Boston College Men's Hockey Impaired by Sloppy First Period in Second Straight Loss to Providence

The first 20 minutes of No. 12 Boston College men’s hockey’s road matchup against No. 14 Providence on Saturday was one of the most lopsided periods the Eagles have experienced this season, according to BC head coach Greg Brown.

The Eagles were outshot 13-4 and scarcely possessed the puck in the offensive zone. By the end of the frame, BC was already facing a 3-1 deficit on the scoreboard, and it was an uphill battle from there.

"They came out playing a hard, simple game, and we weren't quite ready for that,” Brown said. “When they're gonna come in with a forecheck that heavy, it's really important that you keep the game simple and keep it moving north. They were coming with everybody.”

Thanks to Luka Radivojevic’s first career goal, the Eagles were able to get back within a goal at 4-3 with less than four minutes left in regulation, but the comeback was staged too late. The Friars (13-7-2, 8-3-1 Hockey East) took the win and the series sweep after defeating BC (11-8-1, 7-5-0) Friday on the road in overtime, 4-3.

The first goal of the night, scored by John Mustard, came just over 3:30 into the first period as BC goalie Louka Cloutier fell to the ice on his back, which disabled his chances of protecting the upper quadrant of the net.

After retrieving the puck off a rebound, Mustard turned his body and whiffed at his first attempt before burying his ninth goal of the season on the open net.

Andre Gasseau tied the game at one apiece with a tip-in off a fiery one-timer from James Hagens on the point, but a tic-tac-toe finish for Tanner Adams on the power play at the 7:54 mark increased the Friars’ lead back to one.

Tic-Tac-Tanner 🚨 pic.twitter.com/OBpaTSIXpU
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) January 18, 2026

Soon after, Jonathan Fauchon added to Providence’s lead with a snipe from the top of the right circle after Roger McQueen fed him the puck with a nifty backhand sauce pass.

"We gave up more slot shots, definitely [more] than last night,” Brown said. “Some of it was D-zone coverage error, some of it was a bad bounce here and there. You have to be able to withstand those. Louka [Cloutier] really played well to keep us close."

In the second frame, the Eagles and the Friars traded shots as Logan Sawyer jabbed in a loose rebound in front of the net to cement a 4-1 lead for Providence with 12:26 remaining in the period.

Ryan Conmy followed that up with a flawless slapshot one-timer to make it a two-score game once again.

Penalties and skirmishes after the whistle were a common theme for the entire game — there were a total of 18, including two majors (both on Providence for contact to the head) — which marred the overall flow, and the Eagles could not capitalize on their scoring opportunities until the last five minutes of the contest on Radivojevic’s tally.

Rads makes it a one-goal game with his first career goal!

💻 ESPN+ | https://t.co/tXXY4tVWbk pic.twitter.com/rfJ4KFtQgv
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) January 18, 2026

"The game could have got out of hand there, and [Cloutier] made a bunch of really key saves to keep us close, to keep us in it,” Brown said. “We want to be able to get some five-on-five goals as well. Five-on-five, we have to be able to generate more offense."

Brown continued: "There were too many stretches, especially early, where they had the momentum and we were just kind of trying to stay alive. The penalties helped get us back in the game."

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