BC Bulletin 2019-2020 Awards: Men’s Hockey Is Our Team of the Year
Photo by BCEagles.com
They’re baaaack!
After a string of seasons marked by unfulfilled expectations, Boston College men’s hockey surged back into national contention during the 2019-20 season, beating out women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse for Team of the Year.
The Eagles finished the 2019-20 season 24-8-2, good enough for their most wins since the 2015-16 team which made it all the way to the National Semifinals. Ranked No. 11 in the USCHO preseason poll, BC remained in the rankings all season and reached a high-water mark of No. 4 multiple times late in the season.
While BC hasn’t won the Hockey East Tournament since 2012, the Eagles captured their fifth Hockey East regular season crown in the past seven seasons. As an added bonus, the Eagles secured it with a victory on Boston University’s home ice.
Had the season not been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, BC would’ve been the odds-on favorite to win the conference tournament and would’ve had a very good shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Regionals.
A healthy mix of senior leadership and freshman talent sparked the team, as the two classes accounted for nearly 75% of the team’s point production.
Statistically, BC finished second only to Minnesota State in goals per game. The Eagles were the only team with three players in the top 15 nationally in points. Alex Newhook and Julius Mattila finished tied for seventh with 42 points apiece, and David Cotton’s 39 points were good enough for 12th. They also scored 11 short-handed goals, four more than any other team.
In goal, Spencer Knight was phenomenal during his freshman season, posting five shutouts and finishing in the top 10 nationally in both goals-against average and save percentage.
The season featured two lengthy winning streaks, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the season. BC’s 10-game winning streak lasted from November 2 all the way until January 10 and featured a come-from-behind win over then-undefeated Harvard and a dominating weekend sweep of Notre Dame. The team came close to matching that, ending the season on a nine-game unbeaten streak. BC went 8-0-1 during the stretch and never allowed more than two goals during any of the wins. And, of course, who could forget the 10-1 victory over cross-town rival Northeastern as part of that second streak?
BC Bulletin would like to congratulate the men’s hockey team on a great season.