CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Four players scored one goal each and senior goaltender Parker Milner registered 38 saves to lead fifth-ranked Boston College to a 4-1 Hockey East victory over Vermont before 6,672 fans at Kelley Rink.
After the visiting Catamounts took an early lead on their lone goal of the contest just four minutes, 14 seconds into the contest, the host Eagles scored four unanswered goals to claim the victory and snap a two-game losing skid heading into the first round of the 61st Beanpot on Monday against Harvard.
BC forwards Pat Mullane (one goal, one assist) and Quinn Smith scored second-period goals to earn the lead, and Steven Whitney and Johnny Gaudreau notched third-period tallies to secure the victory.
Milner stopped 13 shots in the first period, 17 shots in the in the second and eight in the final frame to capture his 57th win in his 76th career start. The senior goaltender is 15-6-2 this season.
Vermont senior defenseman Anders Franzon scored the game's first goal and the visitors took a 1-0 lead into the locker room after one period.
Mullane evened the score at the 10:30 mark of the second, one-timing a feed from sophomore forward Danny Linell (two assists), and Smith put the Eagles ahead for good 47 seconds later when he snuck one past Catamount goaltender Brady Hoffman (26 saves).
Whitney gave Boston College insurance netting an off-balance shot from the slot while on his knees at 8:05, and sophomore Johnny Gaudreau (one goal, one assist) capped the scoring at 14:46, beating Hoffman top shelf on a 3-on-1 break.
Hoffman falls to 7-14-4 on the year.
Boston College killed off all four of its penalties, including a full two-minute, two-man disadvantage in which junior forward Bill Arnold was on the ice for all 120 seconds. The Eagles went 0-3 on their own man advantage, tallying nine shots.
Team Records: Vermont 7-14-4, 4-10-4 Hockey East; Boston College 15-7-2, 12-6-1 HE
Game Notes: With 16 goals, including 11 third-period scores, Steven Whitney has tied his single-season career high that he established during his 39-point, 44-game junior season ... Patrick Brown drew a standing ovation from the Kelley Rink crowd following Boston College's first successful penalty of the night early in the first period. The junior forward, who was without a stick after a Nick Bruneteau slap shot snapped it in two, blocked consecutive power-play shots as the last 30 seconds of a Travis Jeke slashing penalty ticked away ... Tonight's win marked the Eagles' fifth straight over Vermont. It marked the seventh time this season that Milner has made 30 or more saves ... freshman defenseman Michael Matheson returned to the lineup after missed the last two games because of injury.