Boston College
Massachusetts
Latter Part of Regular Season Continues in Amherst
February 14, 2018 | Men's Hockey
No. 19 Boston College starts its final leg of the regular season at the Mullins Center on Thursday night as the Eagle close out their regular season series against UMass live on NESNs
BOSTON COLLEGE vs. MASSACHUSETTS
Boston College heads down the Mass Pike to Amherst for the first time since Oct. 29, 2016 where the Eagles came away victorious in a 7-4 shootout. Thursday's affair closes out the regular-season series against UMass as the Eagles skated to a 2-1 victory over the Minutemen on Jan. 23, 2018 at Kelley Rink. Logan Hutsko scored his first-career game-winning goal at 14:48 of the second period while Jesper Mattila opened the scoring with his first-career power play marker. With that win, Boston College stretched its winning streak over UMass to seven games, outscoring the Minutemen, 39-10, over the course of that unblemished span. In the last 14 fixtures, Boston College owns an 12-1-1 mark against UMass and dating back to 2008, the Eagles own a 26-4-1 advantage over their in-state foe. All in all, Boston College leads the overall series, 62-13-3. Since Boston College joined the league and has been hosting UMass since 1995, BC is 35-6-3 against Massachusetts on The Heights and has not lost against UM at home since Jan. 18, 2013. Since Massachusetts has joined Hockey East, Boston College has mounted a 35-6-3 mark on home ice and a 28-5-1 win-loss total in Amherst. Thursday marks the fourth meeting between BC head coach Jerry York and UMass skipper Greg Carvel since he arrived in Amherst. York owns the 3-0 edge.
MINUTE ON THE MINUTEMEN
After Boston College handed Massachusetts its 12th loss of the season on Jan. 23 on The Heights, it sent the Minutemen into a bit of a tailspin. The Minutemen lost their next four games after their setback against the Eagles, getting swept at home by Maine followed by losses against BU and UNH. UMass has responded nicely, though, as of late, going unbeaten in its last three (2-0-1), beating Merrimack (5-2) on Feb. 6 and tying the Terriers on Feb. 9. In their most recent outing on Feb. 10, the Minutemen shutout UMass Lowell, 3-0. From a statistical standpoint, UMass is a program to keep your eyes on as the Minutemen's top five point getters are all rookies, including John Leonard (10-12-22) Mitchell Chaffee (12-9-21), Oliver Chau (8-13-21), Mario Ferraro (3-17-20) and fourth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft Cale Makar (3-13-16). The Minutemen offense ranks 42nd, nationally, averaging 2.68 goals per game. The defense has struggled, surrendering 3.06 goals per game which is last in the league and tied for 35th in the NCAA.
HUTSKO HEROICS
Freshman Logan Hutsko became the first Eagle to account for five goals in two games since Nathan Gerbe turned the trick 10 years ago during the 2007-08 season. Hutsko scored the game-tying goal and overtime winner against UMass Lowell on Feb. 9 and followed that performance with a natural hat trick against Harvard in the Beanpot consolation on Feb. 12, all occurring in the third period, in a span of 11 minutes and 23 seconds, including an even strength goal, power play goal and extra attacker goal. Gerbe is the last Eagle to have scored four goals in a game, doing so at Harvard on Dec. 12, 2007. The future NHLer then scored against Air Force on Dec. 29, 2007. It marks BC's first hat trick since JD Dudek to accomplish the feat. Dudek tallied three goals at UConn on November 22, 2016 in a 5-2 win. Because Hutsko's goals all occurred in the third period, it counts as a natural hat trick. The last time an Eagle scored a natural hat trick, it took place on Nov. 4, 2016 when Austin Cangelosi turned the trick at Maine. Hutsko now moves into the team lead with 22 points (10-12-22) through 30 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS SPREE
Boston College has now scored a power play goal in eight of its last eight games after Logan Hutsko scored his second of three goals on Feb. 12 on the power play. BC's penalty-killing unit has done a nice job of turning a positive into a negative as the Eagles are tied for ninth in the nation with five short-handed goals this season. Boston College is one of 11 teams in the NCAA with at least five short-handed goals this year, as Christopher Brown leads the way for BC with a pair of those thus far.
LOOSE CHANGE FROM THE HARVARD GAME
• Entering Monday's Beanpot final between Northeastern & Boston University, Hutsko's three goals Monday night were the most in a single Beanpot Tournament since Northeastern's Kevin Roy tallied five goals in the 2013 Beanpot Tournament. It also marked the first Eagle to net a hat trick in the Beanpot since Krys Kolanos did so against Northeastern 18 years ago on Feb. 7, 2000.
• The three third period goals notched by the Eagles' offense marked the fifth time this season where Boston College has scored three or more goals in a period. With Christopher Brown's second-period tally, the Eagles collected their fifth shorthanded goal of the season and their first since a January 14 matinee against New Hampshire, a 5-2 win on home ice. Â
• After missing the last six games to injury, Kevin Lohan returned to the lineup Monday night, recording an assist and a +1 rating on the evening.
ATOP THE LEADERBOARD
Boston College now has its sights set on its 16th regular season Hockey East championship and kept its foot on the gas after Logan Hutsko scored with 6.8 seconds left in overtime against UMass Lowell on Feb. 9 at Kelley Rink. The Eagles are two points ahead of Providence and is 14-6 in Hockey East play with four regular season contests to play.
OVERTIME ACTION
Boston College has been involved with a good amount of extra hockey this season as the Eagles have gone 2-1-3 in overtime contests this season. BC's two OT victories came at Providence (Fitzgerald - Oct. 15) and against Lowell (Hutsko - Feb. 9). The Eagles suffered their first overtime loss in almost exactly three years when they suffered a 5-4 loss to Harvard int he Beanpot consolation. BC's last overtime loss occurred against Vermont on Feb. 13, 2015.
CASE'N THE JOINT
Captain Casey Fitzgerald is BC's leading scoring defenseman (4-12-16), which is tied for 13th in the conference. The junior leads the Eagles in shots on goal (85), second in blocked shots (25) and scored his first power play goal of the season on Jan. 6 vs. NMU.
THE BRICK WOLL
Sophomore backstopper Joseph Woll has stopped 568-of-629 shots faced in his first 23 outings for a .903 save percentage which is currently 50th in all of college hockey while his 2.71 goals against average ranks 37th in the game. Woll has stopped 1,480 - of - 1,628 shots faced (.909 save percentage) with a career mark of 2.67 goals against average. Woll was also one of 20 goalies named to the watch list for the 2018 Mike Richter Award, which annually honors the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division I men's hockey. Woll recently returned from the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship where he backstopped Team USA to a bronze medal.
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