One night after an upset loss to the Warriors, No. 14 Boston College men’s hockey got its revenge with a 4–2 win on Saturday night in front of its home fans.
“If you’re looking somewhere else, you’re not going to be dialed in to the game you have,” BC head coach Greg Brown said.
The Eagles (17–10–1, 11–7–0 Hockey East) took down Merrimack (15–13–1, 8–10–1) with a gritty bounce-back victory to split the weekend series, outshooting the Warriors by 18 in the process.
BC’s hero of the game was, of course, none other than Hobey Baker nominee James Hagens. Aram Minnetian and Oscar Hemming pitched in too, while Louka Cloutier performed well behind BC’s solid defensive unit, which allowed just 21 shots on net.
Merrimack’s dominance characterized the first period. The Warriors were able to net an early goal as NHL draft pick Justin Gill found himself wide open on the backside of the crease, giving Cloutier no chance for a save. Assisted by Mark Hillier and Nick Pierre, Gill netted his 13th goal of the season to put Merrimack up 1–0.
The Warriors used a dump-and-chase game plan to slow down the Eagles’ dominant offense. The change in pace proved to be a problem for BC, as Merrimack outplayed the Eagles for the majority of the first frame.
But the Eagles got a much-needed break from Minnetian, as the junior scored his second goal of the season with three seconds remaining in the opening period. Teddy Stiga and Ryan Conmy were credited with assists. Stiga is tied for the second-most assists on the team with 14.
Hemming got called for holding at the 8:20 mark, and, exactly 10 minutes after Minnetian tied things up, Pierre rifled a slap-shot over Cloutier’s right shoulder to put the Warriors back on top, 2–1.
Merrimack’s special teams unit has been one of the best in the conference this season. The only team better in Hockey East play this season is the Eagles, who convert on 26 percent of their man-up opportunities.
The Eagles struggled a bit on the power play in the second period, however, even failing to convert on a 5-on-3 rush. The Warriors later managed a 2-on-1 rush despite being shorthanded, but Hagens turned that moment into a critical momentum-changing goal for BC.
Hagens poked the puck off Caden Cranston’s stick and drove to Merrimack’s net, ending the play with his 16th goal of the season to tie the game 2–2.
Hagen’s power-play goal alleviated some stress for BC. The Eagles had been pestering Max Lundgren—who ended with 35 saves and a .897 save percentage—all night, but Hagens’ goal was the one that finally broke through.
Hagens’ heroics tied things up, but the man of the hour turned out to be mid-year transfer Hemming. After providing seven assists through the 11 games prior, the Finland native broke through in front of a rowdy Conte crowd—and at the perfect time.
Hemming bagged the game-winning goal with 36 seconds remaining off a perfectly placed pass from Hagens, and BC escaped with three critical points in Hockey East play.
“If we can go one game at a time and put our best foot forward, hopefully we’ll be in a really good spot at the end,” Brown said.
