Eagles Edged in Overtime in HEA Semis

BOSTON – The No. 1-seeded Boston College Eagles fell to No.-4 seed Boston University, 4-3, in an overtime thriller Friday night in the 2018 Hockey East Semifinal at TD Garden. The Eagles move to 20-14-4 on the season and will wait to see the future of the postseason with Sunday's NCAA Tournament Selection Show at noon on ESPNU.

Sophomore defenseman Connor Moore put the Eagles on the board just 46 seconds in, while classmate Julius Mattila and junior captain Christopher Brown added goals in the second and third periods, respectively. The Terriers tied the game at 3-3 late in the third period and earned the overtime victory at the 4:20 mark into the extra frame.

SCORE
No. 4-seed Boston University – 4   /   No. 1-seed Boston College – 3 (OT)

LOCATION
TD Garden / Boston

PLAYOFF PICTURE – 2018 Hockey East Semfinals
• No. 1-seed Boston College defeated No. 10-seed Merrimack in 2 games in HEA quarters
• No. 4-seed Boston University defeated No. 5-Connecticut in 2 games in HEA quarters

RECORDS
No. 4-seed Boston University (20-13-4 / 12-8-4 HEA)   / No. 1-seed Boston College (20-14-3 / 18-6-0 HEA)

INSIDE THE HOCKEY EAST NUMBERS
- Boston College owns an overall record of 70-32-2 (.673) in the Hockey East tournament. The Eagles have posted an overall record of 17-7 (.708) in the semifinal round of play.

- Jerry York is 60-20-1 (.740) in 81 conference postseason contests. York is 12-6 in Hockey East semifinal contests and 9-3 in championship tilts.

- The 2018 Hockey East Tournament marks the Eagles' 14th occasion as the No. 1 seed in the postseason conference tournament. As the conference's team to beat in the playoffs, Boston College has mounted a 31-11 record.

• All-time in postseason play, Boston University owns a 10-4 record over Boston College, including a 3-3 mark in the semifinals. Between the Eagles (11) and Terriers (9), the two programs have claimed 20 of the previous 33 Hockey East Tournament titles.

BC HIGHLIGHTS & GAME NOTES
- Sophomore defenseman Connor Moore scored his fifth goal of the season and third of his postseason career 46 seconds into regulation to give Boston College the early lead. The Cumming, Ga. native is currently on a three-game point streak, having accounted for two goals and an assist within that span.

- Sophomore forward Julius Mattila scored has scored in back-to-back outings as the Tampere, Finland native assumed the team lead in goals scored with 13. In the last five games Mattila's dressed, he has scored as many goals.

- Captain Christopher Brown scored his ninth goal of the season and 20th as an Eagle as the Bloomfield Hills, Mich. native as accounted for two goals in his last four outings. The tally marks his third-career goal in the Hockey East postseason.

- Freshman Aapeli Rasanen has accounted for three assists in his last four games David Cotton ended a two-game scoreless spell with an assist on Julius Mattila's goal in the second period.

- Sophomore forward Graham McPhee, despite missing BC's last game with a lower-body injury, has accounted for four assists in his last three outings, including a multi-assist performance tonight. The Las Vegas native has notched two assists twice this season and has accounted for six multi-point performances this year.

- The Eagles outshot the Terriers by a 14-7 margin in the overtime period, but were outshot 45-39 overall. Freshman Logan Hutsko led the charge with eight shots on goal in the game, the most of any player on the ice.

GOAL DESCRIPTIONS
FIRST GOAL (1-0 – Boston College) - FIRST PERIOD – Connor Moore – 00:46 – EVEN STRENGTH
• Boston College jumped on the Terriers early, 46 seconds into regulation. Aapeli Rasanen stole the puck along the right boards in BU's zone and passed over to Graham McPhee who was centered in the middle. With a defender between McPhee and the net, discover a trailing Connor Moore who entered the zone from the left side. With a good path to the net, McPhee connected with Moore as his one-timer from the top of the point beat Jake Oettinger's glove side for the quick 1-0 advantage.

SECOND GOAL (2-0 – Boston College) - SECOND PERIOD – Julius Mattila – 3:26 – EVEN STRENGTH (4-on-4)
• A few seconds after a 4-on-4 situation arose, the Eagles took advantage of possession in Boston University's end and turned it into a 2-0 advantage. The Terriers were attempting to break the puck out from behind their net but David Cotton crashed the party and stole it right out from underneath. With Julius Mattila already in prime position near the blue paint, Cotton quickly put it on Mattila's tape and he snapped it quickly past Oettinger at 3:26 to make it a 2-0 affair.

THIRD GOAL (2-1 – Boston University) - SECOND PERIOD – Ty Amonte – 8:57 – EVEN STRENGTH
• The Terriers stopped the bleeding at 8:57 of the second period, capitalizing on a two-on-one charge. BU's Patrick Curry skated the puck into the zone and softly shifted up to Hank Crone on the right dot. Ty Amonte was wide on the play down the left seam and smacked Crone's pass to the back of the net past an outstretched Joseph Woll to cut into the Eagles' edge, 2-1.

FOURTH GOAL (2-2 – Boston University) - SECOND PERIOD – David Farrance – 10:34 – EVEN STRENGTH
• Just over a minute and a half later, David Farrance tied the game up at 10:34 of the second period. Following a pass from Jordam Greenway near center ice, Chad Krys rushed the puck up the left side on a fast break and slid it across to Farrance, who was rushing up on the right side of the sheet. With Woll unable to shift back quick enough, Farrance's slap shot in motion from the right circle was too fast as his attempt tied things up, 2-2.

FIFTH GOAL (3-2 – Boston College) - THIRD PERIOD – Christopher Brown – 14:41 – EVEN STRENGTH
• Immediately after an Eagle power play expired, the puck remained in BU's end and Christopher Brown banged in a loose puck in front to regain the lead at 14:41 of the third period. McPhee got the first shot off from the slot and banked it off JD Dudek who was parked in the crease. The rubber caromed back to the slot and as most of the scrum was trying to originally cover McPhee's attempt, Brown was able to paddle it back through the loose holes and make it a 3-2 game.

SIXTH GOAL (3-3 – Boston University) - THIRD PERIOD – Drew Melanson – 15:26 – EVEN STRENGTH
• Forty-five seconds later, the Terriers tied it back up at 15:26 on a bang-bang play in front of Woll. Farrance got the puck low into BC's zone down to Greenway in the far corner. Greenway sought out Drew Melanson on the doorstep and perfecty placed a pass on Melanson's tape to tuck it through Woll's pads in tight and lock it back up, 3-3.

SEVENTH GOAL (4-3 – Boston University) - OVERTIME – Patrick Curry – 15:40 – EVEN STRENGTH
• Boston University claimed the victory with 4:20 left in the first overtime session. Bobo Carpenter kept the puck in the zone and got it down low to Shane Bowers behind the net. With a path to the net on the left side, Bowers skated it out quickly and tried to tuck in on Woll but the puck squirted to the far post. Luckily for Bowers, Patrick Curry was there to tap it past Woll on the near post at 15:40 to end the contest in favor of BU, 4-3.

BOSTON COLLEGE GAME LEADERS
Points: Graham McPhee (0 – 2 – 2)

Goals: Connor Moore (1 – 0 – 1), Christopher Brown (1 – 0 – 1), Julius Mattila (1 – 0 – 1)

Assists: McPhee (0 – 2 – 2)

Shots: Hutsko ( 8 )

Faceoffs: Jul. Mattila (20 – of – 35)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Boston University: 0– for – 3

Boston College: 0 – for – 2

PENALTIES
Boston University: 4 – for – 8

Boston College: 5 – for – 10

BOSTON COLLEGE LINES
Cotton – Jul. Mattila - Hutsko
Grando –Dudek- Tortora
McPhee – Räsänen – Brown
Carreau – Greco - Walker

Jes. Mattila – Moore
Karow - Fitzgerald
Kim - Lohan

Woll
Edquist

UP NEXT
Boston College will await the season's next step until Sunday's NCAA Tournament Selection Show. The field of 16 teams will be announced Sunday, March 18 at 12 p.m. The show will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Team Stats

Graham McPhee

Christopher Brown

Connor Moore

Julius Mattila

Players Mentioned

Christopher Brown

David Cotton

JD Dudek

Logan Hutsko

Julius Mattila

Graham McPhee

Connor Moore

Joseph Woll

Players Mentioned

Christopher Brown

David Cotton

JD Dudek

Logan Hutsko

Julius Mattila

Graham McPhee

Connor Moore

Joseph Woll