Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Boston University*
No. 2 Men's Hockey Downs Boston University, 3-2
January 17, 2004 | Men's Hockey
Jan. 17, 2004
BOSTON - Junior goaltender Matti Kaltiainen made 29 saves as Boston College defeated Boston University by a 3-2 score in front of 3,806 at Walter Brown Arena. With the victory, BC completed a sweep of the three-game regular-season series between the two squads.
Boston College (16-3-3, 9-1-2 Hockey East) struck first when senior defenseman J.D. Forrest scored a power-play goal at 8:46 of the first period. Sophomore Patrick Eaves and junior Andrew Alberts were credited with the assists. Eaves' night ended early, though, as he suffered a bruised sternum blocking a shot late in the period.
Sophomore Stephen Gionta gave the Eagles a two-goal lead at 7:30 of the second period when he fired a shot from a seemingly impossible angle. BU goalie Stephan Siwiec appeared to have a bead on the puck, but it slid past his left skate and trickled into the net. BU appeared to answer less than a minute later, but Kenny Roche's goal was waved off because of a BU player in the crease. The Terriers cut the Eagle lead in half at 16:30 when David Van der Gulik scored a power-play goal off a feed from Ryan Whitney.
The Eagles regained their two-goal cushion at 7:15 of the third period when junior Ryan Murphy snuck one past Siwiec with assists from Greg Lauze and Ty Hennes. The Terriers continued to fight back, though, as Mark Mullen collected a rebound and found the net at 13:40 of the third. After pulling Siwiec for an extra skater with less than two minutes to play, BU generated a few scoring chances, but solid play by the BC defense and a sprawling save by Kaltiainen preserved the 3-2 victory.
Kaltiainen's 29 saves were a season high. BU's Stephan Siwiec made 22 stops as BU fell to 6-8-6 (3-7-2 Hockey East).
Boston College will return to action on Tuesday, January 20 for a makeup game at Providence. The Eagles and Friars were originally scheduled to meet on December 6, but the game was postponed because of weather. Tuesday's game will begin at 7 p.m. at Providence's Schneider Arena.
Game Notes: Boston College was outshot for the first time this season, as BU recorded 31 shots to BC's 25 ... Ryan Murphy became the 12th different Eagle to record a game-winning goal this season.
