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Nate Ewell

  (1:30 PM)

Hey everybody. College hockey season is off to a great start, and we're excited to talk pucks for the next half hour. Ryan Shannon and BC start their season tomorrow night against Denver, and Ryan is kind enough to join us in The Show and field some of your questions.

Nate Ewell

  (1:31 PM)

Real quickly before we get to Ryan ...

Eric (Ann Arbor MI)

Who do you think will make the Frozen Four this year, and who do you pick to win it all?

Nate Ewell

  (1:33 PM)

I'll go with Michigan, UMD, BC (of course, Ryan), and I like Michigan State to have a big year. I'm sticking with my preseason No. 1 pick, Michigan, to win it all.

Nate Ewell

  (1:33 PM)

Ryan's here, so we'll turn it over to your questions for him.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:33 PM)

Thanks for having me -- we're excited to get started tomorrow.

Elizabeth (Williamsburg, VA)

I still follow BC Hockey since I've moved to VA (though I miss being in Boston a lot). You had a great run last year and I wish you the best of luck this year! My question is: How are you and your senior class handling the pressure of filling the shoes of the great class that graduated last year? Enjoy your senior year Ryan! GO EAGLES!!

Ryan Shannon

  (1:35 PM)

You're exactly right -- the senior class last year was great. The diference with this one is that we don't have a national championship. With the 10 of us returning, we have a strong fire to obtain that national championship. The pressure at BC, we look at it as a positive. We use that energy to make us a stronger team and bring the guys closer together.

Sean (Brighton, Mass)

Ryan - Of all the talented guys on D at BC who do you find is the most difficult to play against? Andrew Alberts is physical but John Adams is such a lock-down defenseman. I'd be interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:37 PM)

Good question. I'd put three in that category, based on what I see in practice -- I'd put Peter Harrold in there as well. They each bring a different style of play. With Andrew Alberts' reach, he can play guys one-on-one from the crease and still reach them in the corner. Johnny Adams brings a lot of intensity and never gives up on a play. Even when you think you have him beat, he'll still be there. Peter Harrold, if you make the slightest mistake, he'll take advantage of it and all of a sudden the puck's going the other way.

Thomas (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Where did you workout this summer and do you think that it helped you to prepare for this season?

Ryan Shannon

  (1:39 PM)

I spent the first half of the summer here training at BC. One of the great things about BC is that the players on the team like each other, so even in the summer we choose to train together. The second half of the summer I was home training at a place called Body Tuning, under the instruction of Ben Prentis.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:39 PM)

Through those two regimens I put on about 10 pounds and feel a lot stronger than last year.

Brad, Denver, CO

Ryan, any chance you and Eaves could pull a hammy at practice today (just a joke), Anyways, what do a lot of the players think of so many college stars leaving early, especially with the lockout on, and what to players with NHL aspirations think of the lockout?

Ryan Shannon

  (1:41 PM)

Ha! We had two players, Andrew Alberts and Pat Eaves, who had the ability to leave and decided to come back to school. I think they realized that the pro game will always be there for them, and the four years of college are indispensable. I do know that the hockey community is really worried about the collective bargaining agreement, and we all hope that hockey comes back soon.

Boston College FAN(Boston, MA)

RYAN, What kind of role do you see each of the freshman playing on the team this year? Namely, Dany Bertram who was such a highly regarded player coming in this year.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:42 PM)

We have some freshmen who will step in right away and make an impact. Dan looks really good so far. He's playing on the first line right now, making an impact right away. He seems to be a scoring forward and has a real talent of beating goalies. I look forward to playing with him this year.

Dan westport,ct

What Hockey East Team that you will play this year will have the most talent?

Ryan Shannon

  (1:43 PM)

I think Maine. Of course Jimmy Howard, we know how talented he is after the loss in April last year. Even though they lost a lot of offensive ability up front, their defensive corps is practically the same. Over the past three years it's turned into a rivalry. Every game we play against them is really tough and hard fought.

Mike (Boston, MA)

Ryan - Looking forward to this season. Last season you had one regular season loss at Conte (we won't talk about the playoffs).... any reason why the team seems to play better at home and does this give you an advantage with the likes of Denver, North Dakota, and Maine/UNH twice each at Conte this season?

Ryan Shannon

  (1:45 PM)

I guess we do play well at home, according to that statistic. I really love how Coach York schedules our season by giving us hard challenges right in the beginning of the year, like Denver and North Dakota. That gives us the opportunity to realize any problems we might have and then confront those realities as soon as possible.

Rob (Eau Claire WI)

Ryan, what's the hardest part about being a college athlete?

Ryan Shannon

  (1:46 PM)

When you're a college athlete, you put high expectations on yourself to perform at the highest level possible. Then you have to throw in school. We put a lot of focus on academics at BC, and being able to manage that time and achieve excellence both on the ice and off is a challenge. When you say "hard", it's a negativee tone, but I like to think of it more as a challenge.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:46 PM)

I've got a team meeting coming up, so I'll take one more.

Ben (Milton, MA)

I have been a huge BC hockey fan for years. I've been able to go to a lot of games and I'm always one of the loudest in the crowd. I was heartbroken when you guys lost to Maine last April and in my opinion, if it weren't for Jimmy Howard standing on his head, you guys would have been in the final AND would have won. But the past is in the past.My question is: do you, as captain, see the same potential in this year's team? I'm familiar with some of the freshmen's performances before BC and you seem to have a talented crop. I know it's VERY early, but do you see strengths in this group that weren't there last season? What are the largest gaps that need to be filled and do you see the team stepping up and filling them?Good luck this season. Let's go eagles.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:49 PM)

For your first question, I see us taking every day as an opportunity to get better. As we string each day of improvement through a six-month season, I can see us achieving the Frozen Four in COlumbus this spring. Only after the hard work and commitment to winning will that happen. We do have the talent to achieve it. Right now we have the character and the commitment, but I guess only time will tell.

Ryan Shannon

  (1:50 PM)

Thanks everybody for your questions. It was fun, and I can't wait to get started tomorrow night.

Nate Ewell

  (1:50 PM)

Thanks, Ryan ... We've got about 10 more minutes of college hockey chat here if you've got questions or comments.

Nate Ewell

  (1:51 PM)

One quick note on Ryan before we move on: he's a real class act. You can see it in the way he plays the game, too. People are still talking about his backcheck in the Beanpot last February, which is a play not many guys with his talent will make.

BTeezer ( Hartland, MI)

Who is your pick for the Hobey Baker winner this year? I have to go with Michigan sophmore TJ Hensick. He's dynamite!

Nate Ewell

  (1:52 PM)

Hensick is spectacular. In terms of the Hobey, he might struggle with something other Michigan players are familiar with (see: David Oliver) -- there are just too many stars on that team to pick one.

Nate Ewell

  (1:53 PM)

Some guys who stand out to me right now are Jim Slater at MSU and Jimmy Howard at Maine, simply because they will mean so much to their teams.

Nate Ewell

  (1:53 PM)

Ryan Shannon and Patrick Eaves will have good shots, too, BC fans.

Jason (Mundelein, IL)

Any buzz on Northern Michigan? I know they're a small school among giants in the CCHA, however I've heard a few possitive things this year.

Nate Ewell

  (1:54 PM)

At Inside College Hockey we think the Wildcats could be ready for a breakthrough with any consistency this year. People in Marquette are excited about the freshmen, especially Mike Santorelli.

Ed (Oxford, OH)

Minnesota has lost a lot of talent through graduation and early departures. Do they still have enough to make a run at a national title?

Nate Ewell

  (1:55 PM)

Great to get a note from Oxford. Hey, get outside and enjoy the sights!

Nate Ewell

  (1:56 PM)

To answer your question, though, they definitely have enough talent. Ryan Potulny showed Saturday how good he is. If Kellen Briggs and that defense can hold up, the Gophers will be fine.

Nate Ewell

  (1:56 PM)

You know, Bill Simmons is handling the other chat right now on ESPN.com. Anybody have any Ewing Theory teams for this year's college hockey season?

Nate Ewell

  (1:57 PM)

I'll give you one: UMass. As great as Thomas Pock was, maybe that team relied on him a little too much? We'll know a lot more from them Friday night, after they play Minnesota.

Brian (Southboro Mass)

What do you think of UNH's chances this weekend at UM and MSU?

Nate Ewell

  (1:58 PM)

That's a tough trip for the Wildcats. But they prepared well by winning the Ice Breaker. I think those will both be great games to watch this weekend. That said, UNH fans, don't panic if you don't come home with more than one or two points. It's a tall order, especially at Yost.

Tim (Hempstead, NY)

How is BC number one in the USA poll, but have yet to play a game, when North Dakota beat then #2 Maine twice over the weekend? And why is two losses to UND then number 5 worse then losing to Hockey East pernament basement member Northeastern?

Nate Ewell

  (1:59 PM)

Hey Tim, you can't penalize BC because they haven't played yet. We thought BC was better than North Dakota before last weekend ... while we certainly like the Sioux more than we expected to, we don't have any reason not to like the Eagles.

Norm (Naugatuck, CT)

Is Dartmouth for real?

Nate Ewell

  (2:02 PM)

I think so. They'll suffer from the "they haven't played, let's drop them in the polls" theory that every Ivy team gets stuck with early in the year ... but once they get going, they've got too many horses not to be a good team. I like them in the ECACHL this year.

Nate Ewell

  (2:02 PM)

Looks like it's time to wrap things up. Thanks everybody for joining us, and thanks to Ryan as well. Check back every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET for Inside College Hockey in The Show!