Second Half Starts at Home vs. UConn

Saturday, December 30

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

3:00 PM

Boston College

Connecticut

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December 28, 2017 | Men's Hockey

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Connecticut makes its way to Kelley Rink for the second time this season as Boston College gets the second half of the season underway at 3 p.m. on Saturday

By: Athletic Communications

BOSTON COLLEGE vs. CONNECTICUT
UConn becomes the first Hockey East team to visit The Heights twice this season as the Huskies travel up I-84 to the Pike for a Saturday afternoon matinee. Boston College eclipsed Connecticut, 2-1, in the first meeting of the season at Kelley Rink on Nov. 7. In the short history against UConn, many of the games have been one-goal affairs and the last meeting did not stray from that. Julius Mattila (SH) and Michael Kim (PP) tallied their first goals of the season while Ryan Edquist earned his second start of the season and turned away 27 shots to win his first outing of 2017-18. In the seven-game history against the Huskies, five of those games have been decided by one goal or less (one tie). Saturday marks the fifth meeting against UConn at Kelley Rink as Boston College has come away unscathed in all three of those meetings, winning three games and tying another. In the two teams' first-ever meeting, UConn shocked the Eagles on a Wednesday night (Nov. 5, 2014) by upseting BC, 1-0, after Boston College transfer Evan Richardson scored the game-winning goal. Since that opening defeat in 2014, BC has not lost to UConn since (5-0-1). 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.

UCONN RECONNAISSANCE
After UConn came away witha 2-1 loss at Boston College on Nov. 7, the Huskies went into a bit of a funk, going winless (0-3-1) with a loss and a tie at home against Ohio State followed by a two-game sweep with UMass Lowell. Since then, UConn has gotten hot as winners of five of its last six, outscoring its opponent, 24-11, over the course of the span. Junior forward Maxim Letunov leads the Huskies in scoring with 19 points (5-14-19). The UConn offense, overall, ranks 33rd averaging 2.86 goals per game. The defense is 28th, averaging the same number.

SWEET AS AN ORANGE JULIUS
Sophomore forward Julius Mattila has been Boston College's mmost consistent offensive player since early November as the Tampere, Finland native led the Eagles with 14 points (5-9-14) through the first half of the season. The sophomore is currently on a career-best six-game point streak having accrued 10 points (4-6-10) amidst that tear and notched at least one point in eight of his last nine games.

BOLD MOVE COTTON...LET'S SEE IF IT PAYS OFF FOR HIM
Sophomore forward David Cotton got off to a slow start this season, but since scoring his first goal of the season at New Hampshire on Nov. 17, the flood gates have opened. The Parker, Texas native has scored at least one point in five of his last six outings, including three multi-point performances in that run. The second-year winger is now tied for second on the team in scoring with 12 points (3-9-12) through 18 outings.

1 - 2 ROOKIE PUNCH
The freshman duo of Logan Hutsko and Christopher Grando has paid dividends for the Eagles in the first half of the season. The freshman pair has yielded 16.2 percent of BC's early offense, combining for eight goals and 15 assists. Hutsko is tied for second in points scored (3-9-12) and is tied for second in scoring while Grando, the Hockey East Rookie of the Month (November), is fourth with five goals and six assists. Hutsko ranks 34th in all of college hockey amongst freshmen scorers (0.67 ppg) and tied for seventh in Hockey East. Grando is 40th, averaging 0.61 points per game, which is 10th in the league.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU
Junior captain Christopher Brown scored Boston College's first 5-on-3 power play goal of the season late in the second period on Dec. 9 against Northeastern. It marks the Bloomfield Hills, Mich. native's team-best third power play goal of the season and fifth, overall, as an Eagle.

DEFENDING THE NEST
Boston College's defense continues to limit the opposing lamp being lit as BC is now limiting its opponents to 2.89 goals per game. That number is tied for 30th, nationally, and sixth overall in the conference. Over the course of the last 10 games, Boston College has only given up four or more goals on only three occasions.

TWO-WAY TYPE OF CAPTAIN
Junior captain Michael Kim scored his fourth goal of the season on Dec. 9 against Northeastern. The goal stands as his 10th-career marker for the captain. Kim also added an assist his sixth-career multi-point performance and second of the season, first since netting a pair of goals with two goals at New Hampshire on Nov. 17.

ATOP THE LEADERBOARD
Boston College might have had a slow start in the non-conference slate, but the Eagles have responded rather thunderously in conference play. Winning nine of their first 12 games in the first half of Hockey East play, the Eagles are all alone in first place in the Hockey East standings by one point over Northeastern, having accrued 18 points with a 9-3 record to the early goings of the conference slate.

REMEMBERING COACH CEGLARSKI
Legendary Boston College head hockey coach and athlete Len Ceglarski, winner of 419 games as head coach on The Heights and member of the 1949 national championship team, passed away on December 16, 2017. He was 91 years old. Ceglarski is the ninth-winningest coach in NCAA college hockey history, having amassed a career record of 673-339-38 (.659). Boston College's former skipper claimed the Eagles' head coaching position at the start of the 1972-73 season, taking over for John "Snooks" Kelley. Ceglarski went on to post an overall record of 419-272-27 (.602) in 20 seasons as head coach at Boston College. In his time behind BC's bench, Ceglarski led his teams to eight NCAA Frozen Fours, four NCAA title games, six Hockey East regular season championships (in eight years) and two Hockey East Tournament titles. When Coach Ceglarski retired at the end of the 1991-92 season, he left the game as the winningest coach in the game.

CAMPOLI LEAVES PROGRAM
Defenseman Michael Campoli has left the men's ice hockey program for other opportunities on Dec. 19, 2017. The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native was a sophomore this season and played in 12 career games for the maroon and gold, finishing with a +7 rating along with an assist.

LOOSE CHANGE
Graham McPhee added an empty netter to preserve victory at Agganis Arena on Dec. 2 to account for his fifth goal of the year, tying him for best on the squad. Graduated student Kevin Lohan assisted in both BU games on Dec. 1-2, marking the first point streak for the University of Michigan transfer since donning the maroon and gold. The 6-foot-5 rearguard now has 12 career assists in 73 college hockey games. Casey Carreau attained his second assist of the season, helping out on Greco's tally while Connor Moore scored his second goal of the season at BU on Dec. 2.