Boston College Athletics
Showdown Time On Broadway
December 01, 2016 | Men's Hockey, #ForBoston Files
World class matchup takes center stage at the World's Most Famous Arena
In New York City's borough of Manhattan, a square block might not seem like much. A conversation telling someone to go to "7th and 31st" or "8th and 33rd" is innocuous, something that happens a million times per day among the millions of people who keep the city buzzing with life.
Tell them to go to Madison Square Garden, however, and everything changes. Billed as The World's Most Famous Arena, it's so much more than the home of the New York Knicks or the New York Rangers. It's where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought the first two bouts of their storied trilogy. It's where Hulk Hogan vanquished the Iron Sheik, the home of the original Wrestlemania.
Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Johnny Cash all played there - in one year. Elton John once held a record with 64 shows there, but that was broken in 2015 by Billy Joel. It's one of the few buildings that can boast about presences by the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, and the Pope.
On Saturday, it'll add one more to its list - the renewal of the Boston College-North Dakota hockey rivalry.
"It's the world's most famous arena," Eagles head coach Jerry York said. "You can think just about the history of our program and North Dakota. We're 11-11-1 against each other. We've both got national championships and so many other accomplishments. It's really going to be special."
It's not the first college hockey game at MSG, but it'll be the biggest. The Eagles and Fighting Hawks combine for 13 national championships, including back-to-back games against each other in 2000 (won by UND) and 2001 (won by BC). Nine times, they've met in the postseason, with BC holding a 6-3 advantage but just a +1 goal differential. They've produced 126 All-Americans. BC's on a three-game postseason winning streak, all of which came in the National Semifinals, and it's created a three-game neutral site winning streak for the program.
Since Jerry York's first Frozen Four in 1998, Boston College has 515 wins. North Dakota has 514. They've competed in a combined 47 Frozen Fours, a feat both accomplished last season - which was ultimately won by the Fighting Hawks.
They haven't met since 2011, when BC beat them in Grand Forks, which only serves to heighten the excitement and anticipation. It creates a big game atmosphere for college hockey, something York and the Eagles intend to take full advantage of.
"These are two marquee teams that will hopefully bring a lot of people out (to the game)," York said, "and we're really looking forward to it. We're going to bus down as a team (on Friday) and use the New York Rangers practice facility. On Saturday morning, we're going to take a tour of the 9/11 memorial and go up to the observatory at the top of the building. So we're very excited about it."
There is still the matter of an actual hockey game. BC enters the game as the nation's leader in wins with 12, having ended the month of November with a 6-2 record. On Tuesday, they defeated Hockey East rival Northeastern, 2-1, on what amounted to a walkoff winner by Michael Kim with 22.9 seconds left in the third period.
"Our team is playing very, very well," York said. "There was a gloom and doom forecast for us (this year) that we lost all of those guys that the team really took it as a challenge, especially our senior class. It's worked out, keeping everyone committed and doing their jobs (on the ice), infusing new talent with great work ethic. So I'm pleasantly surprised where we are, and our compete level and goaltending has been great."
But as they head down to the Big Apple, the Eagles know they'll have their work cut out for them. The Fighting Hawks entered the year as the defending national champions, and for most of the year, their ranking among pollsters reflected that attitude. Since winning their first five games, however, they've slipped, winning twice in their last 10 outings. Back to back wins over St. Cloud snapped a six-game winless streak, but it failed to spark them; a loss and tie to Michigan State sends UND to New York with something to prove.
"We know we're in for a good battle," York said. "North Dakota's faceoff stats are off the charts, and that's really indicative of the hard-nosed, up-tempo type of game they play. They excel in the basics and in fundamentals. There aren't any gimmicks, and they're very well-coached."
Already this season, North Dakota has four players with 10 or more points. Shane Gersich is among the nation's best in goal scoring, with three scores for every four games he's played, and he's one of three Hawks with 10 assists already. Of those leading scorers, the top three - Gersich, Brock Boeser, and Tyson Jost - are +9 on the year, with Tucker Poolman, the team's fourth leading scorer, at +12. That doesn't include goalie Cam Johnson, a top-15 goalie in the nation with a 2.19 goals against average.
All of this contributes to the big game feel at the big arena. For BC, it's the first of four "major venue" games they'll play this season. After playing at Madison Square Garden, the Eagles travel at the end of the month to Pittsburgh to take part in the Three Rivers Classic at PPG Paints Arena. They'll return to play a January 7th game against Providence at Fenway Park before playing in the annual Beanpot, which this year features a first round matchup against Boston University.
"We really look for non-conference games that can help our RPI rating, especially since strength-of-schedule is part of everything," York said. "Every win is good, but every team needs some quality wins. With this game against North Dakota, we get to play a really big game under the bright lights.
"We like to play some western teams," York continued, "and scheduling those teams is done with a home-and-home. Getting out on the road to any arena is good for us, and it's good for chemistry and bonding. We've played Minnesota and Wisconsin, and now we have another big, big opponent in North Dakota."
Tell them to go to Madison Square Garden, however, and everything changes. Billed as The World's Most Famous Arena, it's so much more than the home of the New York Knicks or the New York Rangers. It's where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought the first two bouts of their storied trilogy. It's where Hulk Hogan vanquished the Iron Sheik, the home of the original Wrestlemania.
Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Johnny Cash all played there - in one year. Elton John once held a record with 64 shows there, but that was broken in 2015 by Billy Joel. It's one of the few buildings that can boast about presences by the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, and the Pope.
On Saturday, it'll add one more to its list - the renewal of the Boston College-North Dakota hockey rivalry.
"It's the world's most famous arena," Eagles head coach Jerry York said. "You can think just about the history of our program and North Dakota. We're 11-11-1 against each other. We've both got national championships and so many other accomplishments. It's really going to be special."
It's not the first college hockey game at MSG, but it'll be the biggest. The Eagles and Fighting Hawks combine for 13 national championships, including back-to-back games against each other in 2000 (won by UND) and 2001 (won by BC). Nine times, they've met in the postseason, with BC holding a 6-3 advantage but just a +1 goal differential. They've produced 126 All-Americans. BC's on a three-game postseason winning streak, all of which came in the National Semifinals, and it's created a three-game neutral site winning streak for the program.
Since Jerry York's first Frozen Four in 1998, Boston College has 515 wins. North Dakota has 514. They've competed in a combined 47 Frozen Fours, a feat both accomplished last season - which was ultimately won by the Fighting Hawks.
They haven't met since 2011, when BC beat them in Grand Forks, which only serves to heighten the excitement and anticipation. It creates a big game atmosphere for college hockey, something York and the Eagles intend to take full advantage of.
"These are two marquee teams that will hopefully bring a lot of people out (to the game)," York said, "and we're really looking forward to it. We're going to bus down as a team (on Friday) and use the New York Rangers practice facility. On Saturday morning, we're going to take a tour of the 9/11 memorial and go up to the observatory at the top of the building. So we're very excited about it."
There is still the matter of an actual hockey game. BC enters the game as the nation's leader in wins with 12, having ended the month of November with a 6-2 record. On Tuesday, they defeated Hockey East rival Northeastern, 2-1, on what amounted to a walkoff winner by Michael Kim with 22.9 seconds left in the third period.
"Our team is playing very, very well," York said. "There was a gloom and doom forecast for us (this year) that we lost all of those guys that the team really took it as a challenge, especially our senior class. It's worked out, keeping everyone committed and doing their jobs (on the ice), infusing new talent with great work ethic. So I'm pleasantly surprised where we are, and our compete level and goaltending has been great."
But as they head down to the Big Apple, the Eagles know they'll have their work cut out for them. The Fighting Hawks entered the year as the defending national champions, and for most of the year, their ranking among pollsters reflected that attitude. Since winning their first five games, however, they've slipped, winning twice in their last 10 outings. Back to back wins over St. Cloud snapped a six-game winless streak, but it failed to spark them; a loss and tie to Michigan State sends UND to New York with something to prove.
"We know we're in for a good battle," York said. "North Dakota's faceoff stats are off the charts, and that's really indicative of the hard-nosed, up-tempo type of game they play. They excel in the basics and in fundamentals. There aren't any gimmicks, and they're very well-coached."
Already this season, North Dakota has four players with 10 or more points. Shane Gersich is among the nation's best in goal scoring, with three scores for every four games he's played, and he's one of three Hawks with 10 assists already. Of those leading scorers, the top three - Gersich, Brock Boeser, and Tyson Jost - are +9 on the year, with Tucker Poolman, the team's fourth leading scorer, at +12. That doesn't include goalie Cam Johnson, a top-15 goalie in the nation with a 2.19 goals against average.
All of this contributes to the big game feel at the big arena. For BC, it's the first of four "major venue" games they'll play this season. After playing at Madison Square Garden, the Eagles travel at the end of the month to Pittsburgh to take part in the Three Rivers Classic at PPG Paints Arena. They'll return to play a January 7th game against Providence at Fenway Park before playing in the annual Beanpot, which this year features a first round matchup against Boston University.
"We really look for non-conference games that can help our RPI rating, especially since strength-of-schedule is part of everything," York said. "Every win is good, but every team needs some quality wins. With this game against North Dakota, we get to play a really big game under the bright lights.
"We like to play some western teams," York continued, "and scheduling those teams is done with a home-and-home. Getting out on the road to any arena is good for us, and it's good for chemistry and bonding. We've played Minnesota and Wisconsin, and now we have another big, big opponent in North Dakota."
Players Mentioned
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