Boston College Athletics
Hockey To Play Two At Maine
December 05, 2001 | Men's Hockey
Dec. 5, 2001
No. 14/14 Boston College (8-5-1, 4-3-0 HEA)
at
No. 15/15 Maine (7-5-2, 3-2-0 HEA)
Friday and Saturday, December 7-8, 2001
Alfond Arena, Orono, Maine
7:00 p.m.
Boston College-Maine Weekend Notes in PDF Format
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THIS WEEKEND'S SERIES: Boston College enters this weekend's two-game series with Maine with a 8-5-1 overall record and a 4-3-0 mark in HOCKEY EAST games. The Eagles have won six of their last seven games and are currently in a third-place tie in the HOCKEY EAST standings. Last weekend, Boston College split a pair of games, falling at New Hampshire, 5-4 in overtime, and defeating Massachusetts, 4-0 at home. BC is ranked 14th both of the latest polls.
A trio of sophomores leads the Eagles in scoring. Ben Eaves leads the team with 23 points - eight goals and 15 assists - in 11 games, while Tony Voce follows with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 14 games. Defenseman J.D. Forrest is third with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 14 games.
Maine enters the weekend with a 7-5-2 overall record and a 3-2-0 mark in league games. Maine also split its games last weekend, defeating Massachusetts, 6-1, and falling at New Hampshire, 4-1. Maine is 15th in both of the latest polls.
AGAINST THE BLACK BEARS: Boston College and Maine have met 70 previous times with the Eagles holding a 39-28-3 series advantage. Last season, the Eagles swept all four meetings, including a 3-1 victory in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round. BC has defeated the Black Bears in six of the teams' last seven meetings. The Eagles' seniors are 8-5-0 against Maine.
On Dec. 10, 2000, Boston College defeated Maine, 7-2 in Orono. Thirteen different Eagles recorded points and Maine was forced to use three different goaltenders in the game. In the second meeting of the season, on Jan. 26 at Kelley Rink, Mike Lephart scored the game-winning goal in the third period as the Eagles' defense shut down the Black Bears in the 4-1 victory.
The following evening BC completed the regular-season sweep when Brian Gionta scored five goals on five shots in the first period as the Eagles went on to their second 7-2 win of the season over the Black Bears. BC earned their fourth-consecutive bid to the Frozen Four with its 3-1 victory in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament on March 24 in Worcester, Mass.
Senior Ales Dolinar is the leading Eagle scorer against the Black Bears, netting three goals and four assists (seven points) in 13 games. Classmate Jeff Giuliano has recorded two goals and four assists (six points) in 13 games. Sophomore Tony Voce has netted five points - one goal, four assists - in four career games against the Black Bears.
LAST TIME AGAINST MAINE: Chuck Kobasew's goal broke a third-period, 1-1 stalemate as Boston College defeated Maine in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round on March 24, 2001 in Worcester, Mass. With the win, the Eagles advanced to their fourth-straight Frozen Four.
After two scoreless periods, Jeff Giuliano broke into the scoring column with a power-play goal 35 seconds into the frame. Maine quickly tied the score at 1:41, before Kobasew netted a pass from Krys Kolanos and Tony Voce for the game-winning goal. Rob Scuderi added a late power-play goal at 17:31 to secure the victory. Scott Clemmensen made 29 saves in the win.
LAST TIME OUT: Tony Voce netted two first-period goals and added an assist, while Ben Eaves recorded three assists in Boston College's 4-0 shutout victory over Massachusetts on Dec. 1 at Kelley Rink. Freshman Dave Spina and junior A.J. Walker also scored one goal and one assist apiece.
Voce scored on the power play 11:40 into the first period from Spina and Eaves, before Spina netted his goal at 16:42 off a face-off play. Ryan Shannon won back the draw to set up the goal. Voce struck again 30 seconds later when he took an Eaves pass in front of the net. Walker also assisted on the goal, then closed out the scoring at 13:06 of the third period with a goal from Eaves and Voce.
Tim Kelleher recorded his second-consecutive shutout with 20 saves. He ran his shutout streak to 124:06 with the win.
THE EAGLES AND THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Boston College is ranked 14th in the USA Today/American Hockey Coaches Association poll and 14th in the latest USCHO.com poll ... last week, the Eagles were ranked 15th in the coaches edition and were the highest "also receiving votes" team in the on-line version.
WHO'S HOT: Sophomore Ben Eaves has recorded multiple-point efforts in his last six games, averaging 2.5 points per game during that stretch. He closed the month of November with a 5-7-12 line in six games ... classmate Tony Voce has recorded 12 points in the last six games (7-5-12) ... junior A.J. Walker has netted six points in the last six games (3-3-6) ... in the last six games Eaves, Voce and Walker have skated on the same line (Eaves missed the Nov. 23 Harvard game), the trio has combined for a 15-18-33 line ... junior Tim Kelleher has not allowed a goal in the last 124:06 he's played, including back-to-back shutouts over Harvard and Massachusetts ... the penalty kill unit has allowed just one goal in the last 17 opportunities (.941 kill percentage) dating back to Nov. 8 against Merrimack.
INDIVIDUAL STREAKS: Sophomore Ben Eaves has a six-game scoring streak in place. He has recorded five goals and 10 assists in the last six games he has played. Eaves did not play against Harvard on Nov. 23 ... both sophomore Tony Voce (3-1-4) and junior A.J. Walker (1-2-3) have two-game scoring streaks ... junior Tim Kelleher has a 124:06 scoreless streak, including two shutouts, in tact.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE: This season, seven of Boston College's eight wins have come when the defense has held the opposition to one goal or fewer. BC has defeated Vermont 5-1, Notre Dame 4-1, Wisconsin 3-1, Providence 4-1, Boston University 3-1, Harvard 1-0 and Massachusetts 4-0.
TAKING TO THE ROAD AGAIN: After playing five of their last six games at home, the Eagles will take to the road for their next six games. BC will play a pair at Maine this weekend (Dec. 8-9), then play two games at the Silverado Shootout (Dec. 28-29), before closing the road swing with games at Yale (Jan. 6) and UMass (Jan. 7) ... the Eagles opened the season playing six of the first eight games on the road.
YOUNGSTERS LEADING THE CHARGE: The sophomore class has accounted for 47.3 percent of the Eagles scoring this season (25 goals and 37 assists for 62 points). When adding the freshman class' production to the total (11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points), the two classes have scored 74.8 percent of the team's points (36 goals and 62 assists for 98 points).
FOUR IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Since the beginning of the 1999-00 season, Boston College is 51-3-2 when scoring four or more goals. The Eagles are 5-1-1 this season when reaching the four-goal mark after compiling a perfect 24-0-0 record last season when reaching the four-goal mark ... Nov. 30's game at New Hampshire (5-4 loss in overtime) was the team's first loss when it scored four or more goals since Nov. 7, 1999 (6-5 loss at Northeastern).
GOALS COME EARLY AND LATE: Boston College has outscored its opponents in both the first and third periods. In the first period, BC holds a 19-11 advantage. In the third period, BC has outscored its foes 20-10.
SHOOTING THE LIGHTS OUT: Boston College has outshot its opponents in 12 of 14 games this season. For the season, the Eagles have averaged 32.7 shots on net per game to their opponents' 23.4 per game. In total, BC has outshot its opponents 459-327.
The Eagles have mounted 30+ shot efforts in 11 of 14 games this season, including two 40+ games. The team put a season-high 43 shots on net at Wisconsin on Nov. 2. At the same time, the Eagles have held six opponents to 20 or fewer shots. Vermont mustered only 16 shots on net in the season opener against BC.
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 on Oct. 6, Ben Eaves scored a power-play goal 45 seconds into the game. In BC's game against Northeastern on Oct. 20, 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 on Oct. 13 and Eaves scored 56 seconds into the third period against Boston University on Nov. 17 to give BC four goals this season within one minute of leaving the dressing room.
EAVES TO PLAY IN WORLD JUNIORS: Sophomore Ben Eaves will represent the United States at the 2002 IIHF World Junior Championships in Pardubice and Hradec, Chech Republic on Dec. 25, 2001 - Jan. 4, 2002. The team will play a round-robin against the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia and Belarus in the opening round and will be looking to qualify for the medal round ... last year, J.D. Forrest represented the U.S. on the junior national team.
MULTIPLE-POINT NORM: Sophomore Ben Eaves has recorded multiple-point efforts in eight of the last 11 games he has played this season, including each of his last six games. He collected a season-high four points (one goal and three assists) in the team's opening game of the season and has three games with three points ... he is the national leader among Division I players with his 2.09 points per game average.
MAKING A CAREER OF IT: During his 51-game career, sophomore Ben Eaves has recorded 21 multiple-point efforts, a total that represents 41.1 percent of the games he has played as an Eagle. In fact, since February 2001, Eaves has recorded mutiple points in 16 of 28 games (57.1 percent of the games he has played). He had eight in 17 games to close the 2000-01 season and has already accumulated eight in 11 games this season ... Eaves' six-game multiple-point game stretch is the longest since Marty Reasoner did it in seven-straight games from Feb. 9 -March 7, 1998.
KELLEHER GETS BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS: Junior netminder Tim Kelleher has earned back-to-back shutouts - the third and fourth of his career - with his 1-0 victory over Harvard on Nov. 23 and his 4-0 victory over Massachusetts on Dec. 1 ... Kelleher stopped 23 shots in the win over the Crimson, including 10 in the second period and nine in the third ... in the win over the Minutemen, Kelleher stopped 20 shots, including nine in the first period ... as a freshman in 1999-2000, he earned shutouts over Merrimack (4-0, Dec. 7) and Providence (6-0, Jan. 23).
APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK: Senior Jeff Giuliano is 11 points shy of becoming the 58th Boston College player to reach 100 points for his career. So far this season, he's scored 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 14 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS SNIPER: While sophomore Tony Voce leads the club in power-play goals with five, he has also logged two goals shorthanded goals, as well as 4x4 and 5x3 goals this season. His shorthanded goals, which he scored against Merrimack on Nov. 8, were the first of his career. Overall, he leads the team in special teams scoring with 14 points (5-6-11 on the power play, 2-0-2 shorthanded and 1-0-1 in 4x4 situations).
NOTING THE POSITIVE: Boston College's top seven scorers are a combined plus-48 on the season. Sophomore Ben Eaves lead the team with his plus-12 rating, followed by senior Jeff Giuliano and sophomore J.D. Forrest's respective plus-11 ratings. Sophomore Tony Voce is a plus-6, freshman Dave Spina is a plus-4 and classmate Ryan Shannon is a plus-2. Junior A.J. Walker is a plus-1.
WALKER ENJOYING RENEWED SUCCESS: Junior forward A.J. Walker has notched nine points - four goals and five assists - this season ... in just 14 games this season, Walker has already more than quadrupled his previous career scoring line of two goals headed into the 2001-02 campaign. Coincidentally, Walker has scored all but one of his points when he has been on the ice with Ben Eaves. Walker and Eaves were also linemates at Shattuck St. Mary's in Faribault, Minn. in 1998-99.
EAGLES AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS ...: Boston College and several players are listed among the Division I national leaders (as compiled by USCHO.com as of Dec. 3).
Boston College is ranked 20th in team offense (3.43 goals per game) and tied for 14th in team defense (2.71 goal allowed per game). The Eagles are also ranked 16th nationally in power play percentage (21.7 percent) and are tied for 11th in shorthanded goals (three).
Sophomore Ben Eaves is tied for seventh nationally in scoring (8-15-23 in 11 games and tied for seventh in assists (15 in 11 games).
Sophomore Tony Voce is tied for ninth in both overall scoring (11-11-22 in 14 games) and goal scoring (11 in 14 games). On special teams, he is tied for ninth in power-play goals (five in 14 games) and tied for third in shorthanded goals (two in 14 games)
Junior Tim Kelleher is tied for fourth nationally in shutouts (two in eight games).
... AND LEAGUE LEADERS: Several Eagles are among the HOCKEY EAST leaders in scoring categories. Sophomore Ben Eaves in third in overall scoring (23 points), tied for 10th in goal scoring (eight), third in assists (15), seventh in power-play goals (three)and ninth in shots (49).
Sophomore Tony Voce is fourth in overall scoring (22 points), tied for third in goal scoring (11), tied for seventh in assists (11), tied for first in game-winning goals (three), fifth in power-play goals (five), tied for first in shorthanded goals (two), first in hat tricks (two), and tied for first in shots (64).
Two goaltenders are listed among the league's leaders. Freshman Matti Kaltiainen is fifth in goals against average (2.66), 10th in saves (137) and ninth in save percentage (.895). Junior Tim Kelleher is seventh in goals against average (2.72), ninth in saves (152), and tied for second in shutouts (two).
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.
EVERYDAY PLAYER: Senior forward Jeff Giuliano has played in all 142 of BC's games since his arrival at the Heights in the fall of 1998. He has recorded 33 goals and 56 assists for 89 points. This season, he is fourth in scoring with 10 points and has a plus-11 rating on the ice.
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).
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 125-46-13 mark (.715 winning percentage). The Eagles won three HOCKEY EAST Tournaments over that span and were the 2001 national champions.
THE HEAD COACH - JERRY YORK: Head coach Jerry York is in his eighth season at the Heights and this 30th overall as a head coach. He has compiled a 167-104-22 mark (.607 winning percentage) at Boston College and a 634-439-56 (.586 winning percentage) in his career. A 1967 first team All-American for the Eagles, York came to the Heights in 1994 and has returned the program to its elite status. He is one of only two collegiate coaches to lead two different teams to NCAA titles and is the sixth coach to earn 600 career wins. York is currently sixth on the all-time win list.
York began his coaching career at Boston College as a graduate assistant to John "Snooks" Kelley, then was an assistant coach for one season. He then moved to Clarkson to serve as Len Ceglaski's assistant in 1970, before assuming head coaching duties in 1972 when Ceglarski returned to BC. In 1979, York became the head coach at Bowling Green, leading the Falcons to the 1984 national championship.
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.
FUTURE EAGLES: Three players have signed National Letters of Intent to play hockey at Boston College next season, according to an announcement made by head coach Jerry York. All three players signed their commitments during the NCAA's early signing period.
Patrick Eaves, a 5-11, 170-lb. forward from the U.S. National Under-18 Development Team in Ann Arbor, Mich, Peter Harrold, a 5-11, 185-lb. defenseman from the Cleveland Barons of the North American Hockey League, and Ben Lovejoy, a 6-2, 205-lb. defenseman from Deerfield Academy, will enter Boston College in the fall of 2002 and begin their collegiate hockey careers in the 2002-03 season.
Eaves, who hails from Fairbault, Minn., scored 19 goals and 19 assists in 47 games with the U.S. National Under-17 team in 2000-01. Eaves was a member of the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 2001 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Glasgow and Truro, Nova Scotia. He is the younger brother of current Eagle sophomore Ben Eaves.
Harrold, who resides in Kirtland Hills, Ohio, tallied nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 61 games with the Barons in 2000-01. His team advanced to the semifinals of the NAHL playoffs.
Lovejoy, who resides in Canaan, N.H., currently plays at Deerfield. He played on the New England Select-17 Team, then earned a spot on the U.S. Under-18 Team that competed in Fussen, Germany in August of 2001.
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 was chosen.
UP NEXT: After a three-week lay-off for final exams and a holiday break, the Eagles will participate in the Silverado Shootout, hosted by Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 29-30. BC will play Miami (Ohio) in the first round and play either UMD or Yale in the second round.
ON THE AIR: This weekend's series contest between Boston College and Maine can be heard on WTKK 96.9 FM with play-by-play by Jon Rish and Ken Hodge providing color. Friday's game will be tape delayed until 10 p.m., while Saturday's game will be aired live. Both games can be accessed live at www.bceagles.com.
