CHESTNUT HILL - Five games on the road and one top ranking in the polls later, the Boston College men's hockey team returned to its home ice at Kelley Rink expecting to score at least a few goals and defeat the University of Notre Dame.
In a Friday night match-up against the Fighting Irish, the visitors from South Bend did not play along with the current BC theme of victories over ND. Instead, the Fighting Irish proved to be ungrateful guests as they dealt the Eagles a rude homecoming shutout defeat.
While the loss came as a surprise to many, it was the shutout that came as a shock to even more.
BC's hockey team had not been held scoreless since Feb. 18, 2001 at the University of New Hampshire, and no home shutout had been recorded since Jan. 22, 1999 against the Providence College Friars.
"It's been a long time since we've been shut out," said head coach Jerry York.
BC and its fans had grown to lack a familiarity with the shutout idea in recent years. The combination of a strong performance by ND's freshman goalie, the absence due to injury of Ben Eaves and Dave Spina, and the inability of the Eagles to convert on the myriad chances that they had throughout the game all contributed to the scoring drought. These factors stymied the usually potent BC offensive attack.
With B. Eaves and Spina both inactive because of their injuries, York was forced to make some shuffles in his lineup. This move included shifting Tony Voce to center in order to minimize the loss of B. Eaves' leadership.
"He's our quarterback out there directing traffic," said York.
Aside from the injuries, BC was unable to capitalize on the explosive pushes that Patrick Eaves put forth, and passes seemed to be just off the mark all night. Crisp passes were few and far between, and ND displayed an uncanny ability to close the gap between the BC forwards and the goal.
"We needed to be sharper and crisper. I think ND did a good job defensively," said York.
The inability of BC to get one past ND's goalie, David Brown, proved to be decisive in the end. Brown, who proved his worth in goal with 27 saves while facing 27 shots, out-dueled the Eagles' Matti Kaltiainen who notched 17 saves on 18 shots against. Kaltiainen allowed the game's only goal following a faceoff in the Eagles' defensive zone.
"It was a goaltender's battle tonight. Both teams limited each other's opportunities," added York.
York praised the play of his goalie and said his past two games were as good as any he has played since coming to BC.
That one goal was left to stand as the winning margin because BC's offense applied pressure, but it never finished off an attack by lighting the red lamp.
When it came to getting the puck into the net, the Eagles' flourishes proved fruitless, and in the end this ineptitude led to their second loss of the year. Both losses have come in the last seven days.
Not even the near-capacity crowd could will the puck through the crease and past the goal line, and ND's defense consistently seemed to step up their play when they faced BC's most intense attacks.
The younger Eaves offered his best sparks, and Kaltiainen played another solid game in between the pipes for the Eagles.
Nonetheless, their efforts were made moot when ND converted on a pass off the faceoff in the third period. After the score, BC attempted to apply even more pressure, pulling Kaltiainen, but were unable to put the puck in the back of the net. In the end, stingy defenses and sloppy passes ultimately led to ND's shutout victory.
For the first time in four years the fans in Conte Forum headed home having to deal with the fact that no BC goals had been scored.
No pucks had passed between the ND pipes, and no excuses could explain the lack of execution given the opportunities the Eagles had. In the end, York and his crew knew they would have to wait another 12 days before they got their next shot at putting one in at Kelley Rink.
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