Something was missing this week on the Heights. No, it wasn't football. Boston College looked for the upset against Pitt on Saturday, but fizzled out in a disappointing 11-point loss. It wasn't the non-revenue sports missing either. Both soccer and field hockey wrapped up their seasons this week, and volleyball continued its 2003 campaign. Basketball hasn't started yet, so that doesn't count. What the school has not seen enough of can be found on ice in Conte Forum. That's right: BC hockey has been missing for the past week and a half. The season started a couple weeks ago, but all of the games were on the road. When the Eagles finally returned to Kelley Rink, they had a substandard showing against Notre Dame. BC has not scored a goal in more than 80 minutes of play and the team dropped in the rankings. BC's stay at number one was short lived; by week's end the team had fallen to the fifth spot.
This disappearing act may be a good thing for the Eagles. The season is still young, and BC needs to refocus before beginning its Hockey East schedule. The Hockey East conference may be one of the most competitive conferences in collegiate hockey; already, three teams in the conference have risen to number one in the country (BC, New Hampshire, and Maine), and every other team is a threat. BC may be more worried about UNH and BU, but Northeastern and UMass-Lowell can steal a win every now and then. To win in the Hockey East, consistency is a must. BC has what it takes to run the table in the conference, separating itself like the 2000-01 team did. Everyone remembers the end result of that team. This year's squad has the talent to bring the championship back to BC.
The Eagles enter Wednesday's game against UMass-Lowell with a 3-2-1 record. While this record cannot match last year's great start (8-0-1), the record is not as bad as it looks. The competition that BC has faced so far this year has been tougher than last season. In 2002, BC cruised through the early games against Vermont, UMass, and Merrimack. Denver and Wisconsin were tough opponents, but BC continued its unbeaten streak. The winning streak continued until UNH won an overtime thriller in Conte, 10 games into the season. The Eagles had more pressure each game in order to continue the unprecedented winning streak from the beginning of a season. Once the team recorded its first loss, the wheels started to slip in the other direction. The Eagles won only twice in their next nine games, and the team dropped from the top rankings. What started as an uncontested Hockey Championship run turned into a hard-pressed battle to get back to first place. The Eagles finished with a share of the conference title, but this midseason slump hurt the team in the postseason brackets.
This year, the schedule was more difficult in the beginning. Michigan State, Minnesota-Duluth, and two road games against a ranked North Dakota team started the Eagles' season. Talk about trial by fire. BC skated in Grand Forks and almost swept the fourth-ranked team in the country. The Eagles were named the number-one team in the country, but this mark did not last. Every team hunts down the number-one squad, and the Eagles became the hunted when playing Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish took them down a notch, and the Eagles unfortunately ran into a hot goaltender in freshman David Brown. Brown has continued to prove himself, earning three shutouts in a row.
The Eagles should get back on track against UMass-Lowell; BC offense cannot stay silent for much longer. The offensive juggernaut of last season has returned, despite injuries to key players. Matti Kaltiainen has one more year of experience behind him, and this year could finally be the year that he separates himself from every other goaltender in the country. Don't get me wrong; Matti was great last year. Still, a more consistent force in net will make this team unbeatable.
There is a long season ahead for these Eagles, and it's impossible this early to figure out what type of team will be around come March. Injuries may slow the team down, and more tough opponents are coming in the near future. This does not change the fact that this year's team is just as equipped as the team that went all the way three years ago. The year's graduating senior class was welcomed into Chestnut Hill with a championship team. It would be fitting to have the class leave the school with bookend wins. It's more than possible this season.
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