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GOAL BY GOAL: Boston College Hockey Tops UMass

2 points.

By Grant Salzano
BC Athletics

It took a while to get going (boy did it ever), but BC hockey game away with a 4-1 win over UMass Saturday evening.

Ain't it the truth, Joe. Both teams combined for just 9 shots in the first period (which seems generous, looking back on it) and no goals were scored until will past the midway point. But a win is a win.

Roll cameras.

Boston College Goal #1: 14:15 of the 2nd period
Alex Tuch (Adam Gilmour, Michael Matheson)

BC 1, UMass 0

It just felt like forever until BC was finally able to get any kind of offensive chance. Now, to be fair, they did a great job of keeping UMass from threatening too. But the Eagles finally got an opportunity.

BC breaks out of the zone on a 2 on 1 and and might as well have been a 2 on 0. The UMass defender, #19 Emerson Auvenshine, doesn't defend, really, anything. He's so far away from Gilmour that you think he'll slide over to defend Tuch, but then once Tuch gets the puck he just kind of chills out in between both guys. So, Tuch takes what he's given and rifles home the first goal of the game.

From here we get all kinds of Minuteman goonery. It starts out with two quick penalties giving BC a full 1:20 of 5 on 3. -- and that's not good.

Boston College Goal #2 (PPG, GWG): 16:55 of the 2nd period
Adam Gilmour (Noah Hanifin, Michael Matheson)

BC 2, UMass 0

Nothing particularly special on this 5 on 3 goal; some nice puck movement around the perimeter finished with an off-balance shot from Gilmour that beats UMass goalie Henry Dill.  Gilmour gets good wood on it and it's well placed -- nice goal.

Thatcher Demko played really, really well, and between him and the defense limiting UMass' chances, two goals felt like about a dozen. Early in the third period it might as well have been, as UMass took penalty after penalty, including a 5 minute major and game misconduct to Troy Power for a nasty elbow to the head of Matt Gaudreau.

A high sticking penalty in the middle of the 5 minute major gave BC two full minutes of 5 on 3, and they would convert once again.

Boston College Goal #3 (PPG): 12:55 of the 3rd period
Adam Gilmour (Noah Hanifin, Michael Matheson)

BC 3, UMass 0

This is a pretty neat little goal for BC that starts with a rocket of a shot from Hanifin. Hanifin must be a hell of a billiards player, because the puck goes wide of the net, bounces almost square in the middle of the boards behind Dill, and onto Gilmour's stick.

Gilmour starts skating in while Hanifin is winding up for the shot so you get the sense that he was expecting the shot to go intentionally wide. Whether he did or not, he couldn't have been in better position to smack home the goal to put BC up by 3.

Gilmour was busy after this goal, taking two separate penalties, one matching and one leading to a late UMass power play. Despite Demko's great night, he wouldn't be able to keep the shutout.

UMass Goal #1 (PPG): 17:48 in the 3rd period
Shane Walsh (Dennis Kravchenko, Frank Vatrano)

BC 3, UMass 1

Well, not much you can do here. That's quite a tip in from UMass. No one totally blows this play for BC although Walsh, in front of the crease for UMass, is able to get good position on McCoshen. Kravchenko takes the shot-pass and Walsh's tip wouldn't get stopped by Tim Howard.

That was really it for UMass, though. They would pull the goalie for the extra attacker but the last-gasp effort was pretty much over before it started.

Boston College Goal #4 (ENG): 19:27 of the 3rd period
Quinn Smith (Alex Tuch, Ian McCoshen)

BC 4, UMass 1 -- FINAL

BC has a tough road series next week at Denver. The Pioneers were #2 in the early Pairwise and #11 in the polls before dropping a 6-1 game to Duluth on Saturday night. It will be the best test yet for BC to see where they stand in the national picture.

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