15 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. • He has led BC to national championships in 2008 and 2010, Hockey East Tournament titles in 2008 and 2010 and Beanpot championships in 2008 and 2010. • At midseason break in 2010-11, Muse is 10-3-0 with a 1.87 goals against average and a .939 save percentage, ranking third nationally in save percentage and seventh in GAA.
Muse at midseason break ...
Year CL GP W-L-T GAA SV% 2007-08 Fr. 15 6-4-5 2.32 .921 2008-09 So. 16 9-5-2 2.58 .907 2009-10 Jr. 11 6-3-2 2.70 .893 2010-11 Sr. 13 10-3-0 1.87 .939QUICK HITS
• Forward Brian Gibbons leads or ranks second among all Boston College players in 11 statistical categories. He leads the team in: assists (13), plus-minus (+12), short-handed goals (2), power-play points (9), shot percentage (21.9), penalties (18) and penalty minutes (39). Gibbons ranks second in: points (20), goals (seven), power-play goals (three) and faceoff win percentage among regular centers (54.6 win percentage).
• Senior John Muse is just the second goaltender in school history to reach 70 career victories. Muse, who is 72-36-15, joins BC record-holder Scott Clemmensen who tallied 99 career wins.
• Jerry York is the fifth Boston College Eagle - and third coach - to earn the Lester Patrick Trophy, which is awarded annually for outstanding service to hockey in the United States, joining Snooks Kelley, who was honored in 1972, Len Ceglarski (1990), Joe Mullen (1995) and Brian Leetch (2007).
• Boston College's 2-1 loss at No. 17 Notre Dame marked the team's first defeat of the season, snapping a 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1) dating to a 3-2 loss at Northeastern on Feb. 19, 2010.
• For the 10th time in the last 13 seasons, Boston College has been picked as the Hockey East preseason favorite, or co-favorite, by the league's coaches.
• Cam and Tommy Atkinson, Joe and Steven Whitney, and Jimmy and Kevin Hayes are the 13th, 14th and 15th pairs of brothers to play hockey on the same team at Boston College.
• Three players - defenseman Brian Dumoulin, forward Chris Kreider and defenseman Patrick Wey - are among the 22 skaters named to the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team that is competing at the IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010 - Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo and Niagara, N.Y. It marks the first time since 2006 when Dan Bertram competed for Canada and Nathan Gerbe and Cory Schneider played for Team USA that three Eagles are participating in World Junior Championship play. It also marks the first time since the 1998 tournament that three Eagles represented the U.S. BC had four players - Jeff Farkas, Brian Gionta, Mike Mottau and Bobby Allen - on the 1998 U.S. Junior National Team.
• Six players participated in the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp from July 30 - Aug. 7 in Lake Placid, N.Y. - defenseman Brian Dumoulin, forward Chris Kreider, defenseman Philip Samuelsson, defenseman Patrick Wey, forward Steven Whitney and freshman forward Kevin Hayes.
• Boston College has 11 players on its roster who have been selected in the NHL Draft. Those players are: Bill Arnold (Calgary/4th/2010), Cam Atkinson (Columbus/6th/2008), Paul Carey (Colorado/5th/2007), Tommy Cross (Boston/2nd/2007), Brian Dumoulin (Carolina/2nd/2009), Jimmy Hayes (Toronto*/2nd/2008), Kevin Hayes (Chicago/1st/2010), Chris Kreider (NY Rangers/1st/2009), Isaac MacLeod (San Jose/5th/2010), Philip Samuelsson (Pittsburgh/2nd/2009) and Patrick Wey (Washington/4th/2009). * Jimmy Hayes was traded to Chicago in July 2010.
• Ben Smith, assistant captain of the 2009-10 Boston College hockey team, made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 29, 2010, while Stephen Gionta, assistant captain of the 2005-06 Eagle squad, made his NHL debut with the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 5, 2010. Smith and Gionta join Benn Ferriero, who was recalled to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 6, to represent the 15th, 16th and 17th former Eagles to have played in the NHL this season, joining regulars Andrew Alberts (Vancouver), Brian Boyle (NY Rangers), Scott Clemmensen (Florida), Patrick Eaves (Detroit), Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo), Brian Gionta (Montreal), Peter Harrold (Los Angeles), Chuck Kobasew (Minnesota), Mike Mottau (NY Islanders), Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh), Marty Reasoner (Florida), Cory Schneider (Vancouver), Rob Scuderi (Los Angeles) and Ryan Shannon (Ottawa).
2010-11 EAGLE AWARDS AND HONORS
Brian Dumoulin, So., D
• 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship participant - U.S. National Junior Team
Jimmy Hayes, Jr., F
• Hockey East Player of the Week (Oct. 18)
Chris Kreider, So., F
• 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship participant - U.S. National Junior Team
John Muse, Sr., G
• Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 11)
• Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 22)
• Hockey East Goaltender of the Month - November
Patrick Wey, So., D
• 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship participant - U.S. National Junior Team
Steven Whitney, So., F
• Hockey East Co-Player of the Week (Dec. 6)
Jerry York, Head Coach
• 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy Recipient
Jerry York SIGNS FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH BOSTON COLLEGE: Boston College head men's ice hockey coach Jerry York has a new five-year contract with the school that runs through the 2014-15 season, it was announced on Tuesday, Nov. 23. York led the Eagles to the 2001, 2008 and 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championships and Boston College has advanced to the NCAA Championship game in four of the last five seasons. York assumed the head coaching duties at Boston College, his alma mater, on June 15, 1994. The 2010-11 campaign is his 39th season as a head coach as he spent seven years (1972-79) at Clarkson and 15 years (1979-84) at Bowling Green. He won the NCAA Championship at Bowling Green in 1984. York has also coached Boston College to seven Hockey East Tournament titles (1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010) and four Hockey East regular-season championships (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05).
YORK HONORED WITH LESTER PATRICK AWARD: Coach Jerry York was honored as one of four recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy at an awards presentation held at TD Garden on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at TD Garden. Joining York as 2010 recipients were Hockey Hall of Famer Cam Neely, Boston University coach Jack Parker and American Hockey League President David Andrews. The trophy is an annual award presented for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. York is the fifth Boston College Eagle to earn the award, joining John A. "Snooks" Kelley, honored in 1972, Len Ceglarski (1990), Joe Mullen (1995) and Brian Leetch (2007). Leetch was on hand to present York with the trophy.
THE YORK FILE
Record: 861-543-92 (.605 win percentage)
Years: 39
Record at BC: 395-207-58 (.639 win percentage)
Years at BC: 17
RETIRED JERSEY: On April 12, 2010, Boston College recognized former player and current coach Jerry York by retiring his jersey at the 2010 national championship celebration on O'Neill Plaza.
MORE MILESTONES FOR YORK: Jerry York is in his 39th season as a head coach and his 17th season behind the Boston College bench. He is the second winningest coach in NCAA history and the first among active Division I coaches.
EIGHTY-EIGHTH SEASON OF HOCKEY: Boston College is in its 88th season of hockey. The Eagles have compiled 70 winning seasons and a 1344-736-110 all-time record.
THE CAPTAINS: Boston College elected senior forward Joe Whitney as captain of the 2010-11 Eagle entry. Senior forward Brian Gibbons and junior defenseman Tommy Cross were elected as assistant captains.
EAGLES CHOSEN AS 2010-11 LEAGUE FAVORITE: Boston College has been chosen as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Hockey East Association regular-season title, according to the Hockey East Coaches' Poll. BC earned nine first-place votes and a total of 90 points. Maine was picked second with 80 points, just four points ahead of New Hampshire. Boston University and Northeastern rounded out the top five selections. The announcement marks the 10th time in the last 13 seasons that the Eagles have been selected as the preseason favorite, or co-favorite, to win the conference crown. BC enters the 2010-11 campaign having captured last year's national title - its fourth national championship in program history. Last winter also marked program's third national championship under head coach Jerry York. York and the Eagles return 17 lettermen from last year's 29-win club.
100-POINT SCORERS: Senior forwards Brian Gibbons and Joe Whitney each recorded their 100th career point last season. Gibbons ranks tied with Nathan Gerbe for 36th at Boston College with 133 career points, while Whitney ranks tied with Ed Rauseo 43rd with 126 career points. Boston College has 72 players who have scored 100 points or more in a career.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS: Boston College has won 25 or more games 10 times in the last 13 seasons. In 2000-01. The Eagles set the school record with 33 victories - in 43 games - en route the school's second national championship.
