Men's Hockey

Eagles Come Back At Schneider Arena, Earn Tie Against Providence

Coming off of an impressive 7-3 home victory against Providence College on Friday night, Boston College men’s hockey sought to secure another win and give head coach Jerry York his 999th career win Saturday night on the Friars’ home turf, Schneider Arena. Although York didn’t inch closer to No. 1,000, the Eagles overcame a three-point deficit to tie the Friars 4-4 in a game that felt more like a victory than a tie.

BC (14-4-2, 7-2-2 Hockey East) opened the scoring during a power play less than 10 minutes into the first period. Ian McCoshen’s shot passed Friar goaltender Nick Ellis to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. The goal continued BC’s hot streak during power plays.

Just a few minutes later, the Friars (13-4-2, 4-2-2) answered with a goal of their own. Chris Calnan was called for hooking, giving Providence a power play. PC’s Erik Foley scored on freshman goaltender Ian Milosz to even the score at one apiece.

BC would not score again in the first period, but the Friars still had a couple of goals to put away. With 30.8 seconds left in the period, Nick Saracino lifted a shot over Milosz to give Providence the 2-1 lead. Less than 20 seconds later, John Gilmour scored to bolster the Friars’ lead at 3-1.

The game appeared officially out of BC’s reach less than seven minutes into the second period when Trevor Mingoia’s goal boosted Providence’s lead to 4-1. York’s defense held the Friars, however, and took advantage of another power play opportunity to score three more goals in the game.

Team captain Teddy Doherty started the comeback, scoring 12 minutes into the second period with a goal that slipped past Ellis to bring the Eagles within two. Sixty seconds later, Alex Tuch took advantage of a power play and deflected another Doherty shot past Ellis into the net to bring the score to 4-3. The second period ended with momentum for the Eagles, although the Friars still held the lead. Early in the third period, Chris Calnan fired a shot past Ellis to even the score at 4-4.

Although each team had additional power play opportunities, the game remained tied at four throughout the remainder of the third period and the overtime period. The Eagles came back from a significant deficit and avoided an embarrassing blowout, playing aggressively to finish earn a much-needed point—but they also benefitted from several early reviews.

Twice in the first period, officials determined that apparent Providence goals would not stand. The first review came after a shot that was never ruled a goal. Upon review, the officials confirmed that the shot did not cross the goal line. The second review overturned a called goal. The net was off its moorings, allowing the puck to slip in through the side. The officials watched video of the goal and determined that it would not stand.
Although he conceded four goals, freshman Milosz played well in his second start. The Friars played aggressively, firing shot after shot on Milosz. He finished the game with 38 saves on 42 shots, and kept the Eagles in it even when the game seemed out of reach.

Entering the weekend, the Eagles ranked tied for 15th in the PairWise Rankings. After their victory Friday night and come-from-behind tie Saturday night, they jumped to 11th.

Even though they allowed Providence to take a 4-1 lead, the Eagles built up momentum and rallied to end the game in a draw. BC finished a successful weekend against the defending national championships with a win and tie, setting up York to reach that magical benchmark win against rival Boston University next weekend.

Featured Image by Julia Hopkins / Heights Editor

January 10, 2016