Crucial Series against Vermont Set for Kelley Rink

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 17, 2016 (7 p.m.) / Saturday, Feb. 18, 2016 (7 p.m.)

WHERE: Kelley Rink / Chestnut Hill, Mass.

GAME NOTES: PDF / WEB

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BOSTON COLLEGE vs. VERMONT
Vermont has become a familiar opponent to Boston College at Kelley Rink as the Catamounts return for their first regular season series since February 2015. The familiarity stems from UVM's three trips in four years to The Heights for the Hockey East playoffs. Last season, the Eagles avenged Vermont in the 2016 quarterfinals, topping UVM in three games from March 11-13. In 2015, the Catamounts came down from Burlington and took down Boston College in three games to end BC's run to TD Garden. Over the course of the last 10 games, the competition has been stiff as BC possesses a 6-4 advantage in those standoffs. Boston College still owns a 19-5 mark over the Catamounts at Kelley Rink since UVM joined the league. In the overall series, BC possesses a 41-16-5 mark with a 26-7-3 win-loss total in Hockey East play.

CALLING ON THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont has been one of the surprise clubs in the league this season when the Catamounts started their season off with a 10-3-2 mark, including a 5-2-1 record in conference play. Since that hot start, Vermont has since cooled off a bit, skating into Kelley Rink with an even 7-7-1 mark since that start. UVM is currently in sixth place, seven points (20) behind the top-seeded Eagles. Vermont has only one win in its last five outings, most recently its contest against New Hampshire (5 - 3) on Feb. 11. The Catamounts are led by freshman Ross Colton with 24 points (10-14-24) while senior Mario Puskarich has matched Colton's goals total (10) for the team lead in that category. Amongst all rookies, Colton's 0.83 points per game ranks him 16th in the NCAA. Vermont's evenly-distributed scored has the Cats' ranked 13th overall (3.27 gpg) and fifth in Hockey East while the defense has settled into 25th (2.73 gpg) in all. UVM's net is guarded by rookie goaltender Stefanos Lekkas, who has amassed a 15-7-3 (.660 - 16th) mark with a .910 save percentage (35th) and a 2.52 goals against average (26th).

SENIOR SCHWANN SONG
The senior class of Chris Calnan, Austin Cangelosi, Ryan Fitzgerald, Matthew Gaudreau and Scott Savage will have their Senior Night celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 18 against Vermont. This group enters the game against the Catamounts with 95 victories, including one Hockey East regular season titles, two Beanpot trophies and two Frozen Four appearances. These Eagles have never won less than 21 games to cap a season.

BEANPOT RECAP
Boston College finished fourth in the Beanpot for the first time since 1993. BC is now 78-52 all-time in Beanpot play dating back to the inaugural 1952 tournament. David Cotton became the seventh Eagle on the roster to tally at least one point in his Beanpot career with his first Beanpot goal. Colin White's third period goal made him the second player on the Eagles roster with at least two career goals in Beanpot action. The sophomore netted the game-winning goal in the first round of the 2016 Beanpot against Harvard. Only teammate Ryan Fitzgerald has more goals in Beanpot play (3).

PLAYOFF PUSH
If Boston College sweeps Vermont and Boston University loses one of its two games to New Hampshire this weekend, the Eagles will clinch their Hockey East-best 15th regular season title. Boston College still has the best outlook and can max out with 35 points in the league standings, three more than Boston University. BC is currently in first place (27 points), three points ahead of the Terriers while Notre Dame and UMass Lowell (23 points) are jockeying for third. The Eagles can finish no lower than in sixth place.

PARSING THE PAIRWISE
With only four games left in the regular season and a Hockey East playoff push to follow, the Eagles are still above the fold in the Pairwise rankings. Heading into the UVM series, Boston College is tied for 13th (.5422 RPI), one of five teams in the top 16 as of right now. Boston University (5), Providence (T-8th), UMass Lowell (T-8th) and Vermont (16th) are the other teams from the league in the Pairwise mix.

TRACKING TWENTY
If Boston College wins two more games this season, it will mark the eighth-consecutive year BC has won 20 or more games. The Eagles have won 20 or more contests from the 2009-10 season each year and look to match that benchmark again. The eight-consecutive 20-win seasons tops Jerry York's previous (2002-08) of six seasons.

FITZY FLYING UP THE CHARTS
With only a few games left for Ryan Fitzgerald, the senior assistant captain looks to add to his goal-scoring legacy on The Heights. Heading into the Vermont series, the North Reading, Mass. native has accounted for 61 goals over the course of his career, which stands alone as the 36th best mark in the Boston College career goals chart.

CANGE CANS 50
Senior Austin Cangelosi accounted for his fourth multi-goal game of the season with two goals and an assist against Merrimack on Feb. 10, his first since netting a hat trick at Maine on Nov. 5. The Estero, Fla. native's two goals now put the senior centerman at 50 goals for his career. Cangelosi is four career goals away from tying for 50th all-time in the Boston College career goal-scoring chart. He plays in his 150th-career game on Friday vs. UVM.

OFFENSIVE OFFERINGS
Heading into the Vermont series, Boston College currently sports SEVEN 20-point scorers. Only a couple other programs in all of college hockey can support that claim, as well. After suffering three-straight losses for the first time since December 10-29, 2015, the BC offense is still ranked 12th, overall, in the nation and fourth in Hockey East. Boston College is averaging 3.28 goals per game.

HELP ME HELP YOU
Ryan Fitzgerald turned in the Eagles' EIGHTH playmaker (three assists in a game) against Merrimack on Feb. 10. Boston College is one of three teams to have had one individual obtain three assists in a game that many times. Northeastern and American International are the others.

POINT PRODUCTION
Boston College is tied with UMass Lowell for the sixth-most points in all of college hockey (105-191-296), 20 points behind the national leader, Ohio State. BC also possess the fourth-most assists (191) and are one of 10 teams to have cracked the 100-goal plateau (105). Boston College's five-on-five game is currently the best in the NCAA, having scored the most points of any other club (218) in even strength. Boston College is also leading college hockey in even-strength points scored (211) and fourth in the nation in most road points scored with 153. BC is in fourth place in the NCAA in plus/minus differential (+33).

STARTING OFF STRONG
Despite a lapse against Merrimack on Feb. 10, BC's defense has been rock solid starting off games thus far. The Eagles' defensive unit has not allowed more than two goals in the first period of play the entire season until Feb. 10. At this point, BC leads all teams in the league in first-period goals given up, surrendering only 17 through 32 games.

PENALTY KILLERS
BC's penalty kill kept Northeastern's power play unit off the board on Feb. 13 in the consolation game of the Beanpot, curbing a 19-game PP goal streak for the Huskies.

Crucial Series against Vermont Set for Kelley Rink

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Players Mentioned

Chris Calnan

Austin Cangelosi

David Cotton

Ryan Fitzgerald

Matthew Gaudreau

Scott Savage

Colin White