Boston College Athletics
Hockey Renews Comm. Ave. Battle
January 17, 2002 | Men's Hockey
Jan. 17, 2002
No. 13/14 Boston College
vs.
No. 7/6 Boston University
Friday, January 18, 2002
Kelley Rink (7,884)
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
7 p.m.
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THE EAGLES IN BRIEF: Boston College enters Friday's game with Boston University with a 12-8-2 overall record and a 5-6-1 mark in HOCKEY EAST games. Last weekend, UMass-Lowell completed a weekend sweep of the Eagles with 3-2 and 8-4 victories. The team is ranked 13th in the USCHO.com poll and 14th in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll.
Sophomore Tony Voce leads the Eagles in scoring. In 22 games, Voce has 31 points on 18 goals and 13 assists. Although he's missed the last six games, classmate Ben Eaves has 25 points on eight goals and 17 assists in just 13 games. Three players are tied with 18 points. Senior captain Jeff Giuliano (seven goals, 11 assists), freshman Dave Spina (seven goals, 11 assists) and defenseman J.D. Forrest (six goals, 12 assists) are all tied for third with 18 points apiece. Eight players have double-digit scoring totals.
SWEATER RETIREMENTS: Two former Boston College greats will have their sweaters hung in the Kelley Rink rafters on Friday night. John Cunniff '66 and Bill Daley '61 will have their sweaters retired in a first-intermission ceremony.
Cunniff was a two-time All-American (1965, 1966) and a three-time All-New England choice. He was also the winner of the 1966 Walter Brown Award presented to the top American-born player in New England. He led the Eagles in scoring in both the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons. Cunniff graduated tied as the Eagles' career scoring leader with Daley with 71 goals and 82 assists for 153 points. He is currently an assistant coach with the Albany River Rats of the AHL, the top farm club of the New Jersey Devils. He will serve as an assistant coach of the United States' team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City next month.
Daley led BC in career scoring when he graduated. In 78 career games, he scored 78 goals and collected 76 assists. Currently, he and Cunniff are tied for 20th in career scoring. Daley set the Eagles' single-season scoring record with 74 points in the 1960-61 season, and held the record until Scott Harlow later broke it in 1985-86.
AGAINST THE TERRIERS: Boston College and Boston University have met 208 times with the Terriers holding the series advantage with a 105-88-15 mark. Boston College has won the last four meetings between the two schools.
Earlier this season, the Eagles topped BU, 3-1, on Nov. 17 at Kelley Rink. Ben Eaves scored twice and added one assist in the victory.
Eaves leads all current Eagles in scoring against BU. He has scored four goals and added four assists in five games. Classmate Tony Voce follows with five points (one goal, four assists) in five games. Three players - senior Ales Dolinar (one goal, three assists), sophomore J.D. Forrest (two goals, two assists) and Jeff Giuliano (two goals, two assists) - all have four points against BU.
LAST TIME AGAINST BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Sophomore Ben Eaves netted two goals, including the game winner in the third period, and added one assist as Boston College defeated cross-town rival Boston University, 3-1, at Kelley Rink before a sellout crowd of 7,884 on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001. With the win, the Eagles handed the then fourth-ranked Terriers their first loss of the season.
BC jumped on the scoreboard first when Eaves netted a power-play goal at 9:30 of the first period. After cycling the puck, Eaves collected a Tony Voce pass and beat Terrier netminder Sean Fields. Freshman Dave Spina also assisted on the goal. After a scoreless second period, BC added to its lead early in the third period only to see Boston University climb back within one goal just 48 seconds later. Eaves scored Boston College's second goal 56 seconds into the stanza, collecting a puck off the boards from senior Jeff Giuliano and sophomore J.D. Forrest for the goal.
BU answered quickly when Jack Baker slid the puck past Eagle goaltender Matti Kaltiainen at 1:44. Brian Collins and Franisek Skladany assisted on the goal. The Eagles regained their two-goal cushion when junior A.J. Walker netted a goal shortside from Eaves and Voce at 7:07.
Kaltiainen made 23 saves in the win, while Fields stopped 28 shots in the loss. BC outshot the Terriers 31-24 on the night, including a 14-5 margin in the second period.
LAST TIME OUT: UMass-Lowell defeated the Eagles 8-4 at Tsongas Arena on Saturday, Jan. 12. The win completed UML's season sweep of BC. Both teams traded one-goal advantages through the first two periods until senior Jeff Giuliano gave the Eagles a 4-3 lead with 18:56 to play in the game. The River Hawks then scored five unanswered goals. Both Giuliano and Dave Spina netted two points (one goal, one assist) for BC. J.D. Forrest (4x3 power-play) and Ryan Murphy (shorthanded) also scored goals for the Eagles.
THE EAGLES AND THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Boston College is currently ranked 13th in the latest USCHO.com poll and 14th in the latest USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll, both released on Jan. 14. The Eagles had been ranked 10th in both polls in each of the previous two weeks.
INJURY FRONT: Two Eagles will not be in the lineup tonight against the Terriers ... freshman defenseman John Adams had surgery to repair a broken bone in his thumb on Tuesday, Jan. 8. He is expected to be out of the lineup for as many as four weeks ... sophomore forward Ben Eaves broke several ribs while be played for Team USA at the World Junior Championships. He has missed the last four games and could be out for as many as four weeks.
WHO'S HOT: The Eagles' second line of Jeff Giuliano, Ryan Shannon and Dave Spina recorded 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in three games last week. Giuliano and Spina each scored three goals and added three assists, while Shannon collected three assists ...BC's sophomore blue liners - J.D. Forrest and Brett Peterson - have each recorded two points (one goal and one assist) in the last two games.
YOUNGSTERS LEADING THE CHARGE: The sophomore class has accounted for 42.4 percent of the Eagles scoring this season (36 goals and 48 assists for 84 points). When adding the freshman class' production to the total (21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points), the two classes have scored 72.7 percent of the team's points (57 goals and 87 assists for 144 points).
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).
FOUR IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Since the beginning of the 1999-00 season, Boston College is 54-4-2 when scoring four or more goals. The Eagles are 8-2-1 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 quickly in games this season, outscoring its opponents 29-17 in the first period ...the Eagles have scored the game's first goal in 13 games this season, earning a 10-3-1 record when they do ... BC has three first-period goals on four separate occasions.
GETTING OFFENSIVE WHEN SHORTHANDED: Boston College leads HOCKEY EAST, and is third in Division I, with seven shorthanded goals this season ... the Eagles have 39 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, while junior defenseman Bill Cass and freshman forwards Ryan Murphy and Ryan Shannon have each netted one shorthanded goal.
LIGHTNING STRIKES EARLY: Four times this season, Boston College has lit the lamp before the first minute of the game has 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. 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. BC has a 5-1-1 record in games where the team scores so quickly.
FAST AND FURIOUS SCORING: Boston College has scored back-to-back goals in less than three minutes in seven different games this season. Five of the occurrences have come in the Eagles' last eight games. BC has a 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.
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. 13 and USCHO.com as of Jan. 13).
Boston College is ranked 17th nationally in team offense (3.41 goals per game), 16th in scoring margin (+0.55 goals per game), 17thin power play percentage (20.4 percent), tied for 15th in winning percentage (.591) and third in shorthanded goals (seven).
Sophomore Tony Voce is tied for ninth in overall scoring (18-13-31 games) and tied for fifth in goal scoring (18). He is tied for fifth in the nation in goals per game (0.82 gpg). On special teams, he is tied for 17th in power-play goals (six) and tied for first in shorthanded goals (four). He is also tied for 10th in game-winning goals (three).
Senior Ales Dolinar also ranks among the national leaders in game-winning goals, netting three for a 10th-place tie.
... AND LEAGUE LEADERS: Several Eagles are among the HOCKEY EAST leaders (conference games only) in scoring categories (as of Jan. 13).
Sophomore Tony Voce is tied second in conference scoring (18 points), first in goal scoring (11), tied for first in game-winning goals (two), tied for sixth in power-play goals (three), tied for first in shorthanded goals (three), tied for first in hat tricks (one), and first in shots (59).
Sophomore Ben Eaves is seventh in scoring (15 points), tied for second in assists (11) and tied for eighth in game-winning goals (one).
Other Eagle skaters who are listed among the league leaders include senior Ales Dolinar (tied for eighth in game-winning goals with one), senior Jeff Giuliano (tied eighth in game-winning goals with one, tied for 10th in shots with 42), freshman Ryan Murphy (tied for fourth place in shorthanded goals with one), freshman Ryan Shannon (tied for fourth place in shorthanded goals with one), and freshman Dave Spina (tied for eighth in scoring with 13 points, tied for seventh in assists with eight)
Freshman Matti Kaltiainen is eighth in goals against average (3.12) and 10th in saves (126). Junior Tim Kelleher is tied for second in shutouts (one).
GIULIANO - SHANNON - SPINA: The Eagles' second line of senior Jeff Giuliano and freshmen Ben Eaves and Dave Spina has been clicking on all cylinders in the past three games. In the game against Massachusetts (Jan. 7) and the weekend series against UMass-Lowell (Jan. 11-12), the three forwards posted 15 points. Giuliano and Spina each contributed six points (three goals and three assists), while Shannon added three assists. Spina scored BC's first goal of the game in each of the three games last week, while Giuliano notched two goals against Massachusetts. His second goal of the game was the game-winner in overtime.
SENIORS LEADING BY EXAMPLE: BC's senior class - Jeff Giuliano and Ales Dolinar - has been leading the team by example since returning from the holiday break. In six games, the duo has combined for 13 points (four goals, nine assists). Giuliano has scored three goals and added four assists in six games. Dolinar has scored one goal and collected five assists in six games.
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 shares the top spot with New Hampshire forward Darren Haydar and New Hampshire defenseman Mick Mounsey. And while Haydar is the nation's leading scorer, Forrest is the backbone of the Eagles' young defensive corps.
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 six games centering the top line.
CHANGING POSITIONS: After playing the first 20 games of the season as a forward, junior Anthony D'Arpino has moved back to his natural position as a defenseman. A depleted defensive corps forced the coaching staff to move D'Arpino to the blue line. He was a defenseman in his first two seasons at the Heights.
FIRST GOAL GO-TO GUY: When the Eagles need to break into the scoring column in a game, freshman Dave Spina has proven to be the go-to guy. Of his 18 points this season, nine have come on the team's first goal of the game. He has scored the first goal six times and assisted on three others.
APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK: Senior Jeff Giuliano is three points shy of becoming the 58th Boston College player to reach 100 points for his career. So far this season, he's scored 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists) in 22 games.
EAVES MAKES INTERNATIONAL IMPACT: Sophomore Ben Eaves represented the United States 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 22 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 17th in power-play goals (six) and tied for first in shorthanded goals (four). Eight of his 18 goals have been even-strength tallies.
WALKER ENJOYING RENEWED SUCCESS: Junior forward A.J. Walker has notched 13 points - five goals and eight assists - this season. He had scored two goals in two seasons headed into the 2001-02 campaign. Coincidentally, Walker has scored all but five 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.
EVERYDAY PLAYER: Senior forward Jeff Giuliano has played in all 150 of BC's games since his arrival at the Heights in the fall of 1998. He has recorded 36 goals and 61 assists for 97 points.
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.
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 '66 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 171-107-23 mark (.606 winning percentage) at Boston College and a 638-442-57 (.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.
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 129-49-14 mark (.708 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.
BC MOVES UP IN SEARS CUP STANDINGS: Boston College currently stands in a tie for 21st place in the latest standings for the Sears Directors' Cup, released Jan. 8. The standings are annually tabulated based on schools' performances in NCAA Championship play and is a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.
Boston College has earned points in the following sports this year: women's cross country (finished sixth at NCAA Championship), football (finished 23rd in final CNN/USA Today poll), men's soccer (played in first round of NCAA Championship) and women's soccer (played in first round of NCAA Championship).
Stanford is currently in first place, while North Carolina is second and UCLA is third. Boston College is second among BIG EAST schools - trailing only 14th-place Notre Dame.
EAGLES AMONG ELITE COLLEGIATE PROGRAMS: Boston College is the only Division I school that can boast four major programs (football, men's basketball, women's basketball and men's hockey) ranked in the Associated Press (or equivalent) polls. Football capped its 2001 season with a 20-16 win at the Music City Bowl and a final ranking of 21 in the AP poll. Men's basketball is currently ranked 22nd in the AP poll, while women's basketball is ranked 25th. Hockey is ranked 13th and 14th in latest set of polls.
UP NEXT: After Sunday's game against BU - a 3 p.m. contest at Walter Brown Arena on Fox Sports New England - the Eagles will play two games against Providence. The first game will be played on Friday, Jan. 25 at Schneider Arena at 7 p.m., while the second game will be played at Kelley Rink on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. That game will also be aired by FSNE. Please note that the first game of the series has been moved from Saturday, Jan. 26.
