Tedy Stiga Impresses and Greg Brown Makes Changes: Boston College Men’s Hockey Weekend Thoughts

The Boston College men’s hockey season is in full swing now, with the Eagles having played three more times (two regular season games and one exhibition matchup) since the last time we took a look at some of what was going on. Things have been going well too, with the Eagles picking up wins over AIC and Western Michigan to boost their record to 3-1-0, with another victory over the USNDTP sandwiched in between. With things looking up early in the season, let’s take a look at a few things that have stood out over the last few games.

TEDDY STIGA IMPRESSES

Teddy Stiga looked like the best player on the ice in a game full of great players on Saturday night, and even his final stat line of a goal (the first of his collegiate career) and an assist doesn’t do him justice. Stiga was absolutely everywhere on the ice for the Eagles and easily could have had a second goal if Western Michigan’s goalie didn’t make an unbelievable save on a chance from in close. The goal he did score came on an individual effort that showcased the kind of skill that made him a second round draft pick a few months ago:

Stiga now has points in each of his past three games and four total in his first four games at Boston College. That’s a nice start for the freshman, who may not have come in with the same kind of hype as James Hagens, but who was immediately put on the second line of a team that wants to contend for a title this year. He’s going to be an important player all season for the Eagles and if what we saw out of him on Saturday was any indication, it looks like he’ll be up to the challenge.

GREG BROWN FACES EMERGENCY, BREAKS GLASS

The line chart for last Saturday’s game against Western Michigan certainly raised some eyes when it came out about an hour before the game. The Eagles were down a center in Dean Letourneau after he got banged up in the team’s exhibition game the week prior, but even with that, there were a number of surprises amongst the forward group. Andre Gasseau was bumped down to the third line while Will Vote’s hot start bumped him up to the second. Mike Posma was the choice the take Letourneau’s spot as third line center. And in a move that I certainly didn’t see coming, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault were separated in what was – by my recollection -the first time that they did not play together when both players were in the lineup. Leonard started on a line with Stiga and Oskar Jellvik while Perreault played next to Vote and James Hagens.

And then BC fell behind 2-0 and Greg Brown went back to what he knows works.

With the Eagles trailing by two goals after one period of play, Brown changed things up. What he did not do, however, was go back to the lines that he was using at the start of the season. Instead of reuniting Perreault and Leonard with Jellvik, the first line center for the first few games, Brown put them with Hagens. Jellvik, meanwhile, was reunited with Gasseau, who spent most of the first two years of their careers on a line together, alongside Stiga in a new look line. And it absolutely paid off for Brown and the Eagles. Gasseau and Stiga both scored to tie things up before Leonard and Perreault combined on a give-and-go late in the third period to give BC the win. A 2-0 deficit erased and turned into a 4-2 win thanks to some nice adjustments made by Greg Brown.

For what it’s worth, this feels to me like the eventual end game for the top two lines. Brown is trying some different combinations early on in the season to see what works and that’s fine, but he’s already gone to the Hagens, Perreault, Leonard combination twice when BC was trying to come from behind and we have two years of proof that Jellvik and Gasseau work as linemates. Stiga looked like a natural fit next to them on Saturday night and the results clearly matched the eye test, so maybe they’ll get an extended look going forward. Or maybe Brown will try something new again and keep these combinations as something he knows he can rely on if he needs to change things up late in a game.

RYAN LEONARD REMAINS ELECTRIC

Ryan Leonard has three goals in four games to start the season and it feels like he could already have double that total. Before he scored his game winner on Saturday night, he fired a shot off the crossbar which was, according to the broadcast, already the sixth post that he’s hit this season. So you could understand his excitement when he put home the game winning goal with less than a minute to play.

Leonard plays the game at about 150 miles per hour. He’s seemingly involved in every single post whistle scrum. He shows up in the biggest moments and you can just tell he’s having a blast every time he plays. He’s an absolutely electric player to watch and we’re lucky to have him for another season at BC. Enjoy watching him as an Eagle while we have the chance, he’s a special, special player.