Tuesday, November 7, 2000 at Kelley Rink (Conte Forum), Chestnut Hill, MA
YU 4, BC 3 NON-CONFERENCE GAME
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YALE UNIVERSITY (ECAC) 2 1 1 - 4 (2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 ECAC)
BOSTON COLLEGE (HE) 0 1 2 - 3 (7-2-0 overall, 3-0-0 HE)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
YU 8-11- 8 -- 27 4 - 8 1 - 5
BC 10-15-16 -- 41 5 - 10 1 - 4
YU - Dan Lombard 10-14-14 - 38 saves/3 goals (60:00)
BC - Tim Kelleher 6-10- 7 - 23 saves/4 goals (58:33)
3 Stars: YU Dan Lombard, BC Krys Kolanos, YU Nick Deschenes
COMMENTS
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Yale University made it 2 for 2 on their trip into Hockey East, riding a
strong performance by goalie Dan Lombard Tuesday night for a 4-3 victory
at Boston College. Yale used tough defense and some crisp passing to
build a 4-1 lead and then held on as BC mounted a third period comeback
to make it close. Nick Deschenes had a goal and assist to spark the Elis
to a 2-0 lead, and BC's Krys Kolanos continued his scoring surge with a
goal and assist in the BC comeback attempt.
Some fans thought BC showed signs of fatigue at the start of the game,
with their 3rd game in 5 nights and missing regulars Brooks Orpik, J.D.
Forrest, and Ben Eaves, all out with minor injuries. In any case, Yale
played a strong first period, trapping in center ice and playing physical
in the corners and along the boards, keeping BC from flowing offensively.
At the same time, their experienced leadership from the top line produced
2 goals. After a slow start, Yale picked up the puck after a BC rush and
sped the other way, entering the zone on the right side. BC was chasing a
bit and got caught out of position, and a nice pass to the left circle found
Deschenes all alone. His quick shot beat Kelleher before he could get over
to cover the net at 8:59. A couple of minutes later, BC frosh defenseman
Joe Schuman couldn't control the puck in neutral ice and ended up taking a
tripping call. Jeff Hamilton made it 2-0 at 12:26, firing a hard 1-timer
from the left circle after a failed BC clearance produced a quick pass
across the zone from right to left. Hamilton was all alone for his strike.
To this point Yale had controlled much of the play and BC got few chances.
The Eagles tried to increase the pace, and helped by a late power play, got
some very good shots on Lombard. But he was equal to the task, showing a
sharpness and a quick glove to keep the 2-0 lead into the locker room.
BC started the second period with a faster step and more drive, and had a
couple of chances early. BC killed a penalty they got when charging the
net, and then Yale took a penalty that led to the Eagles' first goal. The
puck was passed back and forth out high a couple of times, and the Yale
defense sagged down to prevent a pass to forwards down low. So Mike
Lephart stepped in and fired a slap shot through a screen of players and
it dented the net high on the right side, at 5:30. Action started to flow
a bit more after that, with both teams having chances and forcing the goalies
and/or defense to work hard. Kelleher made a pad stop on Hamilton, and
Lombard saved shots from close range from Lephart and Kolanos. When it
seemed that the game might have hit a lull, Yale got a goal from their
4th line. They got a quick counter for a 3-on-2 break; as Jason Noe sped
toward the net, Vin Hallemeyer slid a pass to the center for Gabe Polsky.
The BC defense converged on him and he fed a pass to the edge of the crease,
where Noe tipped it high over Kelleher. A nice play, but perhaps some weak
defense for BC. Kelleher did not have one of his better nights this night,
and this was a bad goal to surrender. (However, not as bad as the next
one ...)
Boston College started the third period with a lot of movement and drive,
leading to a Brian Gionta slap shot off the post, and some quick shots that
sailed wide. But Yale would score the eventual game-winner on an odd play.
A dump-in came to Kelleher in the crease; he pushed it toward the corner,
expecting his defense to get it. But they got their signals crossed, and
no one went to the corner. Yale's Luke Earl pounced on the puck and turned
to look for a teammate to pass to. As he drifted along the goal line,
perhaps 20 feet out, everyone was covered, so he fired the puck into the
crease. Kelleher had his stick out, the puck banged off the stick and
bounced into the net to make it 4-1 at 5:03. BC, desperate at this point,
kept driving toward the net and testing Lombard, who was working hard to
keep pucks out. He started to cramp, and got his team to call a timeout
so they could work on his legs, around mid-period.
BC kept the pressure on, and got a bit of a soft goal themselves. Yale
pushed the puck out after a scramble, and everyone started to move away
from the Yale goal. But BC's Bill Cass swatted it back toward the net
before it left the zone, and it found Jeff Giuliano all alone in the slot.
He controlled, turned, and lifted one up off the glove and into the net.
The BC comeback continued just 2 minutes later, when Krys Kolanos picked
up a loose puck at his own blue line, fought his way through resistance
at center ice, and drove into the Yale zone down the right side. He
went outside a defenseman, who forced him wide to the low right circle.
But Kolanos then uncorked a powerful wrist shot that found a gap in
Lombard's pads and forced its way through and into the goal, at 13:46.
The crowd was now back into the game, and the pressure continued. BC was
forced to take a penalty when Hamilton made a nice move past the defense
and was knocked down as he shot the puck. BC was aggressive on the kill
and gave up no chances, then cranked up the pressure again. Kolanos got
the puck low and had 2 or 3 stuff attempts but Lombard sprawled down and
stacked the pads to keep the 1-goal lead. With a minute and a half left,
BC pulled Kelleher and sent several shots toward the net. Yale's Bryan
Freeman took a penalty protecting the slot, giving BC a 6-on-4 advantage
for the final minute. That minute was full of scrambling, defensive
efforts to clear the puck, BC getting right back in the zone, etc. But
few shots were fired, none difficult, and the Elis finally could celebrate
a good road win.
Yale was picked 8th or 9th in preseason polls for the ECAC, but has not
showed that type of form so far, defeating both UNH and BC on the road.
They have plenty of experienced players, and Hamilton is back this year
to provide some offensive skill. But it was their defensive effort that
stood out, as they bottled up the passing lanes and reduced the number of
odd-man rushes that a team like BC usually gets. They played with a fair
amount of skill in battles for the puck, either tying it up so a teammate
could come away with possession, or beating BC's forwards 1-on-1 for
possession. That kept BC back on their heels, at least for the first half
of the game. When BC finally was able to start moving the puck and getting
offensive chances, Lombard was strong in the net. The only goal that he
could accept any blame for was the last BC laser from Kolanos, but it was
an extremely hard and accurate shot, and certainly not a mistake at all.
BC, on the other hand, was sluggish for part of the game, no doubt affected
by the defensive efforts of Yale. The missing players took away some of
the physical play for BC, too, so they were not able to transition from
defense to offense as much as they have in most of their games. Kelleher
looked a bit shaky in goal again, and the 4th goal was basically all his
fault, at least on the final shot. He has not shown the form that he did
as a freshman, and the BC fans are getting nervous when he is placed in
games. The consensus was that with Scott Clemmensen in net, BC probably
wins this game 3-2. However, it is early, it was a non-league game, and
BC will still win plenty of games yet to come.
One troublesome aspect to the game from BC's point of view was the number
of bad passes or inability to control the puck. This was their worst
effort this year in this regard that I have seen, and I'm not really sure
why. Was it defensive pressure? Was it fatigue? Was it just one of those
things? After opening the season 7-1, it is easy to expect every game to
produce a nice win. But it doesn't always happen that way, and Yale
certainly played well. With 2 wins over 2 of the better teams in Hockey
East, their season is off to a flying start. Based on this form, I would
expect them to do better than expected in the ECAC. Past history, though,
shows that the ECAC is a hard league to predict. Perhaps teams more
familiar with Yale's style and players will play them tougher. (Actually,
that is my theory anyway -- that teams in your own league are always
tougher to beat as they know your personnel, style, coaching, and strong
and weak spots. Experience is a very valuable teacher, and if you don't
know a team, it is hard to prepare for them.) Yale will find out soon
enough if they have the depth they need, as they host St. Lawrence and
Clarkson for Yale's ECAC opening weekend. BC has only a single game
this coming weekend, going out-of-conference again as they play at Notre
Dame, a team they beat in the opening Maverick Stampede tournament, 4-1.
I expect a tougher game this time, with the Irish looking to gain a little
revenge on their home ice. It's the start of a big hockey-football weekend
for the BC faithful. Common wisdom says they won't win the football game,
so the hockey team is the best hope for a victory, Friday night.
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Rick McAdoo [log in to unmask]
"Volunteer reporter" A pleased BC fan. GO EAGLES!
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