Boston College Athletics
Boston College
7-7-0, 3-4-0HEA
Providence
7-5-1, 5-3-0HEA
Men's Hockey Shutout at Providence, 1-0
November 29, 2014 | Men's Hockey
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Boston College ran into Providence goaltender Jon Gillies on Saturday night who turned aside all 43 Eagle attempts as BC dropped a 1-0 decision at Schneider Arena.
Boston College backstopper Thatcher Demko kept up his end of the deal with a career-high 37 shots on 38 Friar attempts.
The Eagles had several opportunities throughout the night as sophomore Ryan Fitzgerald and senior Quinn Smith lead BC with five shot attempts each.
Ross Mauermann’s tally at 1:59 of the third period stood as the game winner.
The first period passed without any goals, but each club had their chances. After a 4-on-4 situation subsided and the Eagles were on the penalty kill, rookie Zach Sanford blocked a shot on the blue line and slid it over to sophomore Ian McCoshen on the left flank. McCoshen ripped it at Gillies, but he scooped it with the mitt to keep it scoreless.
With 3:15 left in the first, PC’s Mark Jankowski rang one off the pipe from the right dot, but no one was in play for the rebound as the teams subsided scoreless through the opening 20 minutes.
Defense persisted throughout the second, particularly with the netminders.
Providence’s Brandon Tanev nearly provided catharsis from the scoring drought at the 7:00-minute mark with a breakaway on Demko. Tanev tried to swing the puck around to his backhand and lost it with no one around him and Demko paddled it away to prevent the scoring threat.
After the Eagles killed off Fitzgerald’s hooking call cited at 13:23, PC’s Noel Acciari missed by a couple inches off of Tanev’s rebound from the backboards.
Boston College returned the scoring threat after senior Cam Spiro was in position to put back McCoshen’s blast from the point, but the puck took a deplorable bounce and he was not able to get enough lumber on it to get off a shot.
With under a minute to play in the second period, Demko made the stop of the game, robbing a Tanev one-timer in between the circles with 42.9 seconds left on the clock. Demko read the play the whole way and snared the puck out of thin air with the glove save.
Ross Mauermann’s tally a 1:59 into the third broke the defensive standoff.
Jankowski lifted the puck off an Eagle turnover on the left point. Jankowski wheeled it around top and slid it into a cutting Mauermann through the slot. Mauermann crossed up Demko and tucked it away left side for the 1-0 lead.
Fitzgerald nearly tied the game up with 5:30 left in the final frame after redirecting junior captain Michael Matheson’s blast from the point. Fitzgerald tried to go five-hole with the tip, but Gillies close the pads and kept it a 1-0 affair.
Boston College called timeout with 1:38 remaining in regulation, but could not penetrate Gillies.
The Eagles’ penalty-killing unit denied all six Providence power plays while the power play finished 0-for-3.
Boston College will stay on the road in league play, venturing north to take on New Hampshire on Friday night at the Whittemore Center. Friday’s game will be contested at 8 p.m. and broadcast live to a national television audience on NBC Sports Network. The following night, BC hosts UNH in the final Hockey East contest of 2014.
Game Notes
- Thatcher Demko’s 37-save performance marked a career high, eclipsing his old mark of 36 set at Minnesota last season on Oct. 25, 2013.
- Boston College has not lost to Providence at Schneider Arena since Oct. 31, 2006.
- The Eagles have not been shutout twice in a season since 2011-12. Boston College went on to win the national title in Tampa that season.
