Hustle Plays Drive BC Into Semifinals

Never give up on a play. Clearly, Boston College head coach Jerry York got this through to his No. 4 Eagles, who took care of Masschusetts, 5-2, Saturday night in game two of a best-of-three series, behind two plays created by the hustle and individual drive of three separate players.

Just over two minutes into the third period with the score knotted at two goals apiece, assistant captain Matt Lombardi illustrated why he has an "A" sewed to his jersey.

All-American UMass defenseman Justin Braun gathered a rebound as the rest of the Boston College offense retreated down the ice to prepare for UMass' counterattack. Braun looked to his left and lazily sent a pass across the ice to his fellow defenseman, but Lombardi read it the entire way. The senior alertly picked off the pass a few feet in front of Minuteman goaltender Paul Dainton, faked a backhand shot, and then stuffed a forehand five-hole to put the Eagles up 3-2.

"Probably the most important goal of the year came from Matty," York said of Lombardi's quick thinking and eventual game-winning goal. "It was a great effort. He was well rewarded for his effort there.

"Matt Lombardi has been a real hard-nosed player for us. You never know where the goals are going to come from."

Few would have thought it would come off the stick of Lombardi, who entered the game with just two goals on the season and six goals in his BC career. Instead of turning his back to the puck, Lombardi watched Braun and jumped at the chance to kill the Minutemen's momentum and put the Eagles back on top.

To put it succinctly, he succeeded.

"Being able to see where he was looking and see where his outlet pass was, I was just in the right place in the right time," Lombardi said. "I was able to read where he was going with it, jump the play a little bit, and was lucky enough he just threw it there. I tried to make a quick move on the goalie and get [the puck] on net."

UMass head coach Don Cahoon also recognized the importance of Lombardi's go-ahead goal. Not only did it surprise the team that Braun made such a grave mistake, but the Minutemen's inability to quickly respond to Lombardi's hustle left them down and, eventually, out. Paul Carey fired a rebound off a Steven Whitney shot seven minutes later to grab a 4-2 edge for the Eagles, which held until Barry Almeida's empty-net goal with 23 seconds remaining sealed BC's 5-2 victory.

"Ironically, after we did a great job killing a penalty, we had my All-American defenseman create a turnover that was really unfortunate," Cahoon said. "That was the difference in the game, our inability to respond to their third goal."

Earlier in the game, BC received its second goal to break a 1-1 tie on great hustle and determination from Jimmy Hayes and Carl Sneep. With Brian Dumoulin in the penalty box for an interference penalty, the Eagles' vaunted penalty kill (best in the Hockey East, 10th in the NCAA) got to work. However, 12:42 into the second period, the unit did much more than stave off a UMass power-play goal.

Hayes relentlessly pestered his man at mid-ice, suddenly stealing the puck and speeding down the boards toward Dainton. Watching the play unfold, Sneep raced parallel with Hayes but to the goaltender's opposite side. As he approached the crease, Sneep started rapidly banging his stick on the ice, calling for the puck; Hayes obliged, sending the puck across the ice to an open Sneep, who rifled a shot past a sprawling Dainton for the 2-1 lead.

"Shorthanded goals are not our objective, but when a chance does arise, I thought it was an excellent play two-on-one," York said. "Jimmy made a good pass, and Carl held it and snapped it up top. That's a real bonus."

The willingness to force the pace of play can dictate the outcome of the game. Thanks to the hustle of Lombardi, Sneep, and Hayes, BC is back in the Hockey East semifinals.