Thank You, BC Hockey: Part 2
Photo by BCEagles.com
Before reading, be sure to check out part 1 featuring the forwards.
Just in case you skipped that, here's the gist.
An idea I had for an article to post prior to the NCAA Tournament was: what is one thing I love about each player on the team. From the top with captain Cotton all the way to Adin Farhart, the club goalie eventually called up to the varsity squad, each player contributed something special to this team.
It feels weird writing given the circumstances of the season's abrupt end, but here’s one thing each guy on the team made me thankful for.
Ben Finkelstein’s Confidence - I’m going to miss a lot of these seniors, but Fink may be the one I’ll miss the most. I really enjoyed watching him play, seeing him find a home at BC after so many stops along the way. He’s a serious guy; I had a tough time getting him to crack a smile when I interviewed him. But I get it. He’s an undersized, small-town kid who is always playing with a chip on his shoulder. And he plays with a quiet confidence that guides his game. The ultimate Fink game to me was the Northeastern blowout. I mean who has the confidence to go full spin-o-rama for a goal up 8-1 in the third? It was epic. During the seasons, BC ran video packages during intermissions to get to know the players, and one asked about their pregame playlists. A lot of guys went country, not wanting to get too amped up, but not Fink. What’d he choose? Remember the Name. It’s fitting, isn’t it. We will remember the Fink.
Marshall Warren’s Shot - BC’s defensemen aren’t known as the shoot-first type. A guy like David Farrance isn’t walking through the door. But Marshall Warren may be as close as a Jerry York-coached team gets to a 15-plus goal defenseman. I got on him a lot during the season for his play in the defensive zone, but boy can the kid shoot. He’s got a wicked slapper and has a nifty wraparound move in close. If nothing else, I like that Warren provides something a little different to a back line that can be hesitant to shoot.
Drew Helleson’s Defensive Prowess - Flipping the switch, BC’s other highly-regarded freshman defenseman will probably never break the five-goal mark in any season on the Heights. But, pretty much from day one of the the 2019-20 season, if you asked me which defenseman I trusted the most, my answer was Drew Helleson. With a long reach and great instincts, Helleson looks like a steal for the Avalanche who drafted him 47th overall in 2019. I’m pumped for the possibility of a first pairing of Helleson and Warren next season. I think the only thing that kept them apart this year was that they were both freshmen, but Warren’s offensive upside and Helleson’s shutdown presence would make for a lethal pairing.
Michael Karow’s Versatility - For most of the season, Karow served as the seventh defenseman, meaning his role involved adapting to many different play styles as he was rolled out with different partners. Whether it was with Moore or Fink or Helleson he was playing with, Karow excelled. Too often, it seemed like his play went overlooked by fans. I thought Karow summed up his role well when I interviewed him.
“Sometimes a good defensive game means no one notices you, and you fly under the radar by just keeping the other team off the scoreboard and not making a ton of mistakes.”
Of course, he’s still waiting on his first collegiate goal. But senior year, I feel it coming. He came so close towards the end of this season. I can see the eventual goal going one of two ways. It’s either going to be a huge goal, like the one he almost scored in double overtime of this year’s Beanpot, or it’ll be an empty-netter, which I’m sure will draw a few laughs from his teammates. I mean it’s been 107 games, the first goal has to be a memorable one. It isn’t just going to be any old shot from the blue line.
Jesper Mattila’s +/- - A nation-leading plus-30. Most impressive, Jesper. Even if the Finnish blue liner didn’t get on the score sheet much, he excelled at keeping the play in the offensive zone and away from Spencer Knight. Being far from your goalie is the best kind of defense, and that was usually the situation when he was out there. One thing I do want to shout out is the twin connection on Jesper’s final collegiate goal. Julius’ pass split two defenders, and Jesper finished a back-hand tip. In typical Mattila fashion, the two celebrated with a humble fist bump, nothing flashy. That’s the way they played - consummate professionals who played solid, 200-foot games. Both Mattilas went undrafted but deserve a shot at the next level. Maybe with Rasanen up in Edmonton? It’d certainly make travel a lot easier for the flag wavers.
Connor Moore’s Perseverance - I got on Mooresy a lot during BC’s mini slump in late January and into February. Moore had a rough weekend against Maine and followed it up with another clunker in the Beanpot. But, you know what? I give the kid a ton of credit for turning his season around down the stretch and helping BC out of a rut. Over the final few weeks of the regular season, he was one of BC’s better all-around defensemen, making strong plays in the defensive zone and following that up with a few points on offense.
If you want a microcosm of Moore’s season, look no further than the two game stretch at the end of February, against Merrimack and Northeastern. Against the Warriors, Moore made a headsy pass to Boldy and picked up his first point since mid-January. Later in the game, he was the recipient of a bad knee-on-knee hit from Liam Walsh. He made his way slowly back to the bench before heading down the tunnel. But here’s something most of you didn’t see. He couldn’t make it back to the locker room; from where I was sitting, I saw him go to the ground in the tunnel and remain there in pain for a good few minutes. I thought his season was done. Best case scenario was a bad sprain. Worst case, I didn’t even want to think of the worst case.
Yet, less than 48 hours later, as I’m watching the Battle of Comm. Ave. on my flight (shout out to JetBlue for the great Wifi), I see Connor Moore out on the ice. Not only did he suit up, but he scored his first goal since November. Moore dealt with highs and lows this season, and he deserves a lot of respect for battling through the lows to find the highs.
Luke McInnis’ Consistency - A lot of Eagles battled through ups and downs during the last few seasons, but McInnis was a model of consistency during that time. You knew exactly what to you’d get out of him every season: about 10 points, 30 shots, 35 penalty minutes. And he was a minutes-eater. For four years, Coach York could stick McInnis out there for 15-20 minutes a night and feel confident in the performance he’d get from the defenseman.
Outside of a lower body injury that ended his sophomore season prematurely, McInnis was almost always out there for BC, providing quality second or third pairing minutes. Similar to Michael Karow, a good game for McInnis meant you didn’t notice him. He’s a traditional stay-at-home defenseman who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line to block shots or to be physical in puck battles near the net. His senior season may have been his best yet at BC. After slumping during his sophomore and junior seasons, he rebounded to set a career high in assists and plus-minus. He also scored his first goal since March 10, 2017 earlier this season against Colgate.
Mitch Andres’ Upside - The freshman from Minnesota didn’t see action until Drew Helleson went down in early February. In the six games he dressed for, he didn’t see much time, usually playing a few shifts a game as the seventh defenseman. The first time he was listed on the lineup, my friend asked me for the scouting report. I told him I didn’t know much about Andres, but thought I remembered reading he was on the smaller side. Boy was I wrong. Standing 6-feet-2-inches, Andres is one of the bigger defensemen on the roster. I thought he came out a but flat-footed in his first game, but he rebounded admirably once he shook the jitters. He seems to have a decent offensive game for his size, and, if he can leverage his physical advantage in the defensive zone, Andres can be a solid two-way defenseman. As one of just six defensemen listed for BC next season, Andres figures to see a big uptick in minutes.
Spencer Knight’s, well, everything - Touted as one of the best goalie prospects to ever go the collegiate route, Knight was as advertised during his freshman season. He posted a 1.97 goals against average and a .931 save percentage while recording five shutouts. They weren’t cupcake shutouts either; in four of the five, Knight faced 30-plus shots. Knight started all but one game for BC (he missed the game on January 4th, because he was flying back from the World Juniors). Speaking of that tournament, Knight was easily the best player for the US National Team. He was voted team MVP in 2 of the 4 games he started during the tournament, playing in front of a porous American defense.
Knight had many defining moments during his first season at BC, including a 47-save performance on the final night of the regular season, but perhaps the best example of his importance to this team came in a mid-November game at Vermont. The Eagles were playing a far inferior team, but BC was badly outplayed in the first. UVM had some great chances and outshot BC 17-7, but Knight turned away everything he saw. He allowed the team to find its footing and finished the game with a 34-save shutout. Huge shoutout to Florida for giving Sergei Bobrovsky a 7-year deal two weeks after drafting Knight. That decision should allow Knight, an NHL-ready goaltender, to remain at BC for at least another year, maybe even two.
Ryan Edquist’s Steadiness - This isn’t so much a 2019-20 thing for Edquist, as we only got to see him once during his senior season. It’s more about what he brought to the table during his entire four-year career at BC. He was a very capable backup for Joe Woll, actually posting slightly better numbers than Woll during their freshman and sophomore seasons, albeit with a smaller sample size. It speaks to the team’s faith in him that the plan was for him and Knight to battle it out for the starting spot before his injury. It’s really unfortunate that injuries plagued him during his final two seasons, but I hope BC fans don’t forget how valuable it was having such a skilled backup goaltender. He probably could’ve gone somewhere else and started, but he was committed to this BC team.
Jack Moffatt and Adin Farhart’s Presence - Last but certainly not least we have the third and fourth string goalies who became the second and third stringers while Eddy was out. I lump them together, because they were kind of the spirit animals of this BC team. Moffatt grew up in Wellesley and dreamed of going to BC. Farhart was the club goalie in October, and it wasn’t until February that he got a mask with a design on it. I was hoping both of them got a chance to see real game action before all was said and done. I didn’t think it was likely, but a guy can hope. Then, during BC’s torrid stretch to end the regular season, my wish came true. Up big on Northeastern, Moffatt got the call and played the final ten minutes, turning away the four shots he faced. A week later, the unthinkable happened, as Farhart came into a game against Merrimack for the final 3:22. He didn’t face a shot, but when the final horn sounded, he was mobbed by congratulating teammates. Again, from the top of the roster to the very bottom, each guy was a part of this team.
So there you have it. Both parts of this article amount to the longest one I’ve ever written, but it was well worth it. I appreciate each and every one of these guys.
I broadcasted the Northeastern game solo and barely had a moment to catch my breath between the barrage of goals in the 10-1 victory. I mention this game, because, for the first time in my three years at BC, it felt like the hockey team was back.
I’d heard stories of Brian Gionta’s 5-goal game against Maine and Gaudreau’s National Championship goal, when Conte was rocking and the team was clicking. While the 10-1 game was on a comparatively smaller stage, it seemed to indicate better days were ahead. After the game, I turned to my friend and all I could say was “wow, that was fun.” That’s the way I’d describe the whole season: fun. Unfortunately, we never got to see where the journey ended, but it was a heck of a ride.
Thank you.