Eagles Gear Up For Title Run

Vermont qualified for the Hockey East tournament by the skin of its teeth, edging out Northeastern for the eighth and final spot by one point.

At 9-11-7 in conference, the Catamounts were supposed to act as no more than a speed bump for top-seeded New Hampshire. Instead, Vermont shocked UNH in Durham twice to snatch the best-of-three series and advance to take on No. 4 Boston College.

Don't let their seed and record in Hockey East fool you, though.

The Catamounts are ranked No. 14 in the country and are coming off two straight 1-0 wins over the offensively potent Wildcats, with sophomore goalie Rob Madore recording both of the shutouts.

Also, Vermont took two of three games in the season series against BC, though the teams haven't squared off since Nov. 15. Assistant captain Matt Lombardi said that the Eagles are a different team now from the last time they played the Catamounts.

"I think so many different things change from now – I think we played them in maybe October or November – so many things change, systems change," Lombardi said. "I think we'll look at game tape, study if they have any new tendencies, and adjust a little bit. But for the most part, we're just trying to stick to our game plan. We played them a lot, so you learn their tendencies, and you get a good feel for what they're trying to do."

While he said Vermont is now "hitting its stride," head coach Jerry York explained that the Eagles "have a pretty good understanding of how Vermont plays."

"[Vermont head coach] Kevin [Sneddon] has been there a couple years now, and he is not changing or suddenly putting a different type of product on the ice," York said. "He's been pretty consistent over the years. We'll look at recent tapes of Vermont, but we have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to win the game on Friday night."

The semifinal game at the TD Garden Friday at 5 p.m. will be a classic match-up of big offense against big defense. The Eagles enter the game averaging 3.81 goals per game, good for third in the country and first in Hockey East. The Vermont defense is averaging 2.86 goals against per game (compared to the Eagles' 2.47), but have allowed one goal or less in three of its last four games.

"We have a good understanding that we are going to play a team that has a strong goaltender in Madore, with back-to-back shutouts at New Hampshire and big, hard-nosed defensemen, maybe the biggest in the league," York said. "They play stingy, hard-nosed defense. We are going to have to battle hard against their big, mobile, strong defensemen."

Strong on defense, Vermont also boasts an experienced group of forwards who spread out scoring opportunities evenly. The Catamounts are led in points by three senior forwards and three junior forwards, topped by senior Brayden Irwin's 15 goals and 19 assists. Fellow senior Colin Vock's 11 goals and 17 assists don't put him far behind.
Although there have been questions at times throughout the season about the Eagles' young defense (four out of six defensemen are freshmen), York believes they have shown terrific improvement.

"They were good players when they came, but they are adjusting to a strength and quickness factor as you move into it," York said. "I feel very good about their play, and I think they will be fine this weekend."

York also added that he has not yet decided who will be in the net for the Eagles on Friday night. Together, junior John Muse and freshman Parker Milner have consistently been exceptional goaltenders for BC this season, holding a 2.38 and 2.32 goals-against average, respectively. During the regular season, Muse and Milner combined for the lowest goals-against average during Hockey East play.

"We have two excellent goaltenders, and we feel very good about their save percentage, their goals-against average, and wins," York said. "We've got a good situation, and whoever I pick will be a solid choice."

Milner did struggle Friday against Massachusetts, allowing five goals in BC's 6-5 win. Although not all five of the goals were considered his fault, due to some turnovers deep in the Eagles' zone, he has stiff competition in the veteran Muse, who held the Minutemen to two goals the following night.

Although the championship game will be played Saturday night, Lombardi said they are not even looking at that game yet, and are instead taking it "one game at a time."
"Our focus is completely on Friday first before thinking about advancing to Saturday night," Lombardi said.

Even so, winning the Hockey East championship is on their minds.

"The Lamoriello Cup [awarded to the Hockey East champion] is very important to us," York said. "We'd love to get it back here to the Heights."