Eagles and River Hawks Meet Friday at Kelley Rink

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – No. 1 Boston College plays just one game this weekend as No. 8 UMass Lowell comes to Kelley Rink to close out the season series on Friday evening for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with a radio broadcast available on WEEI 850 AM.

SETTING THE SCENE
• The Eagles improved to 18-4-1 overall and 11-3-1 in Hockey East after sweeping No. 8 Boston University this past weekend
• BC is currently on a six-game winning streak that includes wins over Merrimack, Harvard, Providence (2x) and Boston University (2x)
• During the six-game winning streak, the Eagles have not allowed an even strength goal
• UMass Lowell sits at 13-7-3 overall and 6-5-2 in league play after going 1-0-1 against Providence last weekend

THE RANKINGS
• BC remains at No. 1 in both national polls this week
• UMass Lowell moved up to No. 8 in both national polls

BATTLE OF COMM. AVE SWEEP
• The Eagles swept Boston University this past weekend in the 296th and 297th all-time meetings between the two programs, earning a 6-2 win on the road Friday before a 2-0 victory on Saturday at home
• Jacob Fowler made 61 saves over the two games, including a 30-save shutout on Saturday, his sixth of the year and ninth of his career
• Ryan Leonard finished the weekend with five points on four goals and one assist, including a hat-trick on Friday night, his first of the season and second of his career
• Teddy Stiga scored two goals, one goal in each game
• The Eagles scored two short-handed goals on Friday through Will Vote and Leonard
• Gabe Perreault recorded three assists on Friday
• Five defensemen registered a point on Friday evening

WEEKLY AWARDS
• Fowler was named the Hockey East Player of the Week, becoming just the third goaltender since the 2020-21 season to win the award
• Stiga was recognized as the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week for the second week in a row

ABOUT THE EAGLES
• Boston College is third in the country in penalty killing percentage at 89.1
• BC is 11-1-0 on home ice this season
• The Eagles have outscored their opponents 76-40 this season, including 29-8 in the third period

AMONG HOCKEY EAST
• BC leads Hockey East in penalty-killing percentage (89.1) and save percentages (.934)
• In conference play, Leonard (22) and Perreault (19) sit one and two in points in the league
• Leonard leads Hockey East in goals (19) and game-winning goals (7)
• Perreault is second in the league in points per game (1.35), while Leonard is fifth with 1.17
• Fowler leads Hockey East in wins (17), shutouts (6) and save percentage (.938), and is tied for first in goals against average (1.63)

A LOOK AT UMASS LOWELL
• UMass Lowell enters Friday's game with a 13-7-3 overall record and a 6-5-2 record in Hockey East
• The River Hawks went 1-0-1 against Providence this past weekend, skating to a 3-3 tie on Friday, and won the ensuing shootout, followed by a 1-0 victory on Saturday
• Mirko Buttazzoni, Owen Cole, and Scout Truman each have 15 points for the River Hawks
• Truman has a team-high eight goals, while Nick Anderson leads the team in assists with 11
• Beni Halasz and Henry Welsch have split time between the pipes this season, combining to make 540 saves and allowing 53 goals
• Pierson Brandon was named the Hockey East Defender of the Week on Monday as well as Halasz being recognized as the Stop It Goaltending Co-Goaltender of the Week

SERIES HISTORY
• The Eagles are 74-47-13 all-time against the River Hawks
• The two teams met earlier this season right before the break
• The first game in the season series ended in a 3-3 tie with UMass Lowell winning the shootout for the extra point in the league standings
• BC won the contest at Kelley Rink on Dec. 9 by a score of 3-2

NHL NOTES
• Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim) scored his eighth goal of the season on Wednesday in Anaheim's 6-4 win over Seattle
• Will Smith (San Jose) is currently on a five-game point streak
• Matt Boldy (Minnesota) posted three assists in Minnesota's victory over Chicago on Sunday

UP NEXT
• BC heads to TD Garden on Monday evening for the 72nd Dunkin' Beanpot. The Eagles take on Northeastern at 8 p.m. and the game will be available to watch on NESN.

Eagles and River Hawks Meet Friday at Kelley Rink

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Players Mentioned

Jacob Fowler

Cutter Gauthier

Ryan Leonard

Gabe Perreault

Will Smith

Teddy Stiga

Will Vote