Well I guess we have to say something/second half projections

So this has been quite the week for BU hockey. The program has been in headlines throughout the week. First, senior forward Corey Trivino was removed the team and lost his scholarship after an incident Sunday night here in a BU dorm. Trivino has been charged with numerous charges including intent to commit rape. I am going to lay off commenting on this one as it has already been through the ringer this week through various online fan boards and various other blogs. It seems like the only decision to be made by Coach Jack Parker, was made quickly like it needed to be before the story took off from there in a public forum. That part was unfortunate for both Trivino and the victim. We wish the best to both Trivino and the victim in recovering from this incident.

Since Trivino's removal on Monday, sophomore forward Charlie Coyle has announced that he plans on leaving the BU program. Coyle will be joining a stacked St. Johns Sea Dogs team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is loaded and seems to be aiming to win the Memorial Cup up there. Once again, I'm going to lay off going on a rant about this without knowing all the details. It is has been reported that Coyle was struggling academically and he hints at this as he says his decision was made so that he could focus fully on hockey. Myself and GW disagree on whether NCAA or major junior will get him more ready for the NHL/AHL next season. I think playing 18-25 year olds will better prepare him for the big leagues as opposed to playing some 16 year old little prick who thinks he is the next Crosby but clearly isn't. Either way, best of luck to Coyle in the rest of his hockey career. We will let you know if anything else come from this but Boston Hockey Blog has been all over this and the Trivino story from the beginning.

Now for all of the haters out there, just calm down. This team did lose their top two centers but they still have the same defense and goaltenders that have allowed 2 goal over their two wins last weekend. This puts more pressure on guys to step up and play together. It also puts more pressure on the students here to support the team more now than ever. The student body needs to make this a way to come together and get behind the guys that still are here. The season isn't over unless you let it be over. This team may not score as many goals as they did this past semester but they have already found out ways to win. I have faith that this will continue in the second half. This is a NCAA team for sure and if they come together through this then they could be serious contenders in April.

Now here are my power rankings going into the second half of the season and projections

1. Newton University 12-6-0 - I'll leave these fruits here just because despite going 4-5 in their last 9 games they still have a very good team if they can find a consistent goalie

2. BU 10-5-1- Obviously the loss of both Coyle and Trivino hurts but this team still has a team full of guys who can carry the team to the NCAA's including Connolly, Gill, Nieto, Chiasson, Noonan, and Clendening just to name a few.

3. UMass Lowell 10-5-0- This team is for sure the wild card in Hockey East as they will be interesting to see if they can continue to play stellar hockey behind Doug Carr.

4. Merrimack 10-2-2- Injuries are killing them now and I think it will combine with a tougher schedule in the second half of the year to cause them to fade but they still grab home ice and probably grab a NCAA berth

5. Maine 6-7-2- Maine is easily the most inconsistent teams in the league but I still think they are better than PC for this year atleast

6. PC 8-7-1- This team has made leaps from last year and will make the conference playoffs this year. Now can they win a QF series at Lowell or Merrimack? Probably not but they did already take a game at PC this year.

7. Northeastern 7-7-2- The hottest team in HE currently but they will have to do more damage in the conference before I buy in. Also their fans are just fucking annoying and it is going to be too funny to watch them go back to Huntington Ave without a Beanpot again in Feb. That will make how many years? 24? sucks to sucks

8. UNH 6-9-2- The University of No Hardware seems destined for another year of winning zero games of any importance

9. UMASS 5-7-4- UMass is still so inconsistent but they are still in position to steal a playoff spot from either UNH or PC.

10. UVM 3-11-1- They just aren't good this year. I expect to see them back with Sneddon as their coach.