Boston College vs. St. Cloud: NCAA Tournament Preview & Prediction
It has been a roller coaster week for the Eagles, as they were made the NCAA tournament as a one seed against Notre Dame. But everything changed when they had their first game cancelled due to COVID-19 cases in the Fighting Irish program. The Eagles won the game by no contest. Now BC will get St. Cloud, who is fresh off crushing Boston University 6-2 in the opening round.
Series History: This is the fifth matchup between the two schools, with St. Cloud holding a 3-1 lead in the series. The Huskies most recently defeated BC 7-0 in 2018.
When: 5:30 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York
How to Watch: Sunday's game against St. Cloud State will be televised live on ESPN2 and the ESPN app. Radio coverage on WEEI 850 AM and BCEagles.com begins at 5:15 p.m. Canadian viewers can also watch live on TSN.ca and the TSN App
Follow Along: We will be watching the game and giving our feedback here on the site during the game. But you can also follow us on Twitter @BostonCollegeSI
St. Cloud Players To Watch:
* Senior forward Easton Brodzinski leads the team with 13 goals, including a pair against Boston University.
* Freshman Veeti Miettinen has a team-high 24 points and five of his 11 goals have come on the power play
* Senior netminder Dávid Hrenák has started 24 games with a 15-9-0 record
Three Keys To The Game:
1. Finish, Finish, Finish. Boston College has all the talent to take on any team in college hockey and to build up leads. Against Lowell they had a three goal lead, but fell apart at the end of the game, something that has happened multiple times this year. BC needs to play as well in the third period as they do in the first.
2. Special Teams Improvement: St. Cloud has a strong special teams lineup, clicking on 22% on the power play and 84.5% on the penalty kill. Penalties were a big factor in BC's loss to Lowell, they need to prevent needless penalties and not give St. Cloud extra chances.
3. Knight Time: Goaltending wins championships, and Boston College has one of the best in the country. If the defense can prevent easy chances, and force St. Cloud into low percentage shots at Spencer Knight, the Eagles chances are very strong.
AJ's Fearless Prediction: St. Cloud showed on Saturday that they are no joke, dismantling Boston University. But the Eagles have had eleven days to rest up for this game, and prepare. Jerry York will have this team ready, but expect this game to be a nail biter with the Eagles winning in a tight one. Boston College 4 St. Cloud 3