Boston College
Harvard
City Rivalry on Tap in Cambridge
November 16, 2016 | Men's Hockey
No. 3 Boston College will tout the nation's longest unbeaten streak into the Bright-Landry Hockey Center on Friday night to lock horns with No. 11 Harvard; the last time Boston College and Harvard met, the Eagles handed the Crimson a first-round exit in last year's NCAA Tournament
WHERE: Bright-Landry Hockey Center  /  Cambridge, Mass.
GAME NOTES:Â PDFÂ (BC) / Â WEBÂ (BC) / Â Harvard Notes
HOW TO FOLLOW:
-Â WATCH LIVEÂ (Ivy League Digital Network)
-Â RADIO:Â WEEI 850 AMÂ --Â Jon Rish (Play-by-Play) Â // Â Andy Powers (Color Commentary)
-Â LIVE STATSÂ
-Â BUY TICKETS
BOSTON COLLEGE vs. HARVARD
A Beanpot matchup outside of the actual Beanpot Tournament will take place at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center Friday night, the first regular season game between the Eagles and Crimson since Nov. 11, 2014, when Harvard downed BC, 6-3. BC and Harvard will skate against one another for the 125th time on Friday night, but the last time they met, it marked the first in an NCAA postseason game. The Eagles knocked Harvard out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the DCU Center last year on March 25, 2016, 4-1. When playing in the Beanpot Tournament, BC owns a 28-13 record over Harvard in Boston's mid-winter tradition. Boston College and Harvard have collided 82 other times outside of the Beanpot as BC owns an overall advantage of 74-45-5 against the Cambridge residents. In recent history, Boston College has dominated Harvard, winning 12 of the last 13 meetings by a combined score of 56-27. Harvard's last victory against BC occurred at Kelley Rink on Nov. 11, 2014. Jerry York is 26-6-2 all-time against Harvard behind the Eagles' bench.Â
CRIMSON CALL
The Eagles will have their hands full with a Harvard team finally lost its first game of the season last Saturday at Quinnipiac, 4-2. Prior to that loss, Harvard was unbeaten with a 4-0-1 record with two victories over Arizona State and wins against Cornell and Princeton. The Crimson sport both a top-five offense (4.17) and defense (2.00) as Harvard's offense ranks third, nationally, and is one of seven offenses (including BC) that is averaging four or more goals per game. The defense is tied for fourth in all of college hockey, surrendering only two goals per game. Senior forward Tyler Moy leads Harvard with nine points (3-6-9) and is averaging 1.50 points per game which is tied for ninth in the NCAA. Sophomore forward Lewis Zerter-Gossage has scored the most goals for Harvard (5). HU is unbeaten at home thus far, with one win and one draw.
TRENDING UP
Boston College has been lighting the lamp often lately, having scored an aggregate of 47 goals in its last 10 outings. The Eagles are now averaging four goals per game (4.00 gpg) on the season which is tied for sixth best in all of college hockey and the second-most productive offensive output in all of Hockey East.
TOP TRIUMVIRATE
Following the 3-1 victory over Arizona State on Nov. 13, Boston College had a three-way tie for leading point getter through 13 games. The veterans have come through to lead the way as senior assistant captains Austin Cangelosi and Ryan Fitzgerald alongside fourth-year winger Matthew Gaudreau are all averaging a point per game with a sum of 13 points. Cangelosi is BC's leading goal scorer with eight (8) while both R. Fitzgerald and Gaudreau has posted four goals and nine assists thus far. On the national landscape, the BC trio of seniors is tied for 70th amongst all skaters in college hockey.
POINT PRODUCTION
There is not another team in college hockey that has scored as many points than Boston College. The Eagles have logged both the most goals (52) and assists (96) in the NCAA thus far making their total of 148 points the current benchmark in the game. The only other team that has amassed 50 goals so far this season is Ohio State (50), but it has done so at a quicker rate in just 11 games.
IN THE RED
The Eagles are outscoring their opponent at a significant margin and own the third-best mark in the NCAA. Boston College's +1.92 goal differential is the best in Hockey East as the Eagles have netted 51 goals and given up only 27. The +27 mark is best in the NCAA.
THE GREAT WOLL OF CHESTNUT HILL
First-year goaltender Joe Woll has been steady in net for the Eagles all season and is currently in the top 13, nationally, in all goaltending categories. Woll is currently ninth in save percentage (.930), 13th in goals against average (2.09) and tied for 10th in winning percentage (.750). The Dardenne Prairie, Mo. native has not given up more than three goals in his last six starts.
CASE IN POINT
Sophomore defenseman Casey Fitzgerald leads all BC blue liners in points scored with 11 (4-7-11). The North Reading, Mass. native is tied for 16th, nationally, amongst all defensemen with 1.00 points per game and is one of 42 skaters in all of college hockey with two game-winning goals.
BLUE LINE BANDITS
In 13 games, Boston College's defense is surrendering only 2.08 goals per game, standing as the seventh best in the country and second best on the conference level. Despite being the seventh most penalized team in college hockey thus far (19.0 PIMs / game), the Eagles' penalty-killing unit has done a good job, snuffing out 70-of-85 opportunities at a rate of 82.4 percent.
NONPLUSSED
Three Eagle defensemen are near the top of the national plus/minus charts as freshman Connor Moore's +12 rating is tied for third-best in college hockey and best in Hockey East. Casey Fitzgerald and Scott Savage both possess +11 plus/minus ratings with is tied for sixth on the national landscape.
TEAM TO BEAT
After defeating New Hampshire and Arizona State last week, Boston College extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games, winning nine and tying one. That mark means the Eagles are currently the hottest team in college hockey as no one has a streak that long.
TOP 10
Boston College is the first team in college hockey to crack into the double digits column in victories, reaching 10 victories faster than any other program in college hockey
SWIFT STARTS
Boston College's record is 10-2-1 following the Arizona State victory. The Eagles have started out with an 10-2-1 mark in three of their last five seasons (2016-17, 2015-16 and 2012-13).
BACK BEHIND THE BENCH
Boston College men's head hockey coach Jerry York will return to the bench on Sunday against Arizona State. York missed six games following outpatient eye on Oct. 25. The Eagles held true in his absence, going 5-0-1 in the stretch.
A TRICK FOR THE AGES
Austin Cangelosi not only scored Boston College's second hat trick of the season and the first of his career, he did so in unprecedented fashion by netting a natural hat trick (three uninterrupted goals) with three different types of goals. Cangelosi scored a power play goal, short-handed goal and even-strength goal in succession on Nov. 4 at Cross Insurance Arena in 34:19. The senior's accomplishment marked BC's first "natural hat trick" since Brian Gionta scored five goals on his first five shots on Jan. 27, 2001, also against Maine, at Kelley Rink. Thirty-five other Eagle hat tricks have occurred between Gionta's modern-day record and Cangelosi's natural hat trick.
Christopher Brown netted his first-career power play goal in his 53rd game as an Eagle against UNH on Nov. 8 while both David Cotton and Colin White scored their second and fourth of the season, respectively. White is one of 20 skaters in all of college hockey to have scored four or more power plays goals. Heading into the Harvard contest, the Hanover, Mass. native is tied for second, nationally, in power play goals per game (0.33).
CANGE CROWNED
After scoring his first-career hat trick and also netted a short-handed goal and a power play goal in back-to-back games, netting fives goals in all over the course of two games, Austin Cangelosi earned BC's first league honor, hauling in Hockey East Player of the Week laurels. The Florida product is also considered one of the most lethal faceoff men in college hockey, having won 67.8 percent (198-of-292) of his draws.
Â
