Boston College Athletics
Hockey To Renew Rivalry With Wisconsin
October 30, 2001 | Men's Hockey
Oct. 30, 2001
BOSTON COLLEGE (2-3-1)
at
WISCONSIN (2-2-1)
Friday and Saturday
November 2-3
Kohl Center (15,237)
Madison, Wisc.
8:05 p.m. EST
Complete Boston College - Wisconsin Series Notes in PDF Format
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MEDIA COVERAGE
Friday and Saturday's games will be aired on WTKK 96.9 FM. Friday's game will be aired tape-delayed beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday's game will be aired live at 8:00 p.m. Both games will be carried live over the Internet at www.bceagles.com. Television coverage includes Fox Sports Net North, which will carry Friday night's game live.
THIS WEEKEND'S SERIES
Boston College enters this weekend's series with a 2-3-1 overall record and a 0-2-0 mark in HOCKEY EAST games. The Eagles snapped a four-game winless streak with their 4-1 win over Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 26 at Kelley Rink. BC opened the season with a 5-1 victory at Vermont on Oct. 6, then went winless in four straight games.
Sophomore Tony Voce leads the Eagles in scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in six games, while classmate Ben Eaves is second on the team with eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games.
Wisconsin enters the weekend with a 2-2-0 overall record and a 1-1-0 mark in Western Collegiate Hockey Association games. Kent Davyduke and Alex Leavitt both have recorded five points on the season, each netting two goals and three assists.
AGAINST THE BADGERS - RIVALRY RENEWED
Boston College and Wisconsin will meet for the 14th and 15th times this weekend as the Badgers lead the overall series, 7-6-0. Wisconsin won the last meeting - on Oct. 27, 2000 - in Chestnut Hill, when the No. 1-ranked Badgers defeated the No. 2-ranked Eagles, 3-2, in BC's home opener.
The two teams met for the first time on December 28, 1970 in the second round of the St. Louis Tournament where Wisconsin defeated BC, 7-2. From the 1984-85 season through 1988-89, HOCKEY EAST and the WCHA played an interlocking schedule. The two teams met seven times over that stretch with the Eagles earning a 5-2 advantage. On March 26, 2000, the fourth-seeded Eagles defeated top-seeded Wisconsin in the NCAA West Regional final, 4-1, in Minneapolis, Minn., to advance to the team's third-straight Frozen Four.
Three current Eagles have recorded points against Wisconsin. Senior forward Ales Dolinar has notched one goal and one assist in three games, while classmate Jeff Giuliano has scored one goal in three games. Sophomore forward Ben Eaves registered one assist in last year's meeting.
LAST TIME AGAINST WISCONSIN
Wisconsin's two third-period goals sealed the Badgers' come-from-behind victory over Boston College in the Eagles' home opener on Oct. 27, 2000 at Kelley Rink. BC's Krys Kolanos was involved in both of the Eagles' goals.
Kolanos gave BC a 1-0 lead 5:45 into the game on a power-play goal. The Eagles held the lead until Matt Hussey evened the score on a power play 1:22 into the second period. Ales Dolinar regained the lead for the Eagles five minutes later, again with the man-advantage, but Brad Winchester and Matt Murray scored in the third to lead the Badgers to the victory.
BC outshot Wisconsin 32-20 in the game, but Graham Melanson made 30 saves to keep Wisconsin in the game. Scott Clemmensen made 17 saves in the loss.
WISCONSIN CONNECTIONS
While sophomore forward Ben Eaves is a rising star for the Eagles, his father - Mike '78 - is the career scoring leader for the Badgers. The elder Eaves was a two-time first team All-American (1977, 1978) and recorded 94 goals and 173 assists for 267 points in 160 games from 1974 through 1978 ... sophomore defenseman Joe Schuman's family recently relocated to Spooner, Wisconsin.
AGAINST THE WCHA
This weekend's series will mark the Eagles third and fourth games against WCHA opponents this season. BC has a 0-1-1 record this season against league members after playing both Denver and Alaska-Anchorage in the Seawolves' Nye Frontier Classic earlier in the season. BC fell short in its late-game comeback against Denver, losing 4-3 in the first round of the tournament. In the second round, UAA stormed back in the third period to tie the Eagles, 4-4 ... overall, Boston College has amassed a 61-59-4 mark against the Western Collegiate Hockey Association during the program's history.
LAST TIME OUT
Boston College scored four unanswered goals in the third period to defeat Notre Dame, 4-1, before a sell-out crowd of 7,884 at Kelley Rink. The hockey game was the first contest of Rivalry Weekend, the annual hockey and football meetings between the two schools. Senior captain Jeff Giuliano and freshman forward Dave Spina paced the Eagles with one goal and one assist apiece.
Notre Dame jumped out to a 1-0 lead 4:42 into the game when Aaron Gill scored a power-play goal. BC outshot the Irish in each period, including a 11-4 margin in the first stanza. Boston College evened the scoring at 1:38 of the third period when Spina deflected a Giuliano shot past Irish goaltender Morgan Cey. Freshman Ryan Shannon also assisted on the goal.
The Eagles claimed the lead when Ty Hennes stripped an Irish defender and sent Ales Dolinar in alone for the goal just 1:32 after Spina's score. Giuliano put BC up 3-1 at 10:34 when he converted a Spina pass for the goal. Freshman defenseman Andrew Alberts was also credited with an assist on the goal. Sophomore Ben Eaves scored an empty-net goal at 19:51 to round out the scoring.
Eagle goaltender Tim Kelleher made 16 saves in the win, including eight in the third period. Cey made a career-high 35 stops in the loss.
WHO'S HOT
Tony Voce has netted 10 points - four goals and six assists - in six games ... sophomore Ben Eaves has registered eight points (three goals and five assists) in four games. He missed two games with bruised ribs earlier this season ... the freshman tandem of Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina has recorded 11 points in the last five games. Shannon has notched six points in that span (three goals, three assists), while Spina has recorded five points (three goals, two assists). The two players have alternated goals in the last five games with Spina scoring against Denver (Oct. 12), UMass-Lowell (Oct. 19) and Notre Dame (Oct. 26), and Shannon scoring against Alaska-Anchorage (Oct. 13) and Northeastern twice (Oct. 20).
INDIVIDUAL STREAKS CONTINUE
Sophomore forward Ben Eaves has scored in each of the Eagles' games he's played this season, notching three goals and five assists in four games ... freshman forward Dave Spina has recorded points in each of the last three games. He's scored two goals and two assists in those three games ... Tony Voce's nine-game scoring streak was snapped against Notre Dame.
SENIORS HEATING UP
Although the Boston College senior class consists of only two players - forwards Jeff Giuliano and Ales Dolinar - the pair have been getting hot in the last two games. The duo has combined for six points on three goals and three assists. Giuliano netted one goal and one assist in BC's last game against Notre Dame, while Dolinar scored the game-tying goal against the Irish. In the previous game, Dolinar chipped in one goal and one assist, while Giuliano recorded one assist.
YOUNG IN THE BACK...
The Boston College defense is a young unit that features four freshmen. The lineup has included just one junior (Bill Cass), either two (J.D. Forrest and Brett Peterson) or three (Joe Schuman) sophomores and several freshmen (Andrew Alberts, John Adams and Taylor Leahy) in each game this season.
...AND UP FRONT...
The forward lines for the Eagles also have a youthful look to them as four freshmen have played in each of the six games. Ryan Murphy has been a key component of the second line, while the threesome of Ned Havern, Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina skated together for the first three game before being split up because of the team's injury situation. Ben McManama, also a freshman, has seen action in two games.
In addition to the freshmen, there are four sophomores dressing in the forward lines. Justin Dziama, Ben Eaves, Ty Hennes and Tony Voce have all seen regular action this season.
...BUT THEY'RE LEADING THE CHARGE
The sophomore class has accounted for 45.4 percent of the Eagles scoring this season (eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points). When adding the freshman class' production to the total, the two classes have scored 70.9 percent of the team's points (14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points).
EVERYDAY PLAYER
Senior forward Jeff Giuliano has played in every one of BC's games since his arrival at the Heights in the fall of 1998. He has dressed for each of Boston College's 134 games since his freshman year, recording 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points. He is just 15 points shy of becoming the 58th Eagle to score 100 career points.
LIGHTNING STRIKES EARLY
Twice this season, Boston College has lit the lamp before the first minute of the game had elapsed. In the opening game of the year against Vermont, Ben Eaves scored a power-play goal 45 seconds into the game. In BC's game against Northeastern, Ryan Shannon struck 30 seconds into the game with an even-strength goal ... Jeff Giuliano scored 43 seconds into the third period against Alaska-Anchorage to give BC three goals this season within one minute of leaving the dressing room.
PUCKS HAVING TROUBLE FALLING
Boston College has outshot its opponents five of six games this season. In the first game of the season - against Vermont on Oct. 6 - the Eagles outshot the Catamounts 30-16 and won by a 5-1 margin. In the team's last game, the Eagles threw a season-high 39 shots on net and defeated Notre Dame, 4-1, but overall, the Eagles have faced some stiff goaltending from their opponents.
In the five games BC have outshot its opponents, the Eagles have averaged 33.8 shots per game, while the opposition has averaged 19.4 shots per game.
FINNISH FIRST
Freshman goaltender Matti Kaltiainen is the first non-North American player on the Boston College hockey roster. A native of Espoo, Finland, he played the 2000-01 season for the Espoo Blues of the Finnish Junior League. Kaltiainen made his Eagle debut on Oct. 12 against Denver in the first round of the Nye Frontier Classic. In 59:23 of action, he stopped 21 Pioneer shots in the Eagles' 4-3 loss. He also started the game against Northeastern on Oct. 20.
KELLEHER DEBUTS AS OPENING NIGHT STARTER
For the first time in four seasons, Boston College had a new starter in goal on opening night. Junior Tim Kelleher started in net against Vermont on Oct. 6, marking the first goaltender in four years other than Scott Clemmensen - who graduated in 2001 - to start an opening night game for BC. Ironically, Clemmensen, who signed with the New Jersey Devils after he graduated, made his NHL debut that same night, entering in the third period of the Devils' 6-1 loss to Washington.
EAGLES GET THEIR WINGS
Of the 10 members of the freshman class, four Eagles have already made their marks on the BC statistics. Forwards Dave Spina and Ryan Shannon recorded their first career goals at the Nye Frontier Classic, while goaltender Matti Kaltiainen made his first career start in the tournament against Denver. Defenseman Andrew Alberts recorded his first assist against UMass-Lowell on Oct. 19.
LEAGUE HONOREE
For his five-point performance (three goals, two assists) against Vermont, sophomore Tony Voce earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week honors on Oct. 8.
ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Sophomore forward Ben Eaves and sophomore defenseman J.D. Forrest were both selected to the Nye Frontier Classic All-Tournament Team for their performances against Denver and Alaska-Anchorage. Eaves was tied for the tournament's third-leading scorer, with one goal and two assists and was an active part of the Eagles' power-play unit that went 4-for-11 in the tournament. Forrest, also a member of both the power-play and penalty-kill units, logged nearly half a game on the ice in each of the two games. He also recorded one goal and two assists in the tournament.
2001-02 EAGLE CAPTAIN
Senior forward Jeff Giuliano will serve as the team's captain for the 2001-02 season. Last season, Giuliano set career highs in goals (14), assists (22) and points (36). He is the team's second-highest returning scorer from 2000-01. The Nashua, N.H. product was awarded the James E. Tiernan Memorial Award as the team's Most Improved Player last season. In his first three years at the Heights, Giuliano has appeared in all 128 games the Eagles played, recording 29 goals and 50 assists for 79 total points.
ASSISTANT CAPTAIN
Senior forward Ales Dolinar will serve as the team's assistant captain this season. In his first three years, Dolinar appeared in 123 games, recording 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points. He posted career numbers in both assists (16) and points (23) last season as a junior.
EAGLE NEWCOMERS
Boston College's roster features 10 new players this season: two goaltenders (Matti Kaltiainen and Robbie Miller), four defensemen (John Adams, Andrew Alberts, Taylor Leahy and Ben McManama) and four forwards (Ned Havern, Ryan Murphy, Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina).
OFF-SEASON COMINGS AND GOINGS
Over the summer, three Boston College players opted to forgo their remaining collegiate eligibility and pursue professional careers. Senior defenseman Brooks Orpik signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, while sophomore forward Chuck Kobasew left the Eagles to play in the Western Hockey League. Junior forward Krys Kolanos also decided to pursue professional hockey, joining the Phoenix Coyotes' organization. All three players were first-round draft picks in the NHL Entry Draft.
The Eagles also gained back a player as junior Anthony D'Arpino rejoined the team after playing the latter half of the 2000-01 season with Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League.
CONSISTENCY BREEDS SUCCESS
The Boston College coaching staff is in its seventh season working together, guiding the Eagles. Head coach Jerry York arrived at the Heights before the 1994-95 season and brought associate head coach Scott Paluch with him from Bowling Green. That season marked associate head coach Jim Logue's second with the team. A year later, assistant coach Mike Cavanaugh joined the staff. Since the 1997-98 season, Boston College has recorded a 119-44-13 mark (.713 winning percentage). The Eagles won three HOCKEY EAST Tournaments over that span and were the 2001 national champions.
YORK REWARDED
This summer, head coach Jerry York signed a new, five-year contract that runs through the 2005-06 season. Sixth on the college hockey career wins list, York has led the Eagles to the last four Frozen Fours, culminating in a national championship in 2001. He has also won three HOCKEY EAST Tournament titles and coached 11 All-American selections since arriving back at the Heights.
FAMILIAR FACES STAYING TOGETHER
The Eagles' roster boasts six sets of teammates who played together in high school, as well as at the Heights. Senior assistant captain Ales Dolinar and sophomore Tony Voce were teammates at Lawrence Academy (Mass.). Freshmen Ryan Shannon and Taylor Leahy both came to BC from Taft (Conn.). Sophomore Joe Schuman and freshmen Andrew Alberts both played defense at Benilde-St. Margaret's in Minnesota. Junior A.J. Walker and sophomore Ben Eaves were also linemates at Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) before re-teaming at the Heights. Sophomore Justin Dziama and freshman Ben McManama played alongside each other at Noble & Greenough (Mass.). And, while not a high school team, four players were members of the United States National Development Program teams: junior Bill Cass, sophomore J.D. Forrest, and freshmen Ryan Murphy and Dave Spina.
SUMMER IN LAKE PLACID
Three Boston College players participated in the USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. from August 3-6. Sophomore Ben Eaves and freshmen Ryan Murphy and Dave Spina attended the camp from which the U.S. junior national team will be chosen.
Eaves and Murphy also played with Team USA at the USA Hockey Summer Challenge, Aug. 7-12 in Lake Placid, and are still under consideration for the U.S. Junior National Team that will compete in the 2002 IIHF World Junior Championships to be held in the Czech Republic, Dec. 25-Jan. 4.
UP NEXT
Boston College will return to Kelley Rink to play the first of four-straight home games when the team hosts HOCKEY EAST foe Merrimack on Thursday, Nov. 8 in a 7 p.m. contest.
