Boston College Athletics
Hockey Set For Two Against UMass-Lowell
January 10, 2002 | Men's Hockey
Jan. 10, 2002
BOSTON COLLEGE (12-6-2, 5-4-1 HEA)
vs.
UMASS-LOWELL (14-3-1, 6-2-1 HEA)
Friday, January 11, 2002
Kelley Rink at Conte Forum
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
7 p.m.
Saturday, January 12, 2002
Tsongas Arena
Lowell, Mass.
7 p.m.
Boston College/UMass-Lowell Game Notes in PDF Format
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THE EAGLES IN BRIEF: Boston College enters this weekend's series with UMass-Lowell with a 12-6-2 overall record and a 5-4-1 mark in HOCKEY EAST games. The Eagles have won their last four games and 10 of their last 13. The team is ranked 10th in both of the college hockey polls.
Last weekend, BC went 2-0 on a two-night, two-team road trip. Boston College defeated Yale, 2-1, on Sunday, Jan. 6, before pulling out a 4-3, overtime victory at Massachusetts on Monday, Jan. 7.
Sophomore Tony Voces leads a trio of sophomores who are atop the Eagles' scoring statistics. In 20 games, Voce has 31 points on 18 goals and 13 assists. Classmate Ben Eaves has 25 points on eight goals and 17 assists in just 13 games, while defenseman J.D. Forrest is third with five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 20 games. Eight players have double-digit scoring totals.
YORK'S 300th NIGHT BEHIND THE EAGLE BENCH: Friday night's game against UMass-Lowell will mark Jerry York's 300th as the head coach at Boston College. In his first 299 games, he has accumulated a 171-105-23 mark.
AGAINST THE RIVER HAWKS: Boston College and UMass-Lowell have met 64 times with the Eagles holding a 37-11-6 advantage in the series. Earlier this season, the River Hawks snapped BC's 15-game series winning streak with their 7-2 victory at Kelley Rink on Nov. 19.
Senior Jeff Giuliano leads all Eagles in scoring against UMass-Lowell. In 13 career games, he has scored two goals and added seven assists for nine points. Sophomore defenseman J.D. Forrest follows with six points (one goal, five assists) in four games. Classmate Tony Voce has one goal and two assists for three points in five games.
LAST TIME AGAINST UMASS-LOWELL: In the last meeting between the two schools, UMass-Lowell spoiled the Eagles' 2001-02 home opener with its 7-2 victory over its 13th-ranked hosts. The River Hawks took a 3-1 lead after one period, but Tony Voce brought the Eagles within one goal at the beginning of the second period.
Two UMass-Lowell shorthanded goals - scored 13 seconds apart - and a power-play goal increased the River Hawk advantage to 6-2 after two periods. Jerramie Domish scored his second goal of the game 24 seconds into the third period to close out the scoring and the victory. Tim Kelleher made 29 saves as the River Hawks outshot BC, 36-21, in the game.
LAST TIME OUT: Senior captain Jeff Giuliano's second goal of the game gave Boston College a 4-3, overtime victory at Massachusetts on Monday, Jan. 7 at the Mullins Center. BC built a 2-0 lead just 1:24 into the game on goals by Dave Spina and Giuliano, then increased the lead to 3-0 at the end of the first period with a Tony Voce score at 16: 58. UMass' Tim Turner got the Minutemen onto the scoreboard in the second period. Turner then capped the comeback and tied the game at 3-3 with his second goal of the game at 4:09 of the third. Craig MacDonald had scored at 1:39 of the third to bring the Minutemen within one goal, 3-2. BC outshot UMass 39-17 for the game, including a 19-3 margin in the first period. Matti Kaltiainen made 14 saves in the win, while Tim Warner made 35 saves for UMass.
THE EAGLES AND THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: For the second week in a row, Boston College is ranked 10th in both the latest USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Coaches' poll and USCHO.com poll.
WHO'S HOT: Sophomore Tony Voce has recorded 21 points in the last 13 games (14-7-21). He also has a plus-7 rating in the last six games ... junior Tim Kelleher has allowed only five goals in his last five games. During that span, he has a 0.98 goals against average and a .957 save percentage ... senior Jeff Giuliano has four points in the last thee games ... sophomore defenseman J.D. Forrest has four points in the last five games and is a plus-8 in those games ... freshman Ryan Shannon has five points in the last five games ... senior Ales Dolinar has six points in the last four games ... sophomore defenseman Brett Peterson has a plus-9 rating in the last six games.
INDIVIDUAL STREAKS: Sophomore Tony Voce has an eight-game goal-scoring streak intact scoring 10 goals in that span. Also during that time, he has netted 13 points (10 goals, three assists) ... senior Ales Dolinar has a four-game scoring streak, netting six points (one goal and five assists) in that span ... junior netminder Tim Kelleher is undefeated in his last six starts, going 5-0-1 ... when he returns to action, sophomore Ben Eaves will look to continue his eight-game scoring streak. He recorded five goals and 12 assists in the last eight games he played.
DOING IT WITH DEFENSE: This season, 10 of Boston College's 12 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, Massachusetts 4-0, Miami (Ohio) 5-1 and Minnesota-Duluth 5-1. The Eagles also have wins over Merrimack (6-4) and Massachusetts (4-3, OT).
YOUNGSTERS LEADING THE CHARGE: The sophomore class has accounted for 43.7 percent of the Eagles scoring this season (34 goals and 46 assists for 80 points). When adding the freshman class' production to the total (18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points), the two classes have scored 73.2 percent of the team's points (52 goals and 82 assists for 134 points).
FOUR IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Since the beginning of the 1999-00 season, Boston College is 54-3-2 when scoring four or more goals. The Eagles are 8-1-1 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).
STARTING OUT ON A STRONG NOTE: Boston College has jumped out of the gates in games this season, outscoring its opponents 27-15 in the first period ...the Eagles have scored the game's first goal in 13 games this season, earning a 10-2-1 record when they do ... BC has posted three goals in the first period on four separate occassions.
GETTING OFFENSIVE WHEN SHORTHANDED: Boston College leads HOCKEY EAST, and is tied for third in Division I, with six shorthanded goals this season ... the Eagles have 37 shots on goal during the season when skating a man down ... twice this season BC has netted two shorthanded goals in a game: Nov. 14 vs. Merrimack and Dec. 8 at Maine ... sophomore Tony Voce leads the nation with his four shorthanded goals.
LIGHTNING STRIKES EARLY: Four times this season, Boston College has lit the lamp before the first minute of the game has elapsed. BC has a 5-1-1 record in games where the team lights the lamp so quickly. 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. In the first round of the Silverado Shootout against Miami (Ohio), A.J. Walker scored 41 seconds into the game. In the Eagles' last game, Dave Spina scored at exactly 1:00 to take a 1-0 lead at Massachusetts.
Additionally, Jeff Giuliano scored 43 seconds into the third period against Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 13, Eaves scored 56 seconds into the third period against Boston University on Nov. 17, and Tony Voce scored 37 seconds into the second period at Yale on Jan. 6 to give BC seven goals within one minute of leaving the dressing room this season.
FAST AND FURIOUS SCORING: Boston College has scored back-to-back goals in under three minutes in seven different games this season. Five of the occurrences have come in the Eagles' last eight games. BC has an 5-1-1 record in games when the team scores so quickly.
Against Notre Dame (Oct. 26) Dave Spina and Ales Dolinar scored 1:22 apart. Against Providence (Nov. 14) Ben Eaves and Dolinar scored 1:17 apart. At New Hampshire (Nov. 30), Eaves and Brett Peterson scored 2:34 apart. Against Massachusetts (Dec. 1), Spina and Tony Voce scored 30 seconds apart. At Maine (Dec. 8), Ryan Shannon and Voce scored shorthanded goals 14 seconds apart. Against Miami (Ohio) (Dec. 28), Ned Havern and Voce scored 27 seconds apart. At Massachusetts (Jan. 7), Spina and Jeff Giuliano scored 24 seconds apart to open the game.
RARE OCCURRENCE: A very rare occurrence happened in the Eagles' 4-3, overtime victory over Massachusetts on Jan. 7 - there was not a single penalty called in the game. In 63:52 of hockey, referee Tim Benedetto and linesmen Chris Low and Glen Cooke did not whistle any infractions on either team ... this season, only two games in Division I have been penalty-free. The other - Connecticut at Army on Jan. 4 - also went to overtime and ended in a 3-3 tie.
GIULIANO - SHANNON - SPINA: In the Eagles' last game - a 4-3, overtime victory over Massachusetts on Jan. 7 - the line of Jeff Giuliano, Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina combined to score three of the team's four goals. The trio also added five assists for a game total of eight points. Giuliano and Spina both recorded three points. Giuliano had two goals - including the game winner - and one assist, while Spina added one goal and two assists. Shannon had two assists in the game.
FORREST'S POSITIVE SIDE: J.D. Forrest - a sophomore defenseman - shares the HOCKEY EAST lead in plus/minus this season. With his plus-18 rating, Forrest is tied with New Hamsphire's Darren Haydar for the league's top spot. While Haydar is the nation's leading scorer, Forrest is the backbone of the Eagles' young defensive corps.
EAVES MAKES INTERNATIONAL IMPACT: Sophomore Ben Eaves represented the United State at the 2002 IIHF World Junior Championships, Dec. 25 - Jan. 4 in the Czech Republic. Team USA earned a fifth-place finish in the tournament with its 3-2, overtime victory over Sweden on Jan. 4.
Team USA completed the Group B round-robin with a 2-0-2 record. It then faced eventual goal-medal winner Russia in the quarterfinals, falling 6-1. Eaves recorded the USA's lone goal. Eaves played six games in the tournament, tallying one goal and four assists. He finished tied for third on the team in scoring and was named one of the U.S.' top three players at the championships by USA Hockey.
SPECIAL TEAMS SNIPER: While sophomore Tony Voce leads the club in power-play goals with six, he has also logged four shorthanded goals, as well as 4x4 and 5x3 goals this season. Overall, he leads the team in special teams scoring with 17 points (6-6-12 on the power play, 4-0-4 shorthanded and 1-0-1 in 4x4 situations).
VOCE'S PRODUCTION SCHEDULE: Sophomore Tony Voce has netted 31 points this season (18 goals and 13 assists) in 20 games, surpassing his 43-game, freshman total of 26 points in 2000-01. He equaled his scoring totals from last season in 17 games - on Dec. 28 against Miami (Ohio) - with an assist in the first period. He exceeded his previous total with a shorthanded goal later in the same game.
WELL-ROUNDED SCORER: Sophomore Tony Voce is the only player in Division I listed among the national leaders in both power-play goals and shorthanded goals. He is tied for 10th in power-play goals (six) and tied for first in shorthanded goals (four). Seven of his 18 goals have been even-strength tallies, and he has also netted one 4x4 goal.
KELLEHER PICKING UP STEAM: Junior netminder Tim Kelleher has allowed just five goals in his last five starts ...he recorded 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 ... he snapped his shutout streak at 135:44 at Maine on Dec. 8 ... Kelleher has allowed zero, zero, three, one and one goals in his last five appearances ... the Belmont, Mass. native is 5-0-1 in his last six starts.
EAGLES AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS ...: Boston College and several players are listed among the Division I national leaders (as compiled by the NCAA as of Jan. 6 and USCHO.com as of Jan. 7).
Boston College is ranked 15th nationally in team offense (3.45 goals per game), tied for 10th in team defense (2.60 goals allowed per game), 13th in scoring margin (+0.84 goals per game), 16th in power play percentage (20.7 percent), 11th in winning percentage (.632) and is tied for third in shorthanded goals (six).
Sophomore Tony Voce is tied for ninth in overall scoring (18-13-31 games) and tied for third in goal scoring (18). He is fifth in the nation in goals per game (0.89 gpg). On special teams, he is tied for 10th in power-play goals (six) and tied for first in shorthanded goals (four). He is also tied for seventh in game-winning goals (three).
Sophomore Ben Eaves is tied for 18th nationally in scoring (8-17-25 in 13 games). He has not played in a high-enough percentage of BC's game to qualify for the official NCAA per game statistics.
Junior Tim Kelleher is tied for fourth nationally in shutouts (two in 11 games), tied for 15th in goalie winning percentage (0.727) and 18th in goals against average (2.42).
... AND LEAGUE LEADERS: Several Eagles are among the HOCKEY EAST leaders (conference games only) in scoring categories (as of Jan. 9).
Sophomore Tony Voce is tied second in conference scoring (18 points), first in goal scoring (11), tied for eighth in assists (seven), tied for first in game-winning goals (two), tied for fifth in power-play goals (three), tied for first in shorthanded goals (three), tied for first in hat tricks (one), and first in shots (52).
Sophomore Ben Eaves is sixth in scoring (15 points), second in assists (11) and tied for seventh in game-winning goals (one).
Other Eagle skaters who are listed among the league leaders include senior Ales Dolinar (tied for seventh in game-winning goals with one), senior Jeff Giuliano (tied for seventh in game-winning goals with one, tied for fifth in shots with 39) and freshman Ryan Shannon (tied for fourth place in shorthanded goals with one).
Two goaltenders are also listed among the league's leaders. Freshman Matti Kaltiainen is sixth in goals against average (3.12) and seventh in saves (126). Junior Tim Kelleher is tied for second in shutouts (one).
WALKER ENJOYING RENEWED SUCCESS: Junior forward A.J. Walker has notched 12 points - five goals and seven assists - this season ... in just 20 games this season, Walker has already increased his previous career scoring line of two goals five times over headed into the 2001-02 campaign. Coincidentally, Walker has scored all but four 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.
APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK: Senior Jeff Giuliano is six points shy of becoming the 58th Boston College player to reach 100 points for his career. So far this season, he's scored 15 points (six goals and nine assists) in 20 games.
EVERYDAY PLAYER: Senior forward Jeff Giuliano has played in all 148 of BC's games since his arrival at the Heights in the fall of 1998. He has recorded 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 points.
SUCCESS FROM THE TOP: Since Ben Eaves' departure from the lineup, Ales Dolinar was moved from his usual spot in the line-up - centering the Eagles' third line - to Eaves' place centering the top line. The switch hasn't fazed Dolinar, who has increased his production since the move. He has one goal and five assists in four games centering the top line. His new linemates - Tony Voce and A.J. Walker - also didn't seem to mind the change. His wings combined for five goals and four assists (nine points) in the four games with Dolinar centering their line.
MULTIPLE-POINT NORM: Sophomore Ben Eaves has recorded multiple-point efforts in eight of the 13 games he has played this season. 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 third among Division I players with his 1.92 points per game average.
MAKING A CAREER OF IT: During his 53-game career, sophomore Ben Eaves has recorded 21 multiple-point efforts, a total that represents nearly 40 percent of the games he has played as an Eagle. In fact, since February 2001, Eaves has recorded multiple points in 16 of 30 games (53.3 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 13 games this season ... earlier this season, Eaves recorded six multiple-point games in a row, the longest stretch at the Heights since Marty Reasoner did it in seven-straight games from Feb. 9 -March 7, 1998.
OLYMPIC UPDATE: Boston College hockey has several connections to the 2002 Olympics ... the hockey team has three former Boston College players involved as Brian Leetch and Bill Guerin were chosen to the team. John Cunniff will serve as an assistant coach on the team ... in addition, Matti Kaltiainen's sister, Anna, will compete for Finland in snowboarding events.
FAMILIAR FACES STAYING TOGETHER: The Eagles' roster boasts five 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.). 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.
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 171-105-23 mark (.610 winning percentage) at Boston College and a 638-440-57 (.587 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.
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 129-47-14 mark (.716 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.
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.
UP NEXT: Boston College will play the back half of a home-and-home series with UMass-Lowell on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Tsongas Arena at 7 p.m. Next weekend, the Eagles will play two games with Boston University. BC will host the Terriers on Friday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., before heading across town for a 3 p.m. match-up at Walter Brown Arena on Sunday, Jan. 20. The second contest will be aired live on Fox Sports New England.
ON THE AIR: Boston College's game against UMass-Lowell on Friday can be heard live on WTKK 96.9 FM. In addition, both games can be heard live via the Internet at www.bceagles.com.
