(Box from online sources and my notes)
Saturday, February 21, 2004 at Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA
BC 5, UML 0 HOCKEY EAST GAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON COLLEGE (HE) 1 2 2 - 5 (25-3-4 overall, 16-1-3 HE)
UMASS-LOWELL (HE) 0 0 0 - 0 (8-20-6 overall, 5-11-4 HE)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
BC 14-13-12 -- 39 7 - 14 1 - 4
UML 6- 9-11 -- 26 5 - 10 0 - 6
BC - Matti Kaltiainen 6- 9-11 - 26 saves/0 goals (60:00)
UML - Chris Davidson 13-11- 2 - 26 saves/4 goals (46:38)
John Yaros x- x- 8 - 8 saves/1 goal (13:22)
Referee - John Gravellese
Assistants - Kevin Shea, Jack Millea
Attendance - 5328
1st Period
BC1 Tony Voce 23 (Stephen Gionta, J.D. Forrest) 16:37 GWG
Penalties
UML - Peter Tormey (cross-checking) 5:08
UML - Matt Collar (charging) 19:29
2nd Period
BC2 Dave Spina 6 (unassisted) SHG 15:07
BC Timeout 16:20
BC3 Pat Eaves 13 (Stephen Gionta, Tony Voce) 19:59
Penalties
UML - Kim Brandvold (holding) 2:12
BC - Andrew Alberts (slashing) 8:08
BC - Brett Peterson (hooking) 11:17
BC - Ryan Shannon (interference) 11:47
BC - John Adams (holding) 14:18
BC - J.D. Forrest (slashing) 16:20
3rd Period
BC4 Tony Voce 24 (Pat Eaves, J.D. Forrest) 4x4 6:38
BC5 Joe Rooney 4 (Greg Lauze, Dave Spina) PPG 17:50
Penalties
BC - Adam Pineault (roughing) 6:15
UML - Matt Collar (roughing) 6:15
BC - Dave Spina (hit from behind) 15:17
UML - Cleve Kinley (slashing) 16:11
3 Stars - 1. BC - Tony Voce (2G, 1A)
2. BC - Matti Kaltiainen (26 saves, 0 goals)
3. BC - Dave Spina (1G, 1A)
University of Massachusetts - Lowell:
F MARK PANDOLFO, BEN WALTER, DANNY O'BRIEN
Brad King, Elias Godoy, Rene Gauthier
Andrew Martin, Jason Tejchma, Bobby Robins
Todd Fletcher, Chris Fontas, Peter Hanlon
D MATT COLLAR, CLEVE KINLEY
Peter Tormey, Jake Pence
Kim Brandvold, Jerramie Domish
G CHRIS DAVIDSON, John Yaros, Paul Mammola
Boston College:
F PAT EAVES, STEPHEN GIONTA, TONY VOCE
Joe Rooney, Ryan Shannon, Dave Spina
Chris Collins, Ty Hennes, Ryan Murphy
Adam Pineault, Ned Havern, Justin Dziama
D ANDREW ALBERTS, J.D. FORREST
John Adams, Peter Harrold
Greg Lauze, Brett Peterson
G MATTI KALTIAINEN, Joe Pearce, Robbie Miller
COMMENTS
--------
Boston College completed the weekend sweep of UMass-Lowell with a 5-0
shutout at Lowell Saturday night. It was a much tougher game than the
score would indicate, as BC had to fight off extended UML power plays in
the second period (during which a Lowell goal was disallowed) and then
scored a shorthanded goal and a crushing end-of-period goal to pull away.
Tony Voce got 2 goals for BC and Matti Kaltiainen was stellar in the nets
to claim his third shutout of the season.
BC came out flying in the first period, unlike Friday night, and carried
most of the play from the start. Andrew Alberts and Brett Peterson both
pinched down from the points to get early shots, and Chris Davidson got
plenty of work on an early BC power play. Chris Collins was just wide on
a screened backhand shot, and it looked like BC would run the River Hawks
out of the building. Lowell started to stabilize a bit after that,
getting a couple of quick shots of their own, though their primary play
of the first 14 minutes was an icing of the puck to relieve pressure. It
then looked like Lowell might take the lead against the run of play as
Ben Walter got a loose puck in the slot but fired it wide, then Brad King
stole the puck at the BC blue line and sailed in for a point-blank try.
Kaltiainen came up big, though, flashing a glove to snare the shot. After
UML missed on a cross-crease feed, BC went the other way and got set up
in the zone. J.D. Forrest sent a shot in from the point, Steve Gionta
got a piece of it in front, it was saved, and Tony Voce was right there
to poke in the rebound at the left side for the 1-0 lead. Davidson made
one big save on a BC power play at the end of the period and Lowell was
probably fortunate to only be down 1-0.
The continuing power play to open the second period was all BC possession,
as the puck never left the Lowell zone and the Eagles sent numerous shots
flying at the net (though most were wide of the cage.) Davidson made
another glove save once back at even strength after a Lowell turnover,
and BC had another power play but it was relatively ineffective as UML
settled down a bit. The Eagles cranked up the pressure again as
Voce drove deep and set up Gionta for a point-blank shot that was saved,
then Adam Pineault jumped on the rebound and Davidson came up with another
big save. Forrest fired a shot from the wing, Pat Eaves sailed one just
wide on a break-in, then followed with another hard wrister that ticked
off the goalie's glove and trickled just wide of the post. It was total
BC domination, it seemed. But then it changed, when BC got called for the
first of 5 successive penalties. The first power play didn't produce much
for Lowell, but it got them a breather, and their next power play was very
strong, putting lots of pressure on the BC net. With a mad scramble in
front as a puck was sent through the slot, a Lowell player popped the puck
into the left side of the net as the net came off its moorings. The
referee ruled no goal, as the whistle had blown for a penalty on Ryan
Shannon. Lowell had a full 1:30 of a 2-man advantage, and they had several
good chances, but either fired it wide or Kaltiainen made the save. BC
was helped when a defender lost his stick but had the puck fall under his
body and he lay on top of it to get a whistle. Elias Godoy was just wide
on a clean setup and Jason Tejchma had a slot shot deflected, then BC
was able to get a couple of clearances to relieve the pressure.
BC took another penalty after killing the 5-on-3 (though this one was a
weak call, as the Lowell player just skated into the BC player and then
fell down on him.) Forrest fanned on an attempted clear and Lowell had
a 2-on-1, but Kaltiainen made the save and controlled the rebound. As
things got a bit hectic in the BC end, Lowell committed an infraction and
the ref's arm went up for the delayed call. In the meantime Dave Spina
took off shorthanded on a 1-man attack. He had a defenseman to beat, and
he pushed the puck through the D-man's legs moving right-to-left across
the slot, then reached out to corral the loose puck and flip a backhand
shot over Davidson as he slid to meet the puck for a crucial second BC
goal. It was a very pretty goal that should never have been allowed to
happen (weak D, and Spina celebrated with a little showboating move
afterward. Show some class, Dave.) With the goal, the Lowell penalty
was never called, and BC had to kill the rest of the power play. As they
killed it, though, the Eagles took yet another penalty, and coach York
called a timeout to rest his penalty killers and talk to them about not
giving Lowell these chances. UML didn't do much on the power play but
did continue to put an attack on BC for most of the rest of the period.
With just 10 seconds remaining, BC forechecked hard on a dump-in, and
Gionta worked it free behind the net to Pat Eaves. He turned in the
corner and looked for a passing lane, but with time running out realized
he had to shoot. He fired it from just outside the goal line at Davidson's
pads, and Chris didn't have the post quite covered as it hit his pads and
deflected into the goal just before the buzzer. A killer goal, credited
at 19:59 but really scored with no time left on the clock, and it was
a sign that no matter what they tried, this wasn't going to be Lowell's
night. A horrible goal to give up for the River Hawks.
The third period started with up-and-down chances for both teams. Ben
Walter lost control on a 2-on-1 and only got a weak shot for Lowell, and
Justin Dziama and Pineault had quick shots for BC. Matching penalties
opened up the ice, and Tony Voce got his second of the night when he
picked up a drop pass at the blue line, cut to the middle, and used the
defenseman as a screen as he fired a low, hard shot that Davidson wasn't
ready for and it scored below his pads. John Yaros came in to relieve
Davidson after that goal. The rest of the game was anticlimactic, with
the only question being whether or not Kaltiainen could keep the shutout.
Both teams had decent shots, and the goalies were doing well to save them.
Kaltiainen made a huge save on Danny O'Brien as he came in alone after
a Lowell steal in center ice. BC finished the scoring on a late power play
when Greg Lauze sent a low dart into a mass of bodies in front and Joe
Rooney tipped it past Yaros. With a minute left Tejchma was set up right
in front of Kaltiainen with no one on him and he lifted a quick shot only
to see Matti flash his glove and snare the shot to preserve the shutout.
In many ways this was a game that was dominated by BC, yet until the
shorthanded goal in the second Lowell was right there and might have had
a shot at the upset with a little more luck. But just as in Friday's
game, the Lowell goaltender made some mistakes and the Eagles put the
puck in the net when they had the chance, and Lowell couldn't do the
same to Kaltiainen. This was probably the shutout that Matti had to work
the hardest for, and he played magnificently. It might have been a
different game if the Lowell goal hadn't been called back, or it might
not have been different, with BC carrying much of the play and getting
more shots. The Eagles' talent level continues to carry them, and they
make their own luck with their high-pressure offense and defense.
Lowell needs to get a big game from a goalie and get a little luck to get
out of their post-forfeits slump. It doesn't get any easier for them next
week as they get to face high-flying Maine for 2 games. For BC, the
season-long search for the regular season title continues. With a 5-point
lead on Maine with 4 games to play, BC needs only one more win and one
Maine loss to clinch. BC plays UNH in a home-and-home matchup next week,
and would love to win both to seal the title before the final road trip
to Maine. Regardless of what happens next week, though, they want to
continue the unbeaten streak into the playoffs if they can, to see if they
can duplicate the championship run of the 2001 team.
Rick McAdoo
"Volunteer reporter"
A satisfied BC fan. GO EAGLES!
|
