(Box from BC game summary sheet)
Saturday, February 14, 2003 at Kelley Rink (Conte Forum), Chestnut Hill, MA
BC 6, UMA 1 HOCKEY EAST GAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UMASS-AMHERST (HE) 0 1 0 - 1 (16-8-5 overall, 12-6-2 HE)
BOSTON COLLEGE (HE) 4 1 1 - 6 (23-3-4 overall, 14-1-3 HE)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
UMA 9- 6- 1 -- 16 10 - 20 0 - 1
BC 11- 8-10 -- 29 4 - 8 2 - 7
UMA- Gabe Winer 7- 7- 9 - 23 saves/6 goals (60:00)
BC - Matti Kaltiainen 9- 5- 0 - 14 saves/1 goal (56:22)
Robbie Miller x- x- 1 - 1 save /0 goals ( 3:38)
Referee - Jeff Bunyon
Assistants - Joe Ross, Steve Arnold
Attendance - 5789
1st Period
BC1 Pat Eaves 10 (J.D. Forrest, Ryan Shannon) PPG 5:27
BC2 Ned Havern 6 (Peter Harrold, John Adams) 5:40 GWG
BC3 Pat Eaves 11 (Tony Voce, J.D. Forrest) PPG 15:00
BC4 Ryan Shannon 9 (Chris Collins, Dave Spina) 15:27
Penalties
UMA - Tim Vitek (obstruction-hooking) 5:06
BC - Pat Eaves (tripping) 6:13
UMA - Kevin Jarman (obstruction-hooking) 7:15
UMA - Peter Trovato (holding the stick) 14:19
UMA - Mike Warner (interference) 20:00
2nd Period
UMA1 Stephen Werner 6 (John Luszcz) 14:40
BC5 Pat Eaves 12 (Tony Voce, Stephen Gionta) 19:08
Penalties
None
3rd Period
BC6 Tony Voce 21 (Pat Eaves, Ty Hennes) 9:10
Penalties
UMA - Nick Kuiper (charging) 9:51
BC - Brett Peterson (hit after whistle) 9:51
UMA - Stephen Werner (hit after whistle) 9:51
UMA - Josh Hanson (tripping) 12:51
BC - John Adams (roughing) 17:43
UMA - Stephen Werner (roughing) 17:43
BC - Justin Dziama (holding) 19:28
UMA - Dominic Torretti (holding) 19:28
3 Stars - 1. BC - Pat Eaves (3G, 1A)
2. BC - Tony Voce (1G, 2A)
3. BC - J.D. Forrest (2A)
University of Massachusetts - Amherst (line sheets not available, I
constructed this from observation):
F JOHN TOFFEY, PETER TROVATO, STEPHEN JACOBS
Greg Mauldin, Tim Vitek, Chris Capraro
John Luszcz, Mike Warner, Stephen Werner
Kevin Jarman, Obi Aduba, Josh Hanson
D Mark Matheson, NICK KUIPER
THOMAS POCK, Jeff Lang
Marvin Degon, Dominic Torretti
G GABE WINER, Tim Warner
Boston College:
F PAT EAVES, STEPHEN GIONTA, TONY VOCE
Chris Collins, Ryan Shannon, Dave Spina
Joe Rooney, Ty Hennes, Ryan Murphy
Ned Havern, Brian Boyle, Justin Dziama
D ANDREW ALBERTS, J.D. FORREST
John Adams, Peter Harrold
Brett Peterson, Greg Lauze
G MATTI KALTIAINEN, Joe Pearce, Robbie Miller
COMMENTS
--------
Boston College apparently is comfortable with the nation's number one
ranking, as they finished off a weekend sweep of league contender UMass-
Amherst with a convincing 6-1 win Saturday night at Chestnut Hill. 2 pairs
of quick goals in the first period built a 4-0 lead and Pat Eaves scored
the third of his hat trick night late in the second to deflate the
Minutemen and prevent any sort of comeback idea. Eaves had 4 points on
the night, assisting on Tony Voce's goal in the third; Voce had 3 points
as the top line for the Eagles was effective this evening. Steve Gionta
only got an assist on one goal but was setting screens right in front of
the net on the 2 BC power play goals by Eaves. J.D. Forrest continued
his strong defensive play of late, and added 2 assists to get third star
honors.
After BC controlled much of the game in Friday night's contest in Amherst
(won by the Eagles 5-2), UMass tried some different players in this game to
no avail. BC dominated the first period. Joe Rooney had an open shot from
the slot that Gabe Winer had to save, then John Adams fired a wrist shot
off the crossbar. More BC pressure led to a power play, and it only took
20 seconds to get the first goal. The puck was worked around the left side
and back to the point for Pat Eaves, and he fired a low wrist shot with
Gionta cutting in front for a screen. It looked like the puck deflected
off the defender and skipped low past Winer, rolling slowly into the goal.
From the ensuing faceoff, BC got the puck to the left wing to Ned Havern,
who came in to the circle unmolested and zinged a shot into the far side
netting just 13 seconds later for a quick 2-0 lead. The Minutemen worked
hard after that, trying to be physical and clogging up the neutral zone,
and it mostly worked to slow down the BC offense. However, it also meant
that UMass wasn't generating any offense of their own, as BC matched their
physical play. Most UMass shots, when they came, were from outside and
not a great threat. (The in-period shot clock only gave them 4 shots on
the period, though it was later changed to say 9. I think that was high,
as most of their shots seemed to deflect off the defense and not make it
to the goal.) Teams traded power plays and continued tight checking through
the middle of the frame, then a monster shift by the BC first line put
tons of pressure on Winer's net and forced a penalty in front. This
power play ended up much like the first one, with Pat Eaves firing a shot
into a screen in front set by Gionta, and the puck found its way into the
netting at the 15 minute mark. And again BC scored on the next shift after
the power play. Chris Collins fought off a check and reversed direction
behind the net, then zipped a pass to the slot where Ryan Shannon was
camped all alone. He one-timed a low shot past the goalie and BC was
cruising, 4-0. UMass stepped up the pressure but it didn't generate much
useful offense.
The second period opened with more BC possession on a power play, and play
was up-and-down for some minutes after that. Then UMass started to get
some offense, being more aggressive on the forecheck and bottling up the
puck in the BC zone. Josh Hanson just missed a tip-in at the far post
on a 3-on-2 break, then the puck was thrown into the crease and bounced
around. A UMass forward batted it toward the net behind Matti Kaltiainen,
but it deflected out and the Minutemen remained scoreless. BC stepped up
their defensive effort and it was a tight, back-and-forth period with few
shots at that point. Dave Spina broke in on a quick BC counter but Winer
made the pad save, and UMass finally got on the board when Stephen Werner
collected a drop pass and was given way too much time and space by the
Eagle defense. He measured the goal and fired a sharp wrister off the far
post and it bounced into the net. UMass kept up the pressure from that
goal and forced BC to scramble a bit defensively, but the Eagles defense
was able to keep the puck to the outside and not threaten their goal. In
the final minute of the period the BC top line struck again to put a
nail in UMA's coffin and deflate their comeback attempt. Strong work by
Gionta and Tony Voce on the forecheck eventually got the puck free for
Voce as he skated deep along the boards toward the net. Just before he
passed behind the goal he slipped a quick pass to the slot for Eaves, who
was waiting for the easy 1-time shot past Winer. This goal completely
changed the tone of the game for UMass, as they did not come out in the
third period with the same effort.
BC carried the play early in the last period, putting some pressure on
the UMass goal, though no great shots resulted. A weak penalty call in
neutral ice gave BC a power play, but Winer was able to make the saves he
needed to, and UMass had a brief shorthanded bid turned away. (The call
was weak because the 2 players collided as they were just criss-crossing
heading for each other's bench. To be fair, though, the UMass player saw
the collision coming and took the opportunity to blindside the BC player,
and that is what the referee saw.) Play was a bit physical from that
point forward. BC got the final goal on a pretty play from Eaves and Voce.
Voce passed to Eaves cutting across the blue line from right to left, and
Eaves dropped the pass in the middle for Voce to collect with speed. He
was able to scoot past the defense and sail down the slot with time to
make several back-and-forth jukes, then slid right and lifted a backhand
over the shoulder for the nice finish. Within the next minute a rough
charging penalty slammed Chris Collins into the boards and a minor scrum
broke out, giving BC another power play. Tempers were high, and BC had
plenty of pressure on the opportunity but no score. (Somewhere in the
scramble in front Marvin Degon got whacked with a high stick and came
off bleeding from the bridge of his nose, but the ref didn't see it.)
After that power play ended BC got another one (with a very long delayed
call, BC holding the puck over 30 seconds before a stoppage.) Things were
quiet on that power play and it was evident nothing more was likely to
happen in the game, so coach York put third string goalie Robbie Miller
in the game for the final 3+ minutes. He got to make the only save of
the period in the BC net to the fans delight (UMass only had one shot on
goal in the third.) Late penalties due to wrestling matches (no real
trouble) produced a quiet 4-on-4 stretch at the end, and the Eagles wrapped
up a big weekend sweep of their closest pursuer in Hockey East.
This was an impressive weekend by BC, coming off an emotional overtime win
in the Beanpot and freshly installed as the nation's number one team. With
UMass right behind them in the standings, and with a sellout crowd in
Amherst Friday night, I thought they would be vulnerable. But they played
well Friday in scoring 5 on Winer. So I thought UMass would really be
tough Saturday night, wanting some revenge for Friday. Maybe they did want
the revenge, but BC was not allowing them to satisfy that urge, dominating
the game from the start. After struggling to get anything by Sean Fields
in the Beanpot, BC potted 11 goals this weekend on a fairly decent
defensive team. That is a good sign. And they continue to win minus their
top center, Ben Eaves. Many have pointed out that the team is able to put
out 4 effective lines, and the defense continues to play well. It makes it
hard for an opponent to get any breathing room during a game, and eventually
the Eagles are able to wear down the other teams. J.D. Forrest has stepped
up his play noticeably on the defensive end, and it has made things harder
for the opponents.
UMass is a good team that struggles a bit in scoring goals. Their defense
has been pretty good this year, but they got in a quick hole in this game
and it was difficult to overcome. They worked hard and didn't give up, but
aside for some stretches of the second period they were not able to impose
their will on any part of the game. They needed a low-scoring affair in
order to win, and that didn't happen in either weekend game. The losses
drop UMass back to a second-place tie with Maine, though both BC and Maine
have 2 games in hand on the Minutemen. UMass does have a chance to end
strong, though, with 2 games next week with a struggling BU squad, then has
a week off before closing with 2 with Northeastern, the current
cellar-dweller.
BC continues to impress in their ability to play well week after week.
Even in games where they make mistakes and have letdowns, they manage to
win or tie. Except for one forgettable night after New Year's (a 3-0
loss to Northeastern) and an off night at Merrimack (4-4 tie), they have
won 17 of the last 19. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they will have to
continue to play well from here on out. 2 games next week against UMass-
Lowell, then 2 with nemesis UNH, and a tough 2-game set at second-place
Maine to close out the league schedule. Then into the playoffs and the
NCAA's. With the number one bullseye on their backs. History and
perspective tells me it is unlikely they make it to the playoffs without
at least one, and more likely two more losses. Once the playoffs start,
anything can happen in those, though BC has been pretty successful in
playoff hockey in the Jerry York era. It's been a fun season for BC
fans so far, and they are all giddy with the idea they might win it all
in Boston in April. The odds are against that, of course, but right now
BC is the favorite. Time will tell how it turns out.
Rick McAdoo
"Volunteer reporter"
A satisfied BC fan. GO EAGLES!
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