In the first matchup of a busy weekend for No. 19 Boston College men’s ice hockey, the Eagles dropped a pivotal matchup to conference rival No. 11 Providence by a final score of 2-1. With No. 1 Denver looming at home on Saturday night, the Eagles (1-4-1, 1-1-0 Hockey East) failed in a rematch against a team it beat 4-2 two weeks ago.
The Eagles’ lone goal was scored by sophomore defenseman Connor Moore, his first of the season, to give them a 1-0 lead late in the first period. Moore zipped through a swath of Friars (4-2-0, 1-1-0 Hockey East) up the right side and fed Casey Carreau. Carreau slid a pass to Mike Booth, who attempted a shot that PC goalie Hayden Hawkey kick saved—Moore scored off the rebound. The goal was the second of Moore’s BC career, and it was the first points of the season for Booth and Carreau.
The Friars knotted things up midway through the second period with a power-play goal from Erik Foley. Foley’s goal was assisted by a beautiful pass from Spenser Young from the neutral zone. Later in the period, the Eagles allowed PC’s Ben Mirageas to score on a wrister that found its way over Woll and into the back of the net. The final goal proved to be all the Friars needed on the evening, as the BC offense faltered late. The Eagles were outshot 14-6 in the second period and 10-6 in the third, and a well-rested Hawkey saved all the late-game shots that came his way.
The penalty battle is one the Eagles are most certainly going to need to improve upon if they are to rebound. BC went 0-for-6 on penalties in the contest while the Friars were 1-for-8. Overall, the Eagles had 10 penalties for 20 minutes, while PC had eight for 16 minutes. This marked the second game in a row the Eagles were penalized 10 times.
The Friars held a slight faceoff advantage throughout the contest, winning the battle 40-38. Julius Mattila recovered 16 of 29 possible faceoff opportunities.
Not all was negative for the Eagles on Friday, however, as the penalty kill remained strong. The Friars had two 5-on-3 opportunities for 94 and 32 seconds, respectively, both of which the Eagles escaped unscathed.
Goaltender Joseph Woll saved a remarkable 34 shots. In a campaign that has seen BC heavily penalized, Woll has been kept incredibly busy. His efforts practically carried the squad to contention late in its most recent contest. If the Eagles can improve on the offensive side of the ice, Woll’s skills in the net will prove invaluable.
Woll’s skills will have to be just as sharp on Saturday. Denver, the defending national champions, come into Kelley Rink leading the country with 45.6 shots on goal per game.
Featured Image by Steven Everett / Heights Editor
