PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Freshman Greg Collins (Hingham, Mass.) scored his first career goal to break a 3-3 tie with 1:46 remaining in the third period as the Providence College men's ice hockey team rallied to defeat No. 3 Boston College, 5-3, Tuesday night at Schneider Arena. With the victory the Friars ended a four-game winless streak and improved to 2-4-1 overall and 1-1-1 in Hockey East play. The Eagles fell to 4-2-0, 1-1-0 in league action. It marked the Friars' first win over Boston College since January 24, 2003.
Collins' goal game in a fast pace third period in which the Friars outshot the Eagles, 19-9. Junior Jon Rheault (Deering, N.H.) played the puck ahead to Collins, who was not able to control the pass as it deflected off his stick and towards BC netminder Cory Schneider. Schneider came out of his crease and attempted to clear the puck, however, Collins blocked the clearing attempt and fired a shot into the open net from the bottom of the right face off circle.
The Friars trailed 2-0 after the first period. Nathan Gerbe opened the scoring for the Eagles at 11:44 of the first period as BC took advantage of a five-minute power play. Gerbe fired a back-handed shot from the slot that found the net. However, the Friars were able to kill off the rest of the power play. At 16:39, the lead increased to 2-0 when Dan Bertram connected on his second tally of the season off assists by Gerbe and Mike Brennan.
The second period was a different story as PC scored three times to take the lead. Junior Jamie Carroll (Andover, Conn.) began the comeback at 6:21, scoring his first goal of the season. Carroll took a pass from freshman John Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) and fired a wrist shot that Schneider saved, but the rebound came right back to Carroll, who snapped a high wrist shot into the net. Just under four minutes later, senior Tony Zancanaro (Trenton, Mich.) tied the game with his third goal of the season at 10:31. Freshman Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) cleared the puck along the board at the end of a penalty kill to Zancanaro, who had just emerged out of the penalty box after serving a two-minute minor penalty for cross checking. Zancanaro skated all the way across the ice, gained control of the puck at the red line and skated in on a breakaway before rifling a high wrist shot past Schneider. The Friars gained their first lead of the night at 16:42 when Nick Mazzolini's (Anchorage, Alaska) back hander from the bottom of the right face off circle glanced off the right post and into the net. Sophomore John Mori (Westport, Conn.) and Carroll assisted on the goal.
However, the Eagles responded at 11:21 of the third period when Brett Motherwell scored his first of the season on a wrap-around goal that tied the game at 3-3. After Motherwell's goal, PC carried the play and had several chances to take the lead. After Collins scored to give the Friars the lead, Boston College pulled Schneider for an extra skater in an attempt to score the equalizer. However, the Eagles were whistled for a penalty as they had two many players on the ice at 19:47. After the ensuing face off, sophomore Matt Taormina (Washington Township, Mich.) gained control of the puck deep in the PC zone and fired the puck the length of the ice and into the net with one second left on the clock.
Schneider finished with 37 saves for the Eagles, while PC goalie Tyler Sims (Grand Blanc, Mich.) earned his first win of the season as he made 26 saves.
The Friars are back in action on Friday, November 3 with a Hockey East game at UMass in Amherst.