The Heights
B4
Monday, November 19, 2012
Women’s hockey completes sweep of NU Women’s Hockey, from B1 and I thought we battled back.” The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period after Alex Carpenter and Shaliya Johnson both notched goals. With 7:58 remaining, a scrum formed around the Northeastern net as Blake Bolden and Emily Field tried to force the puck by Huskies goaltender Chloe Desjardins, who was drawn out of the net. The puck popped out of the melee, right into the stick of the lurking Carpenter, who swept it in unchallenged for the first goal of the game. Eight minutes later, Johnson lined up a shot from the point and, taking advantage of a screen, fired and scored to double the Eagles’ lead. The goal was the defender’s first of her collegiate career. “It’s always exciting for the freshmen when they score,” King-Crowley said. “I thought she did a great job of finding a way to get the puck to the net.” Johnson suffered a concussion during play last weekend, but has not missed a beat since her return to the ice this weekend. The Huskies mounted a last-second assault on the Eagles’ goal, firing off a barrage of shots that goalkeeper Megan
Miller managed to block until Claire Santostefano whipped in an outside shot on a power play with 17 seconds remaining in the first period. The next goal would come almost five minutes into the third period, after both teams ground out a scoreless second. Northeastern forward Casey Pickett took a pass through traffic from linemate Kendall Coyne and found a way past Miller to tie the score at 2-2. At 8:24, the Huskies capitalized on a second power play as forward Paige Savage scored to give her team its first lead of the game. That was where Bizzari stepped in. Just 22 seconds after losing the lead, the junior found a rebound from teammate Haley Skarupa’s shot, and beat Desjardins to tie the score 3-3. “I was just in front of the net trying to get a screen, and it kind of scooted through,” Bizzari said. “I got my stick on it, and it crept in the net.” The Eagles kept up the pressure, and with just 17 seconds on the clock, Bizzari saw her chance. Chaos in front of the net had left Desjardins laid out on the ice. The puck ricocheted off her pads, and right onto the waiting BC forward. “I just kind of flipped it over, and it
went in,” Bizzari said. The Huskies made a last-ditch effort to tie the score in the remaining seconds, pulling Desjardins to add another stick on offense, but Miller and the defense withstood the pressure and held on for the 4-3 win. “I thought overall, we battled pretty well,” Crowley said. “There were times I thought we could’ve won some 50-50 battles that we didn’t win.” On Friday, the Eagles built a 4-0 lead over the Huskies at Matthews Arena in Boston, including two goals from Carpenter, on the way to a 6-4 win. Corinne Boyles started between the pipes for the Eagles, but Miller came in to relieve the senior halfway through the second period. Boyles let in three goals but was credited for her fourth win of the season. On the other side of the ice, the Eagles benefited from a five-point performance from Skarupa. The forward notched her sixth goal of the season and the Eagles’ fifth score of the game, along with three assists. With the pair of wins over the Huskies, the Eagles extend their current unbeaten streak (5-0-2) to seven games. n
graham beck / heights editor
Johnson (6) and Skarupa (22) both scored on the weekend, helping the Eagles sweep the Huskies.
Gaudreau-Whitney connection sparks BC comeback on Friday Men’s Hockey, from B1 you get the first one, it’s just like ‘Oh, let’s keep it going.’” “I didn’t do too much on that goal,” Gaudreau said. “I made a nice pass, but that individual effort on the shot from the top of the circles—you don’t see that often.” That goal made it a 3-1 deficit, and it was just the spark BC needed to begin its comeback. Just over four minutes later, the Eagles struck again, this time on a power play clean-up goal from defenseman Patrick Wey. After Marotta made multiple saves on BC shots, a loose puck found its way out to Wey in the circle, and he buried it with Marotta
out of position. The equalizer came just a minute and three seconds after, when Danny Linell crashed the net and secured his first goal of the year. After receiving a pass from Cam Spiro, Linell skated in to Marotta’s right side and backhanded the puck top-shelf to tie the game 3-3. The teams entered the second intermission tied, but the Eagles had all the momentum. “We continued to do what we’re taught out there and stuck to our game plan, and we all believed that we could come back and win the game,” Whitney said. “So we just stuck to it through the rest of the game.”
Midway through the third period, the Gaudreau-Whitney connection came to fruition again, and provided the game winner for BC. Once again, Whitney received a perfect pass from Gaudreau, and ripped off another shot on goal, which went top-shelf past Marotta for the 4-3 lead. “He was on fire tonight, Stevie Whitney,” York said. “I think what’s terrific about Steven’s shooting ability is how quick his release is. He just snaps it off, it’s not a big slap shot. It’s a snap shot.” Parker Milner remained solid in net for BC in the remaining time during the third period, securing the win for the Eagles, their ninth straight. Milner finished the night
with 23 saves. “I think the biggest thing we’ll take as a club is just the character we showed coming back from a difficult, difficult 3-0 lead for Merrimack,” York said. Whitney said that BC entered the game with the right mindset thanks to York, approaching it one game at a time and not experiencing a hangover from its emotional wins over Notre Dame and BU last weekend. “We have one game that we focus on, and that’s the next one,” Whitney said. In the end, it was another Hockey East win for the Eagles, which they will take, given the danger that any given conference game
presents to a team every night. “I think it’s a great sign that we were able to look at a deficit and still keep working and keep battling back,” York said. “There’s a lot of good teams in our league, and it’s a difficult run from October through March. But when you have history where you can say you’ve come back from deficits—because we’re going to be down, we’re not going to always lead games. Our seniors have gone through some fire over the last four years, and they keep their cool and stay calm.” Cool and calm enough that a three-goal deficit is not a terrifying thing for BC. Instead, the Eagles welcome it as just another challenge they get to overcome. n
Even as a freshman, Matheson making an impact on the blue line By Chris Marino
Assoc. Sports Editor Upon its victory in last season’s national championship, the Boston College men’s hockey team suffered some tough losses. Three core members, Tommy Cross, Edwin Shea, and Brian Dumoulin left the Eagles for professional careers, and, while the defensive unit was left in the reliable hands of Patrick Wey, Patch Alber, and Isaac MacLeod, the Eagles lost a lot of experience. Fortunately, head coach Jerry York has brought in some reliable freshmen to fill the gap, and Michael Matheson has proved himself to be one of those players. Through his team’s first 10 games, Matheson has scored one goal and had five assists to help lead his team to a 9-1-0 record. For Matheson, the transition to college hockey has been made easy by the resources offered by the University and his team. “I think when you’re coming into a place like this, where there are so many resources on the school side, it makes that transition really easy,” he said. “On the hockey side, with the coaching staff here and the veteran players who welcomed us so well, it makes it a lot easier for freshmen to feel like they’re part of the group.” In particular, the Pointe-Claire, Quebec native credits York for energizing his team every day and creating the winning mentality that has become the status quo at Kelley Rink. “He’s always the most excited for practice every single day, so he makes it easy to get excited yourself, and go out there, work hard
and make sure that you’re not getting complacent in any way or accepting that we’ve gotten a couple of wins,” Matheson said. “It’s every single week—we’re concentrating on the next game, and not using any type of past win as motivation. It’s strictly motivation to win the next game.” While it would seem common for a freshman to struggle in his first season playing in the Hockey East, Matheson has shown no early signs of growing pains, due in large part to past seasons in leagues like the USHL. In the 2011-12 season, he earned USHL All-Rookie Team honors, while lacing up for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. In this campaign, he led the league’s defensemen with 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists. “Being able to play in that competitive league, where there was a rigorous schedule with a long season and long playoffs, helped me a lot,” he said. “The other big thing was that the competition was so great between all the teams. It’s not like there’s some really good teams and some less so. It’s a very strong league in that sense. Every night you’re playing a very strong team that could beat you.” Matheson’s offensive capabilities give York an extremely versatile tool on the ice, and the defenseman continues to make strides in becoming a stronger player on both ends. “I’d say that I’m more of an offensive defenseman, but I’ve really been trying to focus on my defensive game,” Matheson said. “I’m trying to make sure that I’m not any type of liability on the defensive side, and making sure that I can be the guy that my teammates
“We visit Boston Children’s Hospital sometimes, and you definitely get touched by the children you see there, so I wanted to try to do something to help them out.” -Parker Milner
Milner, BC hockey to hold toy drive at next two home games By Chris Marino
Assoc. Sports Editor For the third season in a row, men’s hockey goaltender Parker Milner, with support from his teammates, will be collecting toys for Boston Children’s Hospital. The team will be collecting all donations at the team’s next two home games, Nov. 24 against Dartmouth College and Dec. 1 against rival Boston University. For Milner, the opportunity to bring some happiness to these young children has been something he’s been involved with since his time in the USHL. “When I was playing in Waterloo for my junior career, we would do a teddy bear toss,” he said. “When you scored your first goal, the fans would throw teddy bears on the ice, and then they would be donated to Toys For Tots. I thought it was a pretty cool thing.” In trying to continue such a project, Milner has worked hard to help the patients at Children’s Hospital during this holiday season. Team visits to the hospital inspired
him to start the toy drive during his sophomore year. “We visit Boston Children’s Hospital sometimes, and you definitely get touched by the children you see there, so I wanted to try to do something to help them out,” Milner said. Milner has been excited by the increasing participation of Superfans to his cause, and hopes that the trend continues this season. “The number of donations has gotten better each year, especially last year,” he said. “We filled about 15 full hockey bags with toys and brought it to this room in Children’s Hospital. The kids were all so excited, and it was great to see them while we were there.” Team visits and the past toy drives have given Milner a new perspective on life, and have given him a greater awareness of the struggles these children face each day. “Whenever we get in there, they’re pretty excited to see us,” Milner said. “We’ve brought in the trophy, and you just see what those kids are going through, and life’s everyday struggles seem pretty easy.” n
and coaches trust to have on the ice. I’m making sure to work on my defensive game, and also improving on my offensive game as well, because every aspect of my game needs improvement. I’m just trying to help my team as best as I can.” While he started the year as more of an offensive weapon, Matheson feels confident that he is gaining the trust of his coaching staff and teammates on both offense and defense. His main goal for the season is becoming as complete a player as he can be. “I’ve been playing a bit on the power play, so more on the offensive side, but I think that, as the weeks have gone through, I’ve gained more trust,” he said. “I’ve shown everyone that I can be more defensive, as well. I’d like to become more of a player that people can rely on as a two-way guy, not just an offensive guy. I think you see some defensemen that are really offensive, and some that are really defensive. I’m trying to be a two-way guy.” While Matheson has shown great maturity during his freshman season, he credits his development to the veteran players who have helped him on and off the ice.
“We’ve been paired that way, where there’s one older guy with one younger guy,” he said. “I’ve been with Patch for the most part, and they’ve all been really good at welcoming us. They’ve showed us different areas where they’ve learned through their two or three years here. It helps being told certain things that they had to learn through two years of playing.” What impresses Matheson the most, however, is the older players’ openness to their new teammates, especially as the Eagles are coming off a paramount season of success. “Even off the ice, it’s not often that you join a team that has won a championship the year before, but they and the rest of the team have become really close, because you become closest through winning a championship,” he said. “That’s really special when that happens. I t wasn’t any sort of thing like, ‘We’re really close, and you guys are just outsiders.’ Instead it was, ‘Let’s go. We’re doing this again, and we need you guys.’” As the years progress, Matheson and his fellow freshman defensemen, Colin Sullivan, Travis Jeke, and Teddy Doherty, understand that they will become the leaders of the team, and are doing everything for their part to pay close
attention to how their older teammates act. “We have four freshmen back there, so it’s going to be really interesting to go through our years here together,” Matheson said. “We started together and we’ll become the core of the team down the road. All of us are just looking at what the seniors do, because we know that pretty soon that’s going to be us. We’re making sure that we are all being really attentive to what they do, and make sure we do the same thing for the younger guys coming after us.” Such leadership leaves Matheson in company with some past BC defensemen, who have left their marks not only on the ice but also in the program’s vast history. Players like Cross and Brian Dumoulin are preparing to make their names known in the NHL, and Matheson’s path appears to be heading in the same direction. In the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Matheson was selected with the 23rd overall pick by the Florida Panthers. While it was an exciting experience and Matheson had always dreamed of playing in the NHL, his focus has not strayed away from the current task. “If you want to reach that level [of the NHL], you have to forget about it,” he said. “You have to concentrate on what’s now, which is BC hockey. You concentrate on winning and being a good teammate. You make sure you’re doing everything you can, not to get to the next level, but to win here. With the great guys that we have on this team, they help me to get to where I want to be. It’s not really concentrating on getting there, but focusing on now.” n
Remembering the stories, not the numbers Beyond The Box Score, from B1 loss was crushing, but mainly because we knew it was the last time we’d be in Alumni cheering on our team as undergrads. To be honest, I don’t know how many of the wins and losses I’m going to remember down the road when looking back on my time at Boston College. I know I’ll never forget covering the men’s hockey team all the way to Tampa as they won the National Championship last April. But when I think about that championship run, I’m flooded with all the stories that came with it along the way: Jerry York’s smile and gentleness through it all, especially as I saw him with his wife Bobbie, hands clasped, as they were the last to leave the Tampa Bay Times Forum after the win; Tommy Cross’ genuineness and his pure emotions after winning it all; Parker Milner’s patience during his journey from being benched to becoming the MVP of the Frozen Four. I could go on and on about the special anecdotes that I associate with that championship run. I really think that’s what I’ll remember the most. And that’s why I’ll never forget all the personal stories I learned in every sport and game I covered. Maybe all of this makes me a sucker for the emotions in sports. I think I’m okay with that. When Athletic Director Brad Bates
used the term “emotional rollercoaster” from week to week in a sports season, I couldn’t help but think I was riding front row in that rollercoaster. Maybe that’s why I’ve spent my time at BC writing about sports and not playing them or trying to work in the athletic department. What stuck out to me in Saturday’s game wasn’t strictly the loss, but the sheer emotions on display after it. As the team headed over to the student section for the Alma Mater, the final one of the year at Alumni Stadium, it was an emotional time for the team as well as the fans. I saw Nick Clancy, who had come down to the media suite in Conte Forum almost every Wednesday since the beginning of the season to talk to us. He poured his heart out to the media each Wednesday, and left everything on the field each Saturday. Originally, Clancy stood in the front row, I’m sure with a ton of emotions flowing through his head. But midway through Alma Mater, he couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped back into the second row, finding his way behind a taller player, and put his head in his hand. Despite his best effort to hold it in, Clancy’s emotions had finally gotten to him. Yesterday, I asked Frank Spaziani about the decision he made to not go for the win at the end of regulation, instead opting to take the game to overtime. He said he had to take the feelings out of
the game, and that’s how he made his decision. Maybe that’s why I’m not a head coach either—if you take the emotions out of the game, all that’s left is the box score. Don’t get me wrong—the wins and losses are important, but for some reason, I prefer to relish the emotions of the game instead. Right now, the wins and losses are at the forefront of our minds. But 20 years from now, when I look back on my time at BC and writing for The Heights, I’ll remember the incredible people and their stories that I learned along the way the most. It’s been a privilege to tell those stories. And I know there are so many more to be told, just waiting for someone to put the words on the paper. I hope I’ll be able to keep telling those stories—it just won’t be in this beautiful place we call Chestnut Hill. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever forget the ones I’ve already told. Those stories are sacred, just as my time in McElroy 113 and BC as a whole has been. They are not something I’ll soon forget—I’ll always carry them with me. Parts of our lives must come to an end at some point. But the stories—the stories will last forever.
Greg Joyce is the Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@ bcheights.com.