NCAA Tournament Starts Friday in Providence

NCAA Providence Regional Round One

#1 Boston College: No. 1/1, 31-5-1, 20-3-1 HEA
Michigan Tech: No. NR/20, 19-14-6, 12-10-2 CCHA
Friday, March 29: 2 p.m. at Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, R.I.)
TV (Stream): ESPNU (ESPN+)
John Buccigross (play-by-play), Colby Cohen (analyst)
Radio: WEEI 850 AM, Varsity App, BCEagles.com/Watch
Jon Rish (play-by-play), Andy Powers (analyst)
Live Stats: Friday

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- No. 1 overall seed Boston College takes on Michigan Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Providence Regional on Friday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU from Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Eagles enter their 37th NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed for the third time. BC and Michigan Tech have met twice in the NCAA Tournament, including the 1965 National Championship Game. Boston College last played in downtown Providence in the 2015 NCAA East Regional. The Eagles are 4-6 all-time at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, including the 1985 Hockey East Tournament and five NCAA Tournaments, including the 2000 Frozen Four.

EAGLES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Boston College is making its 37th NCAA Tournament appearance, the fourth most in NCAA history. The Eagles are 49-43 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• BC has won five National Championships and reached 11 Frozen Fours.
• The Eagles are 14-3 in first round games, including a best-of-three series win over Bowling Green in 1989. BC also advanced out of the first round in 2021 as Notre Dame withdrew due to Covid-19 protocols.
• Four Eagles have scored a hat trick in the NCAA Tournament; Doug Brown (1985 vs. UMD), Nathan Gerbe (2008 vs. North Dakota), Cam Atkinson (2010 vs. Yale) and Johnny Gaudreau (2014 vs. Denver).

CUT TO THE CHASE
• Cutter Gauthier is the Hockey East and NCAA leader in goals at 35. He is the first Eagle to reach 30 goals in a season since Hobey Baker Award winner Johnny Gaudreau in 2013-14. His 35 goals tie him with three individuals for fifth most goals in a season, including Nathan Gerbe (2007-08), the most recent to finish a season with 35. David Emma (1989-90) owns the BC single-season record at 38.
• Gauthier had a career-best 14-game point streak, with a 11-10-21 scoring line, snapped against BU (2/5) at the Beanpot. He bounced back from his streak being snapped with a four-point, two-goal performance against No. 17 New Hampshire (2/9).
• Gauthier scored his first career hat trick at Merrimack (1/19).
• Gauthier's 12 power play goals are the most in Hockey East and fourth most in the NCAA.
• He is one of two Eagles named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.

WORKHORSE IN NET
• Jacob Fowler posted his 28th and 29th wins in the Hockey East Tournament last weekend. His 29 wins are one behind Al Montoya (Michigan, 2002-03) for the most in a season by a freshman across the NCAA.
• Fowler is first in the league and ranks fifth nationally with a .953 save percentage.
• The rookie's 2.19 GAA ranks 10th among NCAA goalies and is third in Hockey East.
• Fowler is a Richter Award finalist and was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year.

KID LINE
• Boston College's all-freshman line of Gabe Perreault, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard has combined for 68 goals, 110 assists and 178 points entering the NCAA Regionals.
• The trio is averaging 4.81 points per game, including 103 points in Hockey East play.
• The Perreault-Smith-Leonard combined for nine goals and 12 assists in the Hockey East semifinals and finals.
• Smith (67) is the leading points-getters in the nation at 1.81 points per game. Gabe Perreault has also reached the 50-point mark and is second in the NCAA at 1.78 ppg.
• The line has a +81 rating with Leonard (+34) leading the league.

THE B-SIDE [VIA COLLEGE HOCKEY INC.]
• BC enters the NCAA Tournament on the longest active win streak in the country (12).
• The Eagles have made the biggest turnaround in wins among the tournament field this season at +17. BC went 14-16-6 last season and are 14-16-6 entering Friday.
• Will Smith (67) and Cutter Gauthier (59) are the highest scoring duo in the tournament field at 126 points; 21 ahead of BU's Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson.

HOME BRUIN
• The Providence Regional marks the second consecutive weekend for the Eagles played on the home ice of the Boston Bruins or an affiliate franchise. Amica Mutual Pavilion is the home to Boston's AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
• Boston College went 3-1 this season on the Boston Bruins ice at TD Garden. The Eagles went 1-1 in the Beanpot and 2-0 in the Hockey East Tournament.
• The BC roster features a pair of Boston Bruin draft picks. Sophomore forward Oskar Jellvik was selected in the fifth round, 149th overall, in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, while classmate Andre Gasseau went later in that same draft at 213 overall in the seventh round.
• BC last played at TD Garden and Amica Mutual Pavilion, formerly the Dunkin Donuts Center, in 2013 for the Hockey East Semifinals and NCAA Northeast Regional.

BC-MTU SERIES
• Friday marks the 12th matchup of all-time between the schools.
• Boston College leads the all-time series, 7-4. The first-ever meeting was a 10-4 win for Michigan Tech in the NCAA National Semifinal in Colorado Springs.
• The two sides also met in the 1965 National Championship Game; an 8-2 win for the Huskies in Providence.
• Boston College's last win in the series was a 2-1 decision at the Great Lakes Invitational, played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in December 2011.

NCAA Tournament Starts Friday in Providence

NCAA Providence Regional Round One

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacob Fowler

Andre Gasseau

Cutter Gauthier

Oskar Jellvik

Ryan Leonard

Gabe Perreault

Will Smith