(Box from my notes, online boxes)
Thursday, November 7, 2002 at Volpe Center, North Andover, MA
BC 7, MC 0 HOCKEY EAST GAME
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BOSTON COLLEGE (HE) 3 1 3 - 7 (3-0-0 HE, 6-0-1 overall)
MERRIMACK COLLEGE (HE) 0 0 0 - 0 (1-2-0 HE, 2-4-1 overall)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
BC 14-10-13 -- 37 7 - 14 2 - 7
MC 4- 6- 3 -- 13 8 - 16 0 - 5
BC - Tim Kelleher 4- 6- 3 - 13 saves/0 goals (60:00)
MC - Joe Exter 11- 9- 2 - 22 saves/6 goals (44:26)
Casey Guenther x- x- 8 - 8 saves/1 goal (15:34)
Referee - Scott Hansen
Assistants - Joe Andrews, Hans Baker
Attendance - 2914
1st Period
BC1 Pat Eaves 7 (Ben Eaves, Tony Voce) 3:27 GWG
BC2 Andrew Alberts 1 (Dave Spina, Ned Havern) PPG 7:34
BC3 Justin Dziama 1 (Bill Cass, Brett Peterson) 8:49
Penalties
MC - Nick Cammarata (obstruction-interference) 5:36
BC - Bill Cass (cross-checking) 10:34
MC - Blake Stewart (hit after whistle) 10:34
MC - Brendon Clark (holding) 16:31
BC - Andrew Alberts (charging) 16:45
MC - Brent Gough (hooking) 17:35
BC - Ben Lovejoy (boarding) 19:59
2nd Period
BC4 Brett Peterson 3 (Ryan Murphy, Ty Hennes) 15:09
Penalties
BC - Ben Lovejoy (holding) 3:25
MC - Rob LaLonde (hooking) 4:03
MC - Tony Johnson (slashing) 10:27
BC - Stephen Gionta (unsportsmanlike conduct) 12:53
3rd Period
BC5 Ryan Murphy 2 (Ty Hennes, Stephen Gionta) 2:15
BC6 Ben Eaves 2 (Tony Voce, Pat Eaves) 4:26
BC7 Ty Hennes 3 (Ben Lovejoy, J.D. Forrest) PPG 12:46
Penalties
BC - Justin Dziama (hitting from behind) 6:12
BC - Stephen Gionta (elbowing) 9:15
MC - Brendon Clark (roughing) 11:41
MC - Cam DeYoung (holding) 13:33
3 Stars - 1. BC - Brett Peterson (1G, 1A)
2. BC - Ben Eaves (1G, 1A)
3. BC - Ty Hennes (1G, 2A)
Boston College:
F TONY VOCE, BEN EAVES, PATRICK EAVES
Chris Collins, Ryan Shannon, Dave Spina
Ryan Murphy, Ty Hennes, Stephen Gionta
A.J. Walker, Ned Havern, Justin Dziama
D J.D. FORREST, PETER HARROLD
Andrew Alberts, Ben Lovejoy
Brett Peterson, Bill Cass
G TIM KELLEHER, Matti Kaltiainen, Robbie Miller
Merrimack College (lines not accurate):
F BRENT GOUGH, MARCO ROSA, MATT JOHNSON
Alex Sikatchev, Tim Reidy, Nick Pomponio
Nick Torretti, Lucas Smith, Ryan Cordeiro
Brendon Clark, Derek Kilduff, Blake Stewart
D ERIC PEDERSEN, BRYAN SCHMIDT
Nick Cammarata, Tony Johnson
Cam DeYoung, Rob LaLonde
G JOE EXTER, Casey Guenther
COMMENTS
--------
Boston College thoroughly dominated Merrimack Thursday en route to a 7-0
blanking of the Warriors. Another quick start for the Eagles got them on
top
early and they played a strong 60-minute game to remain undefeated. All
parts of the team were involved in the scoring, from the top line down to
the 4th line, and the defense played well, scoring goals as well as shutting
down the Merrimack attack. Tim Kelleher picked up his 2nd Hockey East
shutout of the year but was largely untested (he was not one of the 3 stars,
unusual for a shutout effort.)
BC got their first shot on goal just 29 seconds into the game, and Merrimack
got one of their better chances on a tip in front by Tim Reidy that hopped
over the net. The Eaves brothers combined for the first score, with frosh
Pat popping one in from the slot on a feed from Ben (his first game back
after some rib problems.) BC pushed the lead to 2 at the end of a power
play when a seeing-eye shot from the right point came through a screen and
slid inside the left post. Shortly after that Justin Dziama got his first
of the year when he came down the right side on a 3-on-2 and flipped one
past Joe Exter from a sharp angle. Merrimack had few chances up to this
point and were unable to get any momentum going. Penalties in the second
half of the period made play choppy but there did not seem any threat to the
BC goal.
The second period was still carried by BC, but the Warriors did get a few
shots on power plays. The Eagle defense was up to the task, though,
extending their penalty kill streak to 4 games (0-18 in that stretch.)
Exter did his part to hold the fort, gloving a Ryan Murphy shot toward an
open net on a 2-on-1, and getting some better help from his defense on 2
BC power plays. Kelleher had his best saves of the night on a MC power play
around 13 minutes, and the end of that kill led to the 4th goal. Steve
Gionta came out of the box and BC got a breakaway rush. The shot was saved
but Ty Hennes worked it free behind the net and a centering pass came all
the way to the center point. Brett Peterson collected it and send a shot
through a crowd to the net, where it dropped through the 5-hole. (It may
have deflected off a defender.) BC ended the period with momentum, with
Exter holding the fort against shots by Shannon, Pat Eaves, and Ty Hennes
fired just wide from the slot. It would have taken a miracle for this
game to change to Merrimack's favor, and it didn't happen.
The third period was a case of one team feeling the fire and the other just
trying to survive it. All 4 BC lines carried play and had chances, and it
didn't take long for the score to mount. Steve Gionta hustled past a slow
defender to take the puck off the end boards and feed it to the slot, where
Ryan Murphy spun a low shot past the goalie. After Kelleher turned aside
one of the few MC shots, BC scored again, with Voce and Ben Eaves working
the puck free behind the net. Eaves walked out on the right side and lifted
a backhander that went off the goalie and the crossbar before dropping in
behind Exter. Casey Guenther came in at that point to man the nets for
Merrimack, though it didn't make much difference. BC was slowed down only
when they took a couple of penalties and had to kill them off. Merrimack
took another penalty after that, and the Eagles got their 2nd power play
goal to close the scoring when Hennes pounced on a rebound in front after
a shot from the point.
This was about as one-sided a game as you'll see in Hockey East. Merrimack,
who had beaten BU and played UNH tough on the road, was not ready to handle
the quickness of BC this evening, for whatever reason. The Eagles played
as good a game as they have played all year, getting strong play from all
4 lines and getting great play from defensemen Brett Peterson and Bill Cass,
a pair who sometimes have been criticized for lackluster play. The 3rd
line of Ty Hennes, Steve Gionta, and Ryan Murphy were dominant when they
were on the ice, involved in 3 of the 7 goals. Perhaps the return of
Ben Eaves to the lineup got the lines set properly again, I don't know, but
there were not many moments when there was any doubt about this game.
Merrimack had to be very disappointed by their effort tonight. Exter was
not as sharp in goal as he has shown in the past, and the rest of the team
was not successful in controlling the puck, especially along the boards.
Merrimack tried to come out with an aggressive forecheck style, but it
didn't work too well and they couldn't maintain it. Once they got behind
in the first few minutes, it was an uphill battle and they couldn't break
through the BC defense to get a goal. They will certainly have to play
better than this to compete in Hockey East.
BC is off this weekend, playing next at Providence on Tuesday, a tough
road contest. Merrimack has a tough game of their own, visiting Boston
University Saturday. BU will surely be out for some revenge for their loss
to Merrimack earlier in the season, so it should be a difficult task for
the Warriors.
Rick McAdoo
"Volunteer reporter"
An observant BC fan. GO EAGLES!
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