No. 3 Eagles Close First Semester Against UMass Lowell

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College men's hockey closes out the first semester with a home-and-home series against UMass Lowell. The series begins Friday night at the Tsongas Center at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN+. The two teams then square off again Monday evening at Kelley Rink. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN+ and NESN. Radio coverage on WEEI 93.7 FM (Friday) and WEEI 850 AM (Monday) will begin 15 minutes prior to puck drop.

SETTING THE SCENE
• The Eagles improved to 11-3-0 overall and 5-2-0 in Hockey East after earning a 2-1 overtime victory against UConn on Wednesday
• UMass Lowell is currently 10-3-1 overall and 5-2-0 in league play

THE RANKINGS
• BC sits at No. 3 in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey / The Rink Live polls
• UMass Lowell is No. 14 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 13 in the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll

OVERTIME WIN AGAINST THE HUSKIES
• The Eagles got back in the win column in Hockey East play on Wednesday evening with a 2-1 victory over UConn
• Teddy Stiga led the way with one goal and one assist for two points
• James Hagens scored the game-winning goal in overtime
• Drew Fortescue, Jacob Fowler and Gabe Perreault each had one assist
• Fowler made 23 saves to pick up his 10th win of the campaign

AWARDS
• Ryan Leonard was named the National Player of the Month
• Leonard was named the Hockey East Player of the Month and J. Hagens was recognized as the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month
• Lukas Gustafsson was named the Hockey East Defender of the Week

SIX NAMED TO U.S. PRELIMINARY ROSTER
• Forwards James Hagens, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Teddy Stiga, and defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian will compete for a spot on the final U.S. roster for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship

ABOUT THE EAGLES
• The Boston College penalty kill is a perfect 33-for-33 this season, the only team in Division I to not allow a power play goal this year
• BC is 7-0-0 on home ice this season, and has won the last 17 home games dating back to the 2023-24 season
• The Eagles have outscored their opponents 46-25 this season, including 20-5 in the third period

AMONGST HOCKEY EAST
• BC leads Hockey East in penalty-killing percentage (1.000) and is tied for first in saves percentages (.932)
• Leonard leads HEA in goals (11) and game-winning goals (5)
• Perreault leads the league in points per game (1.50), while J. Hagens sits at fourth with 1.29
• Fowler leads Hockey East in saves percentage (.938) and shutouts (4), and is second in goals against average (1.62)
• Aram Minnetian and Aidan Hreschuk are tied for eighth in blocks with 21

A LOOK AT UMASS LOWELL
• UMass Lowell enters Friday's game with a 10-3-1 overall record and a 5-2-0 record in Hockey East play
• The River Hawks played in the Adirondack Winter Invitational last weekend, defeating Clarkson 3-2 in a shootout in the championship game
• Scout Truman leads the team in points with 12
• Truman and Chris Delaney are tied for a team-high six goals, while Mirko Buttazzoni and Ben Meehan lead the team in assists with nine
• Henry Welsch has played the majority of the minutes between the pipes for the Huskies, making 226 saves with a .893 saves percentage and a 2.55 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Eagles are 73-47-11 all-time against the River Hawks
• BC is 4-0-1 in its last five games against UMass Lowell
• Boston College swept last season's series, winning once at home and twice on the road

NHL NOTES
• Matt Boldy (Minnesota), Noah Hanifin (Vegas) and Chris Kreider (NY Rangers) were named to the Team USA roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February
• Mike Hardman (New Jersey) made his season debut on Monday evening
• Will Smith (San Jose) finished the month of November tied for the most assists (6) and power-play points (3) among rookies, and third in points (9)
• Joseph Woll (Toronto) made 24 saves on Wednesday for his seventh win of the season as Toronto defeated Nashville 3-2

UP NEXT
• BC takes a month-long hiatus from the season and will return in early January with a home-and-home series against Merrimack on Jan. 10-11.

No. 3 Eagles Close First Semester Against UMass Lowell

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Players Mentioned

Drew Fortescue

Jacob Fowler

Lukas Gustafsson

James Hagens

Aidan Hreschuk

Ryan Leonard

Aram Minnetian

Gabe Perreault

Will Smith

Teddy Stiga