Weekend Sweep Has Eagles on Brink of No. 1 Seed

Saturday, February 20

Burlington, Vt.

7:00 PM

Boston College

23-4-5, 14-1-5HEA

Vermont

12-18-3, 6-11-3HEA

Boston College

Vermont

Weekend Sweep Has Eagles on Brink of No. 1 Seed

February 20, 2016 | Men's Hockey

Box Score

No. 2 Boston College swept Vermont with a 4-1 victory on Saturday in Burlington; Ryan Fitzgerald nets a pair as the Eagles are two points away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Hockey East playoffs

GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 2 Boston College 4 // Vermont 1
Records: No. 2 Boston College (23-4-5, 14-1-5 HEA) // Vermont (12-18-3, 6-11-3 HEA)
Location: Gutterson Fieldhouse // Burlington, Vt.
Length of Game: 2:07
Attendance: 4,007 (Sellout)
Boston College Starters: Wood (LW) – Cangelosi (C) – Gilmour (RW) – Savage (LD) – Santini (RD) – Demko (G)
Vermont Starters: Senkbeil (LW) – Turk (C) – Petruzzelli (RW) – Pattyn (LD) – Privitera (RD) –Munson(G)

BC HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES
• Boston College maintains the longest unbeaten streak in college hockey, winning 10 games and tying four in its last 14 outings. The Eagles have not lost in 2016 or on a Friday or Saturday night.

• Austin Cangelosi is riding a career-best four-game goal-scoring streak, having scored a goal in both Vermont and Merrimack contests. The Estero, Florida native's tally counted as his third game-winner of the season and fifth of his career.

• Ryan Fitzgerald accounted for his fourth three-point performance (or more) this season and his second fifth game in 2015-16 with two goals.

• Casey Fitzgerald accounted for his fourth-career multi-point performance with a pair of assists on Saturday against Vermont.

• Boston College earned its first true sweep of a Hockey East opponent since beating Maine on Nov. 6-8, 2015.

• Boston College can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Hockey East tournament with two points in the upcoming weekend. The Eagles are two points ahead of second-place Providence.

TURNING POINT
• Vermont attacked first like in the opening game of the series (14:48 – first period) but Adam Gilmour tied it up with just over a minute left uin the first period. BC's penalty kill stood its ground, killing off three Catamount power plays before Austin Cangelosi broke the tie at 2:51 of the third period. Ryan Fitzgerald added two more to certify the 4-1 triumph and weekend sweep.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Vermont took advantage of a Casey Fitzgerald penalty at 14:18 of the first frame.

C. Fitzgerald was whistled at 12:58 and Vermont kept it in the Eagles' end until Mario Puskarich took advantage of ample room in front of Thatcher Demko. Puskarich had the puck on the goal line extended and was able to beat him in close with a snap shot for the 1-0 lead.

Boston College had a late power play in the first period and despite not converting in the two-minute window, Adam Gilmour took advantage as the Catamounts tried to regroup in their own end. Gilmour corralled C. Fitzgerald's rebound in the slot and wristed it past Packy Munson at 18:56 to tie things up in the first frame.

The Eagles' penalty kill was busy in the second stanza, staving off three Vermont power plays, but Demko and the rest of the corps was up to the challenge to force a 1-1 situation heading into the third period.

Once again, Boston College pounced once its power play expired. Yvan Pattyn's charging call let out at 2:36 of the third period and as UVM was still transitioning to even strength, Austin Cangelosi took an opportunity for an odd angle and wired it past Munson from the left pipe to break the tie and make it 2-1 at the 2:51 mark of the third stanza.

At 8:32, Ryan Fitzgerald added an insurance goal to put Boston College up by a pair, 3-1. Fitzgerald had the puck in the neutral zone, soared down the right side and whizzed it past Munson from the right dot.

R. Fitzgerald added even more insurance with 1.9 seconds on the clock by dumping in the empty netter to ice the 4-1 final. Alex Tuch nearly scored with the empty by clanging it off the pipe from 140 feet, but Fitzgerald calmly gathered it and took care of business. Vermont had pulled Munson for the extra attacker after Fitzgerald was whistled for holding, so the empty netter came promptly after exiting the box.

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

Goals: Ryan Fitzgerald (2)

Assists: Casey Fitzgerald (2)

Shots: Ryan Fitzgerald (7)

VERMONT LEADERS
Points: Mario Puskarich (1-0-1) // Brendan Bradley (0-1-1) // Chris Muscoby (0-1-1)

Goals: Mario Puskarich (1)

Assists: Brendan Bradley (1) // Chris Muscoby (1)

Shots: Mario Puskarich (6)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Boston College: 0-for-4
Vermont: 1-for-8

PENALTIES
Boston College: 9 penalties – 18 minutes
Vermont: 5 penalties – 10 minutes

UP NEXT
Boston College closes the regular season on Friday night when the Eagles host Senior Night against UMass Lowell at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26. BC will cap the regular season at Tsongas Center against the River Hawks Saturday night live on NESN at 7 p.m. The Eagles need two points on the weekend to clinch first place in the Hockey East tournament.

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.