Boston College Athletics
Hockey Prepares For Rematch With Notre Dame
November 09, 2000 | Men's Hockey
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Nov. 9, 2000
Tonight's Game: Boston College travels to Notre Dame for a non-league game against the Fighting Irish at the Joyce Center. This is the second meeting between the two schools this season. The Eagles defeated the Irish 4-1 in the first round of the Maverick Stampede on Oct. 13, in Omaha, Neb. Game time is 7 p.m.
Coach York Joins 600-Win Club: Jerry York is in his seventh season as the Eagles' head coach. He heads into tonight's game as the sixth-winningest coach in NCAA history. With the Eagles 6-1 win at UMass-Lowell on Saturday, Nov. 4, York joined an elite group of five other coaches who have 600 or more career victories. His career record stands at 600-438-53 (.578). His record at Boston College is 133-93-19 (.588). In HOCKEY EAST games York's teams are 77-56-14 (.579). He has led his team to the NCAA Tournament eight times, including three consecutive appearances by Boston College in the Frozen Four (1998-2000). His 1983-84 Bowling Green squad finished 34-8-2 and won the national championship.
The Series: Boston College will face the Irish for the 21st time tonight, with BC holding a 12-7-1 advantage. In games played at Notre Dame, the Eagles have a 5-1 record. In games played in Chestnut Hill, the series is tied 6-6-1. BC won the teams' only neutral site game, 4-1, earlier this season at Nebraska-Omaha's Civic Auditorium. Under Jerry York, the Eagles are 4-1-1 against Notre Dame, with a 2-0 mark at the Joyce Center.
Injuries: OUT - Defenseman Brooks Orpik will not play tonight after suffering a quadricep contusion on his left leg against Northeastern on Friday, Nov. 3. The junior has registered one assist on the season. Forward Ben Eaves and defenseman J.D. Forrest, both freshmen, will return to the lineup tonight after missing time due to injury. Eaves missed three games with back spasms, and Forrest missed two games due to a sprained shoulder.
Last Time Out for the Eagles: Luke Earl's goal at 5:03 of the third period gave Yale a three-goal cushion and the Bulldogs withstood a late Boston College surge to gain a 4-3 non-league victory. Mike Lephart cut a 2-0 second-period Yale lead in half at 5:30, only to have Jason Noe answer immediately with a goal of his own to make the score 3-1. The Eagles applied pressure in the final minutes - scoring two third-period goals - but Yale goaltender Dan Lombard proved too tough, making 38 saves for the win. BC's Tim Kelleher stopped 23 Bulldog shots.
First Game Between BC & ND: Junior Jeff Giuliano scored two goals and freshman Ben Eaves added three assists in his collegiate debut as the Eagles opened their season with a convincing 4-1 victory in the first round of the Maverick Stampede on Friday, Oct. 13, in Omaha, Neb. BC jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two periods, but ND's Ryan Dolder spoiled the shutout bid with a goal 43 seconds into the final frame. Brian Gionta tallied two assists for the Eagles. BC goaltender Scott Clemmensen made 25 saves on his way to tournament MVP honors.
BC Penalty-Killing Unit Doing the Job: BC has successfully killed 61 of its opponents' 67 power-play opportunities (.910) this season. Here's a look at how the Eagles' penalty-kill unit has fared this season:
Date Opponent Penalty Kill 10/13 vs. Notre Dame 8-8 (1.000) 10/14 at Nebraska-Omaha 11-12 (.917) 10/20 at Denver 6-6 (1.000) 10/21 at Denver 7-8 (1.000) 10/27 Wisconsin 3-5 (.600) 10/29 UMass-Amherst 9-9 (1.000) 11/3 Northeastern 3-4 (.750) 11/4 at UMass-Lowell 9-9 (1.000) 11/7 Yale 4-5 (.800)
Kobasew Earns HOCKEY EAST Co-Rookie of the Week Honors for the Week Ending Nov.: 4 Forward Chuck Kobasew was named HOCKEY EAST Co-Rookie of the Week after scoring two goals and two assists in the Eagles' 6-1 win at UMass-Lowell on Saturday, Nov. 4. He also notched one assist in BC's 6-3 victory over Northeastern on Friday, Nov. 3. Through eight games Kobasew leads all BC freshmen with 10 points on five goals and five assists. He leads the team in power-play goals (four) and game-winning goals (two). The Osoyoos, British Columbia native shared the award with a former teammate, Sean Fields, a freshman goalie on the Boston University hockey team. Both played for the Penticton Panthers in the British Columbia Hockey League last season.
Clemmensen Named HOCKEY EAST Goaltender of the Month for October: Senior Scott Clemmensen has earned HOCKEY EAST Goaltender of the Month honors for the month of October. Clemmensen had a 4-1 record with a goals against average and save percentage that placed him among the conference leaders. Clemmensen's 1.81 goals against average and 108 saves placed him second in both categories, while his .931 saves percentage was good for third.
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 Petersonand Joe Schuman). So far this season the freshman class has accounted for nine goals and 17 assists in the first eight games of the season.
Eagles on a Power-Play-Goal-Per-Game Pace: Boston College special teams are averaging almost two power-plays goals per game this season. BC has scored 17 power-play goals in its nine games, and has scored at least one power-play goal in every game. The Eagles have scored their 17 power-play goals in 57 opportunities, a .298 success rate. Last season the Eagles scored on 44 of 217 power-play chances, a .203 success rate. BC has also tallied one shorthanded goal. Through nine games, Boston College leads HOCKEY EAST in special teams play. The Eagles are first on the power-play and first in penalty killing.
Eagles Record Five Power-Play Goals in Win Over UMA: BC continued its successful special teams play in its conference-opening, 9-5 win against UMass-Amherst on Oct. 29. The Eagles went 5-for-12 in man advantage situations (.417). It was the first time BC scored five power-play goals since last season's 6-5 overtime win over Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's West Regional, when the Eagles went 5-for-8 on the power-play. In both games BC scored five power-play goals and one shorthanded goal.
Clemmensen/Kelleher a Tough Combo in Net in HOCKEY EAST Play: Last season Scott 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. He 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.
Boston College vs. the CCHA: BC is 33-37-2 all-time against CCHA teams. Earlier this season the Eagles defeated both Notre Dame and Nebraska-Omaha to capture the Omaha Cup as champions of the Maverick Stampede. BC rounds out its non-league slate with two games at the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, MI (Dec. 29-30). The Eagles will open the tournament against CCHA-member Michigan State in the first round, and may meet Michigan in the second round of the tournament. Boston College is 5-15-1 all-time vs. the Spartans, and 2-8-0 against the Wolverines.
BC wins Maverick Stampede Championship: Senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen stopped 36 Nebraska-Omaha shots and senior forward Mike Lephart added two goals as the Eagles beat the Mavericks 5-1 to take the championship of the inaugural Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 14. Krys Kolanos scored one goal and assisted on two others, and senior captain Brian Gionta notched one goal and one assist. Both senior forward Marty Hughes and senior defenseman Bobby Allen had two assists. Clemmensen (MVP), Kolanos, Lephart and Allen earned All-Tournament honors.
BC wins its Third Regular-Season Tournament in Three Years: Boston College's victory over Nebraska-Omaha in the championship game of the Maverick Stampede on Oct. 14 gave the Eagles their third regular-season tournament title in the last three seasons. BC also won the IceBreaker Cup in Minneapolis, Minn. in October 1998 (defeating Ohio State and St. Lawrence), and the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic in Burlington, Vt. in December 1999 (defeating Dartmouth and Vermont).
2000-01 Eagle Captain: Three-time All-America selection and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist Brian Gionta will serve as team captain for the 2000-01 season. Gionta, the nation's top returning goal scorer, has four goals and nine assists in eight games this season. The senior forward wrapped up last season as the team's second-leading scorer, finishing with 33 goals and 23 assists.
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.
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 Tournament's Frozen Four. BC lost to North Dakota 4-2 in the championship game. The Eagles' 29 wins marked the third season in a row that the program had won 27 or more games.
BC Class of 2001: This season's senior class experienced more success in its first three seasons than any other Boston College class entering their final year with the exception of the BC class of 1988, which won 85 games (.702 win percentage) through its first three seasons. The class of 2001 won 84 games in its first three seasons (.705 win percentage) and appeared in the Frozen Four each year, playing for the title twice. The only other BC class to appear in three consecutive Frozen Fours was the 1948-50 Eagles, a team that won BC's sole national championship in 1949.
BC Hockey in the HOCKEY EAST Preseason Coaches' 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).
On the Radio: Tonight's game can be heard on WTKK (96.9 FM Talk). Jon Rish will call the action on the 50,000-watt station. The game can also be heard on the Boston College Athletic Department's official web site at www.bceagles.com.
Next Game: The Eagles return to conference action on Friday, Nov. 17th, when they host Merrimack at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill. Last season the Eagles won two of the three games they played against the Warriors, and have a 28-14 series adavantage over Merrimack. Game time is 7 p.m.
