Roadies-Updated

I have been wanting to write this post for a while but have been busy solving the world's problems like usual here at BSRS. I am going to summarize the rinks I have been to watch a hockey game and give my opinion on travel, the home fans, food etc. Feel free to leave comments because the more input the better for other fans who read this.

I'll start with Hockey East and get to out of conference rinks

Boston College- Conte Forum/Kelley Rink - This game is always fun for BU fans as it is a 20 minute ride down the Green line against an arch rival. BU has had an increased fan presence in recent years which always makes an away game more fun.  There is plenty of parking for those who drive and seems like there is plenty of places for fans to eat outside. The food inside is as mediocre as the entire BC athletic program so I wouldn't recommend it. The arena isn't built to watch hockey in but I've never had a bad viewpoint in this rink. Their fans usually show up for BU games since they generally are televised which is the only way to get the pink-hat superfrauds to go to a hockey game down there in Newton. Overall, I would highly suggest that all BU fans make it to Conte at least once. The BC fans may say some stuff to you especially after they lose and leave halfway through the third but they definitely don't worry any opposing fans. Overall experience grade: B

Lowell- Tsongas Arena - Lowell is also a very doable trip from Boston. The administration paid for buses to the rink last season but the commuter rail and Lowell public transportation(scary shit) run right to the rink. The rink itself might be my favorite in Hockey East besides Agganis that I have been to. They sell beer inside which is fantastic and they have this cool blimp that flies around during intermission and drops coupons into the crowd. They also usually have a food eating contest of some sort which is always entertaining to watch. Their student section and band are average at best. Most of the students sit down during the actual game and don't have very many original chants. Overall, good place to watch a hockey game for a reasonable price. Grade: B+

U-S-A USA USA USA

Red. White. Blue. That is all.

BU Hockey Line Projections Take 1

So posting has been a little slow around here which is typical of the summer months. I figured I would take this chance to take a stab at some new line combination for the coming season. Technically, the recruiting class is not filled and has not been officially announced because Adam Clendening's scholarship has not been officially filled. The 2012 recruiting class as of now looks like this:
Forwards: Sam Kurker(2nd 2012 Stl) , Matt Lane ,Wes Myron(6th 2012 Van), Mike Moran, and Danny O'Regan(5th 2012 SJ).
Defensemen: Matt Grzelcyk(3rd 2012- Bos), TBD(Marc Hetnik?- wouldn't require a scholarship since his father is employed by BU)
Goalies: Sean MaGuire(4th 2012-Pitt), Matthew O'Connor

So now that the incoming class is as established as we could hope here is what I think the lines will look like on opening night vs PC without having seen most of these guys play yet.

1- Nieto-Gill- Cisse  - Cisse is obviously the guy who I have jumping from the 4th line to the 1st so he has to have a big summer  but I think since this is his first healthy summer in 3 summers, he certainly is a guy capable of making this type of jump. Gill seems like the best option at center with his hands and Nieto is the fastest guy in Hockey East and I would expect 40-50 points from him this year.

2 Megan-O'Regan-Kurker  - This line has the captain with two very skilled freshmen who I think can compete in Hockey East right away and will need for success. Megan can make their lives much easier with how hard he drives to the net and opens up space for his linemates.

3 Lane- Hohmann- Myron  -This line could easily include sophomore Evan Rodrigues on right wing depending on how Myron looks in camp along with Lane but I see both of them being successful collegiate players.

4- Courtnall- Rosen-Santana - This is really the only line that is set in stone in my mind. This is going to be the most experienced, grinder line in Hockey East easily. They will give this team depth as they are able to roll 4 lines in important games.
Extra forwards: Evan Rodrigues, Mike Moran,  Matt Ronan, Jake Moscatel,

D-Pairs
1 Noonan- Privitera - This d-pair is going to be a force throughout Hockey East as Privitera had a strong second half minus the wrist injury and Noonan will be all Hockey East first team.
2. Escobedo- MacGregor- Coach Parker usually puts one offensive D and a "stay at home" dman together but I don't see him forcing that this year unless he wants to break up Noonan and Privitera. Escobedo will be one of the most steady dmen in Hockey East this season and I think MacGregor will have a coming out party as an upperclassman(maybe even score a goal...nah).
3. Grzelcyk- Ruikka- This pair will be solid to begin the year as Ruikka is a veteran to help lead Grzelcyk as he gets accustomed to the speed of the college game.

Extra dmen- Marc Hetnik, TBD?

Goalies
1a. Sean MaGuire- These top two goalies are going to split starts fairly regularly until winter break and probably beyond unless one of them separates themselves as the clear starter.
1b. Matt O'Connor
3. Anthony Moccia

Rock Chalk Terriers: Happy Trails, Jake O'Brien

So needless to say the last few weeks have been an adventure for followers of our beloved Terrier men's basketball team.  The first great news we received was confirmation from our athletic department that our highly anticipated basketball recruiting class will arrive intact next fall on Comm. Ave.  Coach Jones assembled the only AE and New England recruiting class to be among the top 12 in non-BCS conferences. for next season. (According to the Worldwide Leader) This is no surprise as the class is headlined by an ESPN top 100 ranked PG in Maurice Watson (way to work those PA pipelines Coach C. left behind) and Kentucky's Gatorade State Player of The Year and Mr. Basketball Nathan Dieudonne, who will immediately be a huge post presence for the Terriers.  John Papale is a solid 3-point shooter from CT's prep ranks (just like the hero of Canton!) and Justin Alston will give a little depth in the post so he can hopefully take over from Dom Morris in a year or two.

Although we've already discussed the Terriers' move from the AE to the Patriot League and the resulting conference tournament ineligibility, the first fallout from the decision has already come before the fall sports begin.  Jake O'Brien has decided to transfer, leaving the Terriers without their #1 weapon in their final year of AE competition.  This is understandable of course because having missed all of last year and most of the one before, the senior wants one more chance to compete for a team that can go to the NCAAs, but still unfortunate that circumstances have mad him do so.  His reported possible destinations are Newton CC, Providence, Virginia and Temple, although Ohio State may also be a possibility.  As for me and the rest of the BS(R)S team, we just want to wish Jake well as he moves on provided he doesn't join Team Donahue up there on the Heights.  Just kidding!  Thanks for your contributions to the AE Championship team, we couldn't have had this without you.

BU hockey schedule officially released

The BU mens' hockey schedule was officially released by BU athletics today and is full of the usual quality Hockey East action and some great non-conference matchups. Non-conference games include matchups at North Dakota(x2), at Denver, St. Lawrence, RPI, and Harvard to go along with the Beanpot games on the first two Mondays in February. There also is no Holy Cross on the schedule which is always good with that high octane offensive attack they brought into Agganis last year...Ok but seriously should be a great season full of games and here is a look at the games I am circling as the Terriers prepare to go 43-0-0 en route to their 6th national title in program history.

Sat 10/13 @7pm - home and season opener against PC and their incoming goalie recruit Jon Gillies. It will be interesting to see what the Terriers youthful group of forwards can generate in Game 1.

Sat 10/20 7pm @UNH- I've never been up to Durham and want to make the trip for this game so therefore it is important enough to mention

11/2-11/3- @North Dakota- This would be a great road trip to be able to make(does North Dakota even have an airport?) and should be a great atmosphere out there if it is anything like St. Paul was in March.

Sunday 11/11 5pm vs. Newton University aka BC- Going to be an awesome afternoon with Pats/Bills playing at 1

Friday 11/30-Sat 12/1- The home and home with BC ends in early December once again which makes no sense except that they will most likely see each other on that second Monday in February once again

Sat 12/29 @Denver- Another nice roadie to do, if you have the funds hanging around and want to spend part of winter break and the holidays in the Mile High City and drink a lot of Coors

Mon 2/4, 2/11- Beanpot Mondays. Not much needs to be said here #becauseitsthepot. It's funny because you could say the same thing on 4/20

Fri-Sat 2/15-2/16 @Maine- What better way to spend Valentine's Day weekend than to go to Maine where all the locals will bring their dates/sisters/mothers/grandmothers to Alfond?

3/8-3/9 NU home and home- There is always something relying on these games so I'll let NU feel relevant for a few minutes anyway.

That's all I got for now until the official incoming recruit class is announced. I believe they still have Clendening's scholarship to fill which could be the hold up. Keep enjoying your summers people.

BU banned from AE conference tournaments, NiCastro signs with Detroit

We typically only blog about hockey here at BSRS but, there was some major athletic news this past week affecting the majority of the remaining athletic teams at BU. America East has decided to ban BU teams from post-season conference tournaments this coming year as a result of BU choosing to leave the conference for the 2013-2014 season. BU has belonged to the conference since it was founded in 1979 so this coming season will be BU's 33rd in the conference and yet, the conference members have enacted some by-law that allows to ban BU from conference tournaments which destroys many teams chance of making the NCAA tournament. This is the same school that has won 12(or some other large number) straight Commissioner's Cups, which is awarded to the best athletic program in the conference based on a points system in each sport. This is also the first time in America East history that a school leaving the conference has been banned from conference tournament play due to the school's departure. This seems to be a reaction to the CAA putting similar bans on Georgia State and Old Dominion for leaving their conference. 12 other programs have  left America East since its founding in 1979. More than half of those were after less than 15 years in the conference. None of those schools were banned from conference tournaments. Northeastern left for the CAA as recent as 2005 and were not dealt with in such a manner. BU will be leaving for a league , in the Patriot League, where they belong and are an overall better fit. BU will be with other private schools with similar academic programs and standards. What was BU athletics gaining by dominating America East in most sports year after year? If anything, this gives other schools a chance to gain NCAA tournament bids and allows BU to continue to develop as an athletic program. Banning BU for this season benefits no one. America East just gets to feel good about itself. The ruling to ban BU and punish the athletes for an administrative decision is ridiculous and just flat out wrong. It seems like other schools are just bitter that BU beat up on them for the past 33 years. Get over yourselves and let the kids play.  You can support the group started by BU fans on facebook by liking this page or just continually tweet at America East like we are.

In other news, former BU Terrier hockey player Max NiCastro has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, who drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft. NiCastro had sexual assault charges dropped against him earlier this month and seems to be getting his life back in order. He will be assigned to their AHL Grand Rapids team and I would expect him to see regular ice time there as he certainly has the physical tools to play in the NHL someday if he can continue to develop and stay healthy. We wish Max all the best in his professional career and hope to see big things out of him.