Boston College blitzes Merrimack to sweep series
The preliminaries are a matter of record and the scene is set for the heavyweight main events on the Hockey East calendar.
The No. 2-ranked Boston College Eagles completed a series sweep of the Merrimack Warriors with a 6-2 Sunday matinee victory at Conte Forum. BC won the opener 6-4 on Friday night at Lawler Arena in North Andover.
The victory sets up the much-anticipated Battle of Commonwealth Avenue with next weekend’s home and home confrontation with No. 1 Boston University. The Eagles will host their arch-rival Terriers in the opener on Friday night (7) and travel three miles to Agganis Arena for the rematch on Saturday night (7).
“We are satisfied with our record and where we are,” said BC head coach Greg Brown. “We have played well enough to put ourselves in a good position and we are right behind BU in the league and in the national standings.
“It is going to be a great test for us. They are right in front of us and we have real challenge to catch up. When I have watched them on video, they do so many things so well.”
BU (16-4-1, 11-1-1) will likely retain its hold on the No. 1 spot in the USCHO poll after sweeping Vermont by a total of 10-3 at Gutterson Field House, in Burlington, Vt.
BC (16-4-1, 9-3-1) should hold on to the No. 2 spot with its sweep of Merrimack. The two powers will collide for a third time in the nightcap of the 71st Beanpot twinbill on Monday, Feb. 5, at TD Garden.
“Obviously BU versus BC is one if the biggest college hockey rivalries there is in the country,” said center Jack Malone, a graduate transfer from Cornell who scored two goals in the game.
“I am very excited and all the guys are super pumped for next weekend and we are going to be ready to go. Obviously the Beanpot is a whole other ballgame and I’m excited with the opportunity.”
BC went up 1-0 while many of its patrons were still loading up in the concession lines. Junior defenseman Aidan Hreschuk poked home a Will Vote rebound 35 seconds into the match for his first of the season. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead at 3:23 when Malone beat Warriors’ goalie Hugo Ollas with a wrist shot from the dot in the left circle for his fifth of the season.
BC went up 3-0 when freshman left wing Gabe Perreault broke in alone down along the right boards and beat Ollas 5-hole for his seventh of the season. The Eagles outshot the Warriors, 14-6, in the frame.
“We talked about having a better start,” said Brown. “It was great to see the effort and the sharpness in the first 10 minutes of that first period.”
BC freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler’s bid for his first shutout of the season was lost to a hard luck goal at 10:17 of the second. Graduate right wing Filip Forsmark’s feed from behind the BC cage deflected off Fowler and into the net for his third of the season.
Both penalty boxes were at capacity when BC went up 4-1 during a three-onthree free-for-all. Malone scored his second of the match on a wrist shot from the right circle at 12:49.
“A lot of guys played well tonight and I think both of those goals might not have gone in if it weren’t for the other guys,” said Malone.
BC went ahead 5-1 when freshman center Will Smith finished a tic-tac-toe collaboration with linemates Ryan Leanard and Perreault for his 13th of the season at 1:39 of the third. All three freshmen are NHL first-round draft picks.