CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College scored three straight goals and held on late for a 3-2 Hockey East victory over UConn to clinch the regular season series and close the first half of the season on Friday night at Kelley Rink.
After dropping its first five games of the season, the Eagles pulled all the way back to .500 at 6-6-2, improving to 6-1-2 in Hockey East and 6-1-2 in their final nine games of the first semester. UConn dropped its seventh straight and fell to 5-11-1 (2-9-1 HEA).
Leading scorer David Cotton (11) along with rookies Jack McBain (2) and Oliver Wahlstrom (4) accounted for the BC goals, while junior Joseph Woll picked up another win between the pipes with 28 saves, including 14 in the second period.
Julius Mattila assisted on Cotton's tally late in the first period to finish the weekend with five points following his first collegiate hat trick on Friday. Cotton's goal put him back atop the national rankings in goals per game after 14 contests.
UConn pulled Tomas Vomacka (29 saves) in the final minute for an extra skater, but Aapeli Räsänen came up with a key block and killed the clock in the corner at the other end to seal the points.
BC closed the series 3-for-5 on the power play.
SCORING
1st 6:14, UConn Goal (0-1) | At the tail-end of BC's opening power play, Brian Rigali skated down the left wing and had a shot blocked into the high slot for Karl El-Mir, whose one-timer beat Woll blocker side through a partial screen
1st 19:44, BC Goal (1-1) | Fitzgerald fed Mattila along the right wing and the junior wristed a shot-pass into the low slot for Cotton, who redirected the puck over Vomacka's blocker to tie the game after one
1:26 2nd, BC Goal (2-1) | McBain gained the UConn zone along the right wing, cut into the slot on his forehand, and buried a low wrist shot inside the left post under Vomacka's blocker
3:40 3rd, BC Goal (3-1) | Räsänen tipped a pass to Wahlstrom near the right goal line, and the freshman whacked a shot short side off Vomacka at the right post from a nearly impossible angle for his fourth of the season
7:18 3rd, UConn Goal (3-2) | Max Kalter got a piece of Wyatt Newpower's center point drive from the slot and deflected the puck past Woll on the power play to cut BC's lead in half
UP NEXT
Boston College returns from the semester break on New Year's Eve with a trip to face Notre Dame in South Bend at 5 p.m. The Eagles then travel to Arizona State for a two-game series the following weekend on Jan. 4-5.
