CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Senior alternate captain Barry Almeida scored twice and junior goaltender Parker Milner registered 29 saves to lead league-leading Boston College in a 5-1 Hockey East victory over Vermont before 5,527 fans at Kelley Rink.
The hosts got on the scoreboard early and never trailed in the game en route to capturing its 10th straight victory and maintaining its position atop the Hockey East Association standings - two points ahead of second-place Boston University - with one regular-season game (for each team) remaining.
The Eagles faceoff against the Catamounts on Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. with the regular season title on the line.
BC led 2-1 after one period before Almeida tallied consecutive scores to build a 4-1 lead. The Springfield, Mass. native netted the only goal of the middle period on a nifty top-shelf backhander on the power play - his 11th man-advantage tally this winter - halfway through the period.
Almeida then scored at 8:40 of the third period for his fourth multiple-goal performance this season and junior Steven Whitney added an empty-net goal at the 18:49 mark for the 5-1 final.
Senior alternate captain Paul Carey put the Eagles up 1-0 early on a backhand from outside the blue line at 4:45 of the opening frame. Freshman forward Danny Linell doubled the team's lead on his second goal in as many games at 8:28 before the visiting Catamounts concluded the scoring in the opening period on their lone goal of the night - Lenz's seventh of the season - at 17:31.
The visiting Catamounts outshot the Eagles, 30-27, including a 16-10 edge in the final frame.
Milner recorded 29 saves to capture his 20th win this season. H.T. Lenz's goal at 17:31 of the first period snapped Milner's shutout streak at 157:49 dating back to a 3-2 win at Merrimack on Feb. 18.
Vermont goaltender Rob Madore stopped 22 shots in the losing effort.