ST. PAUL, Minn. — Boston College plays Denver for the NCAA men’s hockey championship on Saturday. Here’s some of what the Eagles were saying on Friday.
Kid line
Boston College’s all-freshmen line of Gabe Perreault, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard has produced 119 goals and 196 points this season. That chemistry goes back to their time on the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2021 to 2023, where they often skated together.
“I think our (under) 18 year is what it really started to jell,” said Smith. “We were solidified as a line. From there we kind of ran with it. We haven’t really been separated since.”
“We clicked together pretty well,” said Perreault. “That made the transition easier for this year.”
“Their chemistry and the way they read each other makes it when they’re together, they’re kind of bigger than the sum of the parts,” said Boston College coach Greg Brown. “They just have a real feel for each other and where they’re going to be.
“We didn’t put them together the first two weeks of practice in September. We tried them in different kinds of combinations. One day, we did throw them together, and I was like, ‘Whoa.’”
That was then
Boston College and Denver met earlier this season, a 4-3 Pioneers win at Conte Forum on Oct. 21. Denver erased BC leads of 1-0 and 2-1 for the victory.
“I think it was the third game of the year,” said Eagles captain Eamon Powell. “They play a fast transition game. They’re a skilled team, just like us. It should be a great test to see how far we’ve come as a team from the start of the year.”
“Obviously, I think they’re the team that scored the most goals in college hockey this season,” said Perreault. “They have a good offense, but also a really good defense. It’s going to be a really good battle.”
“The game in October was exciting, a great hockey game,” said Brown. “(Denver coach) Dave (Carle) and I talked this morning about, we said (after the game in October), ‘Well, if we can both have good seasons, maybe we’ll see each other again,’ so it’s kind of exciting that that happened.”
Advice from Jerry
Prior to ascending to the head coaching role at Boston College, Brown was a longtime assistant to Jerry York, who retired two years ago with four national titles at BC. They speak frequently, including this week.
“We had dinner Tuesday night when we got here with the team,” said Brown. “(Jerry) is always so supportive and will shoot encouraging texts or calls or whatever.
“As far as advice, he’s been an open book the whole two years. It’s not new. It’s not like he’s jumping back in as we get to the tournament. But spending 14 years (as his assistant) and having the opportunity to be at these Frozen Fours several times with him, that’s helped.”
Brown said that his main takeaways from York are around staying true to his team’s culture.
“In general, he’s always been, when we went (to the Frozen Four) before, when he was the head coach, it was so important to stay true to our identity and be our best version of ourselves rather than trying to recreate your game depending on your opponent,” Brown said.
