It might only have been an exhibition game, but the Boston College men’s hockey team started the season strong with a 4-2 win over University of New Brunswick. New Brunswick is a strong team, but the Eagles came out fighting and never let up. BC dominated for much of the game, and did a great job covering the ice and attacking the puck. From the looks of things, this team might be a little better than everybody expected them to be.
Freshman Jacob Tortora opened the scoring to put BC up 1-0 early. Tortora went undrafted, largely due to his smaller size, but he appears to be a highly skilled player that can make some great plays... and he isn’t afraid to get into it with opposing players either.
Sophomore David Cotton increased BC’s lead to 2 later in the first, taking a rebound shot off of a great set-up by Tortora. Cotton, who was one of BC’s best freshmen last year, played well and looks like he will avoid a sophomore slump.
The Eagles increased their lead to 3-0 in the second off of a rocket from Jesper Mattila. Mattila got a few good shots in during the game, and his shot looks harder and more accurate than it did during his rookie season.
UNB got one back late in the second after BC took two penalties, but Connor Moore scored a highlight reel diving goal to get back the 3 goal lead. UNB would score once more in the game for a final of 4-2 in favor of BC.
All 3 BC goalies played in the game, and each looked solid. Joe Woll stopped all the shots he faced, while Ryan Edquist and Ian Milosz let in 1 goal each. Each goalie made at least 1 big save, and all 3 seemed comfortable in the net.
Overall, the Eagles played well and settled into the game quickly. The freshmen look ready for the NCAA already for the most part, so there might not be much of an adjustment period for them. But the real test comes next week when BC opens regular season play at Conte.