It’s winter break, which means it’s time for our hockey writers to chat about the first half of the men’s hockey season. Let us know how you’re feeling about the team so far in the comments!
How do you feel about BC’s results so far this season?
Laura: I mean you can’t be mad at the team’s record! Have some of the games been a little close for comfort? Sure. But the fact that this team is comfortable staging comebacks is good, and their record against top teams is phenomenal.
Steven: Hard to argue too much with a 12-3-1 record with the schedule that BC has played, right. 10 of their 16 games have come against teams currently in the top 11 of the Pairwise rankings and they’ve come out of the first half with a lot more wins than loses. Certainly hasn’t been perfect but they came into this season looking to contend for a national championship and their record certainly shows that they’re capable of doing so.
Curran: It is pretty hard to not be very happy with BC’s first half. I think the common consensus is that this team probably doesn’t have the depth that last year’s team did, but then again last year’s team (and Hockey East in general) was arguably the deepest in recent memory. Our record against top-20 teams is phenomenal, and with so many freshman contributors you’d hope this group only improves in the second half.
Curtis: I’d be stupid to complain. BC has been first-place in pairwise for a while now after some huge victories over Western Michigan, Michigan State, St. Cloud, and more. Plus they are in a very solid position to win Hockey East. We have another contender on our hands.
Maithri: Great! Every time I watch a game, I feel like they manage to pull off something that I couldn’t have imagined. Their record is almost identical to last year’s at the break — 12-3-1 vs 13-3-1. Given the strength of the schedule this half and how much offense they’ve lost since last year, I think it’s something to be celebrated. The team has consistently rallied and fought tooth & nail for each win, which I think is more beneficial in the course of the season. Sure, there’s been some rough games, but I’d rather have those to start the year as it gives them something tangible to work on during the break. I really can’t complain about the hockey we’ve gotten to watch so far this season.
What are you predictions for this team heading into 2025?
Laura: More wins, and some big leaps forward from the younger players.
Steven: They’re winning their first Beanpot since 2016 this year right? I have no idea how to figure out who is going to finish where in a very competitive Hockey East, but its about time to put that drought to bed and take home the trophy.
Curran: I wrote in our preseason roundtable that the goal for this team should be a national championship. Nothing I’ve seen in the first half suggests that this team is not capable of contending for it. Yes, there are issues, and yes, we’re only halfway through the regular season, but the goal — and my prediction — remains the same.
Curtis: More of the same! They aren’t quite the unstoppable juggernaut that they were last season, but they are still extremely talented and I expect them to keep chugging along and even improve along the way. A Hockey East tournament run and a Frozen Four bid both seem likely to me.
Maithri: I think they’re going to have a great 2025. They’ve put themselves in a really good spot nationally, so as long as they work out some of the things that have come up this semester, I really have no reason to doubt that next semester will be a good one.
How has the team compared to your expectations so far?
Laura: They have pretty much met them! They’ve won a lot of games, you can see that they’re a young but talented group of players, they’re in a good spot heading into the second half of the season.
Steven: Honestly, there have been times where I’ve been a bit…underwhelmed? This is a really, really good team but they play an awful lot of games that come down to a stressful third period. I know that they lost a lot of talent up front from last year, but they’re averaging more than a full goal less per game than they did in 2023-24. They really only have one true blowout win so far this year, and that was way back in October against AIC. It’s good that they have been proving that they can win the close ones, I’d just like to see them go out and dominate a team a couple times early in the second half. Go beat Merrimack 6-1 coming out of the break and I’ll forget about most of what I just said.
Curran: In most cases, pretty spot-on. I will say — and this will be a common refrain — I did not expect the power play struggles to be so severe, but the team plays hard every night and has the talent to make some serious noise. That’s what we expected prior to the season.
Curtis: They’ve pretty much completely met my expectations. The team has taken a slight step backwards with the loss of Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith, but the new players are doing well and the team is rolling.
Maithri: They’ve definitely met them, I feel. Going back to the preseason roundtable, I was expecting a lot of fun games and wins and was nervous about the offense after losing two of the country’s top scorers and three total centers. We’ve gotten a lot of fun games and big wins, and the offense has stepped up as needed!
What about this team has impressed you the most so far?
Laura: Their ability to adjust on the fly, and to not get panicked when they’re losing. You can’t count this team out no matter what the score is or how much time is left on the clock.
Steven: There’s no way you can reasonably expect the penalty kill to keep running at almost a 98 percent success rate, but man they’ve been so good this season. One goal against on 41 opportunities – a few of which have been five minute majors – and two goals for thanks to Teddy Stiga. Just a ridiculously good first half from the PK.
Curran: Again, this will likely be a common thread here, but the resiliency of this group is impressive and has been so fun to watch. Obviously, they’d probably like to avoid so many third-period deficits, but these Eagles seem to just click late in games.
Curtis: The defense has been outstanding. BC has the best penalty kill in the nation, the best goalie in the nation (in my opinion), and Eamon Powell has been leading a very talented group of defensemen. A great defense like this one gives you a good shot of victory against any opponent.
Maithri: Their resilience! Sure, a win from behind may not always be in the cards, but the way the team has been able to win in regulation more than once after being down two goals is wild. We’ve had some incredibly entertaining games, and it’s clear the team is buying in.
What would you like to see the team improve on in the second half of the season?
Laura: Not getting themselves into holes where they have to stage a comeback even though I am always confident they can lol. Also the power play.
Steven: They’ve got to get something out of their third line. It would be nice if the power play got better too, but the lack of any kind of scoring from the third line has been a glaringly obvious problem for a few months now and they badly need to get it fixed.
Curran: The power play. Not much more needs to be said.
Curtis: The power play is the obvious answer. So instead I’ll say that they need be more aggressive on offense, especially at the beginning of games. Ryan Leonard seems to be the only “shoot-first” guy in their talented group of forwards, so I’d like to see a lot more aggression, out of Hagens especially. BC just has not been using their speed and skill to its full advantage as much this season,
Maithri: The power play, for sure. I’m sure parts of it were mental during the PPG drought – but it’s starting to click, as they had two power play goals in the home win against Lowell. Their luck should turn around next semester!
Who is your MVP so far this season?
Laura: Ryan Leonard. He’s always making something happen, as we all expected.
Steven: Toss a coin, heads it’s Ryan Leonard, tails it’s Jacob Fowler. I think it’s pretty much neck and neck for those two. I’m going to lean slightly towards Fowler and his four shutouts in 15 games but Leonard has been fantastic in the clutch this season.
Curran: Production-wise, there are a couple candidates. But Ryan Leonard produces night-in and night-out and is clearly the heart and soul of this team. Also, shoutout to Jacob Fowler, who has somehow improved on his freshman-year numbers.
Curtis: As expected, Ryan Leonard has been a stud. He leads the nation in goals (12) and game-winning goals (5). Need I say more?
Maithri: Ryan Leonard. He’s genuinely the heart and soul of this team.
Which player is your most improved so far?
Laura: Aram Minnetian was already good as a freshman, and he’s even better this season!
Steven: Aram Minnetian had a pretty strong overall freshman season but this year he’s been on another level. He’s looked like the team’s best defenseman for long stretches and the way that the coaching staff is using him has reflected that.
Curran: Aram Minnetian had a really strong freshman year as a trusted blue liner, and has only continued to grow. He’s arguably been their top d-man, averaging a ton of ice time in all phases of the game. His consistency will be key in the second half.
Curtis: Drew Fortescue is growing right into his role as a starting defenseman alongside Eamon Powell. His Beanpot blunder last season is now a distant memory.
Maithri: Aram Minnetian. Not only does it seem he’s literally everywhere on the ice, he’s also been able to read and break up plays before they even happen.
What do you think of the freshman class so far?
Laura: Fun to watch, as expected! I knew coming into this season that Teddy Stiga in particular was going to be a fan favorite, and he deserves a shoutout for being super fun to watch and for adapting really well when he had to play defense at the end of the semester.
Steven: James Hagens has been very good and seemed to be hitting a real hot stretch before the break. Teddy Stiga has been impressive in just about every game he has played in and even looked good stepping back on defense. Michael Hagens and Jack Sondreal have some work to do but they’ve had moments here and there and Will Skahan was looking like a really solid part of the blue line before he got banged up. And then there’s Dean Letourneau, the Bruins first round pick from the last draft who currently has one more point than Jacob Fowler. No two ways around it, Letourneau hasn’t been anywhere close to good enough this season and he’s a major reason that the third line has been struggling as much as they have. He doesn’t need to be the dominant forces that we saw from Leonard, Perreault, and Will Smith last year, but two points in 15 games isn’t good enough.
Curran: James Hagens has been very good — and the goal dam finally burst in the last four games. His brother, Michael Hagens, has improved throughout the season, which has been crucial given the injuries on the blue line. Sondreal and Letorneau seem to be finding their footing still, but adjusting to college takes time.
Curtis: James Hagens is obviously a very talented player, but I’m still waiting for him to completely break out of his shell and take this team’s offense to another level. Meanwhile, Teddy Stiga’s puck-handling is incredible to watch and Dean Letourneau has had some great flashes. It’s a good group.
Maithri: I think they’ve been great! There’s of course a learning curve when it comes to college hockey, but it’s clear that they’re beginning to slide into their roles. I’m so excited to see how the next half goes, especially for James Hagens and Teddy Stiga who will be at World Juniors.
What has been BC’s biggest game for you so far?
Laura: Both for the comeback win and for the emotions, I have to go with the win over Maine on the night that BC honored Tony Voce and the Gaudreaus.
Steven: The 3-2 comeback win against Maine. An electric final 10 minutes to start off a weekend sweep against a really good Maine team. Game tying goal with three minutes left, game winning goal just a little bit later, can’t do much better than that.
Curran: Game 2 against Maine. After the sellout Friday night nail-biter, the complete performance shutout win was — to me — the biggest statement of the season to secure a top-5 sweep.
Curtis: Grinding out that OT winner @ Providence, playing without Jacob Fowler.
Maithri: Probably the Maine series, but I’ll shout out the last Lowell game as well. The Maine weekend was emotional, and taking two wins from a top-5 team was everything and more we could’ve asked for. Winning in regulation at home against Lowell — another top 10 team! — down 3 defensemen and enduring some questionable reffing is not easy, and yet the team limited Lowell to a season low shots against and played basically a perfect third period.