Eagles Seek Tenth Straight Victory at UConn

GAME DAY INFORMATION
WHEN	Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.
WHERE	XL Center // Hartford, Conn.
HOW TO FOLLOW	Live Stats // Video ($) // Audio
GAME NOTES	PDF // WEB // UConn Notes
MEDIA CENTER	Radio (WEEI 850 AM): P x P: Jon Rish // Color: Andy Powers // Engineer: Mark Feldman

BOSTON COLLEGE vs. CONNECTICUT
It sounds odd that the Eagles jump back into league action on Tuesday night against a team they have only faced twice in program history. Alas, that is the scenario for Tuesday's mid-week matchup when Boston College travels down to Hartford to take on Connecticut at the XL Center. The first meeting between the two program took place at the same venue and the Huskies sent BC back to The Heights with a very sour taste after shutting out the Eagles, 1-0, on a Wednesday night (Nov. 5, 2014). UConn's game-winning goal scorer in that game was Evan Richardson, a BC transfer who made his way to Storrs following his freshman season at Boston College. Technically, there is only one Eagle who has scored against UConn in program history, boosting BC to a 3-2 victory at Kelley Rink on Jan. 24 last season to even the series. Ryan Fitzgerald netted his first-career hat trick at home, marking the game winner at 12:20 of the third period. Another large in tie-in to the BC-UConn series is the relationship with Huskies' head coach Mike Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh became as assistant coach at Boston College before the 1995-96 season and was promoted to associate head coach in 2004. Cavanaugh assisted York for 773 games and helped the Eagles win four national titles in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

RECONNAISSANCE ON UCONN
Connecticut skates into Tuesday night's tilt on a bit of a slide, having lost its last seven decisions and having been outscored, 29-11, within that stretch. UConn has lost seven-straight for the first time since the 2009-10 season. UConn skated by Boston University handily, 5-2, on Oct. 27 and defeated Alabama Huntsville (Oct. 10) and Arizona State (Oct. 16). Overall, the Huskies are 3-9 with a 1-6 mark in conference. The Huskies have gained a boost from their incoming class this season as their two leading scorers are both rookies. Max Letunov is UConn's leading scorer with six goals and eight assists through 12 games, averaging 1.17 points per game. Letunov is tied for 29th, nationally, in scoring and fifth amongst all rookies. Classmate Tage Thompson has notched four goals and as many assists while all four tallies have come via the power play. Thompson's 0.33 power play goals perThe Eagles possess the nation's top scoring margin ( + 3.18 ) -- BC is the only team to own a positive scoring margin over three goals per game through 11 games this season game is tied for seventh in the nation in college hockey. Junior goaltender Rob Nichols is back between the pipes, averaging 3.17 goals allowed per game with a .898 save percentage. Nichols' defense ranks 10th in Hockey East and is 52nd in the nation. UConn's offense is slotted 38th overall. The power play is tied for 34th (17.6 percent – 9-for-51) while the penalty kill is tied for 47th (77.6 percent – 38-for-49).

OFFENSIVE NUGGETS
• The defense has grabbed most of the attention this season, but the Eagle offense is the second-ranked unit in the country and only 0.04 goals per game off the lead (Robert Morris)

• The Eagles possess the nation's top scoring margin ( + 3.18 ) -- BC is the only team to own a positive scoring margin over three goals per game through 11 games this season

• Colin White and Miles Wood are ranked first and second, respectively, in the nation amongst rookie scores. White is averaging 1.55 ppg (6-11-17 while Wood's at 1.27 ppg (5-9-14)

• The line of Matthew Gaudreau - Colin White - Ryan Fitzgerald is averaging just under six points a game as a line; manufacturing 29 points (10-19-29) in just five games together

DEFENSIVE NUGGETS
• The late first-period goal my UNH's Matt Dawson marked the first goal the Eagles gave up in Hockey East play this season. Saturday marked Boston College's fourth conference tilt.

• Despite being the most penalized team in the country (22.4 PIMs/game), BC's penalty kill is best in Hockey East and ranked sixth nationally (49-of-54 - 90.7 percent)

• Steve Santini posted his first-career three-point performance with a playmaker on Nov. 21 at UNH - according to Santini, "It was my first three-point game I've EVER had!"

• The Eagles defense continues to be the standard in college hockey, surrendering only 1.18 goals per game nationally and 0.75 per Hockey East contest

STARTING STRONG
Two times in the last four seasons, head coach Jerry York has started off the season with a 10-1 mark, matching the 2012-13 Eagle entrie. Those two starts mark the best record (10-1) through 11 games under York's tenure. The Eagles currently have the the second-best winning percentage in the game behind Quinnipiac (11-0-2) and own the third-longest unbeaten streak in the country thus far (nine games).

HALF DOZEN BAGELS
For the first time in Boston College hockey history and second time in college hockey history, the Eagles shutout six opponents in seven games spanning from Oct. 16 to Nov. 8. Thatcher Demko backstopped all six of those blankings. The closest BC has ever come to this current record is when the Eagles shutout four teams in six games from Jan. 23 to Feb. 11, 2000.

BEST DEFENSIVE START IN 94 YEARS
In allowing only 10 goals in BC's first 10 regulation games, the Eagles posted their best defensive start in program history. Boston College's 1.00 goals allowed per game through the first 10 contests of the season is the lowest mark in BC's 94 years of varsity hockey.

ONE-SIDED
Over the course of BC's six shutouts in seven games, the Eagles outscored their opponents by a combined 30-3. BC's 7-0 shutout against Massachusetts on Nov. 3 was the largest margin of victory in a blanking since the 11-0 win over Army on Nov. 10, 2013.

FOUR FOUR FITZY
In his 87th career game, Ryan Fitzgerald posted his first four-point performance with a pair of goals and two assists in the 6-4 winover Michigan State on Nov. 13. Fitzgerald joined Colin White as the only two Eagles to post four points in game thus far.

BEACON STREET BULLIES
Boston College is currently leading the nation in penaly minutes per game, averaing 22.4 per outing.

WATCH OUT FOR WHITE
First-year forward Colin White has accounted for 14 points (4-10-14) in his last six games and now leads both the Eagles and all rookies nationally in scoring. The Hanover, Mass., native is averaging 1.55 points per game with six goals and 11 assists through 11 contests.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Teddy Doherty registered a pair of goals at UNH on Nov. 21, including his fourth power play goal of the season. Four of Doherty's six goals this season have come via the extra man. BC's captain now has a pair of two-goal performances this season, with his first occurring against Massachusetts on Nov. 3. Doherty's second strike also counted as the Eagles' game-winning goal, marking the third of his career and first of the season. Doherty is currently tied for seventh in the nation in power play goals per game (0.40).

GAU-GAU GAUDREAU
Matthew Gaudreau is also in the midst of a career-bestsix-game point streak after scoring his second goal of the season at New Hampshire on Nov. 21. The Carneys Point, N.J., native has notched two goals and six assists since joined forced with Colin White and Ryan Fitzgerald on the third line.

HISTORIC HALF DOZEN
Thatcher Demko matched history after posting six shutouts in seven starts (Oct. 16 - Nov. 8, 2015), stringing together a pair of three-game shutout streaks. Demko's historic run tied Blaine Lacher of Lake Superior State for posting six shutouts in seven games, marking only the second time in the history of college hockey something of that magnitude has been achieved. Below are the runs posted by each goaltender:

SHUSH.
Demko's first shutout streak started in the third period at Rensselaer on Oct. 11, 2015, where he played shutout hockey for 206 minutes and two seconds (206:02), denoting the 20th-longest stretch of zero goals allowed in the history of the game. Demko's second run started in the third period of the Denver contest on Oct. 30 and spanned to the second period against Michigan State, surpassing his previous total and posting another 208 minutes and 36 seconds (208:36) of scorelss hockey. That mark is the 17th-best stretch in the history of the game. Demko's scoreless string of 208:36 is third longest in school history behind Scott Clemmensen (254:23 – Jan. 9-24, 1998) and Cory Schneider (242:19 – Jan. 13-27, 2006).

STANDING TALL AMONGST THE BEST
Demko is currently second in the nation in goals against average (1.18) and save percentage (.955) on the year and is two shutouts clear (6) of the next closest netminder, Charlie Lindgren of St. Cloud State. For a career, the 6-foot-4 backstopper is 45-19-6 (.681) with a 2.05 goals against average and a .927 save percentage (1,839 saves on 1,983 shots). If Demko's 2.05 GAA held, it would rank second behind Matti Kaltiainen's (2001-05) career mark for best all time. His six shutouts this season is two shy of matching the single-season mark set by Cory Schneider during the 2005-06 season. Demko possesses nine career shutouts, good for fourth-best all-time. He is three blankings shy of matching John Muse's third-place mark of 12 career shutouts (2007-11). Schneider holds the record with 15 (2004-07) while Scott Clemmensen is second with 13 (1997-2001).

LIVING HISTORY
The Schiller Family Head Hockey Coach of Boston College, Jerry York, enters his 44th season of coaching college hockey. Not only is York the winningest coach in the game's history, having amassed 994 victories and a win-loss total of 994-592-105 (.618), York is approaching another historic benchmark. After locking up the most wins all-time at his alma mater (502) and heads into his 22nd season behind the Eagles' bench, he now has the 1,000-win plateau in his sites. York is just SIXaa wins away from hitting that number as he is already the winningest coach in the game's history.

Eagles Seek Tenth Straight Victory at UConn

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Players Mentioned

Thatcher Demko

Teddy Doherty

Ryan Fitzgerald

Matthew Gaudreau

Steve Santini

Colin White

Miles Wood