Boston College Athletics
Men's Hockey Preview: No. 17 Notre Dame
October 21, 2010 | Men's Hockey
Oct. 21, 2010
Game #4
No. 1 Boston College at No. 17 Notre Dame
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010 - 7:05 p.m. EST
Joyce Center (2,713) - South Bend, Ind.
EAGLES FACE CCHA-OPPONENT NOTRE DAME: No. 1 Boston College (3-0-0) returns to road action at No. 17 Notre Dame (3-1-0) on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. inside the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. The Eagles earned a road win at Northeastern (Oct. 9) and two at No. 6 Denver (Oct. 15 & 16) prior to traveling to Notre Dame for a single game this weekend. BC is 1-0-0 against its own conference - Hockey East - and 2-0-0 against the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
INTERNET AUDIO: ISP manages and produces all Boston College hockey radio broadcasts. Mike O'Brien (play-by-play), filling in for Jon Rish at Notre Dame, and Ken Hodge (color) will have the call, which is streamed live over the internet and available free of charge through Boston College's official athletics web site: www.bceagles.com.
INTERNET VIDEO: Saturday's game will have live video streaming through Notre Dame's official athletics web site: www.und.com.
THE POLLS: Boston College maintained the top spot in both national polls after earning a two-game sweep at No. 6 Denver last weekend. The Eagles were a unanimous No. 1 choice in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll collecting 510 points and all 34 first-place votes. BC received 49 first-place votes from the panel of 50 coaches and media members to lead the way in the Oct. 18 USCHO.com poll.
QUICK HITS
• Boston College has been penalized 29 times in three games, an average of 9.7 penalties per game and is a perfect 23-for-23 in penalty-killing situations.
• Sophomore goaltender Parker Milner registered 20 saves in the team's 3-0 win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday, Oct. 16 to mark the team's second shutout of its three-game season. It also marked Milner's first collegiate shutout in his first appearance of the 2010-11 season. The Pittsburgh, Pa., product improved to 11-2-1 in 14 career starts.
• Senior goaltender John Muse registered 35 saves in the team's 2-0 season-opening victory at Northeastern on Saturday, Oct. 9. The shutout performance marked the ninth of his career. Muse ended the 2009-10 season with a 20-save shutout performance against Wisconsin in Detroit, Mich., on April 10. The 35 saves marked his most saves since a 4-3 loss at Denver on Jan. 2, 2010, a span of 17 games.
• Boston College has outscored its opponents 11-2 through three games this season and is averaging a 34-28 advantage in shots.
• Through three games, seven different skaters have scored one goal while four players - junior Cam Atkinson, defenseman Tommy Cross, senior Brian Gibbons and junior Jimmy Hayes - have each scored twice.
• Junior defenseman Tommy Cross has scored in consecutive games for the first time in his 65-game career.
• Freshman Kevin Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward, registered his first collegiate points in the second period of the team's 6-2 win at No. 6 Denver on Friday, Oct. 15. The Dorchester, Mass., resident assisted on Tommy Cross' goal at 9:17, then scored his first career goal at 12:41.
• Senior forward Brian Gibbons scored shorthanded goal in a 6-2 win at No. 6 Denver on Friday, Oct. 15. It marked BC's first since defenseman Carl Sneep against Yale in the NCAA Northeast Regional final on March 28, 2010.
• Junior Tommy Cross is the first junior to serve as assistant captain since Mike Brennan in 2006-07.
• For the 10th time in the last 13 seasons, Boston College has been picked as the Hockey East preseason favorite, or co-favorite, by the league's coaches.
• Cam and Tommy Atkinson, Joe and Steven Whitney, and Jimmy and Kevin Hayes are the 13th, 14th and 15th pairs of brothers to play hockey on the same team at Boston College.
• Sophomore forward Chris Kreider, who captured a gold medal with the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, made his first appearance with the U.S. Men's National Team in May, traveling to the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim, Germany.
• Six players - five sophomores and one freshman - participated in the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp from July 30 - Aug. 7 in Lake Placid, N.Y. - defenseman Brian Dumoulin, forward Chris Kreider, defenseman Philip Samuelsson, defenseman Patrick Wey, forward Steven Whitney and freshman forward Kevin Hayes. Kreider was one of nine returnees from the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team to participate in the camp.
• Boston College has 11 players on its roster who have been selected in the NHL Draft. Those players are: Bill Arnold (Calgary/4th/2010), Cam Atkinson (Columbus/6th/2008), Paul Carey (Colorado/5th/2007), Tommy Cross (Boston/2nd/2007), Brian Dumoulin (Carolina/2nd/2009), Jimmy Hayes (Toronto*/2nd/2008), Kevin Hayes (Chicago/1st/2010), Chris Kreider (NY Rangers/1st/2009), Isaac MacLeod (San Jose/5th/2010), Philip Samuelsson (Pittsburgh/2nd/2009) and Patrick Wey (Washington/4th/2009). * Jimmy Hayes was traded to Chicago in July 2010.
• Last winter, Boston College scored 171 goals - its highest total since the 2000-01 season and the third-most under York - and ranked second in the nation with a 4.07 goals per game average. Led by junior Cam Atkinson (30 goals) and Brian Gibbons (50 points) and Joe Whitney (45 points), Boston College returns 79 percent (360 of 456 points) of its total offensive production from one season ago.
LAST TIME OUT: Jimmy Hayes and Tommy Cross each scored even-strength goals and sophomore goaltender Parker Milner registered 20 saves as No. 1 Boston College earned a 3-0 non-league win over No. 6 Denver before 6,036 fans at Magness Arena. BC, which defeated Denver 6-2 the previous night, captured the two-game weekend sweep of the Pioneers. Milner recorded eight saves in each of the first two periods and four in the final frame to earn his first collegiate shutout in his first appearance of the 2010-11 season. The Pittsburgh, Pa., product improved to 11-2-1 in 14 career starts. Junior Cam Atkinson accounted for the game's final tally, converting a diving effort with his backhand into an open Pioneer net with 16.2 seconds remaining. The visiting Eagles killed nine Denver power plays that totaled 15 minutes, 30 seconds. BC improved its three-game season total to 23-for-23 on the penalty kill. It went scoreless in three power-play attempts of its own.
HAYES EARNS LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Boston College junior Jimmy Hayes has earned Hockey East Player of the Week honors after he scored one goal in each of two victories at No. 6 Denver, including the decisive tally, an unassisted goal scored just 1:28 into the contest, in the team's 3-0 win on Saturday, Oct. 16. Hayes' first goal of the weekend - a second-period score in Friday's 6-2 win over the Pioneers - marked his 50th career point. A resident of Dorchester, Mass., Hayes has registered 51 points - 23 goals and 28 assists - in 81 collegiate games.
2010-11 EAGLE AWARDS AND HONORS
John Muse, Fr., G
• Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 11)
Jimmy Hayes, Jr., F
• Hockey East Player of the Week (Oct. 18)
THE NOTRE DAME SERIES: Boston College is 17-11-2 in the 29-game all-time series against the Fighting Irish. The Eagles are 8-5-2 in 15 meetings under head coach Jerry York, including a 4-1-1 record in South Bend, Ind. and a 2-0-0 record at neutral sites. Saturday's contest will conclude a 14-game home-and-home series between the Eagles and Fighting Irish that began in York's first season at the Heights (1994-95). BC and Notre Dame will begin a new six-game home-and-home series next winter (in South Bend, Ind.).
Boston College vs. Notre Dame
15 match-ups under Jerry York (since 1994-95)
Overall Record (15 GP): 8-5-2
At Home (7 GP): 2-4-1
At Notre Dame (6 GP): 4-1-1
Neutral (2 GP): 2-0-0
THE LAST MEETING (Oct. 23, 2009 at the Joyce Center): Joe Whitney tallied the decisive goal at 11:29 of the third period to lift No. 15 Boston College to a 3-2 win over No. 10 Notre Dame at the Joyce Center. BC claimed its first victory of the 2009-10 season and the Lefty-Smith - John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy. BC concluded the contest killing a Notre Dame power play. The Eagles finished 8-for-8 in penalty-killing situations. Ben Smith and Brian Gibbons also scored for the Eagles while defenseman Philip Samuelsson registered his first collegiate assist.
THE YORK FILE
Record: 853-539-92 (.605 win percentage)
Years: 39
Record at BC: 386-204-58 (.639 win percentage)
Years at BC: 17
YORK TO RECEIVE LESTER PATRICK TROPHY: Head coach Jerry York has been named one of four recipients of the 2010 Lester Patrick Trophy. The trophy is an annual award presented for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Joining York as 2010 recipients are Hockey Hall of Famer Cam Neely, Boston University coach Jack Parker and AHL President David Andrews. The Lester Patrick Trophy ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 27 in TD Garden.
RETIRED JERSEY: On April 12, 2010, Boston College recognized former player and current coach Jerry York by retiring his jersey at the 2010 national championship celebration on O'Neill Plaza.
MORE MILESTONES FOR YORK: Jerry York is in his 39th season as a head coach and his 17th season behind the Boston College bench. He is the second winningest coach in NCAA history and the first among active Division I coaches.
EIGHTY-EIGHTH SEASON OF HOCKEY: Boston College is in its 88th season of hockey. The Eagles have compiled 70 winning seasons and a 1338-734-110 all-time record.
THE CAPTAINS: Boston College elected senior forward Joe Whitney as captain of the 2010-11 Eagle entry. Senior forward Brian Gibbons and junior defenseman Tommy Cross were elected as assistant captains.
EAGLES CHOSEN AS 2010-11 LEAGUE FAVORITE: Boston College has been chosen as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the Hockey East Association regular-season title, according to the Hockey East Coaches' Poll. BC earned nine first-place votes and a total of 90 points. Maine was picked second with 80 points, just four points ahead of New Hampshire. Boston University and Northeastern rounded out the top five selections. The announcement marks the 10th time in the last 13 seasons that the Eagles have been selected as the preseason favorite, or co-favorite, to win the conference crown. BC enters the 2010-11 campaign having captured last year's national title - its fourth national championship in program history. Last winter also marked program's third national championship under head coach Jerry York. York and the Eagles return 17 lettermen from last year's 29-win club.
EAGLES RETURN 17 OF 21 LETTERWINNERS: With the loss of four lettermen - defenseman Carl Sneep and forwards Matt Price, Matt Lombardi and Ben Smith - Boston College returns the bulk of its squad in 2010-11. The 24-man roster features 17 returning letterwinners - two goaltenders, six defensemen and nine forwards. The group helped Boston College to a 29-10-3 overall record, including a 16-8-3 mark in Hockey East play, during a season in which the Eagles earned the Beanpot title, the Hockey East Tournament title and the NCAA Championship.
100-POINT SCORERS: Senior forwards Brian Gibbons and Joe Whitney each recorded their 100th career point last season. Gibbons ranks 53rd at Boston College with 116 career points, while Whitney ranks 54th with 115 career points. Boston College has 72 players who have scored 100 points or more in a career.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS: Boston College has won 25 or more games 10 times in the last 13 seasons. In 2000-01. The Eagles set the school record with 33 victories - in 43 games - en route the school's second national championship.
HOCKEY EAST HISTORY: The Eagles have won four of the last six Hockey East Tournament titles. Overall, BC has posted a 51-23-2 record (.684) in the Hockey East Tournament. Boston College has won nine conference championships, the highest total in Hockey East. BC's league tournament titles came in 1987, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Under head coach Jerry York, Boston College is 42-11-1 (.787) in the Hockey East Tournament. The Eagles have won seven titles - 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 207, 2008, and 2010 - in 10 championship games under York.
TWITTER UPDATES: Live in-game news updates, in short form, on Boston College hockey are available through Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCSportsNews
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game updates will be provided by Gametracker through each school's respective web sites.
WHAT'S NEXT: Following Boston College's single game at Notre Dame this weekend, the Eagles will open the home portion of the 2010-11 season on Friday, Oct. 29 against Merrimack. BC will raise its national-championship banner that same night as a final salute to last year's title team.
A GLANCE BACK AT 2009-10: Boston College finished with a 29-10-3 overall record, including a 16-8-3 mark in Hockey East play. The Eagles earned the Beanpot title, the Hockey East Tournament title and the NCAA Division I championship. As the top seed in the Northeast Regional, BC defeated Alaska in the first round and Yale in the quarterfinals to advance to the Frozen Four in Detroit, Mich., the program's fourth Frozen Four in five years. There, the team defeated Miami 7-1 in the semifinals and earned the school's fourth NCAA title with a 5-0 victory over Wisconsin in the championship game. Junior Brian Gibbons captured All-Conference first-team honors, sophomore Cam Atkinson earned All-Conference second-team accolades and Chris Kreider and Brian Dumoulin earned All-Conference Rookie Team recognition. Atkinson led the nation with 30 goals.
