Eagles stick it to UNH, need only a tie for top seed

Remember how I said yesterday that winning the Hockey East regular season isn’t everything? It’s not, but I did also say that it’s nice. With the 4-0 win tonight at Conte Forum/Kelley Rink, Boston College hockey is a mere win or tie away from achieving it.

I think there were two things of paramount importance to Eagles fans tonight: (1) send the seniors out with a home win and (2) play well. BC did both, completely controlling play from the puck drop to the final siren. In the first period, UNH managed only three shots on goal, while the Eagles tacked on a goal in each of the first two periods, then two in the third – power play (Brian Gibbons), shorthanded (Cam Atkinson), full-strength (Cam Atkinson again), and shorthanded again (Bill Arnold). Goalie John Muse, for his part, pitched a shutout in his final game on the BC campus – a fitting end if I do say so myself.

From the start of the game, Boston College’s dominance made the game feel like it was never in doubt. Sure, you could argue that this should have been more than a 4-0 win, but it’s still a four-goal win, so how can something so right be wrong? Wildcats goalie Matt Di Girolamo did a fine job for most of the game to keep his team in it, but New Hampshire’s offense was non-existent. BC’s defense and goaltending were far too good for UNH to do anything about it.

There is a lot more hockey yet to come for this BC team this year, but to me, this was very much a “don’t f— with us” statement win, as if they needed more. They continue to demonstrate that they are very much a threat to repeat as national champions. Let’s hope this is the start of another scorching run through March.

The final game of the regular season is tomorrow night in Durham, NH.