Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Greatness resides within Boston College’s hockey coach, and that is not news to anyone familiar with the sport. Even York’s new boss, Brad Bates, is well-acquainted with his commitment to excellence. At some point during the 2012-13 season, York will take up a new mantle: the winningest coach of all-time in Division I college hockey. It is not a matter of if, but when.

When is what we would all like to know. York has to win 11 more games to tie and 12 to pass Ron Mason with 925 victories. It will happen during the regular season for certain, but for the BC fans who might want to plan their game attendance around such things, can we find a possible date?

We can try.

October 13, 2012: Start of 2012-13 regular season.

November 30, 2012: [at Boston University] 12th game of regular season. Earliest possible date in which York can break the record.

The cone of possibility opens on November 30 at Agganis. From there, you have to estimate what sort of win percentage you think the Eagles will have. If BC opens the season 12-1, then be at Conte Forum on December 1 for the game against Boston University.

If BC opens with 12 wins out of 15, then the record could come at the Mariucci Classic on December 29 or 30 in Minneapolis against UAH or Minnesota. If you think it’ll happen during the midst of a more modest start, then home games against Yale on January 4, 2013 or New Hampshire on January 11 may be good bets.

If you assume that Boston College will get off to one of their customary “slow” starts, and you’re expecting a slower one than normal, it could take up to twenty regular-season games for York to reach 925. Game 20 is at Northeastern on January 19.

These are the assumptions it is probably safe to make, or facts we know for certain:

• York will blast through the record before the end of the regular season.
• “York 925″ will come no earlier than November 30.
• “York 925″ will almost certainly happen before the Beanpot, perhaps well before.

There is a very good chance it will happen either in Minneapolis during the Mariucci Classic or during the early January 2013 homestand against Yale and New Hampshire. It is possible that “York 925″ happens in 2012, though there are only 16 regular-season games. BC would have to play .750 hockey or better to make that happen.

Last year, it took Boston College 17 games to reach 12 wins. If this season follows the exact same course, then get your tickets for Yale at Boston College on January 4. You just might see college hockey history.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

It’s good to be the king.

To Boston College hockey fans, Jerry York already is, but by the end of the 2012-13 season, he will officially take his throne as the winningest college hockey coach of all-time. Along the way, all he has done is win five national championships (four at BC) and almost countless Hockey East Tournaments, Beanpots, and NCAA Tournament games.

York, a Massachusetts native through and through, played his hockey at Boston College from 1963 to 1967. BC runs through his veins, as he is also a Double Eagle. York started his head coaching career in 1972 at Clarkson, then shifting over to Bowling Green in 1979. He remained there for 15 years until the BC job came open again in 1994, whereupon he finally got the chance to return to the alma mater that put him on the map. Before coming back to Chestnut Hill, York won a national title in 1984 with Bowling Green.

Once he returned, it was a slow climb back to the top for York and Boston College. Steve Cedorchuk’s brief reign as coach was a disaster, and as such, the talent was not there at first. By York’s fourth season, 1997-98, BC won Hockey East and made the national championship game against Michigan.

Though the Eagles did not win that game, the rest was history. BC has won four national titles under York since then: 2001, 2008, 2010, and, of course, 2012. He has accumulated 913 wins, only 11 behind Ron Mason for the most ever. The rest of his list of accomplishments is too long to account, but interested parties can see it here.

York is the best college hockey coach of all-time and the best coach Boston College has ever had in any sport. The man is one of the finest representatives of our school that we have ever produced, and by all accounts is a genuine, caring person. He doesn’t fit the stereotypical mold of a winning college coach of being too powerful, underhanded, and sneaky. He runs a clean program and an extremely successful one that can make us all proud. York always has a smile on his face, and why not? He wins.

We are extremely fortunate to have this man on our bench.

No preview of this national champion hockey team would be complete without mention of the coaches who helped get the team there. The head coach gets his own article, obviously, but Jerry York’s assistants need their props, too. Without further ado:

Mike Cavanaugh
Associate Head Coach

Cavanaugh has been on Jerry York’s staff basically since the beginning of his time at Boston College. Since 1995, he has been Jerry York’s right-hand man and has had a big hand in helping build this program into a college hockey powerhouse. As a matter of fact, Cavanaugh did also spend a year with Jerry York out in Bowling Green. In an interesting piece of trivia, Cavanaugh was the only member of this Eagles coaching staff to have not played his college hockey at BC.

Earlier this year, Cavanaugh was a candidate for the vacant head coaching at UMass, but he withdrew his name because he was “frustrated with the process.” It may have been one of those serve in Heaven/rule in Hell sort of things, too. Either way, York and Boston College are lucky to have Cavanaugh still sitting on the bench.

Greg Brown
Associate Head Coach

Brown, a former Boston College hockey player, joined Jerry York’s coaching staff in 2004. Prior to that, he spent three years wearing the BC sweater; it would have been four, except for the fact that Brown was part of the 1988 US Olympic Team in Calgary. After his playing career, he was eventually inducted into the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame, and as a two-time Hobey Baker finalist, two-time Hockey East Player of the Year, and Hockey East All-Decade team member, is considered one of BC hockey’s best defensive players ever.

He has taken this success on the ice to the bench, where he has helped York craft several national championship teams.

His nephew, Patrick Brown, is a junior forward.

Jim Logue
Assistant Coach

Poor Jim Logue is the only assistant who isn’t an associate head coach. He’s been here the longest as well, joining the hockey staff in 1993 during the inglorious tenure of Steve Cedorchuk. When Jerry York became coach in 1994, Logue, a former Eagle himself, was retained, and has been on the staff ever since. He specializes in goaltending, and we’ve had some good ones between the pipes in recent years.

Logue was Boston College’s goalie from 1959 to 1961 and had his number retired by the school.

What a surprise: another BC hockey player with ties to Avon Old Farms. This freshman newcomer, the last to be featured, did not start there in high school, but it was an important stop along the way to Boston College for him. That young man is Colin Sullivan.

Sullivan is a native of Milford, Connecticut, somewhere in between Bridgeport and New Haven on I-95. To start his high school hockey-playing career, he stayed in the area and went to Fairfield Prep. After just one year, however, Sullivan was on his way to Avon Old Farms, where he became teammates with Quinn Smith. Smith was the captain of that title-winning team, but this defenseman made his mark in other ways. Sullivan was a New England All-Star selection earlier this year for his solid play at Avon. He originally committed to stay at home and play for Yale, but their coaches preferred that he play junior hockey before going there. He did not care for that arrangement, and went to Boston College once Brian Dumoulin’s scholarship spot was no longer taken.

Before taking his leave of Connecticut, however, Sullivan received an honor not unfamiliar to several players on his current team: he was picked in the NHL Entry Draft. Sullivan’s moments came in 2011, when Montreal took him in the 7th round.

We do have a scouting report on Sullivan from his high school years; from the aforementioned link:

Sullivan is a strong skater with good balance, and excellent physical conditioning. His biggest challenge will be to overcome what some scouts consider to be questionable hockey instincts, and learning to read the play, especially at faster pace.

That’s probably not the most flattering analysis, but there are things to work with, particularly his skating ability. It is unclear if he will be able to hone his skills during games this season, but he will get the chance in the years to follow for certain.

And here’s his Twitter.

We’re about a week away from the official start of the 2012-13 Boston College hockey season, when the champs will begin their path to a repeat. As the title defense begins, one of the new faces joining the cause will be another local. This one is named Brendan Silk, a freshman forward from Wakefield.

The 18-year old started out in Reading as he attended Austin Prep. There is no data available regarding how he played there, but evidently, Silk did pretty well, because he was one of two local players to get invited to the U.S. National Team Development Program. For that, he relocated out to Ann Arbor, MI. Unfortunately, a few months after being honored in such a way, Silk tore his Achilles and missed about five or six months.

Silk spent 2011 involved in international competition. He played for both the U.S. Under-17 Select Team and Under-18 Select Team during his time in that program, like several other Eagles have been in the past. Silk and new Eagle Teddy Doherty were teammates on the U-17 squad that won the 2010 Five Nations Tournament in Huttwil, Switzerland.

There is little information available on Silk in terms of scouting reports, but his track record to this point speaks well of him. Being invited to join a national select team is a big deal for a young hockey player, because so few guys do it and those teams exist to identify and reward the most elite teen hockey talent in the nation. Just by logic, Silk being on those squads has to be proof that he’s a good player, or is at least considered one.

And, of course, here’s his Twitter.

Two current Boston College Eagles on the hockey team come from the other BC: Isaac MacLeod and Destry Straight. Freshman Peter McMullan isn’t from British Columbia, or even Canada: he just played there.

McMullen comes from a Boston College family – if you’ve heard of the McMullen Museum in Devlin Hall, yeah, that’s them. His late grandfather was the late owner of the New Jersey Devils, while his father also attended the school. Hockey is a big part of the McMullens’ lives as well, and our new player here has managed to combine the two.

He went to Delbarton in northern New Jersey, where he played for several years and ended up leading his team in points totaled in 2010-11 as a senior. While playing at Delbarton, McMullen also played for Midget AAA teams associated with the New Jersey Devils organization. Following that, he skated up north of the border to play in the BCHL.

McMullen was part of two teams during his one-year stint in Canada: Langley and Vernon. Between the two, he tallied 15 points in 44 games played. He’s not the first hockey player to trade one BC for another, and probably won’t be the last.

What McMullen, a center, brings to the table is some skating ability, as he did make Central Scouting’s final list of best North American skaters available. It is unclear just how much time on the ice he might get this season, but even if it is not much, he will have the opportunity to learn from some veteran players in a winning program to groom him for the future.

There is no denying it: Boston College has a way of drawing in top hockey talent. In recent years, the Eagles have had players like Cam Atkinson, Chris Kreider, and Nate Gerbe putting on their sweater and hoisting championship trophies. If a program is going to remain elite, its elite talent must be replenished. That’s where Mike Matheson comes in.

This freshman defenseman from Pointe-Claire (Montreal), Quebec, is arguably the best inbound recruit for Boston College in 2012. It’s easy to see how: Matheson was a first-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. They’re looking forward to getting him, but also to seeing how he does at BC. If he is anything like some of the solid NHL prospects who have preceded him, Matheson will have a tremendous Boston College hockey career and eventually emerge as a leader. (It might also mean he’s destined for a shorter stay in Chestnut Hill, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it).

Matheson played in Midget Leagues in Quebec before taking his act south of the border. Like a few other Eagles, including his past and present teammate Teddy Doherty, Matheson spent 2011-12 with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. On defense at Dubuque, he had the most offensive game: last year, Matheson totaled 27 points, including 11 goals.

His scouting reports speak very highly of his skills, particularly his skating:

“He’s arguably the best skater in the draft. He can move the puck and I like guys like that.” (Dale Tallon, Panthers GM)

At only 18 years old, the future is very bright for Matheson. Boston College’s future will similarly be bright as long as he’s around. Matheson’s game is multi-faceted and he can effectively perform on both ends of the ice. If he turns out the way we all think he will, it will be a pleasure to watch Matheson with the Eagles in the years ahead.

We already have two Pittsburgh natives on this Boston College hockey team, and they’re pretty good, so why not add another? That might not have exactly been Jerry York’s line of thinking when recruiting Travis Jeke, a freshman defenseman from the ‘Burgh, but nevertheless, here he is.

It should be noted, however, that this 19-year old newcomer to the Eagles has bounced all over the place. Jeke apparently attended middle school in Michigan before going to Lake Placid, New York for high school. He played for the Northwood School, just like senior defenseman Patch Alber before him. Last year, Jeke had a productive season, notching 31 points (including ten goals) in 43 games, but had 39 points (19 goals) the year before. For a defenseman, that’s pretty good, especially in terms of the goals scored.

There was hope that Jeke might be a late selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft earlier this year, but the thirty clubs passed on him.

If Jeke is in fact a defensive player with a respectable offensive game, then he will find his way onto the ice without too much of an issue. He will, of course, have to earn whatever playing time he gets, but all indications are that he is a talented young man and could catch on at some point during his stay at Boston College. I would personally expect him to get a fair amount of ice time in the 2012-13 season.

Now go follow him on Twitter.

The defending national champion Boston College hockey team will welcome six new faces to its bench this year. Some came straight from high school, while others emerged from the same junior hockey leagues that once played host to our veterans. Amongst them is Teddy Doherty, a local freshman defenseman from Hopkinton.

Doherty did not play his high school hockey in Hopkinton, in Massachusetts, or even in the Northeast: he went to Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minnesota, a small town about an hour away from Minneapolis. It was a strategic move by his family to send Doherty to a school that would truly help set him on the path to a great hockey career. He spent just three years in Minnesota, notching 25 points in his junior year before shuffling down to Dubuque, Iowa and Johnny Gaudreau’s old team: the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

The two were never teammates, as Gaudreau was busy winning a national championship here while Doherty tallied a 16-point season out in the Hawkeye State. Additionally, like a few other of Doherty’s current teammates, he was a member of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team, taking part in international competitions (and winning one in 2010).

Doherty is a Massachusetts native, but also a young man whose family has some Boston College hockey history. His uncle is Marty Hughes, a former Eagle who helped raise the trophy in 2001.

You don’t typically get big-time offensive production from defensemen, and Doherty is no different. As far as his play on the blue line goes, few of us out there have seen it, but with a couple upperclassmen having left the school, there is room for Doherty to move onto the ice at some point. His playing time to start might not be all that extraordinary, but as we saw with other solid freshmen in the recent past, Jerry York does reward good performances with ice time. Doherty will have to earn his way out there, but the possibility exists that he can.

Finally, follow Teddy on Twitter.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The last of the returning Boston College hockey players for the 2012-13 season is a local product, a senior, and an alternate captain. The Whitneys have built a bit of a recent tradition at BC; for those who were at the school during my time, we all remember Joe Whitney and some of his signature moments, one of which was an overtime game-winner in the NCAA Tournament over Miami, sending BC to the Frozen Four. Now, his younger brother, Steven, continues to represent their family well.

Steven Whitney hails from Reading, MA, playing high school hockey for Lawrence Academy in Groton. In four years there, he had 163 career points. Whitney captained his senior team at Lawrence, also winning a league championship. Following high school, he moved on to the USHL, playing just 12 games for the Omaha Lancers during the 2008-09 season. Also, before arriving at Boston College, Whitney made both the US Under-17 and US Under-18 Select Teams, with which he took part in several international competitions.

In his first three years with the Eagles, a few of which coincided with his brother’s, Whitney has played in 122 games, the vast majority being wins. Whitney has tallied 83 points, having his best season (39 pts.) during the title run of 2011-12. It was certainly his best year for scoring goals as well, netting 16 of them.

Whitney is the sort of guy who will get quality minutes in every game and typically do well. His numbers have never been the flashiest on the team, but he came on strong at the end of last season, emerging as one of the leaders. Whitney’s teammates rewarded him in kind with an alternate captaincy. If his game continues to improve, he could have a big 2012-13 for the Eagles.