(Box from BC game summary sheet)
Thursday, March 1, 2001 at Kelley Rink (Conte Forum), Chestnut Hill, MA
BC 6, NU 3 HOCKEY EAST GAME
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTHEASTERN UNIV. (HE) 1 1 1 - 3 (13-16-4 overall, 7-12-4 HE)
BOSTON COLLEGE (HE) 1 3 2 - 6 (25-8-2 overall, 16-5-2 HE)
Shots on Goal Pen - Min Power Play
NU 8- 4-12 -- 24 11 - 41 1 - 8
BC 16-18-11 -- 45 9 - 18 2 - 8
NU - Jason Braun 15-15- 9 - 39 saves/6 goals (59:53)
BC - Scott Clemmensen 7- 3-11 - 21 saves/3 goals (60:00)
Referee - Scott Hansen
Assistants - Bob Bernard, Hans Baker
Attendance - 6812
1st Period
NU1 Graig Mischler 9 (Ryan, Peterman) 3:51
BC1 Jeff Giuliano 11 (Allen, Hughes) PPG 19:29
Penalties
BC - Scuderi (roughing) 11:05
NU - Fahey (tripping) 17:37
2nd Period
NU2 Chris Lynch 12 (Peterman, Mastronardi) 1:30
BC2 Brian Gionta 28 (Eaves, Scuderi) 2:41
BC3 Ty Hennes 2 (Peterson) 15:48
BC4 Chuck Kobasew 20 (unassisted) 17:49 GWG
Penalties
NU - Mischler (hooking) 6:31
BC - Forrest (holding) 11:44
BC - Hughes (cross-checking) 18:40
3rd Period
BC5 Brian Gionta 29 (Eaves, Hughes) PPG 7:05
BC6 Brett Peterson 1 (Kolanos, Kobasew) 8:45
NU3 Trevor Reschny 6 (Ortlip, MacDonald) 12:18
Penalties
NU - Cummings (boarding) 3:31
NU - Reschny (cross-checking) 5:34
3 Stars - 1. BC - Brian Gionta (2G)
2. BC - Brett Peterson (1G, 1A)
3. BC - Marty Hughes (2A)
Northeastern University:
F MIKE RYAN, GRAIG MISCHLER, WILLIE LEVESQUE
Joe Mastronardi, Chris Lynch, Scott Selig
Trevor Reschny, Eric Ortlip, Sean MacDonald
Matt Keating, Kevin Welch, Brian Cummings
D MIKE JOSEFOWICZ, JIM FAHEY
Brian Sullivan, John Peterman
Joe Mancuso, Leon Hayward
G JASON BRAUN, Mike Gilhooly, Matt Coates
Boston College (Senior Night at BC -- seniors marked with asterisk)
F JEFF GIULIANO, BEN EAVES, BRIAN GIONTA*
Tony Voce, Krys Kolanos, Chuck Kobasew
Marty Hughes*, Ales Dolinar, Mike Lephart*
Mark McLennan*, Ty Hennes, Dan Sullivan*
D BOBBY ALLEN*, J.D. FORREST
Brooks Orpik, Bill Cass
Brett Peterson, Rob Scuderi*
G SCOTT CLEMMENSEN*, Tim Kelleher, Tom Egan
COMMENTS
--------
Boston College clinched the regular season Hockey East title with a 6-3
win over Northeastern Thursday night. It was senior Night for BC, the last
regular season home game, and fittingly senior captain Brian Gionta was the
number one star with 2 goals (1 power play) in the game. Freshman defenseman
Brett Peterson was the number 2 star, scoring his first collegiate goal and
also recording an assist. Jeff Giuliano also had a goal and assist, and
senior Marty Hughes got 2 assists, as did Ben Eaves. The Huskies' Graig
Mischler kept his scoring streak alive at 9 games with a point by scoring
the first goal for Northeastern. NU had the early lead in the game but the
Eagles came back with a strong second period to gain control, then put it
away with 2 scores in the third. BC outshot the Huskies by a large margin,
45 to 24.
The first period started sluggishly, both teams feeling out the other. NU
got the momentum first when BC was unable to clear the puck at the point,
allowing Mike Ryan to skate to the middle and fire a wrist shot. The rebound
bounced to the right side of the crease, and Mischler was there to corral it
and fire a backhand into the open side for the early lead. Both teams fired
wide on open shots by defensemen moving into the play, and gradually BC
started increasing forecheck pressure and keeping the puck in the NU zone.
It resulted in a flurry of shots in the middle of the period, hitting the
post twice, and Gionta, Kolanos, and Allen all had good opportunities.
Keeper Jason Braun was able to protect the NU net, holding the lead. NU
was unable to generate any offense on a subsequent power play, but did get
some close-in shots following a BC turnover. They couldn't get a second
goal, though, and BC finally cleared the puck from the zone as McLennan
lifted a soft pass to the NU end. Chuck Kobasew sped down the ice and
got to the puck first, forcing Fahey to trip him to prevent a breakaway.
It looked like the Huskies might keep BC off the board through much of the
man-advantage, but with just 30 seconds left in the period Bobby Allen
sent a floating shot from the left point toward the crease. Jeff Giuliano
deflected the puck in front and lifted it over Braun's shoulder for the
tying goal.
Boston College came out strong in the second period, but it was Northeastern
scoring against the run of play to get a 2-1 lead. Chris Lynch came to the
blue line and fired a soft slapper toward the net. Somehow Clemmensen
misjudged it though he had a clean look and it slipped through the pads for
a weak goal. The Eagles got it right back, though, when Scuderi sent a
shot in from the left point and the rebound bounced to Giuliano to the
right side. He moved to the net for a quick shot which was saved, but the
rebound slid to the left where Gionta collected it and lifted the backhand
into the goal. More BC pressure led to a power play, but Northeastern killed
it well. Play went back and forth in the middle of the period, but BC was
the only team getting any shots, even when they had to kill their own
penalty. Finally, the pressure paid off when the defensemen were able to
keep the puck in at the left point, and Peterson sent a hard shot on net.
The rebound bounced right out to Ty Hennes all alone at the left doorstep,
and he shoveled it through the pads for the first BC lead of the night.
The pace picked up in the last few minutes; Clemmensen made a nice save on
a Mastronardi tip, then Peterman knocked the puck away from Gionta on a
1-man rush. BC again kept the puck in the zone at the left point, where
Kobasew batted it ahead to himself, skated in to the left circle all alone,
and wristed one inside the left post for the 4-2 lead. Braun did not look
good on this shot, as he clearly leaned off the post to the middle of the
goal and it zipped right between his body and the post. NU almost got one
back on a power play when a tipped shot slid through, hit the left post
and bounced out behind Clemmensen. BC held the rest of the way and carried
the 2 goal lead to the third period.
Coach Crowder probably had a talk with his team between periods because
the Huskies worked hard to open the final period. Scott Selig got free in
the slot, moved to the left and fired a shot which somehow failed to go in
a wide-open net, and a rebound was blocked by the defense. The hitting
increased, and NU's Cummings hammered J.D. Forrest along the boards, causing
a temporary injury (Forrest went off but returned shortly thereafter.)
Cummings got a 2-minute boarding penalty, and NU managed to survive that
power play despite a Gionta rocket from the slot. The pressure was extreme,
though, and just as the first PP ended, Gionta was cross-checked down in
front of the net for another power play. That led to a pretty passing play
where Hughes sent the puck to the right circle for Eaves, who had an open
right side to shoot at. As Braun dived back to the right and everyone
expected the shot, he passed it back across the slot to Gionta at the left
side, and he calmly roofed it into the vacated side. Less than 2 minutes
later good cycling work by Kobasew and Krys Kolanos worked the puck free
on the left boards. Peterson pinched in, took the puck from Kolanos and
skated to the lower slot, where he fired a backhand to the far side to make
it 6-2. The rest of the period was up-and-down action, with both teams
having some shots. NU almost scored at the 11 minute mark but Clemmensen
somehow threw his body in front of the shot. A minute later the Huskies had
a 3-on-2 rush, and Eric Ortlip's shot hit the left post. He got the rebound
and moved behind the net, then fed a quick pass to the slot and Trevor
Reschny popped it in for the last goal of the night. The tension was long
gone at this point and it was a fairly quiet last few minutes of the game.
With the crowd down a bit and quiet (due to the Thursday night action?), it
took until the Eagles got some goals to make some noise. It has been since
1991 that the Eagles won the regular-season HE title, and after the last
couple of years (where the formula was inconsistent mid-season and then a
strong finish to the season) it was nice to carry the conference from start
to finish. The current generation of BC students doesn't remember what it
was like in the early/mid-90's when BC was not doing well, so they may not
have appreciated this as much as the long-term fans. It was especially nice
to clinch the title on Senior Night so that all 8 seniors could appreciate
the accolades. Even little-used Dan Sullivan got regular 4th-line shifts
in this game and could enjoy being part of the triumph.
Northeastern tried to play strong, but were not able to slow down the BC
offense once they got the puck into the NU zone. With NU short of bodies
in the defensive corps, that was to be expected, I suppose. NU did get
some goals of their own, but they have to play better defensively if they
want to go anywhere in the league playoffs. Peterman and Fahey did all
right, but the forwards were not much help defensively tonight and let
the Eagles have too much freedom at the points. Unless your goalie comes
up with a monster game, you can't often give up 45 shots on goal and expect
to win.
The seniors took turns carrying around the Hockey East trophy (I can't even
remember if it has a name) after the presentation by commissioner Bertagna.
The crowd lingered, the students kept chanting names and cheering, and it
was a pleasant finish to the regular season at home. It is speculated that
BC may play some other bodies in the season finale at BU on Sunday, giving
Clemmensen a rest, perhaps? That game is on Fox Sports New England.
Northeastern finishes at home Saturday against UMass-Lowell, and will finish
7th or 8th in the league, depending on what happens in the UMass-Amherst
series with UNH. Most likely NU finishes 7th, and will play Providence or
Maine or UNH in the first round of the playoffs. BC will host the 8th
place team next weekend in the playoffs, either Merrimack or UMass-Amherst
in all likelihood (though NU has an outside chance at 8th.)
-------------------- ----------------------
Rick McAdoo [log in to unmask]
"Volunteer reporter" A pleased BC fan. GO EAGLES!
|
