PC Hockey Friars Beaten by 4th Ranked BC
PC hockey news release…
Tied 2-2 after two periods of play, fourth-ranked Boston College used
three third period goals, including an empty net tally, to defeat the
sixth-ranked Providence College Friars 5-2 at a sold out Kelley Rink
(7,884) on Friday night.
Providence (13-5-4, 6-4-1 HEA) used goals from Shane Luke (Dauphin, Manitoba) and Derek Army
(North Kingstown, R.I.) to take a 2-1 lead midway through the second
period but special teams play proved to be the difference as Boston
College (14-4-2, 8-1-1 HEA) scored two power-play goals to regain the
lead at 3-2. The Eagles were led by Johnny Gaudreau's two goals and two
assists.
Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine) made 26 saves for the Friars, while Brian Billet also stopped 26 shots to earn the win for the Eagles.
In the first period just as a Boston College power play expired,
Boston College took a 1-0 lead when a Michael Matheson blocked shot out
front was shoveled by Kevin Hayes over to Johnny Gaudreau at the near
post, who put it in an empty net for a 1-0 lead at 7:29.
The Friars tied it up at 15:31 of the first when Stefan Demopoulos (La Mesa, Calif.) dumped a puck behind the Boston College goal that Ross Mauermann (Janesville, Wis.) got to first and fed into the slot where Luke was waiting to deposit his seventh of the year past Billett.
The Friars took a 2-1 lead at 13:51 of the second when Army one-timed a Nick Saracino (St. Louis, Mo.) pass into the back of the net for his sixth of the year. Saracino had one-timed a pass from Mark Jankowski
(Dundas, Ontario) straight to Army, who was cutting hard through the
slot for the tic-tac-toe goal, which came just as a Providence power
play chance expired.
Gillies made one of his best saves of the night at 15:35 on Bill Arnold,
but in the ensuing play down low the Friars were whistled for a
penalty. The Eagles followed with a power-play goal at 16:37 by Arnold,
who finished off some quick passes by Gaudreau and Matheson to tie the
game at 2-2.
Boston College took a 3-2 lead when Patrick Brown tipped in a shot
from the point 37 seconds into the third period for the Eagles' second
power-play goal of the night. Hayes and Matheson assisted on the play.
The Friars increased the offensive pressure as the third period wore
on including a Billett save on Demopoulos and a Saracino wrist shot that
appeared to beat Billet but went just wide of the net.
Gaudreau then capitalized for his second tally of the night at 17:50
when he took a loose puck in from the blue line and scored from just
outside the goal crease. Hayes added an empty net goal at 19:01 to
finish the scoring.
Providence finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while Boston College was two-for-six with the man advantage.
The Friars are back in action next weekend when they play a two-game
series at Colorado College, beginning at 9:37 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Jan.
17. It will be Providence's first trip to Colorado College since 2000.
Notes
Ross Mauermann has registered at least one point in 18 of Providence's 22 games … Stefan Demopoulos notched an assist for the second consecutive game since working his way back into the Friar lineup … Shane Luke extended his career-high goal total to seven.
