Eagles’ final push
Boston College, playing with its NCAA tournament hopes on the line, got two goals from Ryan Fitzgerald and a career-high 42 saves from Joe Woll to upset Boston University, 3-2, last night at the Garden in the Hockey East Championship semifinals.
The victory advanced the Eagles into tonight’s title game opposite topseeded UMass-Lowell. It will mark the first time that BC and UML have met for the crown.
“It was a heck of a hockey game,’’ said BC coach Jerry York. “The faceoffs were 36to-36, which was indicative just about of how the game went. The PK (penalty-kill) was outstanding for both teams. There were nine power plays and no goals. We feel excited about a chance to move on and play (UMass) Lowell for a championship.’’
BU (23-11-3), which entered the game at No. 6 in the pairwise rankings to determine the upcoming 16-team NCAA tournament field, was on solid ice. It was a different story for the underdog Eagles (21-14-4), who were tied for No. 15.
The action was fast-paced from the get-go and after BU freshman Patrick Harper incurred a slashing minor at the 1:50 mark, each team clanged iron with shots on the resultant power play.
BU’s Clayton Keller, the top rookie in Hockey East this season, was raising havoc with his relentless pursuit of the puck while on the penalty kill. During one such instance at 3:11, Keller fired the puck off the outside of the right post. Later, BC sophomore center Colin White rifled a wrist shot dead on the left pipe at 3:48.
The clubs were tied in shots at 12 when BC freshman center Julius Mattila corralled the puck in transition and sped into the BU end. The Finnish import drilled a wrist shot near side past the outstretched glove of BU goalie Jake Oettinger (32 saves). The goal came at the 1:58 mark of the second period and was Mattila’s eighth.
There was a bit of drama at the 8:08 mark when Oettinger tipped the puck high in the air with his stick. BC freshman Mike Booth leaped and batted the puck into the net as the referee quickly signaled no-goal. After a consultation among the four on-ice officials and a check of the video, the original call stood.
BC pushed the margin to 2-0 at 13:21 with a shorthanded goal as Fitzgerald, a Bruins prospect, fired a shot between the legs of BU defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who inadvertently blocked Oettinger’s vision.
“They got the second one and we didn’t react to it,’’ said BU captain Doyle Somerby of Marblehead. “We didn’t pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off like we’ve done in the past.’’
BC gained more breathing room 58 seconds into the third when Fitzgerald forced a turnover behind the BU net and slid the puck out front to Chris Brown, who slipped a return feed to the back door, where Fitzgerald tapped it home for his second of the game and 10th of the season. It was also the 64th tally of his BC career, tying the North Reading product with coach York and five other Eagles for No. 28 on the school’s all-time list.
“The shorthanded goal really changed the complexion of the game. It was a backbreaker,’’ said BU coach David Quinn. “We’ve been playing with fire for the past month and (last night) we played with an inferno.”
BC used its timeout with 3:46 to play and BU lifted Oettinger for an extra skater. It worked as Keller brought the puck to the crease and the puck slid over the line off Jordan Greenway at 17:36. Keller followed with a wrist shot into the nearside at 18:38 to cut the deficit to 3-2. But the Terriers could not net the equalizer.
“It was a little bit of a broken play. I ended up on the ice. The puck was underneath me. I kind of hovered over it and pulled it in,’’ said Fitzgerald as tempers flared.
That was hardly surprising considering it was the fourth matchup of the season for the bitter rivals.