Boston College’s Marc McLaughlin isn’t an in-your-face captain. He’s more of a lead-by-example guy.
And that’s just what he did on Sunday, showing the way in a dramatic 3-2 overtime win at New Hampshire.
Until the end of regulation time, there wasn’t much that was particularly noteworthy about the game between the Wildcats and Eagles, who were without injured stars Alex Newhook and Logan Hutsko.
Then a tripping call left BC shorthanded.
Not just any tripping call, but an egregious call, as a UNH player wasn’t fouled but lost an edge and fell down on his own.
With good reason, BC complained to referee Kevin Keenan, but there was no going back once he made his call.
Enter McLaughlin, a junior from North Billerica, Mass., who was sent out to kill the penalty by coach Jerry York.
As the Wildcat power play tried to set up in the BC end, McLaughlin grabbed the puck, raced ahead of two UNH players and scored. Game over, 25 seconds into OT. The captain, who also was credited with an assist on an earlier goal and won 15 of 22 faceoffs, came through.
“I was just hoping to kill the penalty and hoping to win (the game) once we got back to even strength. Obviously, I got a good break there, got the puck in the ‘D’ zone and got a breakaway and was lucky enough to finish it off,’’ said McLaughlin the next day.
While McLaughlin stands out as a leader, obviously the Eagles take their cues from York, the winningest coach in the history of men’s college hockey.
On Sunday, the BC bench voiced its displeasure with the penalty call, especially after the replay was shown on the video board, but York quickly took control, telling the players to forget the penalty and go out and win the game.
“He was just saying to control what we can control, not get distracted by the refs or anything else,’’ said McLaughlin.
“He’s super positive and confident. That’s contagious for the rest of us, seeing that he believes in us and he’s not frustrated. You have to find a way to win those types of games, where it could have been easy to make excuses for ourselves or feel sorry for ourselves. We stuck with it and pulled out a win. Points are hard to come by in Hockey East, so that was big.’’
Leadership comes naturally to McLaughlin. Before BC, he wore the ‘C’ at Cushing Academy and with Cedar Rapids of the USHL.
“I definitely lead by example and lead through my actions. I just try to play a 200-foot game and work hard every single day, set the tone for the rest of the team,’’ he said.
“The past experiences of me being captain definitely prepared me to be the captain here at BC. It has definitely influenced me to be a little more confident in speaking up and knowing that I can be a positive role model for the guys in the locker room.’’
Before going to prep school, McLaughlin played for the 1999 Providence Capitals in the Eastern Hockey Federation. It was a long drive from North Billerica, Mass., but it paid off.
“That ’99 group was amazing, a ton of great players,’’ he said, including BC teammate Mike Hardman, Matt Fawcett of Quinnipiac, Bryce Dolan of Holy Cross, Matt Allen of Union and Brian Scoville of Alabama-Huntsville.
“A lot of kudos to my dad, coming home from work and driving me all the way down there for three years, my mom and dad. They put a lot of time and effort into getting me down there and making sure I developed as a player. I’m obviously very appreciative of that,’’ McLaughlin said.
As BC captain, McLaughlin leads a star-studded cast (13 NHL draft picks) that is ranked third in the nation this week. It’s a group that figures to contend for the NCAA title.
“Top to bottom, from the very high-end, talented guys to the guys that don’t experience as many minutes as they do, everybody has bought in. That speaks to guys like (Alex) Newhook and (Matt) Boldy and (Spencer) Knight and (Drew) Helleson, the guys that just got back from world juniors,’’ McLaughlin said.
“Besides being such good players, they are good teammates, and such good people themselves. That goes a long way when you have your top players that invested in the group, that bought in. Then you have guys like Patrick Giles and Michael Karow, who are just as important as our top-end guys, that are such great leaders and work hard every day and provide so much for the team.’’
‘Best player in college hockey’
Boston University is back, and that means the sight of senior defenseman David Farrance with the puck on his stick is again striking fear in the hearts of opponents.
Farrance was a first-team All-American last season and he picked up where he left off in the Terriers’ first two games of the season last weekend.
On Friday night at home against Providence, he set up two goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. In a rematch on the road on Saturday, he scored a goal and assisted on two others before the game was seven minutes old.
“I think Dave’s the best player in college hockey. I thought he was arguably one of the best ones last year,’’ said BU coach Albie O’Connell.
“He’s got the ability to change a game, control the play, make a difference off the rush. The play that he made on Friday night, the spinarama pass (to Luke Tuch), for a wide-open net on the back door, was incredible.’’
Ron Rolston, PC’s acting coach, said taking good angles and being physical is important when trying to keep Farrance under control.
“That’s easier said than it is done because he’s so dynamic with the puck,’’ Rolston said. “He’s a player that’s going to make his plays during the game. He’s a big part of what they do offensively, especially on the power play.’’
Farrance could have signed an NHL contract in the spring with Nashville, which drafted him in the third round in 2017, but opted to return to Commonwealth Avenue.
“I can’t say enough good things, especially from where he came. He was playing at forward his freshman year at times. He had some ups and downs. He had some woes. And he’s just really matured as a guy,’’ said O’Connell.
“He’s so committed to the university. I’m really happy that we have him, but even more happy for him when he has success.’’
Donato reflects on gold
Like the other members of the U.S. team, Ted Donato came home from the World Junior Championship in Edmonton with a gold medal and a smile on his face.
“It was fun to be a part of. From the management to the staff and players, it was a great group of people to be around,’’ said Donato, the Harvard coach who was an assistant on Nate Leaman’s staff with the U.S. team, which upset Canada in the gold-medal game.
“As far as being a coach, it ranks at the top. As somebody that really has a great appreciation for USA Hockey and the international hockey scene, it was an incredible experience,’’ said Donato, who played in the world juniors and in the Olympics, as did his son, Ryan, of the San Jose Sharks.
The off-ice hurdles the team had to clear — including losing players with COVID testing issues at the last minute — may have prepared them for what was ahead, he said.
“I do think the whole experience brought us together. That starts from the top with (general manager) John Vanbiesbrouck and with Nate, who really kept the kids focused. The messaging from the very outset, Nate was talking about a gold-medal standard and playing your best when it matters most. Really, that vision came to fruition,’’ he said.
Since returning home to Massachusetts, Donato said he’s been watching plenty of college hockey, especially the players who were in Edmonton.
“Obviously I have a new group of favorite players that are sprinkled across the country that I know more intimately now,’’ he said.
