2013-2014 (3rd annual)Hockey LEast Pre-Season Awards

It is once again the time of year where the media releases all of their preseason polls. This means that fans(including us) will get all ticked off because their team is picked to finish 4th instead of 3rd(1st in our case) in the conference. While I have already posted our predictions, we will continue our set of awards that we post at the beginning and conclusion of each season. The Hockey LEast awards(2012-2013 final awards here) are who we think are the worst players and coaches for a various number of reasons including performance, team , off-ice rapping career etc. If you want to whine about it, feel free to leave a comment.

(Worst) Coach of the Year- Jerry York (BC)
-The fact that our pal Jerry hasn't won this award before is quite surprising in itself but we believe BC will suck enough for him to come through this year. It is really too perfect as the media and fellow coaches pumps up BC's hype in the pre-season polls. This is a team that is reliant on a freshman class to have success this season. Someone name me the last team that made a serious run with as many freshmen playing important roles as BC will have this year. The answer is never.  Throw in his team's inevitable failure this year and the fact that York and Co. will probably have to cover up more off the ice issues, this was an easy choice for our Hockey LEast coach of the year. Let the countdown for most career losses continue. 569 and counting...

MWWs 2013 NFL Pick 'Em: Week 3

So I was average last week (3-3) in the pick 'em.  This week is a mix bag of games with no premier games yet a few intriguing games. I think the best thing about these games is the spread between Jacksonville and Seattle, -19.5. Leggo!

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BU Freshman Preview- Part 3 Defensemen

This is part 3 of my 3 part freshmen preview(Part 1-Collier, Baillargeon, Duane & Part 2-Roberto,Lawrence,Kelley)). This post will break down the 3 freshmen joining the defensive corps this season along with a transfer who will be eligible to play in games next season.

Somerby(right) with current Terrier teammate Matt Grzelcyk

photo credit to islandersoptimism.com(hilarious website name )

7. Doyle Somerby,D, 6'5",223- Marblehead,MA #27 (Kimball Union- 3-18-21, 29 GP)

 From all the scouting reports on Somerby, the first thing you notice is his size and rightfully so. Somerby is the biggest defenseman to come into BU since Eric Gryba(maybe a tie with Macgregor). Well he will be until Carrabino(see below) is eligiible to play in games. Somerby came into his high school years as a forward but transitioned to defense during his freshman season at St. Mary's in Lynn and his 3 years at KUA. Somerby was drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 draft. From everything you read, Somerby's biggest challenge will be to improve his skating to compete with smaller, quicker forwards at the NCAA level. Somerby will be a physical force right away for sure with his size and I expect him to learn how to use that size to his advantage rather quickly("Doyle smash!" might become a thing-just a warning).  I would expect 10-15 points from Somerby this year but expect him to contribute on defense right away. He has the size and strength to change games from the very beginning and I would expect him to do just that. The over/under on panes of glass broken from his hits this year is 2.5.

MWWs 2013 NFL Pick 'Em: Week 2

Mediocre week for me last week but Week 1 is always the hardest games to predict (ie- Jets, Giants, etc.) I am posting today since Jets and Pats both play on Thursday (today). Each week will vary depending on the Thursday game for that weeks post.

BU Freshman Preview Part 2 Forwards- Roberto, Lawrence, Kelley

This part 2 of the 3 part preview of the incoming freshman class. Part 1 on Brendan Collier, Robbie Baillargeon, and Kevin Duane can be read here.

Photo Credit to overtheboards.com

4. Nick Roberto, F , 5'9", 173- Wakefield, MA #15 (Kimball Union Academy- 23-25-48, 28 GP)

Roberto is another local product that played for Malden Catholic before transferring to Kimball Union two years ago where he played with fellow freshman, Doyle Somerby. Roberto was originally committed to Maine for 2014 before he decommitted last fall.  His commitment to the Terriers was the first big get for 1st year head coach David Quinn and he should to be able to contribute right away judging on his success last season. Roberto is a quick,flashy player who could help score goals right away. I would expect top 6 minutes and 30+ points from Roberto right away in his freshman season.

Over the Boards highlighted Roberto in previewing BU's freshman class preview "  the speedy forward brings an explosive shade of offense that should help the Terriers quite a bit very soon."

Freshman class officially announced- Roster set for 2013-2014 season

The BU Terriers Men's Ice Hockey official roster was released yesterday with the announcement of the incoming freshman class. The class includes 9 freshmen and a junior transfer. 8 of the 9 freshmen come from New England with the 9th coming from Toronto,Canada. The full roster with line projections(my first attempt is posted here) after the jump.

Colby Cohen Shootout goal

Former Terrier Colby Cohen still has quite the shot as he makes this goalie look silly in a shootout in the Finnish league he is currently playing in(Finnish SM-Liga). He plays for Porin Assat after finishing his entry level deal with the Bruins last season.

BU Freshman Class Preview - Forwards Part 1

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part Preview of this year's freshman class. The other two parts will come out in the coming weeks as the class is finalized and the season approaches.

                                        -Brendan Collier -photo credit- Jason Mastrodonato-Boston Globe


1. Brendan Collier, F, 5'9", 185-Charlestown,MA #8-(Valley Junior Warriors, EJHL, 15-33-48, 49 GP)


Collier is a local product who was a star on his high school team at Malden Catholic for 4 years. He played last year for the Valley Junior Warriors of the EJHL and posted a solid 48 point line in 49 games. This was after he posted 64 points and 27 goals in 22 games as a senior in high school. That includes the game winning goal in the Super 8 Championship game.

 There was also a Boston Globe article about Collier from last October which details his success at the high school level and the transition to the junior level. Collier's junior coach, Andy Heinze, is quoted in the article as saying "He's just such a smart player, and he is talented enough to score at this level, I would expect him to do the same at BU. He is that good."

From everything you read on Collier, he seems ready for the college game due to his vision and feel for the game. He just seems like a hockey player that should contribute from the get-go this year. He could even sneak into the top 6 forwards with only 3 of the top 6 returning from last year's BU squad. I would expect seventh round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012 to become a fan favorite rather quickly for the gritty way he plays the game and put up between 20-30 points this season.

Here is a scout's take from a Carolina Hurricane prospect website's profile of Collier
"We hear this about him, he’s just a pure hockey player. Goal line to goal line, he works so hard, got a good compete level. I think he’s going to be a great college player. He’s got some potential because he just works so hard.” 

Peter Chiarelli’s(Bruins GM) take: “A couple of interesting one’s, the Collier kid, [he is] kind of under the radar a little bit, but a real gritty kid.”

MWWs 2013 NFL Pick 'Em: Week 1

Welcome back to another edition of the MWWs NFL Pick 'Em. Some of the older readers know how I pick the games but for the new readers I select games to pick based on multiple factors. The factors being quarterback matchups, standings, playoff reasons. I always pick Jets, Pats, Giants games. I pick games straight up winner/loser. I don't do the O/U or parlay bets or even prop bets. (If you want that tweet at the blog's twitter account and ask QuackQuack. Pretty sure he has multiple parlays going this weekend). So let's roll onto the picks.

Jets vs. Bucs- taking the Bucs cause I want the Jets to suck this year so we can get Clowney (but as some NY fans know, the Jets will somehow win the last 3 games to lose that 1st pick anyway). Revis will have a pick 6 and will have 3 INTs. Bucs 28- Jets 13

Pats vs. Bills- I like this matchup for the Bills based on Mario Williams. Time and time again Tom Brady cannot deal with pressure and I think pressure results in a bad game for Brady yet I think the Pats run the ball often and effectively to win the game. Pats 27- Bills 14

Giants vs. Cowboys- I hate the Cowboys. I think they suck. I like the Giants. I think they are playoff bound this year. So Giants win cause I said so. GMen 35- Cowboys 27

Ravens vs. Broncos- Taking the Broncos cause I have Manning as quarterback in fantasy football also the fact I think the lose of clubhouse guys (Lewis, Reed) hurt the defense and won't be able to handle Peyton and the Broncos offense. Broncos 24- Ravens 17

BC Scandal Top 10- Brought to You by @BurntBoats

Editor's Note-Over the past two weeks, the twitter account @BurntBoats has been counting down the top 10 Boston College athletic scandals of all time and we would not be fulfilling our duties to all BU fans if we didn't post it for all to see. Feel free to leave comments as we have been getting some real gems from BC trolls lately. BC sucks!

                                                         -Photo Credit to flickr magsmab


10. Andrew Bryant charged with assault for entering a bar(he was 18) and starting a brawl. He was not punished in any form by BC #WeAreBC

9. Jermaine Watson assaults girl at a BC party, jumps out the window to avoid getting beaten by her friend #WeAreBC #ThankYouFlynnFund

8. SUV with Wey,Samuelsson, Milner and open container of alcohol(rubinoff to be exact) collides with the T(green line). Players flee the scene before the police arrive #WeAreBC

7. Bryant(1st repeat on the list) and Ryan Sidney got in a gun fight with Bryant's drug dealer, convicted felon Adamu Tallen #WeAreBC