Boston College Athletics
Hockey Seeking Third Straight HOCKEY EAST Title
March 15, 2000 | Men's Hockey
Friday's Game: The Eagles continue their quest for a third straight HOCKEY EAST Tournament championship when they face the second-seeded Wildcats ... BC is 1-2 against New Hampshire this season ... The Eagles won the last meeting, 4-1, at Kelley Rink (Feb. 20) ... Boston College also defeated the Wildcats in the 1999 tourney final, 5-4, on an overtime goal by Blake Bellefeuille ... The winner of Friday's Boston College-New Hampshire matchup will face the winner of the 4 p.m. semifinal between #1 Boston University and #4 Maine. The title game will begin Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Record-Setting Defenseman: Senior All-America defenseman Mike Mottau continues to leave his mark on the Boston College record book. Tonight marks the 158th game of Mottau's career, which ties the BC career games-played mark shared by Kevin Stevens (1983-87) and Brendan Buckley (1995-99). Mottau is also one assist away from tying the Eagles' career assist record of 127, held by 1991 Hobey Baker winner David Emma. Mottau already holds the Boston College record for career points and career assists by a defenseman.
Record-Setting Defenseman II: Mottau has also set HOCKEY EAST records for most points and most assists by a defenseman. In 96 league games, Mottau has 93 points -- 14 goals and 79 assists. The old marks of 90 points and 64 assists were previously held by Maine's Jack Capuano (1985-88).
Streaking: Forwards Blake Bellefeuille and Brian Gionta have both scored at least one point in each of the last seven games. During their seven-game streaks, Bellefeuille has 10 points -- two goals and eight assists -- while Gionta has 11 points -- seven goals and four assists. Bellefeuille had a team-high 10-game scoring streak earlier this season.
Victory March: Of the 24 players on the Boston College roster, 19 have never lost in the month of March. The current freshman class has won all four of its March games, while the sophomores are a perfect 12-0-0. BC's junior class is 18-0-1 in the month of March. Only the Eagle seniors have ever experienced defeat during the third month of the year, posting a 20-2-2 mark. Boston College has a 20-game March unbeaten streak dating back to March 14, 1997. The Eagles have won their last 17 March games, including 10 straight in HOCKEY EAST Tournament play. BC has also won its last nine one-goal games in March, a streak dating back to March 1, 1997.
Last time out: Freshman forward Krys Kolanos scored the game-winning goal at 10:34 of the third period to lift the Eagles to a 3-2 win over Northeastern on Mar. 11, giving Boston College a sweep of its HOCKEY EAST quarterfinal series. Seniors Mike Mottau and Blake Bellefeuille each added one goal and one assist for the Eagles, while junior defenseman Bobby Allen had two assists. Junior goaltender Scott Clemmensen picked up his 15th win of the season.
Natural Born Killers: Boston College's penalty-killing unit, ranked second in the nation, set a HOCKEY EAST record by stopping 91.9 percent of its opponents' man-advantage situations (125 of 136) during regular-season league play ... Before giving up a power-play goal against UMass on Feb. 26, BC had killed 49 straight penalties dating back to the first period of a Jan. 28 win at Maine ... The Eagles have an .889 penalty killing percentage overall (184 of 207) through 36 games.
Finishing The Job: Boston College is 21-2 this season when leading after two periods ... The Eagles have outscored their opposition by a 57-23 margin in the third period this season, including five-goal outbursts in the final stanza against Brown on Jan. 2 and against Providence on Jan. 23.
Fresh Face: Freshman forward Krys Kolanos has been coming on strong for the Eagles down the stretch. Since breaking a 17-game goal-scoring drought on Jan. 14, Kolanos has collected 22 points -- 15 goals and seven assists -- in 18 games, including two hat tricks and two two-goal games. In his last four games, Kolanos has eight points -- six goals and two assists. He also has two game-winning goals, both against Northeastern (Mar. 2, Mar. 11). Kolanos has earned HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Week honors each of the last two weeks.
Secretary of Defense: Senior defenseman Mike Mottau, a two-time All-American, is making his case as the nation's top player ... Mottau anchors the league's top-ranked defense and the nation's second-ranked penalty-killing unit ... Mottau also has five goals and 33 assists through 36 games. Earlier this season, Mottau broke the records for most career points and assists by a Boston College defenseman. He has 152 points in his career -- 26 goals and 126 assists.
Net Profits: Boston College has two of the nation's top goaltenders -- freshman Tim Kelleher is fifth in the nation with a 2.02 GAA overall, while junior Scott Clemmensen is 11th with a goals against average of 2.18 ... Kelleher earned HOCKEY EAST Goalie of the Month honors for January after going 4-1-1 with a 1.42 GAA and .940 save percentage and one shutout ... Clemmensen, who holds school records for shutouts in a career (10) and in a season (five), was HOCKEY EAST Goalie of the Month for February, posting three shutouts to go with a 1.09 GAA and .957 save percentage ... The two finished 1-2 in HOCKEY EAST in goals against average and have combined for a school-record seven shutouts this season.
Marching Along: Junior goaltender Scott Clemmensen was good enough to earn HOCKEY EAST Goalie of the Month honors for February, but he has been unbeatable at BC during the month of March. In his first two-plus seasons, Clemmensen has compiled an 18-0-1 record in March, posting one shutout and allowing one goal on four occasions.
Offensive Defensemen: Boston College's defensemen have been more productive offensively this season than the front lines of many other clubs. Through 36 games, the Eagles have gotten 101 points -- 12 goals and 89 assists -- from their defensemen. Senior Mike Mottau leads all defensemen in HOCKEY EAST with 38 points -- five goals and 33 assists. Junior Bobby Allen (3-21-24) is also among the team's top scorers, and junior Rob Scuderi (1-11-12) has also reached the double-digit mark. Junior Marty Hughes, who moved up to the frontline midway through the season, had 11 points -- three goals and eight assists -- in 16 games as a defenseman.
On The Front Line: Since the Jan. 23 game against Providence, when junior defenseman Marty Hughes was moved forward to join Brian Gionta and Blake Bellefeuille on the Eagles' first line, the trio has been giving opponents fits. In 15 games together, the Hughes-Bellefeuille-Gionta line has combined for 47 points -- 21 goals and 26 assists -- an average of 3.13 points per game. Gionta has 15 goals and five assists in the last 15 games.
Rapid Fire: Boston College has outshot its opponent in 30 of 36 games this season. The Eagles are 22-7-1 when they finish with the higher shot total. BC is also 22-6-0 when it scores first and 19-2-1 when scoring four or more goals.
Movin' On Up: Senior forward Jeff Farkas is tied for sixth on the Eagles' all-time scoring list. Farkas has 185 career points -- 84 goals and 101 assists ... Junior forward Brian Gionta is now 10th on the school's all-time list with 171 points (86 goals, 85 assists), while senior forward Blake Bellefeuille is 12th with 167 points (74 goals, 93 assists) ... Senior defenseman Mike Mottau is first among all BC defensemen and tied for 21st overall with 152 points.
On The Defensive: Boston College has surrendered two or fewer goals in 26 of its 36 games this season. The Eagles are currently among the nation's leaders in scoring defense with a 2.13 GAA ... They have posted seven shutouts this season.
Hat Tricks: With his three-goal effort against New Hampshire on Feb. 20, junior forward Brian Gionta recorded his seventh collegiate hat trick. Gionta is now just one short of the school's career record (eight) held by Ray Chaisson (1939-41), Warren Lewis (1947-50) and Scott Harlow (1982-86).
National Ranking: The Eagles are ranked eighth in the most recent (Mar. 13) U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) poll and are seventh in the most recent (Mar. 13) USA TODAY/American Hockey Magazine poll.
HOCKEY EAST Statistics: Boston College finished the regular season at the top of most of the league's statistical categories. The Eagles led the league in offense (3.97 GPG overall, 3.79 league) and defense (2.09 GAA overall, 2.08 league). BC's penalty-killing unit was the best in league history, stopping 91.9 percent of its opponents' man-advantage situations.
National Statistics: Through 36 games, the Eagles rank among the nation's leaders in several statistical categories. Boston College ranks second in the nation with an .889 penalty-killing percentage (184 for 207). The Eagles are also third nationally in scoring defense (2.14 goals allowed per game) and fourth in scoring offense (4.06 goals per game).
HOCKEY EAST Records: Boston College set HOCKEY EAST records for shutouts in a season by a team (five) and an individual (three, Scott Clemmensen) .... The Eagles also broke the league record for best penalty-killing percentage. The Eagles killed 91.9 percent (125 of 136) penalties in HOCKEY EAST play. Maine held the old record of 90 percent (105 of 118, set in 1991-92) ... BC narrowly missed the league mark for fewest goals allowed in league play, surrendering just 50 in 24 games (2.09 GAA). New Hampshire allowed 49 goals last season.
On the air: Boston College hockey can be heard on WESX (1230 AM), WJDA (1300 AM) and on the Eagles' Official Athletic Site, www.bceagles.com. John Rish and former BC and NHL star Tim Sweeney call the action.
The Head Coach: Now in his 28th year as a collegiate head coach, Jerry York has an impressive 589-434-53 (.572) record, ranking him sixth on the NCAA's all-time winningest coaches list ... Now in his sixth year at Boston College, York has a 122-89-19 (.572) mark as the Eagles' head coach.
Consistency breeds success: Associate head coaches Jim Logue and Scott Paluch and assistant coach Mike Cavanaugh once again join Jerry York to form the Eagle coaching staff. It marks the fifth year in a row that the staff has remained intact. In addition to being on the same staff, Cavanaugh played for Logue at North Andover High School, while Paluch played his college hockey under York at Bowling Green.
#2 Bobby Allen: The junior defenseman has 24 points - three goals and 21 assists - in 36 games this season ... He has six multiple-point games to his credit ... Allen had two assists against Northeastern (Mar. 11) ... He also had one goal and one assist at Northeastern (Mar. 2) ... He had a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maine (Nov. 14) ... Allen has also had two-assist games against Minnesota (Oct. 30), Northeastern (Nov. 12), and UMass-Lowell (Jan. 14).
#3 Mike Mottau: The senior defenseman and team captain, who anchors the league's top-ranked defense and penalty-killing unit, is fourth on the team in scoring through 36 games ... Mottau has 38 points - five goals and 33 assists ... The Hobey Baker candidate has 13 multiple-point games this season, including a one-goal, one-assist effort against Northeastern (Mar. 11) ... He had a three-assist effort at New Hampshire (Feb. 20) and also has eight two-assist games ... At the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic in Burlington, Vt. (Dec. 29-30), Mottau had a pair of multiple-point games - one goal and one assist against Dartmouth, and two assists at Vermont ... He had two assists against UMass-Lowell (Jan. 14), breaking records for most career points and assists by a BC defenseman ... Mottau is second on BC's career assist list with 126, one behind all-time leader David Emma (1987-91).
#4 Brooks Orpik: The sophomore defenseman has 10 points - one goal and nine assists - in 32 games this season ... Orpik has two multiple-point games this season, both against Northeastern ... Orpik had a career-best three assists against the Huskies in the HOCKEY EAST quarterfinal opener (Mar. 10) and also had two assists at Northeastern (Mar. 2).
#5 Bill Cass: The freshman defenseman, who has appeared in 35 games, has registered nine points - one goal and eight assists this season ... Cass had his first collegiate three-point game in a 7-2 win at Northeastern (Mar. 2), tallying one goal and two assists ... He also registered two assists in a 6-0 win over Providence (Jan. 23) ... Cass missed the second game of the Eagles' quarterfinal series with Northeastern (Mar. 11) because of an injured shoulder.
#6 Marty Hughes: The junior forward scored the game-winner against UMass-Lowell (Jan. 14) ... He also had the game-winning goal at UMass-Lowell (Feb. 4) ... Hughes has 21 points - four goals and 17 assists - in 36 games, including two-assist efforts at UMass-Amherst (Oct. 23), at Providence (Jan. 22), and against Northeastern (Mar. 10).
#7 Rob Scuderi: The junior defenseman has one goal and 11 assists in 36 games this season ... Scuderi scored his first goal of the season in an 8-0 win over Providence (Feb. 11).
#10 Jeff Giuliano: The sophomore forward has 22 points - nine goals and 13 assists - in 36 games ... He has three multiple-point games this season ... Giuliano had two assists in a 3-2 win over Maine (Jan. 28) ... He had two goals and one assist in a win over Merrimack (Oct. 19) ... Giuliano had one goal and one assist against Minnesota (Oct. 29).
#11 Krys Kolanos: The freshman forward has 31 points - 16 goals and 15 assists - through 36 games ... He has nine multiple-point games, including two hat tricks ... Kolanos has 13 points - eight goals and five assists - in six games against Northeastern, including one goal and two assists in the first game of the HOCKEY EAST quarterfinals (Mar. 10) and the game-winning goal in game two (Mar. 11) ... He had three goals in a 7-2 win at Northeastern (Mar. 2) ... Kolanos has earned HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Week honors three times (Feb. 14 , Mar. 6, Mar. 13), including each of the last two weeks ... He tallied his first career hat trick, also against Northeastern, in the first round of the Beanpot (Feb. 7), tallying three goals and one assist in a 6-0 win ... Kolanos had two goals and two assists in an 8-0 victory over Providence (Feb. 11) ... He also scored two goals in a 6-0 win over the Friars (Jan. 23) ... Kolanos had one goal and one assist in his collegiate debut against Bowling Green (Oct. 15) ... He also has three two-assist games this season.
#12 Brian Gionta: The junior forward and assistant captain has 49 points - 29 goals and 20 assists - in 36 games ... His 29 goals rank second nationally ... Gionta had two goals against Northeastern in a quarterfinal win (Mar. 10) ... He earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Month honors for February, becoming the first player to receive the award twice this season (he also earned the honor in December) ... The Hobey Baker candidate has 26 goals and 13 assists in the last 26 games, including eight multiple-goal efforts ... He has 15 multiple-point games this season ... He led HOCKEY EAST with 20 goals in 24 league games and finished second in the league in scoring with 30 points ... Gionta registered his seventh career hat trick in a 4-1 win against New Hampshire (Feb. 20) ... He earned all-tournament honors at the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic, tallying a hat trick in a win against Dartmouth (Dec. 29) and adding three assists in a 5-4 victory over Vermont (Dec. 30) ... Gionta leads the Eagles with five game-winning goals ... He has earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week honors twice this season (Jan. 17 and Feb. 21).
#13 Blake Bellefeuille: The senior forward and assistant captain is third on the team with 44 points - 15 goals and 29 assists - in 35 games ... He registered 16 points - seven goals and nine assists - during a 10-game scoring streak (11/30/99 to 1/22/00), the longest on the team this season ... Bellefeuille currently has a seven-game scoring streak dating back to the Eagles' 4-1 win over New Hampshire (Feb. 20) ... He has 11 multiple-point games this season, including a one-goal, one-assist effort against Northeastern in the quarterfinal round (Mar. 11) ... He had two goals in a 6-2 victory over UMass-Lowell (Jan. 14) and added three assists in a win over Dartmouth (Dec. 29) ... Bellefeuille earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week honors for the week ending Nov. 8.
#15 Ales Dolinar: The sophomore forward has 18 points - nine goals and nine assists - in 36 games ... Dolinar has five multiple-point games this season ... He had four goals and five assists during a six-game scoring streak (1/22 to 2/11) ... Dolinar had one goal and one assist in a 6-0 Beanpot win over Northeastern (Feb. 7) ... He had the game-winning goal and one assist at Maine (Jan. 29) ... Dolinar had one goal and one assist at Providence (Jan. 22) ... He scored two goals, including the game-winner, against Harvard (Dec. 10) ... Dolinar had two assists against Boston University (Jan. 8).
#18 Mark McLennan: The junior forward has six points - four goals and two assists - in 31 games ... He has two game-winning goals this year, including one against Northeastern in the first game of the HOCKEY EAST quarterfinals (Mar. 10)... McLennan had his first career multiple-point game against Providence (Feb. 11), collecting two assists ... McLennan also scored the game-winner in a 3-1 victory at Yale (Jan. 16).
#19 Jeff Farkas: The senior forward ranks among the nation's leaders with 53 points - 28 goals and 25 assists - in 35 games ... Farkas is tied for sixth on the school's career scoring list ... The Hobey Baker candidate had two goals and two assists in a 8-4 win over Northeastern (Mar. 10), his fourth game with four or more points this season ... Farkas registered his fifth career hat trick against Boston University (Mar. 5), scoring one goal in each period with one power-play goal and one shorthanded tally, the hat trick was his 50th career multiple-point game ... Farkas has 14 multiple-point games this season, including three hat tricks ... He had a five-goal effort against Vermont (Dec. 30) and scored three goals against UMass-Amherst (Oct. 23) ... He also had a two-goal, three-assist outing at Merrimack (Oct. 19) ... Farkas earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Month honors in October and has twice captured the league's Player of the Week honor (10/25 and 1/2) ... He earned MVP honors at the Sheraton/Howard Bank Hockey Classic in Burlington, Vt. (Dec. 29-30) ... Farkas leads BC with four shorthanded goals and 10 power-play goals this season.
#23 Kevin Caulfield: The senior forward, known more for his physical play, has 18 points - four goals and 14 assists - in 36 games ... He has two game-winning goals - against Bowling Green in the season opener (Oct. 15), and against Brown (Jan. 2) ... Caulfield also scored against Merrimack (Oct. 19) and at Providence (Jan. 22) ... More recently, he had a pair of two-assist games -- against Boston University (Mar. 5) and against Northeastern (Mar. 10).
#27 Mike Lephart: The junior forward has 29 points - 12 goals and 17 assists - in 36 games this season. He has enjoyed eight multiple-point games, including a recent string of three straight (Mar. 2, Mar. 5, Mar. 10) ... Lephart had one goal and one assist in an 8-4 win over Northeastern (Mar. 10) ... He had two assists in a 6-2 win over Boston University as well as in a 7-2 win at Northeastern (Mar. 2) ... He also had two assists in an 8-0 win over Providence (Feb. 11) ... He scored the tying goal as the Eagles rallied for a 4-4 tie with Boston University (Jan. 8) ... Lephart posted one goal and one assist in BC's 6-2 win over Brown (Jan. 2) ... He also had one goal and one assist in a 7-2 home win over Merrimack (Oct. 19) ... He scored one goal and added one assist in a 6-1 win over Dartmouth (Dec. 29).
#1 Tim Kelleher: The freshman has seen action in 17 games and sports a 10-5-1 record ... He ranks first among HOCKEY EAST goalies and sixth in the nation with a 2.02 GAA and .919 save percentage ... Kelleher made 27 saves in a 4-1 win over New Hampshire (Feb. 20) ... He stopped all 29 shots in a 6-0 victory over Providence (Jan. 23), his second career shutout ... Kelleher earned HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Week honors for the week ending Jan. 23 and was the league's Goalie of the Month for January ... He made 24 saves, including 14 in the third period, in a 3-1 victory at Yale (Jan. 16) ... He recorded his first collegiate shutout in a 4-0 win over Merrimack (Dec. 7).
#30 Scott Clemmensen: The junior has a 15-5-0 record and a 2.18 goals against average in 22 games this season ... He posted his 10th career shutout in a 2-0 win at UMass-Amherst (Feb. 25). It was Clemmensen's fifth shutout of the season, breaking his own single-season school mark ... Clemmensen earned HOCKEY EAST Goalie of the Month honors for February after going 3-1-0 with a 1.09 GAA and a .957 save percentage in five games ... He broke Jack Fitzgerald's (1922-25) mark of eight career shutouts in an 8-0 win over Providence (Feb. 11), his third straight shutout ... He went 216:06 without allowing a goal during that streak ... Clemmensen was named HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week (Feb. 14) ... He made 35 saves in a 6-0 win over Northeastern (Feb. 7) and had 35 saves in a 3-0 win at Maine (Jan. 29) ... Clemmensen earned HOCKEY EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors (Jan. 30) ... He shut out Harvard, 3-0, making 24 saves (Dec. 10) ... Clemmensen had his first assist of the season against UMass-Lowell (Jan. 14).
