Courtesy of http://www.hockeyeastonline.com


October 28, 2002
Weekly Release #5

5-0-0 FOR BOSTON COLLEGE, PROVIDENCE
Eaves, Eagles defeat Denver; Providence goes to 4-0-0
(Download Release in PDF Format)

It's official: Boston College is back.

Despite competing without star center Ben Eaves, who aggravated a rib injury
last week, the Boston College Eagles managed a four-goal first period rally
Friday to topple Wisconsin, 4-2. As an encore, the Eagles skated into Lowell
's Tsongas Arena Saturday and collected a slim 4-3 victory over a team that
swept them last year. The victory lifted BC to a perfect 5-0 for the season,
mirroring the success of Providence.

Providence also got its fifth with a win over Lowell, a 6-5 thriller decided
by Peter Fregoe's overtime score. It was Fregoe's third goal of the game and
second hat trick of the season, making him an easy selection as Player of
the Week. Linemate Jon DiSalvatore had a hand in five of the six Friar
goals.

Northeastern continued its success against top-ranked UNH, managing a 2-2
tie in what turned into a goaltending showcase. Husky Keni Gibson and
Wildcat Mike Ayers combined for 83 saves on the night. NU is now 3-0-2 in
its last five at home vs. UNH.

Merrimack opened the week with a 5-3 win over Boston U., an unexpected
result considering Merrimack was picked to finish last in the preseason poll
while BU was picked to finish first. The Terriers rebounded over the
weekend, emerging the 6-4 victors in a quirky game against Nebraska-Omaha.
Maine earned a shutout win and a tie in a weekend series hosting Western
Michigan.

The new 15-second face-off rule has thus far been a success in speeding up
games and keeping the flow going. Through approximately 20 games, the length
of games has dropped from 2:25 last season to 2:09 this season, prioritizing
quality over quantity.



KOHO PLAYER OF THE WEEK

PETER FREGOE - Providence Senior Forward; Massena, NY Completed his second
hat trick of the young season with the overtime winner against UMass Lowell
Friday. Also contributed one assist to the 6-5 win.



ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

BRENT GOUGH - Merrimack Freshman Forward; St. Albert, AB Posted the first
three points of his career, a goal and two assists, in an important early
Hockey East victory over preseason favorite Boston University.



DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

KENI GIBSON - Northeastern Sophomore Goaltender; Stittsville, ON Career-high
43 saves earned the Huskies a 2-2 tie against top-ranked New Hampshire.
Finished the weekend with a save percentage of .943


HOCKEY EAST HONOR ROLL

Mike Ayers, UNH (Jr. G; Hingham, MA) - Stopped 40 of 42 shots at NU Friday,
preserving a 2-2 tie on the road.

Chris Collins, BC (Fr. F, Fairport, NY) - Rookie contributed two assists in
each of two victories.

Jon DiSalvatore, PC (Sr. F; South Windsor, CT) - Had one goal and four
assists in a 6-5 win over Lowell.

Patrick Eaves, BC (Fr. F; Faribault, MN) - Spearheaded a four-goal first
period rally with two goals and one assist.

Jim Howard, Maine (Fr. G; Ogdensburg, NY) - Held Western Michigan scoreless
on eight power play attempts en route to a 4-0 shutout victory.

Lucas Lawson, Maine (Sr. F; Braeside, ON) - Had two goals and one assist to
lead a 4-0 win over Western Michigan.

Ed McGrane, UML (Sr. F; Hamilton, ON) - Pitched in five points for the
second weekend in a row, three goals and two assists. Has at least one point
in each of six games this season.

Matt Radoslovich, BU (So. F; Wanaque, NJ) - Scored first career goal and was
+2 with an assist vs. Nebraska-Omaha.

Marco Rosa, MC (Jr. F; Whitby, ON) - One goal, two assists led a dramatic
5-3 win over Boston U.

Nolan Schaefer, PC (Sr. G; Yellow Grass, SK) - Stopped 39 shots in surviving
a 6-5 OT win over Lowell Friday.

Stephen Slonina, UML (Sr. F; Abington, MA) - Had a goal and four assists for
a five-point weekend.


WHO'S HOT

J.D. Forrest vs. UMass Lowell - BC's junior defense-man has three goals and
seven assists in seven career games against the River Hawks.

Chris Heisten, ME (Sr. F; Anchorage, AK) - Has three goals in his last three
games after scoring just three total all of last season.

Peter Zingoni, PC (Jr. F; Newtown, CT) - Has six goals in five games this
season, one shy of his career-best of seven, which he set last year.

Top lines at UMass Lowell and Providence - The top two trios in Hockey East
faced off Friday night and collectively contributed 20 points in a 6-5 OT
win for host Providence. Lowell's Hay-McGrane-Slonina line was outpointed
13-7 by PC's DiSalvatore-Fregoe-Rask line. All six players are seniors and
four of them rank in Hockey East's top five overall scorers this season.

Alfie Michaud, Mike Morrison and Matt Yeats - The three former Maine
goaltenders have all been ranked among the ECHL's Top 10 in
goals-against-average in the early going.


TEAM NOTES

Boston College: BC's 5-0 start is its best since the Eagles opened the
1983-84 season at 7-0 ... Ryan Shannon posted a goal and two assists on the
weekend as Ben Eaves' replacement as first line center. Eaves is sidelined
with a rib injury ... Junior forward Ty Hennes scored in each of two games
this weekend. It was the first time in his career that he has scored a goal
in back-to-back games ... BC's penalty-killing unit was a perfect 9-for-9 on
the weekend.

Boston University: Rookie goaltender Stephan Siwiec made his collegiate
debut, stopping 16 shots in a 6-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha ... The Terriers
have given up 15 goals on the season, nine of which have come when the
opponent was on the power play ... Frantisek Skladany has points in four of
the five games so far.

University of Maine: Todd Jackson had a goal in each game vs. Western
Michigan and added an assist in Sunday's 4-4 tie ... WMU had two
five-on-three advantages over the weekend totalling 3:00. Maine did not
allow a goal in either situation.

University of Massachusetts: Rookies Matt Anderson and Stephen Werner each
recorded his first career goal Sunday ... The Minutemen broke out of a power
play slump with a PPG Sunday, their first in eight games dating back to last
season.

UMass Lowell: Defenseman Bobby McCabe and goaltender Dominic Smart each
debuted Saturday. McCabe had an assist and Smart stopped 13 BC shots. BC
netminder Tim Kelleher made 20 saves in limiting UML to just three goals,
its lowest total of the season.

Merrimack College: Merrimack won its Hockey East opener for the first time
since the 1997-98 season. Joe Exter made 29 saves, including stopping all 12
BU attempts in the third period ... The freshman class has accounted for
half of the Warriors' scoring this season ... Merrimack is struggling early
on the power play, with an 0-for-21 showing so far.

University of New Hampshire: The Wildcats' vaunted power play unit was held
scoreless for the first time Friday, as was the top line of
Gare-Hemingway-Prudden ... UNH's next opponent is Merrimack. The Wildcats
own the Warriors at 20-0-4 in the last 24 meetings.

Northeastern University: The Huskies are 8-3-4 in their last 15 games
against teams ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation. They are 3-0-2 vs.
UNH in their last five meeting at NU's Matthews Arena. Northeastern is
scheduled to play seven of its first 10 games against ranked opponents ...
Head coach Bruce Crowder is 8-2-2 in Hockey East openers, 3-0-1 in his last
four.

Providence College: The Friars are 5-0 for the first time since 1976-77.
They have scored at least five goals in each game this season and have
outscored their opponents 32-11 overall. Six of the opponents' 11 goals have
come on the power play.