Subject: UMass-Lowell at BC, Fri. 10/19/2001, late box/comments

(Box from BC game summary sheet)
Friday, October 19, 2001 at Kelley Rink (Conte Forum), Chestnut Hill, MA
UML 7, BC 2                 HOCKEY EAST GAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UMASS-LOWELL (HE)           3  3  1 - 7     (2-0-0 overall, 1-0-0 HE)
BOSTON COLLEGE (HE)         1  1  0 - 2     (1-2-1 overall, 0-1-0 HE)

       Shots on Goal       Pen - Min    Power Play
UML    15-11-10 -- 36        9 - 29       1 - 6
BC     10- 3- 8 -- 21        7 - 14       1 - 7

UML- Jimi St. John       9- 2- 8 - 19 saves/2 goals (60:00)
BC - Tim Kelleher       12- 8- 9 - 29 saves/7 goals (60:00)

Referee - John Gravellese
Assistants - Tom Quinn, Joe Andrews
Attendance - 6386

1st Period
 UML1 Laurent Meunier 1 (Allison)                          5:03
  BC1 Dave Spina 2 (Voce, Forrest)                4x3 PPG  7:59
 UML2 Jerramie Domish 2 (Treille)                         10:10
 UML3 Darryl Green 1 (Strome, Storm)                      11:27 GWG

  Penalties
   BC - D'Arpino (interference)                            5:12
  UML - bench minor (too many men) served by Hay           6:01
   BC - Hennes (slashing)                                  6:45
  UML - Domish (slashing)                                  7:39
  UML - Domish (roughing)                                  7:39
  UML - Amar (hitting after whistle)                      15:42
  UML - Amar (hit from behind - 5 min.)                   18:15
        served by Kotyluk
  UML - Amar (game misconduct (10 min.))                  18:15

2nd Period
  BC2 Tony Voce 4 (Alberts, Forrest)                  4x4  2:33
 UML4 Ed McGrane 1 (Slonina)                          SHG  8:09
 UML5 Steve Slonina 1 (McGrane)                       SHG  8:29
 UML6 Josh Allison 1 (McGrane, Domish)                PPG 10:51

  Penalties
   BC - Havern (interference)                              1:12
  UML - Gustafson (cross-checking)                         7:27
   BC - Voce (unsportsmanlike conduct)                     9:06
   BC - Shannon (hit from behind)                         13:35
  UML - Fontas (interference)                             17:09

3rd Period
 UML7 Jerramie Domish 3 (Meunier)                          0:24

  Penalties
   BC - Alberts (interference)                             1:03
   BC - Hennes (holding)                                  10:05
  UML - Green (tripping)                                  14:30

3 Stars - 1. UML - Ed McGrane (1G, 2A)
          2. UML - Jerramie Domish (2G, 1A)
          3. BC - Tony Voce (1G, 1A)

University of Massachusetts-Lowell:
F GEOFF SCHOMOGYI, Dan Fontas, Steve Slonina
  Mark Concannon, ED MCGRANE, YORICK TREILLE
  Peter Hay, Laurent Meunier, Tom Rouleau
  Niklas Storm, Anders Strome, Kevin Kotyluk
D BAPTISTE AMAR, CHRIS GUSTAFSON
  Josh Allison, Jerramie Domish
  Darryl Green, R.J. Tolan
G JIMI ST. JOHN, Cam McCormick

Boston College:
F JEFF GIULIANO, ALES DOLINAR, TONY VOCE
  Joe Schuman, Ty Hennes, Ryan Murphy
  Anthony D'Arpino, A.J. Walker, Justin Dziama
  Ned Havern, Ryan Shannon, Dave Spina
  Ben McManama
D John Adams
  Andrew Alberts, J.D. FORREST
  BRETT PETERSON, Bill Cass
G TIM KELLEHER, Matti Kaltiainen, Robbie Miller


COMMENTS
--------
UMass-Lowell finally broke a 4-year losing streak to Boston College with
a strong 7-2 win last Friday night at BC.  The River Hawks scored 2 short-
handed goals in just 20 seconds in the second period to blow open a close
game and give them a quick start to their Hockey East season.  Ed McGrane
and Steve Slonina combined for the shorthanded scores, and Jerramie Domish
scored twice as UML got 4 goals from their defensive corps in a dominant
performance.

The UML players had never beaten BC and were motivated to come out fast and
physical, knowing that the Eagles were young and inexperienced, combined
with the fact that Ben Eaves was injured and would not play for BC.  The
River Hawks had played BC tough during the 2nd half of last year and were
expected to be a tough matchup early in the season, and it turned out to be
so.  The experience difference was very evident in this game; BC played 9
players who were freshmen or had few games last year, while UML had only 2
freshmen in the lineup.  BC had 2 seniors, UML had 9.

Lowell carried the play early in this one, putting on a lot of forechecking
pressure from the start.  BC's Bill Cass made an early mistake of skating
right in front of his goalie with the puck and almost had it whacked off his
stick and into the net; that was a sign of the lack of intelligence BC had
on this night.  Laurent Meunier opened the scoring when he took a drop pass
in the left circle on a 3-on-2 and hammered a hard shot at Kelleher.  He
got a piece of it but it bounced up in the air and down behind him, then
bounced into the net.  A series of penalties followed, with both teams
getting power play chances.  BC evened the score on a 4-on-3 power play,
with a shot from the point resulting in a rebound to the left side, where
frosh Dave Spina pushed it into the open side.  (It was announced initially
as Ryan Murphy's goal but the score sheet changed it.)  Tony Voce made a
strong rush through the center of the UML defense after that for another
BC power play chance but his rebound attempt went wide.  Jerramie Domish,
who had been in the box for a double minor, came out and immediately was
sent away up the left side for a 1-man rush.  He flew around the defense
and cut to the front of the goal, where Kelleher sprawled out to try to
block the shot.  Domish managed to carry it past the keeper and slid it
into the open right side of the net to put Lowell up for good.

Just over a minute later, UML forechecking turned the puck over for Darryl
Green, who wheeled off the boards at the top of the right circle and fired
a wrister that landed in the far netting for a 3-1 lead.  Kelleher appeared
to be screened on the shot.  Lowell kept up the pressure at that point,
with several chances.  BC's Ned Havern got a breakaway shot on a long
pass, but was unable to beat Jimi St. John.  BC had a chance to get back in
the game when frosh Baptiste Amar took 2 foolish penalties late in the
period.
The first was a hitting after the whistle for a free shot after an icing
was called, then he got a major and game misconduct for a hard check from
behind on Jeff Giuliano, who tumbled headfirst into the end boards.  BC
had lots of possession but few shots, and UML had the better chances at
the end of the period on some shorthanded counterattacks.

The 2nd period opened with BC still on the major power play, and Voce rang
one off the pipe early.  Giuliano had the puck poked free on a nice play by
the UML defense, but BC kept the pressure on, playing much better than the
first period.  Finally Havern was sent in clean on a breakaway -- his shot
was saved, but a trailing forward popped the rebound into the open net.
No goal, though, as Havern was called for interference with the goalie
after he steamrolled St. John after the initial save.  BC did score a minute
later, though, when Voce was sent in clean again with a nice pass at the
blue line.  He drove into the left circle and fired in through the 5-hole
to get BC within one.  Play was more intense at this point, with the Eagles
playing better and both teams working hard.  UML finally took another
penalty under pressure, and BC was hoping to equalize.  The game turned,
though, when hard work by the Lowell forecheckers (combined with sloppy
play by BC) turned the puck over for 2 shorthanded goals.

First, BC got caught trying to pinch in at the blue line and UML went the
other way on a 2-on-1.  Steve Slonina was able to reach the puck and get it
past the defenseman to the slot, where Ed McGrane hit a one-timer through
Kelleher.  Off the ensuing faceoff, BC mishandled the puck high in their
own zone, McGrane picked it off and sent a backhand pass across to Slonina
breaking down the center of BC's ice.  He fired a high shot that ricocheted
in off the crossbar for a 5-2 Lowell lead, and the air was taken out of
the game at that point.  BC's Voce took a silly penalty shortly after that,
shooting the puck at the goal after an offside whistle, and UML took
advantage.  Nice puck movement got the puck back to the right point, then
over to the left where a hard shot was sent to the goal.  It was deflected
in front by an unattended Lowell forward and into the net, 6-3 UML.  (The
goal was credited to Josh Allison, but almost all agree that it was tipped
in front by a Lowell player, not a BC defender.  Still, the goal went to
Allison, who sent it in from the blue line.)  BC took a timeout to regain
some composure, but it was evident that they were not going to make a
comeback under these terms.  BC did carry some play late in the second
period but was unable to score.

The third period opened with the final UML goal, when it was pushed back to
the right point off a faceoff and the resultant shot deflected through a
screen and past Kelleher.  The period showed up-and-down play but was
noticeable mostly for injuries.  Tony Voce left the ice briefly after a
collision left him limping, and St. John was down with some sort of problem
midway through the period (UML thought Voce had hit him with some sort of
retaliation?  The refs didn't see the goalie collapsed at his net for some
seconds, and made no call.)  With 5 minutes left in the game the most
serious injury came to Lowell's R.J. Tolan, who tried to block a slap shot
from the point and was hit in the throat with the puck.  He immediately
came off the ice, was helped over the boards clutching his throat, and then
kneeled in the walkway awaiting medical attention.  A doctor was summoned
to the UML bench area, and Tolan was examined briefly before going to the
locker room.  He was moving okay and it seemed that he would be all right.
Later, at the hospital, he apparently had problems breathing and underwent
some throat surgery; he is expected to recover, but it is not known how
long he will be out.  The game ended pretty quietly, with neither team
threatening to score.

Lowell deserved this win, no doubt, as they were the faster, stronger,
harder-working, more skilled and less mistake-prone team.  In essence, what
you would expect of an early-season matchup with a decent, experienced team
versus a young, inexperienced one.  Yes, BC has lots of talent, but at this
level, it takes a while for the young players to adjust and understand what
they need to do to win in Hockey East.  Combine that with Lowell's desire to
end an ignominious losing streak and the result was not unexpected.  The
final margin was a surprise, but if BC doesn't give up the sloppy
shorthanded
goals, and Ben Eaves plays to steady the BC power play and offensive
organization, it might have been a very close game.  (Sure, and if any of
a hundred different things happen, every game could be a close game, right?)

I know it has been said a lot, but it really struck me how young BC is when
I looked at the changes in this lineup versus the relative lack of changes
from last year's Lowell team.  Lowell returned all defensemen except Ron
Hainsey (yes, a big loss, but not as big as BC suffered), had a senior
goalie, and had lots of players with lots of HE experience on the front
lines.  BC played 5 defensemen, and 2 of them who were expected to be solid
had bad games (Cass and Forrest).  Kelleher was okay in net, but gave up a
couple of goals that he would like to have back.  On offense, BC had one
line
of decent offensive players with experience, the top group, and only Voce
had a good game out of that group.  (Giuliano may have been feeling the
results of his head-first bang into the boards in the first period, but he
didn't do much before that, either.)  The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines were
either
all freshmen, last year's 4th liners, or converted defensemen with little
experience.  All the potential talent in the world in some cases, but it
will take time for them to learn.

I think Blaise MacDonald will continue to get good play from his team in
Hockey East.  They may not always play with the effort and motivation they
showed in this one, but there are a lot of good signs for Lowell so far
(and they've opened the season 3-0, not too bad, but they have yet to hit
the iron.)  I think they will end up higher than the preseason predictions.
BC, on the other hand, may take a bit longer to come around than predicted.
Ben Eaves will return at some point, but this team is dangerously thin, and
can't afford many injuries.  If their primary offensive threats or
experienced defensemen are out or don't play well, it could be a
surprisingly
long season.  Coach Jerry York keeps telling everyone that he likes his
team, he just thinks they won't be fully competitive until later in the
year.  I think that is a fair assessment.  If the young players come around
and don't get discouraged by a slow start, they should be all right.  Ryan
Shannon and Dave Spina have shown some good offensive instincts, and Tony
Voce is playing well.  BC's goalies need to improve, and fast, because this
team is going to need them to make stops when the defense breaks down, in
a way they didn't have to do last year.

The rest of Hockey East and other teams will be happy to pay the Eagles
back for the last 4 years of BC success, I'm sure, so they'll have to get
used to the idea that everyone will play them hard.  With time, though, I
think they'll be okay, and expectations amongst the knowledgable aren't
super-high this year.  Next year, I think more will be expected.

UML won again Saturday night over UConn to go 3-0, but gets to try their
luck against Providence this Friday, a tougher opponent.  BC hosts Notre
Dame on Friday and will attempt to get back into the win column; it is
important they do so, as they have a very tough 2-game trip to Wisconsin
the week after that.

Note on post: I finally have a machine at home that works, so I hope to
make posts on a more timely basis from here on out.  Because things seem so
quiet on the list, I figured it was worth sending this late.  I know a few
of you do read these ...  :-))