Despite the recent four-game losing streak, the Boston College men’s hockey team was able to hold onto an early lead to defeat the Michigan State Spartans on Friday to find its first November win and climb back to .500.
BC tallied a quick goal early in the first period when freshman Zach Sanford found the back of the net for the first time in his career at BC just 39 seconds into the game.
The goal came after some quick pressure on Michigan State’s Jake Hildebrand by junior Michael Matheson and freshman Alex Tuch. Sanford then gathered the puck and snuck it into the Spartans’ goal.
The Eagles found success through their offensive pressure in the first period. The rewards of this strategy presented themselves again seven minutes shy of the first horn, when sophomore Ian McCoshen shot a deep puck from the blue line, which Hildebrand was unable to control, leading to any easy put-away poke check by fellow sophomore Matthew Gaudreau.
Gaudreau’s goal put him at two goals in the past two games, the first point streak of his college career.
The puck would find its way into each zone for the rest of the first, but the Spartans were the only ones able to capitalize in the waning minutes of the first period, scoring at 17:16 after a failed puck clearance.
Seniors Quinn Smith and Michael Sit helped keep BC’s lead through the second period. After Sit’s behind-the-goal shot just narrowly missed the goaltender’s back in hopes of it bouncing into the net, Smith found an easy rebound in front of the net, cashing it in for another BC goal. The score remained 3-1 throughout the second period.
After Smith’s goal, BC switched to containment play, preserving its two-goal lead until the midpoint of the third period when Spartan Matt DeBlouw slid one past Thatcher Demko to cut the lead to one.
BC held onto its lead with some close calls near the end of the third after Hildebrand was pulled to the bench for the extra attacker.
Demko, however, was too good for the Michigan State players to get through. He displayed his sorely missed talent on Friday, having missed the Harvard game due to a high fever.
While the game remained close through the third period, the losing streak-snapping victory was perhaps overshadowed by another feat. Head coach Jerry York tied the great John “Snooks” Kelley for most wins by a BC head coach at 501 with the team’s victory over the Spartans.
Featured Image by Emily Fahey / Heights Editor
