Boston College Athletics
Hockey Prepares For Season Opener
October 12, 2000 | Men's Hockey
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2000-01 Boston College Hockey
Omaha Civic Auditorium -- Omaha, Neb. -- October 13, 2000
Game # 1- Maverick Stampede First Round
Boston College (0-0-0) vs Notre Dame (0-1-0)
TONIGHT'S GAME
Boston College opens its 2000-2001 campaign with a trip to Omaha, Neb. for the Maverick Stampede. In the first round the Eagles take on Notre Dame in a 5 p.m. faceoff (6 p.m. Eastern time). Boston College will face the Irish for the 20th time, with BC holding an 11-7-1 advantage to date. BC and Notre Dame last met on November 6, 1998, when the two teams played to a 5-5 tie in Chestnut Hill.
LAST GAME
Senior forward Marty Hughes and freshman forward Ben Eaves each notched one goal and two assists to lead BC in a 6-2 exhibition win over Acadia University. Senior captain Brian Gionta tallied three assists, as the top line of Gionta, Hughes and sophomore forward Krys Kolanos combined for eight points. The three BC goalies each played one period, making a combined 13 saves.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Eagles moved into a tie for fourth place in the most recent (Oct. 9)USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll. The Eagles placed fourth in the USCHO.com Division I preseason poll, behind North Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin.
A RECAP OF LAST SEASON
Led by head coach Jerry York, Boston College returns 18 players from last year's team that finished with a 29-12-1 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's championship game. It was the Eagles' third consecutive trip to the NCAA Frozen Four, losing in the championship game to North Dakota 4-2. The Eagles' 29 wins marked the third season in a row that the program had won 25 or more games.
BC HOCKEY IN THE PRESEASON HOCKEY EAST POLL
Boston College was selected as the pre-season favorite in the 2000-01 HOCKEY EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Eagles gained three of a possible nine first-place votes to finish with 72 points. Boston University, which received two first-place votes, finished second in the poll with 69 points. Maine was picked third (68 points/three first-place votes), while New Hampshire was selected fourth (60 points/one first-place vote).
2000-01 EAGLE CAPTAIN
Senior forward Brian Gionta will serve as team captain for the 2000-01 season. Gionta, the nation's top returning goal scorer, wrapped up last season as the team's second-leading scorer, finishing with 33 goals and 23 assists. A three-time All-America selection and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist, Gionta enters his senior season within reach of BC's career scoring record. He needs 61 points to tie David Emma (1987-91) for the Eagles career scoring record of 239 points.
ASSISTANT CAPTAINS
Seniors Bobby Allen and Mike Lephart will serve as assistant captains this season. Allen earned All-HOCKEY EAST second team honors in his junior season and is the highest-scoring defenseman returning from last year's squad. Lephart, who is the second-leading returning scorer behind Gionta, had 14 goals and 19 assists last season.
INJURIES
OUT - Freshman defenseman Joe Schuman will miss both games of the Maverick Stampede after undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
EAGLES RETURN MAJORITY OF POINT PRODUCTION
Entering this season the Eagles return 59 percent of its overall scoring from last year's team (257 points return from last year's squad that recorded 435 total points). Overall BC returns 61 percent of its goal scorers and 57 percent of its total assists. Last season the forwards scored 332 points (152 goals and 180 assists), 197 of those points (59 percent) will be on the ice for the Eagles this season. Defensively, the numbers are similar, as 58 percent of total scoring by defensemen will be returning.
FORMER LANCERS RETURN TO OMAHA
Senior forward Mike Lephart and freshman forward Ty Hennes return to Omaha after stints with the United States Hockey League's Omaha Lancers. Lephart, a member of the Lancers during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons, posted a league-leading 90 points - 40 goals and 50 assists - setting a team record for goals in a season. In that same season he earned USHL first team accolades and was the Lancers MVP. Hennes spent the last two seasons in Omaha with the Lancers, registering 40 points - 14 goals and 26 assists - in 53 games last season. Hennes served as the team captain for the Lancers last year.
EAVES SELECTED TO HOCKEY EAST'S WEEK ONE HONOR ROLL
Freshman forward Ben Eaves was selected to the Hockey East Honor Roll for his one-goal, two-assist performance in last weekend's 6-2 exhibition win over Acadia.
CLEMMENSEN A LEADER AS A GOALIE
Senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen enters the season as Boston College's career leader in goals against average (2.66), shutouts (10) and wins (69).
CLEMMENSEN/KELLEHER A TOUGH COMBO IN HOCKEY EAST
Last season Clemmensen and sophomore Tim Kelleher finished 1-2 in goals against average in HOCKEY EAST play. Clemmensen allowed just 1.98 goals per game while notching a 9-4 record. Clemmensen captured HOCKEY EAST's 1999-2000 Heaton Goaltending Award for the lowest goals against average in league play. Kelleher was close behind with a 2.13 average, and a 6-4-1 record.
EAGLE NEWCOMERS
The Eagles roster features eight newcomers: five forwards (Justin Dziama, Ben Eaves, Ty Hennes, Chuck Kobasew and Tony Voce) and three defensemen (J. D. Forrest, Brett Peterson and Joe Schuman). The freshmen class accounted for two goals and four assists in their first collegiate action against Acadia.
GIONTA CHASES RECORDS
Captain Brian Gionta enters his senior season within reach of a number of Boston College's career scoring records:
CAREER SCORING
Gionta needs 62 points to surpass Boston College's career scoring record. Gionta enters the 2000-01 campaign with 178 points (90 goals, 88 assists). Number one on the list is David Emma, who tallied 239 points from 1987-91.
CAREER GOALS
By the end of his senior season Gionta could very well hold the title as BC's most prolific goal scorer. Gionta has scored 90 goals as an Eagle, and trails Emma by 22 for the lead in career goals. In his three seasons at BC Gionta has averaged 30 goals per season.
CAREER HAT TRICKS
With one more three-goal game Gionta will tie the record for hat tricks at BC. Over the past three seasons Gionta has registered seven hat tricks. Ray Chaisson (1939-41), Warren Lewis (1946-50) and Scott Harlow (1982-1986) all recorded eight hat tricks during their time at Boston College.
NEXT GAME
After opening the season tonight against Notre Dame, the Eagles will play either host Nebraska -Omaha or Niagara tomorrow (Oct. 14) in the Maverick Stampede tournament's second round.
