Providence's Offense Too Strong For Boston College In 6-2 Win

Boston College hockey continues to struggle as they now have a three game skid.

The Eagles returned to the heights to begin Hockey East play against Providence.  This was a match up that featured two top 10 teams in the country as BC came in ranked 10th and  Providence 7th.  The Friars offense proved to be too much though for Boston College as they got the 6-2 win at the heights.

First Period Notes

The Eagles had what seemed to be a good looking power play with under 13 minutes left, however David Cotton got called for a hold which created a 4-4.  But shortly after Providence was called shortly after for boarding.  Luckily for both sides, the game remained scoreless.

10 minutes in; the shots favored BC 5-1 as the Eagles came out firing offensively.  But Providence got on the board first after Spencer Knight gave up a juicy rebound to Jason O'Neill with 1:25 remaining in the first.  That would be the only goal of the first period.  There was a lot of back and forth play in the neutral zone towards the middle portion of the period and BC gave up some timely turnovers.

After 1: 1-0 Providence.

Second Period Notes

Again, the Eagles came out firing as they got a lot of shots on Providence goalie Michael Lackey in the first five minutes.  The top two lines for BC were clicking and had quality looks but Lackey was able to make some tricky saves.   BC gets off to a good start but Providence gets the goal.  Matt Koopman snuck a backhander past Knight on a one timer from Albin Nilsson with 11:52 left in the second.  

But BC has done what they've done all season which is score quickly after letting up a goal. This time it was Graham McPhee who scored 32 seconds later on a nice backhand over the glove of Lackey.  But Providence jumped right back on top as Cam McDonald scored 21 seconds later on a slap shot from the blue line.

HUTSKO GOAL VIDEO HERE (Courtesy: NESN)

But the back and forth continued as Logan Hutsko had an absolute snipe from an extreme angle near the goal line.  The goal gave BC some momentum until a costly high hit by Ron Greco on Jason O' Neill gave Providence a 5 minute penalty with 8:31 left.  The penalty was reviewed and Greco was given a game misconduct.  And then things seemed to go downhill for the Eagles from there.

David Cotton took a two minute penalty for hooking which created a five one three for the Friars.  It was too much for the Eagles to handle as Providence was able to put the fourth goal past Knight.  This time courtesy Michael Callahan with 6:45 left in the second.  Fortunately for BC that was the only damage the Friars made on the major penalty.

BC went on a power play of their own when Jason O' Neill got a double minor for boarding and cross checking on Marc McLaughlin with 2:43 left.  Mattila did receive two minutes for cross check as well, but BC did get the man advantage.  There wasn't much in terms of opportunities as Cotton did have an early look on a tip-in attempt but unfortunately for the Eagles, they couldn't convert. 

Marshall Warren almost got the third goal for the Eagles of the period but he rang it off the pipe.  After 2: 4-2 Providence.  Shots favored the Friars 25-16 and the Eagles lead in PIM 21-8, certainly not a category you want to have a big lead in.

Third Period Notes

BC threatened early again but Lackey made some terrific saves.  BC had the 5-1 shot advantage nine minutes in.  But once again the narrative continued, BC had the chances but Providence converted theirs.  Jack Dugan somehow puts one behind Spencer Knight on a crazy angle to give the Friars the commanding 5-2 lead with 10:56 left.

And if that wasn't enough, the Friars added insult to injury when Greg Printz put one past Knight with 2:44 left to give the Friars their sixth, and final goal of the night.

For the remaining part of the period, mental lapses continued for Boston College.  Though they did get some more chances, it just wasn't enough for the Eagles.

Final from Chestnut Hill: Providence 6-2.

Final Thoughts

Boston College got off to a hot start all three periods but couldn't get the goals it needed.  They had ups and downs but just couldn't clean it up and finish scoring chances.

Spencer Knight has now had three straight losses, which is tough way to start for a true freshman, hopefully he bounces back soon. After giving up six goals, there might be concerns on how a young goalie like Knight reacts.  

The offense, especially the top two lines are clicking well, and the bottom lines aren't all that far behind.  Defensively though for BC, they still have some work to do.  Giving up 15 goals in three games surely isn't what Jerry York had in mind after an impressive 2-0 start on the year.  Another area of concern for the Eagles are the penalties.  Boston College had 25 penalty minutes in this game.  You usually aren't going to win when your down a man nearly half the game.

BC returns to action on November 1st in Durham when they take on New Hampshire.