By: Dave Cheng,YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
There’s not much 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Mark Herzlich, could do for an encore.  No, he didn’t win a national championship and it’s not like he can’t win the defensive player of the year award again.  This is something completely different.  It’s something much more than a championship, or any kind of individual award.  It’s something that nearly every person will tell you is one of the most important things to have.
He’s got his health back.  Two weeks ago, Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich officially returned to the gridiron two weeks ago after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma last year.
Anybody that has followed this story must have felt like they were stuck in an episode of House.  Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer.  Herzlich underwent chemotherapy treatment to get rid of the cancer.  Then after it was gone, he needed surgery to insert a titanium rod in his left femur.  After eighty-seven weeks, or 612 days of waiting, Herzlich finally returned to the field with his team against Weber State in the college football’s first weekend.
Herzlich played 31 downs that day and tallied five tackles (three solo).  Quarterback Dave Shinskie [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
Yesterday, was a great day for Boston Sports, as all of their teams got W’s, some more important than others. Here’s a recap:
BC Eagles. Won NCAA Hockey Championship 5-0: For the third year in a row, the city of Boston owns this trophy. Last year, BU came back from two goals behind to win it, and BC had it the year before. So even more awesome than for Boston, is that BC has won this twice in three years, meaning their Seniors and even Juniors, now have two shiny rings.
The Eagles went 12-0-1 in their last thirteen games, but earlier in the season, not many would have necessarily picked them for winning the big dance, as they still managed to tally 10 losses, 2 coming from foe BU and another from Northeastern.
But alas they did, and they did so big-time. Winning 5-0 in a Championship game is just insane. Wisconsin didn’t stand a chance, and the Eagles proved they not only deserved this, but that they in fact own Commonwealth Avenue. Sorry, Terriers, this a’int your street anymore.
Boston Bruins. Clinch a playoff spot: It’s been a long, painful season, but despite everyones assumptions, the Bruins [...]

By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The most successful coach in Boston College Men’s basketball history is officially done as the Eagle’s head coach.  Al Skinner, who recently interviewed for the vacant St. John’s coaching position, has been fired as leader of the BC men’s basketball program after a rough season that ended with a 15-16 overall record, and 6-10 in the ACC.
“Coach Al Skinner and I met last Wednesday and agreed it would be mutually beneficial for us to part ways,” athletic director Gene DeFilippo said in a statement. “In our meeting, we discussed our philosophical differences and our concern for the future of our basketball program.”
DeFilippo also said that Skinner was not fired for interviewing for the St. John’s position.  According to two anonymous sources that spoke to the Associated Press, plans had been in the works to let him go for about a week now, but that the school kept it under wraps so that Skinner would be able to pursue other possible coaching jobs.
Skinner has won a total of 247 games, and lost 165, in his 13 seasons leading the Eagles to go along with seven NCAA berths since 2001.  However, Boston College has finished under .500 [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
When it comes to the Beanpot, Boston University is a different animal.
Year after year, the Terriers seemingly find a way to win–regardless of
personnel, and regardless of how well they’ve played all season.
So when BU scored two late goals to cut Boston College’s lead to 4-3 in
Monday’s championship game, I don’t think anyone doubted that the
Terriers still had a chance to capture their 13th Beanpot in 16
attempts.
No one, perhaps, except for John Muse.
The BC netminder continued his recent string of stellar play, stopping
31 of 34 shots, including a flurry of desperation attempts by BU in the
closing minutes of the game. Muse finished the tournament with a .955
save percentage–a performance worthy of both the Eberly Award (top
goaltender) and tournament MVP.
Of course, that isn’t to take anything away from the BC offense, which
provided Muse with 10 goals of support over two games. Down 1-0 after
the first period on Monday, the Eagles responded with three
second-period strikes, wearing down the BU defense with their trademark
speed and relentless forechecking.
Steven Whitney got it started with a power-play tally from the slot just
one minute into the period; Carl Sneep and Chris Kreider (more on him
later) put BC ahead 3-1 with even-strength goals late [...]

By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Boston College Eagles may have lost the Rose Bowl to the USC Trojans this past season, but they got a little revenge after winning the recruiting battle for four-star quarterback Chase Rettig.
Not a moment too soon either.  The Eagles have seemingly been lost after quarterback Matt Ryan got drafted by the Atlanta Falcons two years ago.  After a season of rotating freshman quarterbacks into the starting position, the Eagles are hoping that Rettig can fill the void left by Ryan, even if it may not be right away.  The 6’3 quarterback out of Sierra Madre, Calif., chose the maroon and gold over Lane Kiffen’s current team, the Trojans, and his former team, the Tennessee Volunteers.
According to ESPN, Rettig is a “big athlete with a big arm…with excellent athleticism to make plays with his legs when he needs to.”  A big part of what the Eagles were missing this season.
To help Rettig’s transition into the ACC, the Eagles were able to grab wide receiver Shakim Phillips from Wayne, NJ.  The 6’2 four star prospect is “a big, good looking prospect with long arms and quality straight-line speed…has very reliable hands both above his head and [...]

This video was shot by Joe Ballway and features coaches and fan reactions to Monday’s beanpot games. BC beat Harvard 6-0, and BU pulled off a tight win against Northeastern 2-1. Next week BC and BU (the reigning Beanpot champs) face off to see who takes home the trophy.