Back-and-Forth Affair Results in Stalemate at Merrimack

Saturday, February 13

North Andover, Mass.

7:00 PM

Boston College

21-4-5, 12-1-5HEA

Merrimack

8-15-7, 2-9-7HEA

Team	1	2	3	OT 1	F
Boston College	1	2	2	0	5
Merrimack	1	3	1	0	5

Back-and-Forth Affair Results in Stalemate at Merrimack

February 13, 2016 | Men's Hockey

Box Score

Boston College remains unbeaten since the turn of the calendar year despite late Merrimack goal spoiling a sweep; Ryan Fitzgerald notches his fourth two-goal performance of the season

GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 3 Boston College 5 // Merrimack 5
Records: No. 3 Boston College (21-4-5, 12-1-5 HEA) // Merrimack (8-15-7, 2-9-7 HEA)
Location: Lawler Arena // North Andover, Mass.
Length of Game: 2:34
Attendance: 2,549
Boston College Starters: Doherty (LW) – Sanford (C) – Tuch (RW) - Santini (LD) – Savage (RD) – Demko (G)
Merrimack Starters: Hennig (LW) – Christie (C) – Bahe (RW) – Biega (LD) – Carle (RD) – Vogler (G)

BC HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
• Ryan Fitzgerald registered his fourth two-goal performance of the season and third game in which he accounted for three points or more. Fitzgerald is second on the team with 16 goals and 19 assists (35 points)

• Casey Fitzgerald (1-1-2), Austin Cangelosi (1-1-2) and Miles Wood (0-2-2) all registered multi-point performances as well in Saturday's draw.

• The Fitzgerald brothers each accounted for BC's power play goals and both Casey and Ryan provided the primary assist on each other's goals.

• Michael Kim has recorded points in back-to-back contests for the first time in his career as an Eagle.

• Boston College possesses the nation's longest unbeaten streak at 12 games (8-0-4) and have not lost since crossing into 2016.

• Boston College scored within two and a half minutes of each beginning to the period in Saturday's tie.

• Boston College's penalty-killing unit had not allowed a power play goal in its last five games before surrendering a pair tonight. UConn's Max Letunov was the last player to score a power play goal against the Eagles (Jan. 23, 2016) before Saturday's result.

• Boston College has not given up five goals in a game this season. The last time the Eagles surrendered that many goals was when they lost to Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year on March 28, 2015.

TURNING POINT
• Adam Gilmour scored the game-tying goal 1:56 into the third period and Casey Fitzgerald's power play strike at 8:11 of the third recouped the lead for BC in the final period of regulation. With 61 seconds left, Merrimack called a timeout and lifted its goaltender and the Warriors' Jonathan Lashyn scored his first goal of the season in equalizer fashion to yield the 5-5 final.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Boston College continued to score early in games as the Eagles attacked in transition at 2:23 of the opening frame.

Michael Kim rescued the puck from between BC's circles and jutted it up to Miles Wood closer to the blue line. Austin Cangelosi saw the play develop and started tearing down the center of the sheet alongside Wood. With a defenseman in his face, Wood eluded him with a soft pass on Cangelosi's tape in the slot and he roofed it over Drew Vogler's glove for the 1-0 advantage.

Boston College kept the puck in the Warriors' zone a majority of the first period, but Merrimack took advantage of a pile in front of the Eagles' net at 14:38.

With Thatcher Demko still trying to get his bearings straight after making a save, Jace Hennig dished over to Brian Christie parked on the goal mouth for the tap-in tally to tie it, 1-1.

Much like the start of the first period, BC jumped on top to initiate the second frame, only this time it was quicker.

Matthew Gaudreau broke up a Warriors' possession in the neutral zone and sent the long pass to Ryan Fitzgerald down the right side of the sheet. Fitzgerald had ample time and skated in on Vogler, beating him with a snap shot from the right dot 46 seconds into the period to reclaim the lead, 2-1.

Merrimack tied it up at 9:20 of the second period, taking advantage of an Alex Tuch cross-checking call (7:55). Brett Seney found a seam near the goalmouth and provided Mathieu Foget with the pass on the far post. At an unlikely angle, Foget beat Demko from almost the goal line extended to tie it up again, 2-2.

The Eagles were doomed by another penalty shortly after MC's tally.

Ian McCoshen was cited for interference at 10:01 and Hampus Gustafsson took advantage on the tailend of the power play window.

Kolquist tossed the puck into the crease and it bounced off of Seney to the far post. Gustafsson crashed the net and buried the loose puck at 11:56 to give the Warriors their first lead of the night, 3-2.

Boston College took its turn on the power play and Fitzgerald made it count, tying it up, 3-3, at 15:54 of the second period.

Kolquist sat for hooking at 14:20 and the Eagles' cycle paid off on a snipe from the circle. Scott Savage sent the puck along to Casey Fitzgerald to the top of the right zone. C. Fitzgerald left it off for his brother, Ryan, and he walked it in on Merrimack's diminished unit and wristed it to the back of the net.

Nineteen seconds later, Merrimack negated the Fitzgerald power play strike on the ensuing draw.

Justin Hussar took the outlet pass from Vogler and found Foget flanking to his right. The Warriors benefitted from the 2-on-1 and Foget netted his second of the night on a wrister in between the circles at 16:13 to recoup the one-goal edge, 4-3.

The trend of scoring early in the period continued as Adam Gilmour scored just a few moments of exiting the box following a 10-minute misconduct.

Cangelosi won a draw to Miles Wood in Merrimack's zone. Wood triggered from the right dot, but the initial attempt was blocked. Gilmour snuck in, gathered the puck and zipped it past Vogler to for the fourth tie of the game, 4-4, at 1:56 of the third period.

The Eagles picked up a huge power play opportunity after Craig Wyszomirski was whacked with a five-minute major after elbowing Gaudreau at 6:54 of the third period.

Just after the eight-minute mark, the Fitzgerald connection struck again, this time, the younger Fitzgerald potted the go-ahead goal on the power play.

Ian McCoshen touched it off to R. Fitzgerald on the left side and he left it off for brother, Casey, in between the circles. C. Fitzgerald had room and wristed one from out deep and duped Vogler on the screen to keep the back-and-forth affair going and take back the lead, 5-4, at 8:11 of the third period.

In one last attempt, Merrimack called timeout with 61 seconds left in regulation and pulled Vogler for the extra skater.

Gustafsson won the draw to Marc Biega on the left side. Jonathan Lashyn wriggled free at the top of the right circle and accepted Biega's dish. From way outside, Lashyn threw the puck on net and Demko never saw it through traffic. Lashyn's extra-attacker wrister tied it up with 55 seconds left and forced the game into overtime.

Both teams had a chance in the extra session, but both Demko and Vogler stood their ground to maintain the 5-5 stalemate.

BOSTON COLLEGE LEADERS
Points: Ryan Fitzgerald (2-1-3)

Goals: Ryan Fitzgerald (2)

Assists: Miles Wood (2)

Shots: Ryan Fitzgerald (9)

MERRIMACK LEADERS
Points: Mathieu Foget (2-0-2) / Hampus Gustafsson (1-1-2) / Jared Kolquist (0-2-2)

Goals: Mathieu Foget (2)

Assists: Jared Kolquist (2)

Shots: Brian Christie (4)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Boston College: 2-for-5
Merrimack: 2-for-4

PENALTIES
Boston College: 6 penalties – 20 minutes
Merrimack: 5 penalties – 13 minutes

UP NEXT
Boston College will make its last regular-season overnight trip to Burlington and take on the Catamounts for a pair at Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse. BC closes out the regular season the following weekend with a home-and-home against UMass Lowell. The regular-season finale will be broadcast live on NESN.

Be sure to get all the latest from Boston College hockey on Twitter to get in-game updates, graphics and much more by following @BCHockeyNews all season long.