Sat. January 25, 1997 at Kelley Rink (Conte Forum), Chestnut Hill, MA
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NEW HAMPSHIRE 2 2 1 - 5 (19-6-0 overall, 13-3-0 Hockey East)
BOSTON COLLEGE 1 1 0 - 2 (10-12-3 overall, 6-7-3 Hockey East)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
UNH 6 - 9 - 16 -- 31 8 - 16 0 - 3
BC 9 -17 - 9 -- 35 6 - 12 0 - 5
UNH- Sean Matile 8-16- 9 - 33 saves (60:00)
BC - Greg Taylor 4- 7-15 - 26 saves (58:53)
Full box posted to INFO-HOCKEY-L list.
New Hampshire regained the Hockey East lead with a 5-2 win at BC, coupled
with BU's 3-1 loss to Maine on Saturday night. Solid overall play
and Sean Matile's 33 saves, including many sparkling saves in the second
period, provided the Wildcats with the victory. BC outshot the Cats for
the third time this season but were not able to translate that into goals
and UNH swept BC in the season series 3-0.
First - BC started this game with a quick goal at 0:36. The puck was moved
from behind the net and out to the left point where defenseman Joe Harney
sent a looping shot to the near post. Matile may have been partially
screened as he reacted late and the puck landed in the net. UNH came
right back, though, to even the score at 2:00, when John Sadowski picked
up a loose puck in the slot and wristed a low shot inside the right post.
(The BC defense had an opportunity to clear the puck but tried to skate
it out and lost it to Sadowski.) Another BC defensive breakdown led to
the 2nd UNH goal just a minute and a half later. Defenseman Carlson tried
to block the puck in center ice but missed and UNH was off on a 2-on-1
break. Boguniecki's shot was stopped by Taylor but the rebound was
sitting just outside the crease and a speeding Derek Bekar beat the BC
defense to the puck and swatted it in the net. The rest of the period was
defensive, with few opportunities either way. BC got two point-blank
shots but Matile held his ground.
Second - UNH carried the early play, with Mowers ringing a one-timer off
the crossbar during a 4-on-4. Tom Nolan got his 14th of the season at
6:32 to give UNH a 3-1 lead. Krog and Mowers criss-crossed at the BC
blue line, then Mowers left a nice drop pass to Nolan at the left point.
He stepped in and slammed a high shot into the far side. The Wildcats
continued to dominate, blocking all BC offensive attempts, and forcing
Taylor to make a nice save on a Bekar slap shot. Then UNH took a series
of bad penalties to allow BC to get their offense jump-started (two
hooking penalties while forechecking deep in the BC zone and a hitting
after the whistle that gave the Eagles a 5-on-3 at one point.)
BC put on serious pressure during the power plays, but Matile earned
his number one star award with his work here. At least four BC shots
were labeled for open corners when he blocked them with his glove or
arm, and several other BC attempts went wide or hit the post. UNH was
not able to clear the puck and BC just kept hammering at the net, but
could not penetrate the defensive screen. Finally, after a lengthy
stretch of pressure, Chris Masters came from the corner to the edge of
the crease and was able to stuff home his own rebound at 17:33 to get
the Eagles within one. BC kept the pressure on, and a deflected shot
looked to be dropping over Matile and into the net when defenseman
Murray swatted the puck away with his glove. BC's eagerness to get the
tying goal may have cost them, though, when Bekar and Nickulas worked
hard along the boards to keep the puck in the BC zone and found Eric
Boguniecki all alone in front of the BC net. He lifted a quick shot
over Taylor's blocker to regain the two-goal lead with just 19 seconds
left in the period. This goal changed the complexion of the game, as
BC never was able to recover.
Third - The Wildcats played a strong defensive third period, keeping
BC away from the net and getting good chances of their own on counter-
attacks. An early break by Marty Reasoner was stopped with another
big Matile save, and Taylor did the same on a Mowers breakaway. UNH
then was able to clog the neutral zone to keep most of the play in the
BC end, and when the Eagles did get offensive chances they took outside
shots that were easy stops. This was the only period that UNH had more
of the offensive chances -- the only goal was an empty netter by
Mowers in the last minute of play for the 5-2 final.
UNH continues its mastery of BC in recent times with the sweep. Matile
played two of his better games in the wins at BC this season, and was
spectacular in the second period Saturday. With 5 of their remaining
league games at home and a favorable schedule, UNH is probably the
favorite to capture Hockey East. Their final two road games are at
Maine and BU, though, so it will probably go down to the last weekend.
UNH plays a non-league game at Harvard on Tuesday, Jan. 28, then hosts
Northeastern and UMass-Amherst next weekend.
BC, 3-0-2 in the games before this one, lost an opportunity to make up
ground on UMass-Lowell for 4th place in Hockey East. They have been
generating a lot of offensive pressure but have not been accurate
shooters so that the goals have been hard to come by. In the two games
this weekend, BC "outattempted" the opponents 115-73 and outshot them
(shots on goal) 72-56 but scored only 5 times. Like last year, the
Eagles have been able to win against lesser teams but have not been able
to step up against the better competition (barring the emotional rivalry
with BU.) With Maine ineligible for the playoffs, the Eagles are still
in a good position to end up with home ice for the first round, but
won't go far unless they can become more efficient in their efforts.
The Eagles play next Friday night at on-fire Maine (who have won 8 of 9),
then take on Northeastern in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament
Monday, February 3. Due to a scheduling quirk this year, that game is
also a Hockey East league game.
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Rick McAdoo [log in to unmask]
"Volunteer reporter" A positive BC fan. GO EAGLES!
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to
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