The Penguins <3 Hockey East Goalies

Pittsburgh signed Northeastern's Brad Thiessen to a two-year contract today. I didn't really see this one coming, but as a Pens fan, I support it. I've mentioned how much I like Thiessen numerous times. He stood out from the first time I saw him play three years ago. The Hobey Baker finalist's career stats as a Husky were 52-46-12 with a 2.40 GAA, a .922 save percentage and eight shut-outs. I'm really interested to see how his play translates into the pros. To be honest, I don't think finishing his senior year would have hurt him. I don't think he'll have a major problem transitioning, but goalies always take a little more time to mature. One more year would have only helped him develop more.

Northeastern takes a big loss with this signing. I really feel they owed a lot of this season's success to him.

Thiessen will join former Hockey East goaltender, John Curry, in Wilkes-Barre. Does this mean Curry might end up as Pittsburgh's number two next season? Could be. Some scouts in the Pitt system have said he's ready a number of times. Curry played well in the NHL action he saw this season, so maybe it is possible. If not, he could end up mentoring Thiessen in WBS.

And is it just me, or does Pittsburgh just love signing goaltenders as much as possible?

Photo Credit.

Hobey Baker Watch

Just a quick blip here today --

The Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalists were announced today, and BU has two guys in the final three: Matt Gilroy and Colin Wilson. Northeastern's Brad Thiessen is the third. All Hockey East boys -- another thing pointing to how strong HE is in the NCAA.

I vote for Matt Gilroy to get this award. He has a great story -- from losing two younger brothers, to barely making the Terrier squad and now being one of the best players in college hockey (check out the NYTimes piece on him here). He does so much for BU both on and off the ice. Any professional team will be lucky to have him. That's not to take away from Colin Wilson who was arguably the best player in the league this year. There's just something about Gilroy though. It belongs to him.

Brad Thiessen is a viable candidate as well. He's done a lot for Northeastern, and I think the program owes him a lot. He's unbelievable. Looking at the three finalists though, I just don't think this is his year.

Quote Me

“El Nino? You think I could explain that?”
- Jack Parker

What Parker was referring to, of course, was how he could explain his team's three goals in 44 seconds that occurred in the third period of the Hockey East semi-final game against Boston College.

I caught most of the game, and those 44 seconds were it for the Terriers. Without that burst ('burst' is even an understatement) of scoring, I don't know if BU would've won that game. The Terriers were down 1-0, and BC's John Muse was playing solid as usual. But just like Game 1 of the Maine series, BU found a way to win with those quick goals from Zach Cohen, Brian Strait and - who else - Colin Wilson.

The Terriers face an unexpected opponent tonight when they skate against UMass-Lowell. UML was down 2-1 to the Northeastern Huskies until they tied it up with about 20 seconds left. Then they scored in OT to win. It will be the first time the Riverhawks play in the HE Final since 1994 I believe. Good for them. I always have a soft spot for this team. They always work hard, and they almost lost their hockey program. I can't like them tonight obviously, but I'm happy they made it to this point.

Game time is 7 p.m. NESN will broadcast the game beginning at 6:30. Definitely tune in. Even though BU is the outright favorite, you can never, never underestimate UML. They can beat the Terriers, and they're sure as hell going to try.

BU vs. Maine: Game 1 Recap

You see that Terrier? See how angry he looks?

That's how I feel towards BU after Game One against Maine. Before I go on, the final score was 2-1 BU. But boy were the Terriers lucky. Really lucky. They probably should not have won that game.

As I said in my previews, play-offs are a completely new ball game. Anything goes. Maine showed that tonight as they went on to battle hard against BU all 60 minutes. The Black Bears outworked the Terriers for most of the game. They were more aggressive, more physical and just seemed to want it a lot more. They had nothing to lose coming into this game. There was no pressure on them. They did awesome.

Maybe I'm being hard on BU, but they were overall just blah. Nothing special. They weren't the team I've seen that can move the puck, complete flawless passes and keep the scoring chances coming one after another. I liked the words one of the play-by-play guys used: "casual". They were very casual in their play. Not really aggressive. Only one for eight on the power play. Colin Wilson was awesome as usual, but they can't rely on him for everything. They had their little bursts of good scoring chances, and then they had their times where Maine just took their game away. Was it a case of being too cocky? I don't know. I don't think so. They just fell into that same relaxed, reactive style they've gotten caught in a few other times this season. This is the playoffs though boys. Step it up.

So Terriers: please show up tomorrow, work hard and show why you are number one.

Other HE updates:

+ Here's a big score: UMass beats Northeastern 2-1. What did I say in my predictions earlier? If UMass won the first game, they'd win the series. We'll see what happens.

+ BC beats UNH 5-3. This one surprised me. They're closely matched, but I'm not sure I expected this score. Brock Bradford had two goals for the Eagles (and Brooks Orpik's younger brother Andrew also tallied one) and James vanRiemsdyk got two for the Wildcats.

+ UMass-Lowell and Vermont are about to head into their first overtime period. Vermont was leading 2-0 and then 3-1. At some point UML must have come back to tie it up 3-3. Good for them. I'd like to see UML win that series.

Hockey East First Round Predictions

Hockey East Playoffs begin tonight. All I can think is, 'Playoffs already?' My heart is still getting over the Baby Pens last post-season run to the finals. I'm ready for the heart attacks to begin again starting tonight when BU takes on Maine at Agganis Arena. Here's a look at the HE match-ups going on:

#1 BU vs. #8 Maine

BU is number one in the nation. Of course this means absolutely nothing in the post-season. I've seen the underdog succeed many, many times in all different leagues. The last time these two teams played each other they skated to a tie. So anything can happen. On paper, BU should win this no problem. But paper = BS. That's why play-offs are so fun.

BU has to do a few things. One thing I've been on them about all year is penalties. They take too many. I know they have an awesome PK unit (three shorthanded goals in the Beanpot? What?), but eventually that stuff will catch up with you. So discipline is one. Second thing: Kieran Millan has to be on. He has been excellent in the majority of his starts this year, but there were certainly a few times where nerves may have gotten to him. When he's on, he's on.

As for Maine, if they can find a way to shut down BU's offense (and defense), they'll have a much better shot at stealing a game. Other teams have done it this year.

Some quotes from the coaches that I think are 100% truth:

“There’s nobody in this league, and I mean nobody in this league, that is capable of beating anybody in this league by thinking they’re going to win on talent. We have a lot of talent, but we’re not going to win on talent. The question is, will we come with effort, intensity, focus, and good decision making? If we have that, we’ll be a good team. We may not win but we’ll be a real difficult team to play against. Maine has got enough talent to beat us.” -- BU's Jack Parker

“It is a new season and a fresh start on Friday and anything can happen if we work hard and stay focused. Crazy things do tend to happen in the playoffs and that is going to be our mindset.” -- Maine's Tim Whitehead.

Prediction: Sorry. Since BU is my team, I can't make a prediction. I'm superstitious when it comes to playoffs hahaha. No, seriously.

#2 Northeastern vs. #7 UMass

Northeastern has without a doubt been one of the most fun teams to watch this year. Just ask all their fans who came out of the woodwork just in time for a winning season (low blow, I know. Couldn't resist). Anyway, NU is a team that works hard and wins games. I've enjoyed watching them. They hung on to first place in HE until the very last second.

Key stat: UMass is the only team besides BU that Northeastern did not win a series against. So this is definitely something to watch.

UMass is one of those teams in HE (just like UMass Lowell) who can steal one right from under your feet. I never underestimate them.

Northeastern's anchor is goaltender Brad Thiessen. I've raved about this kid since his freshman year. He is a really, really good goaltender. I think NU owes him a lot for this season's success.

Prediction: Wouldn't it be something if UMass took this one? Why not. If UMass wins the first game, they take this series 2-1.

#3 UNH vs. #6 BC

This could go either way. BC has been struggling quite a bit this year. They remind me of BU last year but reversed: BC had a decent first half and a bad second half (reminder: last year bad a poor first half and a good second half). It hurts any team when you lose a guy like Nathan Gerbe. They could also have that cursed championship hangover that most teams (except the Detroit Red Wings who are just awesome every year) get.

Prediction: UNH managed to beat BU this year. James vanRiemsdyk is a beast. UNH wins this one. I just don't think BC has the confidence to pull it out.

#4 Vermont vs. #5 Umass-Lowell

Anything can happen here. Seriously. Vermont beat BU twice this season in a series that stung a lot, and I have never took UMass-Lowell lightly. Ever.

Prediction: If Vermont gets out-willed by UMass-Lowell, UML wins. Other than that, I'd say the Catamounts (whatever that is) take this in two games.

Hockey East is always one of the best divisions in NCAA Division I hockey. All the match-ups will be good games to watch. They'll be broadcast on the B2 Networks for $8 a game. Check one out.

29 out of 57 Ain't Bad

After beating Northeastern 5-2 in last night's game, BU has now won 50.8% of the Beanpots. It was their 29th victory in the past 57 years. Basically, they own this tournament.

Wow. I'm not even sure where to begin. It was a great game, and I hope some of you out there got a chance to watch it. If not, here are the highlights broken down for you:

+ Breaking the game down by periods:
- I thought Northeastern was slightly better than BU in the first period. The first few minutes were spent feeling each other out; neither team had excellent chances. There was a lot of dump-and-chase. I'm sure all the boys were a little nervous. BU got the first goal, but NU tied it up before the period was over to make it 1-1.
- The second and third periods belonged to BU. The puck just found a way to their sticks. I don't know how much was luck and how much was simply the fact that they're the number one team in the country. It showed. Northeastern had some quality chances, but they were visibly outplayed by BU. I'd actually like to see puck possession numbers. BU seemed to control it the majority of the time.

+ The biggest part of this game was BU's THREE shorthanded goals. That's insane! It got to the point where it was almost better for them to be on the penalty kill than on the power play. BU was 1 for 7 on their PP and 3 for 10 on their PK. One of the shorties came when Dave Warsofsky skated it down and took a shot that somehow found its way to the back of the net. I'm not sure what exactly happened there; it seems like a save Brad Thiessen should have made.

+ I mentioned in the pre-game post that Kieran Millan needed to have a stellar night. He did. He absolutely did. BU owes him a big thanks. He made 23 saves on 25 shots -- and some of those saves were huge. He stood out tonight. I was very impressed.

+ Colin Wilson is a beast. I've been hesitant to say this in the past, but this kid is ready to go pro. He manages to land every pass exactly where he wants to. It's ridiculous. Even if there's three opponents standing in front of him, C. Willie will complete the pass. I'd love to see him back for one more year at BU, but this kid is gone.

+ Brad Thiessen won the Eberly Award for best save percentage (.925) in the tournament. I don't know how happy he was with it at the time, but he's a great goaltender with a bright future ahead of him.

+ Nick Bonino won the tournament MVP. Good timing. The San Jose Sharks prospect could very likely have been watched by Sharks staff in town for their game against the Bruins tonight.

Northeastern goes another year (since 1988) without a Beanpot. Their turn will come soon enough. BU showed why they are ranked number one in the country. Once they get into their flow, there's no stopping them.

Here are some pictures from the tournament I snapped with my phone. They're not the greatest -- I was sitting in the very last row of the building.

Beanpot Round Two: This is It.

My nerves are already starting to go a bit, and the BU/Northeastern Beanpot final doesn't start for another six hours yet.

Provided both teams show up to play tonight, this is going to be a great game. BU is No.1 in the country, and NU is right behind them at number 3. Here are some things to look out for:

+ NU's goaltender, Brad Thiessen, has stood out to me since I saw him come in freshman year. He is a big reason for the Huskies' success. He's currently sitting on a 2.06 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Pretty sick. BU will have to find a way to solve him ASAP.

+ On the flip side, BU's rookie goaltender, Kieran Millan, will have to be sharp. He's been great for BU all season, but during last Monday's game against Harvard, his nerves were apparent.

+ Colin Wilson. If he does his thing, BU will get a big boost.

+ BU needs to stay out of the penalty box. It has been a major downside for them all year; they take way too many penalties. It helps that they have an excellent PK unit, but ultimately it will catch up to you.

+ Looking at NU's stats, Wade MacLeod leads his team with 27 points in 27 games. But Ryan Ginand (second in scoring) has 124 shots this season!!! 124!

There really is no predicting the Beanpot tournament. Teams take the competition to new levels. Your best bet is to tune into NESN around 8 (depends on when the consolation game ends). You won't be disappointed.

GO TERRIERS.

How to Make Fans Nervous about Monday

I think that's exactly what BU's Friday night game against UMass-Lowell set out to do: make everyone nervous about the Beanpot Championship.

BU came out hard and fast in the first, scoring three goals in two minutes. Then they sat back and almost lost the game. I always say be cautious against UML. They usually aren't a top team, but they always work hard. They'll steal games right from under your nose when you start acting exactly like BU did last night. UML tied it up in the second period.

Vinny Saponari and Jason Lawrence finally got two in the third and closed the scoring. As usual, they had to wake up and get the ball rolling again. But I'm even more nervous about Monday now. Northeastern is a GOOD hockey club with an unreal goaltender. If you start getting big heads and playing lax hockey against them, you're going to pay for it.

Note: It looks like Northeastern fans might be nervous as well. They were up 2-1 against Merrimack but quickly found themselves down 3-2 in the third. Like BU, they battled back to win the game 4-3.

Monday will be interesting.

One word: BEANPOT.

Each year, the first two Mondays in February feature two of the best nights of college hockey all season. The Beanpot tournament is here once again ladies and gents. For those of you who don't know much about the tourney, the four Boston-area teams (Harvard, BU, BC and Northeastern) go head-to-head. To some of these guys, winning the Beanpot is even bigger than winning an NCAA championship. As a fan it sometimes feels that way too. Each team brings their very best hockey. It just feels special.

This year everyone is hoping for a BU vs. Northeastern final -- the number one and three teams in the nation respectively. That game would be unreal; the teams haven't met since November 16 where BU won 3-0. Things have changed a bit since then, and Northeastern has been on fire. But let's not get ahead of ourselves -- first BU has to beat Harvard (who can be sneaky from time to time) and NU has to get past BC. I would make predictions, but I'm also superstitious -- a.k.a I don't want to jinx anything. And in a tournament like this -- anything can happen. We all know who I'll be rooting for.

Game time is at 5 p.m. with BU facing off against Harvard. BC and Northeastern will play immediately following that game. NESN and Rogers Sportsnet will broadcast it on TV. I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking it out.

Headline of the Week

How can you not love this headline? Like I said earlier, no one hates Northeastern. They're not really a rival of BU even though they are neighbors to the Comm Ave school. So it's okay for me to be really proud of them in their win over BC Saturday night. It sounds like NU goaltender, Brad Thiessen, continues to do well. Just goes to show BC isn't 'perfect.'

BU won their game against Merrimack 5-2 on Friday night. There was a beautiful goal thanks to a perfect pass to Brandon Yip who easily shot it into the glaringly empty net in front of him. Poor Merrimack. One of these years I really hope they have a good season. They're way overdue. Anyway, BU pairs up against UNH tonight in a game that will be a bigger challenge for them than Merrimack.

Go Terriers!

Hockey East Pre-Season Rankings

The NCAA hockey season is just around the corner. If you are one of the people who don't really follow college hockey, you should get into it. If you're used to NHL hockey, NCAA will look like it's moving at a snail's pace with terrible passing; on the other hand, it's a lot of fun to watch these guys develop. If anything, watch a game between BU & BC. It's a great rivalry; anyone can get into it. Hockey East media day was this past Monday. The coaches released their preseason poll. The following is the rankings and my personal comments if I had any:

1. Chestnut Hill University - Oh, I mean Boston College (but it's not in Boston nor is it a college, so really the name makes no sense). I had forgotten that they are the defending national champs until now. It's possible I might be sick to my stomach. Anyway, yes, BC will be good again. Surprise, surprise. Sophomore goaltender, John Muse, is unbelievable. I actually like him better than former BC goalie, Cory Schneider. The team will be led by Brock Bradford (who missed a lot of last year with injuries), Benn Ferriero and Tim Filangieri. Collectively, they'll play well. They lost a big player in Nate Gerbe who skipped his senior year to go pro. The Eagles will miss all 3'9" of him. They'll also have a big scoring hole to fill. Will they repeat their NCAA championship? It's a possibility, but for the sake of my sanity, let's hope not.

2. Boston University - The team you should always be rooting for. ;-) BU has a lot of potential this year. If they want to, they can be great. If they don't want to, they could suck. Last year was a medicore year with a poor start and a strong finish that didn't amount to much in the post-season. They have some great players -- Colin Wilson (7th overall to Nashville in 08), Kevin Shattenkirk (14th overall to Colorado in 07), Colby Cohen (45th overall to Colorado in 07), Brian Strait (65th overall to Pittsburgh) and so on. If Wilson can play like he did the second half of last year, it would help BU out a ton. Defensively, they should be pretty sound with Strait, Shatty, Cohen and Matt Gilroy. The interesting situation to watch will be goaltending. After last season, BU got rid of Brett Bennett. That leaves sophomore Adam Kraus and two freshman -- Grant Rollheiser and Kieran Millan - to split the duties. I saw Kraus play in one game last year, and he looked decent. Then again that was against the US U-18 development team. It's totally up in the air, and it could really affect the team who is still dreaming about its days with John Curry. The freshman class has 10 guys in it - aka it's huge. Hopefully they learn quick.

3. New Hampshire - You can usually count on UNH to be pretty good. They lost a great goaltender in Kevin Regan, but I think they'll be fine without him. 2007's 2nd overall pick, James VanRiemsdyk, is back for his sophomore year. He's a big kid, and he wasn't drafted number 2 for no reason.

4. Northeastern - Nobody hates Northeastern. I'm not sure if anybody really loves them either. They're just there. Kind of like Harvard. Their key player is their goalie, Brad Theissen. His freshman year he was one of the best goalies I saw play; last year I felt like I didn't see as much from him. It's not that he was bad, but something wasn't the same. While NEU is never a team that's been a huge threat, you can always count on them to steal games from you when you're not expecting it. Pittsburgh draft pick, Joe Vitale, will captain the team.

5. Vermont - I still don't know what a Catamount is, but oh well. Vermont knocked out BU last year in the Hockey East playoffs, but lost in the semi-final to BC. You can't take them lightly, but they don't really have anything that stands out about them.

6. UMass
7. UMass-Lowell
8. Providence - I think being named the Friars just kills season hopes year after year.

9. Maine - It's weird to see Maine ranked this low. Last year, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998. They're usually a dominate team, but last year's unsuccessful season looks to carry into this one. It happens. Teams have good streaks and bad streaks. They also have ten freshman joining the squad this season.

10. Merrimack - Oh gosh. Someone please put this team out of its misery. Ranked last. I think the poor Warriors finish last just about every year. I'd love for them to have a good season one of these times. But I'm not so sure that will happen.