BC 3, Providence 0: Eagles Shut Friars Out for 8th-Straight Win

Going into Friday night’s game, the #2 Boston College Eagles had won nine in a row against the Providence Friars. Through their own hard work, they made it ten.

On Friday in Providence, Rhode Island, the Eagles defeated the Friars, 3-0. The win moves BC to 22-10-1, giving them their eighth-straight win and the first shutout they’ve pitched this season.

Boston College was the only team to get on the board, but their first goal came very early in the game. Providence took a number of penalties in the beginning stages of the first period, and on the earliest of those — Shane Luke’s minor for boarding — the Eagles converted. Captain Tommy Cross scored his fourth goal of the season just two and a half minutes into the hockey game, giving BC a 1-0 lead (Hayes and Almeida assisted).

The first period featured a flurry of shots between the two teams; 21 to be exact (10 BC, 11 Providence). The second period, however, was much calmer, especially for the Eagles. BC only got four shots on goal during the frame while Providence got twice as many, but still, Eagles goalie Parker Milner held up.

This contest, as they all obviously do, came down to the third period, and Boston College held their collective nerve. Milner did not have to try to hold onto a one-goal lead for the period’s entirety, thanks to Pat Mullane. At 7:16 of the period, he netted his fifth goal of the season to double BC’s advantage and provide insurance (Gaudreau and Wey assisted).

Towards the end, Providence pulled their goalie, and Paul Carey continued his recent hot streak by scoring an empty-netter at 18:54, putting the Eagles ahead 3-0 and sealing their 22nd victory of the season (Dumoulin and Cross assisted). Only 13 seconds elapsed between the net becoming vacant and the goal, demonstrating that the Eagles were in quite a hurry to lock up the win.

This contest was not impressive per se; it was one where the Eagles did what they had to do. Some individual efforts were, however, impressive, led by Milner and his first shutout of the year. He saved 29 Providence shots and the Eagles still have not lost since Jerry York reinstalled him as the primary goalie. Further, Tommy Cross was the only player in the game to notch multiple points, and as it worked out, his only goal was the game-winner.

The Eagles will look to make it nine wins in a row tomorrow afternoon against the Friars at Conte Forum. The game will be televised on NESN at 3:30pm. All three of the Eagles’ remaining regular-season games will be televised.