Freshman line does damage
BC youngsters tally 10 points
Center Alex Newhook clicked for a five-point game and combined with linemates Mike Hardman and right wing Matt Boldy to produce 10 points as No. 7 ranked Boston College outgunned Merrimack, 6-2, and sweep the weekend homeand-home series in front of a Kelley Rink crowd of 5,498.
BOSTON COLLEGE 6 MERRIMACK 2
The all-freshmen secondline troika of Hardman (2 assists), Newhook (2 goals, 3 assists), and Boldy (2 goals, assist) combined for four goals and 10 points, and accounted for 13 of BC’s 21 total shots in the contest. Newhook (Colorado) and
Boldy (Minnesota) are firstround NHL draft picks. Newhook became the first BC skater to register five points in a game since Kevin Hayes and Johnny Gaudreau did it in the same game against Maine back on Jan. 18, 2014.
“The freshmen line is starting to come together for us. They make good plays. They’re going to be a big plus for us in the stretch drive,’’ said BC coach Jerry York.
BC (19-8-1, 12-6-0 HE) has won six straight over the Warriors, and took Friday night’s affair, 3-2, at Lawler Arena in North Andover. BC holds a 72-23-7 all-time series edge.
“Today was disappointing. We made it way to easy a game for BC, not as competitive as we would have liked,’’ said Merrimack (7-21-3, 5-13-3 HE) coach Scott Borek. “(BC’s speed) is always a factor. But we should have been prepared for it. I think we were awestruck in this venue. They really came at us and we didn’t have enough pushback.’’
BC wasted little time getting on the board as Boldy converted off an odd-man rush with Newhook. The play was jump-started in the BC end when walk-on freshman defenseman Mitch Andres, filling in for the injured Connor Moore (upper body), was knocked but shoveled the puck ahead. Newhook took possession and sped down the right boards before dishing a backhand pass to Boldy. The goal by Boldy, his fourth, came at 4:28. Andres earned his first college point.
BC made it 2-0 at 10:50 when Newhook stuffed home a loose puck home from the doorstep with
Hardman and Boldy drawing assists.
Merrimack was trying to slow down the Eagles speedoriented attack and received a good shift from junior defenseman Patrick Holway of Cohasset. BC eventually began finding gaps with first-line center Julius Mattila, who recently became the 82 nd Eagles player all-time with 100 career points, racing in alone at 4:19 in a oneon-one duel against countryman Jere Huhtamaa of Helsinki, who took the upper hand against Tampere’s Mattila. The play energized Merrimack, which scored at 6:40 when first-line center Liam Walsh potted a low shot to the stickside to beat Knight for his seventh goal.
It didn’t take long for BC to respond. Junior right wing Logan Hutsko picked of a pass in the slot and snapped it past Huhtamaa at 7:38 for an unassisted goal. It was the 17 th goal of the season for Hutsko, a Florida draft pick, and his 35 th in 97 career games.
Merrimack staved off a man-down situation thanks to an uncooperative post that managed to get in the way of a rocket blast by BC’s Hutsko when the Eagles pressed the attack anew. A puck landed in the right crease where Boldy tapped it in at 17:56 for his first multiple-goals effort.
BC extended the margin to 5-1 at 1:28 of the third after defenseman Michael Karow put a shot off the left pipe. The puck fell free on the right where Newhook easily canned his second of the night and 16 th goal of the season. BC drew a late penalty in the third and Merrimack coach scott borek lifted his goaltender to set up a 6-on-4. The ploy backfired when Mattila found the empty net at 15:57.
Merrimack would get a late power play goal by freshman left wing Regan Kimens at 17:33 but it was a case of too little, too late.
The game was highlighted by a ceremony between the first and second periods to raise the jersey No. 12 made famous at The Heights by Brian Gionta, an All-American player and former captain of BC, the U.S. Olympic team, and Montreal (NHL). Gionta ranks first in BC goals (123) and second in career points (232), trailing only Hobey Baker Award winner David Emma, and is the 16th player to have his number recognized.
“Terrific player. Great to have him in the house,’’ said York.