Heading into its midweek matchup against No. 11 Providence, No. 3 Boston College men’s hockey had not lost consecutive games since the 2022–23 season.
That streak continued on Tuesday night.
Providence’s (7–2–3, 5–2–2 Hockey East) two-goal second period propelled the Friars to a 2–1 advantage over BC (8–2–0, 3–1–0), but Ryan Leonard’s late-game heroics proved to be the difference in the Eagles’ 3–2 overtime victory inside Schneider Arena.
“It’s hard to put a finger on what it is, but they have great energy, they’re very competitive, they take losing hard—so we’ve been able to have great responses,” BC head coach Greg Brown said about the Eagles’ ability to bounce back.
Leonard tied the game with 4:04 remaining in regulation and scored the game winner with 48 seconds left in overtime, tallying three points total.
“He’s a difference-maker,” Brown said of Leonard. “He finds a way to get involved all game but especially in key points.”
The Eagles got off to a hot start and immediately took a 1–0 advantage over the Friars less than a minute into the first. James Hagens retrieved the puck from Leonard at his own blue line before slotting a stretch pass through the neutral zone to the tape of Gabe Perreault. The pass sprung Perreault free on a breakaway, and the sophomore calmly slid the puck through goaltender Philip Svedebäck’s five hole on the backhand.
BC had two key penalty kills in the middle portion of the first period. Providence tallied a number of chances, but BC goaltender Jan Korec—starting in place of the suspended Jacob Fowler—was sharp early. Korec stopped all 10 shots in the first frame and 24 in total.
“[Korec] played great,” Brown said. “The two goals were breakdowns in front of him, and he did everything he could to keep us right there, give us a chance.”
The Friars finally broke through in the opening minute of the second period after some sustained offensive zone time at the end of the first. Just 27 seconds into the second period, Clint Levens potted his second goal of the season to knot the score at 1–1. The sophomore pounced on a rebound and flipped the puck into a wide open net. Korec stopped the initial shot from the right point, but he could not control the rebound.
Providence’s forecheck ramped up in the early stages of the second period, giving the Eagles had trouble handling it.
“They made a great push in the second [period] and even the last five or six minutes of the first [period],” Brown said.
With 16:52 left in the second stanza, the Friars capitalized on BC’s inability to clear the defensive zone and took their first lead of the game. Defenseman Michael Hagens coughed the puck up in his own end, and Ryan O’Reilly quickly gained possession before jamming home the puck. Hagens’ turnover was one of multiple in that sequence, as a tired group of Eagles could not get off the ice.
“I thought [Providence] started to carry the play a little bit more at the end of the first and then definitely at the start of the second they got all over us—came with a heavy forecheck and created turnovers, which got us back on our heels,” Brown said.
BC struggled to sustain offensive zone time in the second period, and the Eagles’ chances were largely limited to those off the rush. After an encouraging power play in the first period, the Eagles had two sloppy power plays in the second period.
“I think we’re second guessing and double clutching on some pucks,” Brown said about the power play. “It wasn’t flowing nearly as well as it can.”
The Eagles picked up their energy at the start of the third period and had a lot of offensive zone time, but the Friars kept the puck out of high-danger areas.
Later in the period, defenseman Aram Minnetian whipped a cross-ice pass to Mike Posma, who had a golden scoring chance but chipped the puck just wide of the net. A few minutes later, with 6:50 left in regulation, it appeared BC was going to go on the power play, but Leonard took a roughing penalty after the whistle.
“I thought we played with a lot of good intentions in the third and were able to carry the play for most of the third,” Brown said.
Leonard redeemed himself moments later. With a delayed penalty, Leonard dished the puck to Perreault on the left wing before Perreault gained the blue line on the rush. Perreault then fed Leonard in the middle of the ice, and the sophomore deposited the puck to tie the score, 2–2.
Leonard’s overtime theatrics began when he found himself on the rush with a minute left in overtime but whiffed on a shot. Hagens found the loose change, but he, too, whiffed on his attempt. Leonard then circled back to the still-loose puck and cleverly dragged it behind his back before sliding it into the back of the net with the tip of his stick to down the Friars, 3–2.
“When you have guys like that that can either change momentum in a hurry or close out a game, it’s a great luxury for a team,” Brown said.
Leonard now has eight goals on the season to go along with six assists.
“We had a hard loss against UConn so it was kind of nice to get right back on the ice, but when you’re playing a top team—both in our league and in the country—in Providence, to be able to scrape out a win is huge for our team,” Brown said.
