Boston College Athletics
Hockey Prepared For Fourth Straight Frozen Four
March 29, 2001 | Men's Hockey
March 29, 2001
Complete BC - Michigan National Semifinal Game Notes in PDF Format
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We're Back:
Boston College has advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Frozen Four for the fourth consecutive season ... In 1998, BC defeated Ohio State (5-2) in the semifinal round, before falling to Michigan in overtime (3-2) in the title game ... In 1999, BC lost to Maine in the semifinal round ... Last year, Boston College defeated St. Lawrence (4-2) in the semifinal round, before losing to North Dakota (4-2) in the title game.
He's Home:
For Boston College senior forward Mike Lephart, the Eagles' return to the Frozen Four marks a homecoming. Lephart hails from Niskayuna, N.Y., a suburb slightly northwest of Albany. Lephart is a 1995 graduate of Niskayuna High School. He did spend one year -- 1992-93 -- at Albany Academy.
Pepsi Arena:
For Boston College's eight seniors, the semifinal-round game against Michigan will mark their second game in Pepsi Arena. On March 29, 1998 -- when the current seniors were freshmen -- Boston College defeated Colorado College, 6-1, in the 1998 NCAA Tournament's quarterfinal round in Pepsi Arena. Four current players tallied at least one point in that game. Brian Gionta scored the Eagles' final goal, Rob Scuderi notched two assists, and Bobby Allen and Mike Lephart each tallied one assist.
BC Seniors in the NCAA Tournament:
Boston College's senior class has an 8-3 record in NCAA Tournament games -- 2-1 in 1998, 2-1 in 1999, 3-1 in 2000, and 1-0 in 2001 ... Senior Brian Gionta is the Eagles' current leader in scoring in the NCAA Tournament. He's registered 14 points -- eight goals and six assists -- in 11 games.
Keep an Eye on Clem:
While Boston College looks to earn two more wins and capture the national title, senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen has the opportunity to make his mark on the NCAA Tournament Record Book. Clemmensen enters the Frozen Four with an 8-3-0 career mark in tournament action, second on the all-time list. He trails only former Michigan netminder Marty Turco (1995-98), who finished with nine wins ... Clemmensen also enters this year's semifinal round ranked third on the tournament's career saves list. The senior has made 291 saves in his 11 tournament appearances. Only Harvard's Grant Blair (321 saves, 1983, 1985-86) and Lake Superior State's Darrin Madeley (298, 1990-92) have made more career saves.
Number 22:
The 2001 tournament marks the 22nd time the Eagles have earned a NCAA Tournament berth ... The Eagles rank fourth in all-time NCAA appearances .. BC made three trips to the tournament in the 1990s ... The 2001 tournament marks the team's 11th berth in the last 18 years ... BC has a 21-32 all-time record in the national tournament.
31 Wins:
Boston College enters the Frozen Four with 31 wins, equaling the school single-season record for victories. The 1986-87 team finished with a 31-9-0 record. The Class of 1987, which is the last class before this year's senior class to earn four straight NCAA Tournament berths, won 111 games in its four seasons. The Class of 2001 enters the Frozen Four with a school-record 115 wins -- 28 as freshmen, 27 as sophomores, 29 as juniors and 31 so far this season.
Who's Hot:
Senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen has allowed just seven goals in the team's last six games. He made 29 saves in the Eagles' NCAA Tournament quarterfinal-round victory against Maine. The senior captured East Regional All-Tournament honors for his effort. Clemmensen also earned All-Tournament honors in the HOCKEY EAST Tournament, leading BC to four victories ... Freshman forward Tony Voce has registered six points -- five goals and one assist -- in the last six games. He has scored the game-winning goal in three of the team's last five wins. Voce netted two goals in the Eagles' HOCKEY EAST Tournament title-game victory over Providence. He assisted on Chuck Kobasew's game-winning goal against Maine ... Freshman forward Ben Eaves tallied one goal and three assists in four HOCKEY EAST Tournament games to continue his late-season offensive flurry. Eaves has recorded 12 points -- two goals and 10 assists -- in the team's last nine games. While he did not register a point in the team's NCAA Tournament win over Maine, he did put a game-high seven shots on goal ... Seniors Brian Gionta and Mike Lephart -- each made major offensive contributions in the team's league tournament run. Gionta netted four goals in four games, while Lephart tallied two goals and two assists. Included among Lephart's totals was a key shorthanded tally in the first period of the Eagles' championship-game win over Providence ... Freshman Chuck Kobasew registered four points in four HOCKEY EAST Tournament games, including a hat trick in the team's semifinal-round win over UMass-Lowell. Kobasew has nine points -- six goals and three assists -- in the last nine games.
Streaks:
Boston College enters the Frozen Four with an eight-game winning streak and a nine-game unbeaten streak ... The Eagles' winning streak matches the longest streak since Jerry York became the Eagles' head coach in June 1994 ... The 1998-99 team won eight straight games (from March 5-28, 1999).
Hobey x 3:
Senior forward Brian Gionta is once again a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey's highest individual honor. This year marks the third consecutive season Gionta has been selected as a finalist. Gionta is just the sixth player in Hobey history to be a three-time finalist.
Award-Winning Eagles:
Senior forward Brian Gionta earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Year honors at the league's annual awards banquet. Three other Eagles also captured major awards. Senior Bobby Allen was selected as the league's Best Defensive Defenseman, senior Mike Lephart gained the league's Best Defensive Forward honor, and freshman forward Chuck Kobasew earned the league's Rookie of the Year accolade ... Gionta is the sixth Eagle to earn the league's Player of the Year award (Greg Brown earned the distinction twice -- in 1989 and 1990). BC's Mike Mottau shared the honor (with New Hampshire's Ty Conklin) in 2000 ... Kobasew is the sixth Eagle to earn the league's Rookie of the Year award ... Gionta and Allen gained All-HOCKEY EAST first team honors. Kobasew and sophomore forward Krys Kolanos earned second-team all-star honors. Kobasew, freshman defenseman J.D. Forrest and freshman forward Ben Eaves captured HOCKEY EAST All-Rookie Team accolades.
All-Tournament Honors:
Senior defenseman Bobby Allen and senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen earned NCAA East Regional All-Tournament honors for their efforts against Maine. Allen tallied one assist and was a key component of the Eagles' defensive effort, while Clemmensen registered 29 saves in the victory.
Non-Conference Analysis:
The Eagles are 8-3-0 against non-conference opponents this season ... They are 2-1-0 against the WCHA, 4-1-0 against the CCHA and 2-1-0 against the ECAC.
Neutral Ice:
Boston College has a 7-1-0 record in neutral-ice games this season ... BC was 4-0-0 in Boston's FleetCenter, 1-1-0 in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena, 1-0-0 in the Omaha (Neb.) Civic Auditorium, and 1-0-0 in The Centrum in Worcester, Mass.
Against the Field:
BC has a 1-1-0 record against the other three teams in the Frozen Four ... BC lost to Michigan State, 4-1, in the opening game of the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, Mich. on Dec. 29, 2000. The Eagles defeated Michigan, 8-5, in the GLI the following day ... BC was 7-3-0 against teams that participated in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
BC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
In the First Round:
BC is 4-4 in NCAA first-round games ... Last year, Boston College defeated Michigan State, 6-5, in overtime ... BC defeated Northern Michigan (2-1) in 1998-99 ... Playing in a best-of-three series, BC lost to Michigan State (2-0) in 1983-84, defeated Bowling Green (2-0) in 1988-89, and lost to Alaska-Anchorage (2-0) in 1990-91.
In the Quarterfinals:
BC is 10-6 in NCAA quarterfinal games, including its 3-1 win over Maine on March 24, 2001 ... Last season, BC defeated Wisconsin, 4-1 ... In 1999, BC defeated North Dakota, 3-1 ... In 1998, BC downed Colorado College, 6-1.
In the Semifinals:
The Eagles are 5-11 in the NCAA Tournament's semifinal round. Last season, BC defeated St. Lawrence, 4-2 ... In 1999, BC lost to Maine, 2-1, in overtime ... In 1998, the Eagles defeated Ohio State 5-2 to advance to the championship game.
In the Finals:
BC is 1-4 in the NCAA championship game. In 2000, BC lost to North Dakota, 4-2 ... In 1998, the Eagles fell to Michigan, 3-2, in overtime in the title game ... BC won its only national championship in 1949, defeating Dartmouth, 4-3.
Looking Back at the HOCKEY EAST Tournament:
Boston College won its fifth HOCKEY EAST Tournament title -- and third in four years -- with its 5-3 win over Providence in the championship game on March 17. Freshman forward Tony Voce led BC with two goals in the title game ... The Eagles advanced to the championship game with a 5-1 victory over UMass-Lowell on March 16. Freshman forward Chuck Kobasew recorded his first career hat trick in the win ... Kobasew earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player honor. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Scott Clemmensen (goaltender), Bobby Allen (defense) and Voce ... Voce scored three of the team's four game-winning goals in the tournament. He netted the only score in the Eagles' 1-0 win over Merrimack in the first game of the quarterfinal round, and then tallied the game-winning goal the next night to close out the best-of-three series. Voce's power-play goal against the Friars gave BC its third tournament title in four years ... Clemmensen made a HOCKEY EAST Tournament record 23 saves in the second period against UMass-Lowell.
HOCKEY EAST Regular-Season Champions:
Boston College won the 2000-01 HOCKEY EAST regular-season title. The Eagles finished with a 17-5-2 conference record. BC clinched the regular-season title with its 6-3 victory over Northeastern on March 1 at Kelley Rink. The title is the Eagles' first regular-season crown since the 1990-91 season ... BC has now won a league-best seven regular-season championships.
March Dominance:
Over the last four years, Boston College registered an amazing 28-1-1 mark during the month of March. Included in this total are 15 victories in the HOCKEY EAST Tournament (including three tournament titles) and six victories in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles' lone loss was a 2-1 last-second setback to Maine in the championship game of the 2000 HOCKEY EAST Tournament.
What You Should Know:
Boston College is ranked second in the country, according to both major polls ... the Eagles enter the Frozen Four with an eight-game winning streak and a nine-game unbeaten streak ... the team's leading scorer, Brian Gionta, is a Hobey Baker finalist for the third consecutive season. He won the 2000-01 HOCKEY EAST scoring crown, finishing with 35 points (24-10--35) in 24 league games. Gionta has 53 points -- 33 goals and 20 assists -- in 41 games ... Six BC players have scored 30 or more points this season, two of these six individuals are freshmen ... Senior goaltender Scott Clemmensen has played in all but three games this season. He has a 28-7-2 record and ranks among national leaders with his 2.13 goals against average and 2192:44 minutes played ... BC is outscoring its opponents by 1.81 goals per game. In league games, the difference was 1.92 goals per game ... BC has eight seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and eight freshmen ... Jerry York has now won 30 or more games four times in his distinguished coaching career. He had 34-, 33- and 30-win seasons while he coached at Bowling Green.
Our Offense:
Boston College averages 4.10 goals per game, tops in the nation ... BC is 24-0-0 this season when it scores four or more goals ... Brian Gionta leads the nation with 33 goals. He is Boston College's career leader in goals scored with 123 ... Three Eagles -- Gionta (33), Krys Kolanos (24) and Chuck Kobasew (24) -- have scored more than 20 goals this season ... Freshman Ben Eaves leads the team in assists with 26 ... Thirteen BC players have scored 10 or more points this season, including four defensemen ... Gionta scored five goals in one game (against Maine on Jan. 27) earlier this season ... Eight different Eagles have had multiple-goal games this season and 14 players have registered multiple-point games.
Our Defense:
Senior Scott Clemmensen is the Eagles' top goaltender. He has started all but five games this season, and has played in all but three. He has registered 28 wins and a 2.13 goals against average. His 28 wins marks his single-season high. His previous high was 26 victories in 1998-99. Clemmensen is a four-year starter and is the school's career leader in wins (97) and shutouts (13) ... Seniors Bobby Allen and Rob Scuderi anchor the defense corps, which boasts three seniors, one junior, one sophomore and three freshmen ... BC allows 2.29 goals per game, tied for fourth in the nation ... The Eagles have recorded three shutuots this season and have held opponents to two or fewer goals 24 times ... The Eagles have allowed just seven goals in the last six games.
The Head Coach:
Jerry York is in his seventh season as the Eagles' head coach. He is the sixth-winningest coach in NCAA history with a career record of 624-434-55 (.585). York earned his 600th victory in the Eagles' 6-1 win at UMass-Lowell on Saturday, Nov. 4. His record at Boston College stands at 157-99-21 (.605).
York in the NCAA Tournament:
BC head coach Jerry York has now led his teams to 10 NCAA Tournament berths -- six at Bowling Green and four at Boston College. Five of those 10 teams advanced to the tournament's semifinal/championship round ... He has a 13-13 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament ... York is 8-3 with Boston College (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001)... He was 5-10 with Bowling Green (1982, 1984, 1987-90) ... York led the 1983-84 Falcons to the national title. He defeated Boston University (in a two-game quarterfinal-round series), Michigan State (semifinals) and Minnesota-Duluth (in four overtimes in the title game) en route to the championship.
York Selected as National Coach of the Year in Hockey:
On January 9, 2001, Boston College head coach Jerry York was selected as the ice hockey National Coach of the Year for the year 2000 by the United States Olympic Committee. Forty-four Olympic and Pan American sports each selected a National and Developmental Coach of the Year, and each honoree was recognized at the fifth annual National Coaching Recognition Weekend in New York on Saturday, Jan. 13.
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 sixth 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.
A Night to Remember:
Senior Brian Gionta has given Eagle fans many special memories throughout his collegiate career. He certainly had a game - or a period - for the ages on Jan. 27, when he scored five goals in the first period of the Eagles' 7-2 victory over Maine. The feat, believed to be a modern-day Division I record for goals in one period, set a number of team and league records. The senior captain:
* Tied the BC career goals record of 112 (shared by David Emma) * Set a BC record for career hat tricks (nine). * Set a BC record for career shorthanded goals (nine). * Set a HOCKEY EAST record for goals in one period (five). * Tied the HOCKEY EAST mark for goals in one game (five).He managed a natural hat trick - goals at even strength, shorthanded and on the power-play - by the 14:37 mark of the first period. Not surprisingly, he captured HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week honors that week.
Fast Starters:
Boston College has scored first in 26 of its 41 games this season. The Eagles have a 23-3 record in those games ... BC has scored within the first 90 seconds of the game four times this season.
World-Class Forrest:
Freshman defenseman J. D. Forrest, who earned HOCKEY EAST All-Rookie honors, played on the U. S. National Junior Team that placed fifth in the 2001 World Junior Hockey Championship in Moscow, Russia from Dec. 26 - Jan. 5. In six games, Forrest had one goal and one assist for the U.S. team ... Forrest missed three BC games while competing with the U.S. National Junior Team, including both of the games in the 2001 Great Lakes Invitational (vs. Michigan and Michigan State).
Gionta, Kobasew are Fair Barometers of Eagles' Success This Season:
Two of the Eagles' top scorers - senior Brian Gionta and freshman Chuck Kobasew - seem to play a large role in dictating the outcome of the team's games.
scoring: not scoring: Gionta 24-1-1 7-7-1 Kobasew 26-3-1 5-5-1By Month: Gionta Kobasew October 4-1-0 4-0-0 November 6-0-0 6-0-0 December 1-0-0 2-0-0 January 4-0-0 6-2-0 February 4-0-1 4-1-1 March 5-0-0 4-0-0 Overall 24-1-1 26-3-1
Don't Forget the Defenseman:
Senior Rob Scuderi has tallied 21 points this season - four goals and 17 assists. Included among his totals are two multiple-point games ... He tallied the Eagles' third and final goal against Maine in the NCAA Tournament's quarterfinal round ... Like Gionta and Kobasew, Scuderi's points have proven very meaningful for the Eagles. BC is 17-1-0 in games in which Scuderi registers at least one point.
BC Class of 2001:
This year's senior class has registered 115 wins since the start of the 1997-98 season and is already the winningest class in Boston College history. During its first campaign, it won 28 games. In its sophomore season, the team earned 27 wins. Last season, the class had 29 wins. This season, the team already has 31 victories. The class of 2001 has advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Frozen Four in each of its four years.
BC Hockey Signs Three Recruits:
Three high school seniors have signed national letters of intent to play hockey at Boston College next season. John Adams, a 6-foot-2-inch defenseman from the Breck School in Golden Valley, Minn., Ryan Murphy, a 5-foot-11-inch forward from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Ryan Shannon, a 5-foot-9-inch forward from the Taft School in Watertown, Conn. will enter Boston College in the fall of 2001 and begin their collegiate playing careers in the 2001-02 season.
Neat Newcomers:
The Eagles' freshman class has distinguished itself as one of -- if not the -- premier rookie crops in the nation. Boston College had the HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Year (Chuck Kobasew) and placed three players (Ben Eaves, J.D. Forrest and Kobasew) on the league's All-Rookie Team ... The Eagles earned seven Rookie of the Week selections and Chuck Kobasew and Tony Voce combined to earn Rookie of the Week honors for four consecutive weeks (in November). It was a feat that had not been accomplished by one conference team since the 1992-93 season when Maine had four straight Rookie of the Week honorees ... Ben Eaves added a weekly honor on Feb. 11 when he was named HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Week. Voce added his third honor of the season on March 12, while Kobasew captured HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week honors on March 19. He tallied a hat trick in the Eagles' tournament semifinal win over UMass-Lowell. As a result, he captured tournament MVP honors ... Through 41 games, the team's eight freshmen have combined for 57 goals and 86 assists -- 33.9 percent of the team's goals and 33.0 percent of the team's points.
2000-01 FRESHMAN SCORING
Player GP G A Pts Chuck Kobasew 41 24 21 45 Ben Eaves 38 11 26 37 Tony Voce 41 12 12 24 J. D. Forrest 36 6 15 21 Brett Peterson 39 1 6 7 Ty Hennes 41 2 4 6 Justin Dziama 28 1 1 2 Joe Schuman 10 0 1 1 TOTALS 57 86 143
Eagles Among National Leaders:
Here is where the Boston College team and individual players stand in the national statistics (games played through 3/25/01) as compiled by the NCAA and USCHO.com:
TEAM:
Scoring Offense Tied for 1st at 4.10 goals per game Scoring Defense Tied for 4th at 2.29 goals per game Scoring Margin 3rd at +1.81 goals per game Winning Percentage 3rd at 31-8-2 (.780) Power Play 10th at 21.7 percent (51 of 236) Penalty Killing 3rd at 90.2 percent (211 of 234)INDIVIDUAL:
Krys Kolanos 14th in goals per game with 0.62 Tied for 12th in goals scored with 24 Tied for 21st in scoring (24-25--49)Brian Gionta 1st in goals scored with 33 1st in goals per game with 0.80 1st in shorthanded goals with 5 Tied for 8th in game-winning goals with 5 Tied for 15th in scoring (33-20--53)
Chuck Kobasew 1st in game-winning goals with 9 Tied for 4th in power-play goals with 12 Tied for 12th in goals scored with 24 Tied for 28th in scoring (24-21--45)
Scott Clemmensen 3rd in goalie winning percentage with .778 5th in goals against average with a 2.13 8th in minutes played with 2192:44
Ironman Scuderi:
Senior defenseman Rob Scuderi is Boston College's career leader in games played. The Bethpage, N.Y. resident has played in 167 games since coming to BC in the fall of 1997 .... Mike Mottau, the 2000 Hobey Baker Award winner, held the all-time mark of 163 appearances before Scuderi surpassed that record ... Scuderi has missed only one game in his four-year career -- a conference game against UMass-Lowell on Oct. 31, 1998, with a shoulder injury ... Two Eagles are close behind Scuderi as Bobby Allen has played in 165 games and Brian Gionta has played in 162 games. The Eagles will play at least one more game this season, but could play as many as two more games.
There's No Quit In Us:
Boston College has scored game-tying goals after pulling its goaltender five times since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season. Two players - senior assistant captains Mike Lephart and Bobby Allen -- have combined to score each of those game-tying goals. The Eagles ended up with a 2-2-1 record in those games (including a 6-5 win over Michigan State in last year's NCAA West Regional).
BC Penalty Kill:
The Boston College penalty-killing unit has killed 90.2 percent of opponents' power-play chances this season ... BC ranked second among the nine HOCKEY EAST schools, successfully killing 90.5 percent of its opponents' opportunities in league contests ... In the last 19 games, the unit has successfully killed 95.6 percent (86-of-90) of its foes' power-play chances. The Eagles have held the opponent's power-play unit scoreless in 15 of those 19 games.
On The Radio:
Tonight's NCAA Tournament semifinal-round game can be heard on WTKK 96.9 FM with Jon Rish calling the action and former Eagle standout Ken Hodge providing color commentary. Listeners can also get the game on the internet by logging onto the official Boston College web site at www.bceagles.com ... If the Eagles advance to the national championship game, WTKK will once again carry the game.
