Eagles on fire leading to event
Boston College riding a 12-game winning streak into Michigan Tech game
PROVIDENCE — There should be a different buzz at Amica Mutual Pavilion this weekend.
Hosting the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship is special enough. The field's No. 1 overall seed taking the ice here just adds an extra dash of spice.
Boston College feels like a wagon atop the sport as it rolls into downtown on a 12-game winning streak. The Eagles smashed their way to a Hockey East tournament title with a thumping victory against Boston University. The Terriers looked more common than their own No. 1 regional seed in Sioux Falls would suggest.
“Quite a few people watch them,” Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings said. “I'm sure there will be quite a few people in the building. We'll see if they stick around for our game.”
You wouldn't imagine Providence College fans — conference rivals and no friends of the Eagles on the ice or basketball court — getting behind Goliath. The neutrals in crowds like these seem naturally drawn to David's side. It creates a fascinating dynamic for Boston College's 2 p.m. faceoff with Michigan Tech and Quinnipiac's following meeting with the Badgers at 5:30 p.m.
“There's no secrets about me,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan said, perfectly playing to the role of the underdog. “I just believe in our guys.
“We're not going to outcoach anybody — our guys are going to have to outplay people. We'll just trust that our guys will do that. We're trying to develop people to be accountable.”
The Huskies have the better history
within city limits — a perfect 4-0 in postseason play, including the 1965 national championship at Meehan Auditorium. Michigan Tech shut out host Brown and grounded the Eagles, 8-2, for one of its three titles. Its last postseason success came in a two-game sweep of Providence at its Schneider Arena in 1981, a result that clinched a berth in the national semifinals.
“Boston College is a really good hockey team,” senior forward Arvid Caderoth said. “But we know that we are good, too. I feel like we are more than honored to be here.”
Boston College lost one of the most famous games played in this rink. That came in the first league tournament final, a 2-1 setback against the Friars in double-overtime game in 1985. Pilgrim graduate Chris Terreri turned in a sensational performance in net and gave his teammates just enough time to manufacture a game-winner from Steve Rooney.
That was just prior to current Eagles coach Greg Brown enrolling at the school, and it was well before any of his current players were born. Brown came of age in the late 1980s competing against Rhode Island stars such as David Emma, Steve King, Garth Snow, Brian Lawton, David Capuano and Robbie Gaudreau, and Boston College was still two decades from becoming the sport's premier program in the late 2000s. Its four national championships since 2001 and current roster filled with 10 players from the U.S. National Team Development Program were just a future vision for former coach Jerry York.
“It's been a lot of consistency from the players, which is really important if you're going to get a high seed,” Brown said. “I feel like even when things were going really well, we didn't have those letdowns during the year that can happen if you string a few wins together.”
The Eagles count 14 current NHL draft picks on their roster, including four in the first round in 2022 or 2023. Cutter Gauthier is one of them, and he's three goals shy of Emma's scoring record in a single season. The Cranston native and Hobey Baker Award winner bagged 38 goals at Boston College in a magical 1989-90 campaign, and Gauthier sits at 35 through his team's 37 games.
“Cutter is obviously bigger, more of a one-time shooter threat,” Brown said. “Dave had a great shot in a different way. Mentally, they both were extremely driven.”
Will there be some history in the air when the puck drops Friday? The Eagles and Michigan Tech would have different preferred versions to author. The Bobcats and Wisconsin are looking for another step while potentially adding to their own — the defending champions and a six-time champion, respectively.
“What we're doing on a Thursday is pretty consistent,” Hastings said. “At this point in the week and at this point in the year, you don't want them thinking. You want them playing.”