Paul Carey broke a 2-2 tie a little over halfway through the third period, and Joe Whitney scored the game-winner as the Eagles recorded a 5-3 victory over UMass Lowell at Conte Forum on Saturday night. BC also got two goals from Jimmy Hayes and a goal from Tommy Cross (welcome back!) in the victory.
The Eagles get the victory despite a career-high 41 saves from UMass Lowell netminder Marc Boulanger.
Special teams play was the difference in this one, with the Eagles converting on all three power plays (3-3), while killing off 2-of-3 penalties. A recurring theme of this year's hockey team is solid play on special teams. BC ranks fifth nationally in power play scoring -- 26-of-112 (23.21 percent) -- and leads the nation in penalty killing, killing 123 of 138 (89.1 percent) playing a man down. The Eagles are also tied for second nationally (with Denver and Niagara) with seven shorthanded goals, behind only Notre Dame (12).
Muse got the rare off-night, as Parker Milner got the start in net. Milner stopped 22 of 25 shots to improve to 3-2-0 on the year. Nothing like a 35+ minutes of shutout hockey against Maine and a home win against Lowell to get some confidence back.
The win, combined with BU's 2-1 win over New Hampshire, gives the Eagles sole possession of first place in Hockey East with nine games to play. The Eagles have 26 points, two more than New Hampshire (though the Wildcats have three games in hand).
The Eagles have the week off before heading to Tsongas Arena to finish the regular season series with UMass Lowell.