It's Not How You Start

12.2.2008 12:00AM

It's Not How You Start, But How You Finish
Six Eagles selected to All-ACC teams as BC takes on VT for the ACC Championship
Written By: Boston Sports SID

At the beginning of the year if you said the BC Eagle would be in the ACC Championship game, many Boston fans would have laughed in your face. But the Eagles are the only ones who are laughing now.

After three crushing conference losses to Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Clemson, BC ran the table with four consecutive victories to finish atop the Atlantic division at 9-3. For the second straight year, Boston College will play for the ACC Championship and will have another shot at an Orange Bowl appearance. The only team standing in their way is familiar foe, the Virginia Tech Hokies who are the Coastal division champs.

In preparation for the championship on Saturday December 6, six Eagles were named to 2008 All-ACC teams. Senior defensive end B.J Raji and offensive guard Clif Ramsey as well as junior linebacker Mark Herzlich were named to the first team while seniors Ron Brace, Ryan Purvis and sophomore Anthony Castonzo were named to the second team.

Every championship team has a championship defense and the Eagles are no different. Between Herzlich, Raji and Brace they combined for 152 tackles. Herzlich leads the team with 98 tackles and is currently fifth in the nation averaging 6.17 tackles per game. The BC junior is also one of only three college linebackers to have at least two interceptions returned for touchdowns this year.

Similar to Patriots veteran, Mike Vrabel, Herzlich is sure-handed linebacker, snatching six balls from opposing quarterbacks for fifth in the nation. What makes his six interceptions more spectacular is that he is only one of two linebackers to accomplish that feat this year.

Raji and Brace are a wall for offensive linemen and running backs. No one is going to get by them. They have combined for 54 tackles and 10 sacks - seven for Raji and three for Brace - this season. They are going to make some money next year with a professional football franchise.

Women's Ice Hockey

Tim Thomas is not the only goaltender in Boston having an All-Star season. A few miles west in Newton suburb, Chestnut Hill, junior Molly Schaus has the Eagles atop Hockey East with an 9-3-2 record, a 1.88 goals against average and 457 saves. The Boston Collge junior recently acquired her 10th career shutout for the Eagles with a 2-0 win over Northeastern on Sunday and the awards just keep on piling up.

Last week the Women’s residency program in Blaine, Minn. invited Schaus to attend the USA Hockey’s Women’s Holiday Camp, in the spring, along with teammates Megan Fardelman and Kelli Stack. Coming off her third shutout of the season – 10^th of her career – with a 2-0 victory over the Northeastern Huskies, Schaus and Stack were, once again, honored by Hockey East.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Stack fed on Princeton and Northeastern. On Friday afternoon, the BC forward recorded three assists in the Eagles 3-3 tie against the Princeton Tigers, to increase her total to 14. As the weekend drew to a close and all the students matriculated back to campus, Stack had the game winning goal against the Huskies just 23 minutes into the contest, Sunday afternoon. Her goal and three assists in two games earned the Eagles junior Hockey East Player of the Week honors.

While Stack took the Player of the Week, Schaus retained the Defensive Player of the Week honors. Two weeks ago, the Eagles junior earned the honors with her second shutout of the season against the UConn Huskies with a 4-0 victory on November 20. Schaus followed up a week later with another Huskie shutout, this time defeating Northeastern 2-0, keeping a firm grasp on Hockey East's Defensive Player of the Week.

The BC women return to action on Friday night when they travel to Storrs, Conn. For a re-match with the Huskies.

-- Boston Sports SID