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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
#2 Boston College
No. 2 Boston College Sweeps Hockey, 2-1
February 26, 2011 | Hockey
Feb. 26, 2011
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - No. 2 Boston College scored two goals in the first period to hand the UMass hockey team (6-20-5, 5-15-5 HEA) its fourth straight one-goal loss on Saturday night at Conte Forum, 2-1. T.J. Syner scored the lone goal for the Minutemen with under three minutes left in the second period, while Paul Dainton made 36 saves in goal. John Muse got the start for the Eagles (24-7-1, 18-6-1 HEA), making 24 stops. The Mass Attack will host Maine next weekend for two home tilts in the regular season finale, beginning Friday night at the Mullins Center.
The Minutemen remain in playoff contention following Saturday's loss, currently sitting in eighth place in the Hockey East standings just one point behind Vermont. Boston College held the edge in shots for the second straight night at 38-25, and went 1-for-7 on the power play. The Minutemen went 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
Despite three Minuteman power plays during the first period, the Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held a 14-9 edge in shots in the opening frame. UMass' best chance of the stanza came with the Minutemen on a two-man advantage three minutes into the game when T.J. Syner skated out of the right corner and fed Michael Pereira with a hard pass in front of the net, but Muse was up to the task and turned the bid away.
Boston College potted the first goal of the contest five minutes later, as Barry Almeida picked up his fifth goal of the season and second of the weekend when he took a pass from Steven Whitney, and fired a bullet that beat Dainton shortside. The Eagles then buried a power play tally with 6:57 to go in the period when Pat Mullane hammered a one-timer from the right faceoff dot off a dish from Chris Kreider that got over the shoulder of Dainton and into the top corner.
Dainton keep the Minutemen in the game throughout the second period, as the Eagles outshot UMass 13-9. Massachusetts, however, netted the lone goal of the frame with 2:57 left in the stanza on T.J. Syner's ninth tally of the season. Dainton robbed Patch Alber with a right pad save 4:30 into the period just as Alber exited the penalty box, and also denied Brian Gibbons of a goal with 1:17 to go. The Eagles nearly took a commanding three-goal lead with 3:39 left in the stanza when Dainton was caught out of the net on an odd bounce off the end board, but the Minuteman defensemen were there to fill the void to allow Dainton to get back in his crease.
UMass made it 2-1 with 2:57 left in the period created from some nice ice vision from Anthony Raiola at the point. After taking a feed from Chase Langeraap, Raiola spotted Syner alone at the backdoor. Raiola then threaded a pass down to Syner on the goal line, who then lifted it over a sprawling Muse for the score.
Dainton continued to stone Boston College during the third period, turning aside all 11 Eagle shots thrown his way, highlighted by a huge pad stop on Jimmy Hayes with 1:45 left in regulation. The Minutemen killed off two slashing penalties during the final frame, and pulled Dainton with one left in the frame in favor of the extra skater. After a late icing call with 3.4 seconds left in regulation, Langeraap won the faceoff over to the left side, but UMass could not get a shot off in the waning seconds.
