BC Hockey Preview of Champions: Brad Barone, #29

Boston College carries three returning goalies, and this works out well alphabetically because we can go from last to first on the depth chart. The Preview of Champions first visits with Brad Barone, a sophomore from Medfield.

The son of two Boston College Eagles, Barone started his journey to the Heights at the Roxbury Latin School. Barone suited up as the Foxes’ goalie and had a great senior season, ending up as the MVP of the Independent Sports League; of course, he also made the All-ISL team.

Like so many of his teammates, Barone also played hockey outside the realm of school. He spent two years as a goalie for the EJHL’s South Shore Kings, where he won 38 games. Following that, he matriculated at Boston College and was in essence the fourth goalie the Eagles had last year.

Barone’s role in 2012-13 seems a little more clear. Chris Venti, who was the third goalie BC carried, has graduated. The depth chart now probably goes something like Parker Milner > Brian Billett > Brad Barone, and as we saw last year, sometimes all three goalies get into the games. In the national championship season of 2011-12, Barone did not appear in any games. He may finally be able to get on the stat sheet this year in relief or under some other circumstances.

Before anyone discounts the possibility of Parker Milner, the hero of BC’s NCAA championship run, not playing from start to finish, keep a few things in mind: (1) Goalies aren’t necessarily hot all season, and Milner may get another break like last season, and (2) it’s a lot to ask a goalie to play every minute of every game. The backups will probably spell him every now and then, and because of that, we will probably see Barone make his BC debut this season.