Well, it took a little digging, but here is the official word from the Boston College media relations office: “Junior defenseman Brett Motherwell and senior defenseman Brian O’Hanley will be out of the lineup indefinitely for a violation of team rules.”
Note that this one-sentence explanation does not even appear on the main page. I took a look at the Game Notes in PDF Format, scrolled down to page 2, and found my way to “Roster Updates”.
Now, this may sound cynical, but two players suspended indefinitely is more than a “roster update” to me.
Here’s what we know:
Both Motherwell and O’Hanley played in last Friday’s opening game of the IceBreaker Tournament (St. Paul, Minnesota). O’Hanley recorded one assist, while Motherwell did not figure in the scoring. The Eagles lost to Michigan, 4-3 in overtime.
Neither player was in the lineup for Saturday’s 4-1 win at the Icebreaker against Rensselaer.
BC hosts top-ranked North Dakota this Friday in non-conference action. For a complete preview of the matchup, click here.
Brett Motherwell led all Hockey East defensemen last season with 28 points on 3 goals and 25 assists, and has 51 points in 82 career games with the Eagles. Inside College Hockey named Motherwell to its preseason All-American second team.
Brian O’Hanley, a senior, has played 112 career games for the Eagles, with career totals of 6 goals and 19 assists. He is playoff-tested, having appeared in four Frozen Four games and six other NCAA tournament contests at Boston College.
With this “roster update”, Boston College has six eligible defensemen listed on its roster for this weekend’s action. Junior defensemen Tim Kunes and Anthony Aeillo replaced the two suspended players for last Saturday’s game against Rensselaer.
I will post further updates as they become available. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.