2012-2013 Hockey LEast Awards

Welcome to the second second annual Hockey LEast awards here at BSRS!  This is one of our favorite posts of the year as we bring you the bad, the ugly, and the possibly Canadian from Hockey East. When putting this list together, we take into account the following: goals, assists, plus/minus, games played, and our personal level of hatred towards each player. We did our Pre-Season Favorites back in September but the final results differed slightly as is always the case. Enjoy!


(Worst) Player of the Year- Vinny Saponari- NorthLeastern, F
The defending champion has repeated! The former Terrier and rap star put up decent numbers this year, posting a 7-22-29 line and finishing his career with 99 career points. However, he was a -10 on the season and led his team to a last place finish with his great god-awful leadership abilities. Plus, he never shook Parker's hand, and everybody knows you can't disrespect a legend and get away with it while Bay State Road Sports is around. Eat shit, Vinny.

(Worst) Coach of the Year- Jim MadAgain - NorthLeastern
Northeastern's 2nd year head coach fended off late pushes from Maine's Tim Whitehead and Amherst's John Micheletto to capture his second consecutive WCOY award.  Madigan's Huskies lost or tied 13 out of their last 15 games, including 5 losses in their last 6, to secure a last place finish in Hockey East for the second year in a row.  For those of you keeping track at home, that makes: 2 last place finishes, 2 missed playoffs, 0 NCAA appearances, and 0 Beanpots for Madigan in two years at Northeastern. While we hesitate to give this award to a coach who repeatedly shows support for BU's own Dog Pound, his record is impossible to ignore.

Northeastern names Madigan as new coach

Northeastern finally ended a 45 day search for their next head coach with the announcement of a press conference for Tuesday to announce alum Jim Madigan(the current director of business at NU/scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins) as the next head coach. Madigan skated for the Huskies from 1981-1985 and even won two Beanpots which is unheard of over there on Huntington Ave. This hire really comes out of nowhere as many expected current assistant Sebastian LaPlante to be named to the job or for a big name from outside the school. I don't believe the director of business development was a top candidate but that's just me. Madigan, spent the last eight years as an university employee and scout for the Penguins so I would guess he knows the school and expectations currently and can also relate to the pro game. It will certainly be interesting to see if he can recover any of the decommitted recruits(Gaudreau and Harr) while rising sophomores Jamie Olesiak leaving for major juniors and Brodie Reid (signed with San Jose) have already left the University with no hope of returning. This NU team will fail to score all season but will find a way to win some games behind the Rawlings/Witt goalie combo along with Vinny Saponari(BU drop-out, BC reject) to party like a puck star and score some goals. I would still love nothing more to kill these idiots all three times for the crap they pulled in the HE Quarters last year. Is it October yet? Or better yet is it the first Monday of February so I can watch the disappointment in the faces of all the NU fans for the 24th straight year with the Beanpot futility. Doesn't matter who your coach is NU we're still gonna stomp your ass. Cue the music!

Three current BU Terriers selected on Day 2 of NHL draft

Three current member of the BU Terriers men's hockey team were drafted by three different teams on day 2 of the NHL draft yesterday. Adam Clendening was the first to go, to Chicago, at #36 overall(second round). This is a good fit for the rising sophomore at BU as Chicago is weak on the D-line and he was their first defenseman selected this year. This most likely means Clendening only has one or two years left at BU before jumping to the NHL but time will tell there. The second pick was also in the second round as winger Matt Nieto was selected 47th overall by the San Jose Sharks. This comes the day after the Shark traded the right from current Terrier Charlie Coyle in a deal with Minnesota. Sources from the Boston Hockey Blog have spoken with Coyle though and he has said he hasn't had much contact with Minnesota but plans to return to BU next season still. The third and final Terrier to be drafted yesterday was defenseman Garrett Noonan who was drafted #112 in the fourth round by the Nashville Predators and former Terrier Colin Wilson. Coach Jack Parker was present for the draft and the both Clendening and Nieto were evidently thrilled to have him there for support as shown in the two articles linked here( USCHO, ESPNBOSTON). This is just another example proving the haters wrong that Parker is just a crazy old man and doesn't care about his players. He cares more about them then any other coach in HE and tells them honestly the best move for their careers not for the program. He doesn't pray to the lord and grovel like York does out there in Newton. Just another class move from Parker. In another note, current Terrier Sahir Gil who was a draft prospect went undrafted.

In other HE news, two Northeastern recruits( Haar and Gaudreau) decomitted(will return to the USHL) following their coaching change while current player and first round pick D Jamie Olesiak is strongly considering moving to the OHL. Looks like Vinny Saponari is going to have to be a one man show for Northeastern to go anywhere this season no matter who the coach is. Aka not too concerned about the goons over on Huntington Ave. Cue the music!

Saponari commits to Northeastern, Cronin on his way out?

The Hockey East coaching carousel continues as sources are telling the Sieves the Day blog that Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin is leaving the school to pursue a professional coaching job. This is a surprise move for the coach who just finished his sixth season on Huntington Ave. He was suspended from mid February to the end of the regular season due to NCAA violations about illegal contact with recruits. Don't have to worry about those in the pro's now do we? The NCAA still never announced a final ruling on Cronin which makes this even more interesting. If it is a high profile job, I will say it is the right move but if its an assistant to an AHL team then he straight-up ran away from the issue. Atleast he can take his idea of grabbing opposing players to the professional ranks and a goon in the AHL will beat him to a pulp which always makes a good Youtube video.

Northeastern will now be the third team in the conference to replace a head coach this off-season as PC and UMASS-Lowell named their new coaches(Nate Leaman and Norm Bazin) this past Thursday and Friday respectively.

This news comes on the same night as forward BU forward Vinny Saponari committed to the school for next season. This news come as no surprise as Saponari made it obvious he wanted to return to Hockey East to get back at BU,preferably at another school in Boston. Once the holy ones down the road in Newton rejected his stellar academic history, Northeastern was the obvious choice. This should certainly spice up the NU-BU games next year if they needed any spicing up considering how the season ended this year. Saponari is an arrogant prick who disrespected his school,coach, and teemates. He is going to make the NU-BU games that much sweeter when BU wins and ...well that is the only option the next two seasons with Saponari on the other side. He may have all of his fans in Dubuque(home of his USHL team) feeling bad for him but BU fans surely do not feel bad for the opportunity he squandered away here with a series of poor decisions. All I have left to say is cue Exhibit A of his stupidity.





P.S. He is going to have to change some of the lyrics in there.

Saponaris Shown the Door, Trivino Suspended

According to The Daily Free Press , brothers Victor and Vinny Saponari have been kicked off the team, and Corey Trivino has been suspended for an unknown amount of games to begin next season. Citing a BU hockey press release, the article says that the brothers and Trivino allegedly drank on Wednesday, March 17, (St. Patty's day for those of you not familiar), which was two days before the season ending Hockey East semifinal against Maine. Vinny Sap and Trivino are both underage, and the team has had a long standing rule that drinking is only allowed on Saturday nights by players of age. Parker also hints that the Saponaris were dismissed from the team for other actions "unbecoming to a Boston University hockey player".

This move by Parker seems to be his way of trying to send a message. Parker made it clear that he was unhappy with the off ice conduct of his players during the 09-10 campaign. With this punishment, he is letting it be known that underage drinking and other inappropriate actions will not be tolerated by members of his team. Let's hope the players get the message before any more punishments are handed down, because we really cannot afford to lose any more scoring power.