These are the three things I think I learned this week.
1. So maybe Boston College’s seniors are better than I’ve claimed.
I’ve commented about how limited BC’s senior forwards are, referring to them as role players and not the scoring leaders you need out of at least some of your upperclassmen.
While I still think there’s some merit to my comments, I need to give a couple of those seniors their due. In BC’s 5-1 win over Michigan, Destry Straight scored his sixth goal of the season while Quinn Smith scored his fifth and sixth goals.
If you look at the league goalscoring leaders, six goals puts those two just outside the top 14.
Not Johnny Gaudreau. Not Jack Eichel. But also not chopped liver.
Mea culpa.
2. Some home games aren’t really at home.
Just ask New Hampshire and Maine.
The two played a home-away-from-home series this past weekend. On Friday, UNH played its home game at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester (instead of the Whittemore Center in Durham). One night later, the two teams played at Maine’s alternate home venue, the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland (instead of the Alfond Arena in Orono).
Both teams had been miserable on the road this year. Maine had lost all six of their road contests and UNH was only one game better. (In fact, the Black Bears’ struggles away from Alfond extended to last season as well when they won only once all season on the road.)
Well, apparently home-away-from-homes are really sufficiently away from home to end all home cooking and road hexes. Maine won at Manchester; UNH won at Portland.
Go figure.
3. Vermont isn’t just a very good defensive team. The Catamounts are the best.
Go ahead and look it up. The Catamounts aren’t merely having a terrific season (13-3-1), fueled by a strong offense and the best defense in the league.
They’re better than that.
After sweeping a home-and-home with St. Lawrence this past weekend, 2-1 and 2-0, Vermont became the number one defensive team in the country. The Catamounts are allowing only 1.53 goals per game.
Not too shabby.
