#6 PC and #2 BC in Hockey East Showdown This Weekend
Robert McMahon, Sports Columnist
#6 PC and #2 BC in Hockey East Showdown This Weekend
The puck drop for the Friday game is at 7 PM at Conte Forum on the BC campus. The RT 95 series resumes Saturday night at 7 PM at Schneider Arena on the PC campus.
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The Friars vs the Eagles, November 19th Game
PC and BC already tangled once this season on November 19th at Schneider Arena, with the Friars losing a heartbreaker, 3-2 in overtime. In that game, Boston College scored quickly in the first minute of play and dominated the first period, keeping the Friars on their heels for most of the first 20 minutes. The Friars found their legs in the second period, scoring in the first minute of play, getting a goal by Clint Levens in a scrum in front of the BC net. The Friars took a 2-1 lead three minutes later on a steal and breakaway goal by Ryan O’Reilly.
The Friars held on to the 2-1 lead with stellar goal-tending by Phil Svedeback until the Eagles tied the game up with just over 4 minutes to play. The Friars were victimized by a controversial phantom interference call, and on a delayed penalty with an extra attacker, BC’s top scorer Ryan Leonard scored the tying goal. BC’s Leonard scored his second goal of the night with less than a minute to play in overtime on a mind-boggling behind-the-back shovel goal between Svedeback’s legs for the winner.
The 3-2 loss to the Eagles on November 19th was PC’s last loss. In the last two months, the Friars have won eight straight games. The BC game was also the last Hockey East game played by the Friars in a scheduling quirk—nothing but Hockey East games for the rest of the regular season.
PC vs BC: Tale of the Tape
Some quick preview observations before the weekend series:
- While both teams are scoring at the same rate of 3.2 goals/per game, BC features two really strong top lines. The Friars, for the first time in years, are four lines deep with 10 players with 10 or more points.
- BC’s Ryan Leonard scored two goals against the Friars in the November 19th game, and he will be PC’s biggest concern this weekend.
- Coach Leaman of PC is still hoping to get more production out of his power play. He recently remarked on his radio show that the PC, “Power play has to get clicking. We can’t wait for the perfect lane to open up. We need to put shots on the net during our power play.”
- PC will be challenged to score a power-play goals against BC, as the Eagles have the #1 penalty kill percentage in Division 1 hockey at 92%.
- Coach Leaman is concerned about the slow start that PC is getting in the first period of play this season. “We have to come out skating in the first period against BC. Winning face-offs will also be important in the first period against BC.”
- Providence has played only one game, the 2-0 win over Brown on January 7th, since December 29th. The Friars could be a little rusty against the high-flying Eagles. The Eagles, on the other hand, have played three games in the last week.
- BC’s goalie, Jacob Fowler, has .928 save percentage, while Phil Svedeback of PC has a .918 save percentage. Fowler did not play in the November 19th game against PC.
The 7,884-seat Conte Forum game still has a few hundred remaining tickets for the Friday game, with prices ranging up to $195/ticket. As of January 15th, the Saturday game at 3,015 seats at Schneider Arena had less than a hundred tickets remaining, with prices ranging up to $216 a ticket.