CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - No. 2 UMass scored three times in the second period and held on late to sweep Boston College in a home-and-home series with a 4-2 victory on Saturday night on the Heights in front of a sellout crowd at Kelley Rink.
Graham McPhee scored both BC goals, while Christopher Brown assisted on each tally to finish the weekend with four points. The Eagles fell to 9-7-3 in Hockey East and 10-16-3 overall.
McPhee opened the scoring at 11:16 of the first, taking a drop pass from Brown in the left circle and beating Matt Murray (23 saves) glove side.
UMass (23-6-0, 15-4-0 HEA) carried a power play into the second period and John Leonard tied the game 42 seconds in, going top shelf from the BC slot. Oliver Chau gave the Minutemen their first lead at 1:50 as he spun a shot short side on Joseph Woll (27 saves).
Massachusetts pushed its lead to 3-1 on Jacob Pritchard's weak angle effort at 12:05, but McPhee struck again to answer on the power play less than two minutes later. JD Dudek sent a pass to Brown below the left goal line, and the senior picked out McPhee in the left circle for a far side one-timer.
The Eagles earned back-to-back power plays in the third period, including a 5-on-3 for 20 seconds, but couldn't find the equalizer. BC pulled Woll for an extra skater with just under two minutes left and forced UMass into several icings.
In the final 30 seconds, Mitchell Chaffee won a foot race to prevent another icing at the BC net and set up Jake Gaudet for an empty-netter to seal the points.
SCORING
11:16 1st, BC Goal (1-0) | Brown laid a drop pass to McPhee at the top of the left wing circle, and the junior toe-dragged to the inside before beating Murray glove side
0:42 2nd, UMass Goal (1-1) | Pritchard won a loose puck in the left wing corner and found Leonard in the slot as he fired a shot top shelf to knot the score
1:50 2nd, UMass Goal (1-2) | Boston College fanned on a puck near the right doorstep and Chau turned for a forehand shot that snuck inside the right post to put UMass ahead
12:05 2nd, UMass Goal (1-3) | Pritchard fired a weak angle shot on net from the right wing half wall and the puck snuck short side on Woll inside the near post
13:56 2nd, BC Goal (2-3) | From below the left goal line, Brown one-timed a pass from Dudek to McPhee in the left circle, and his first-time effort found the far side past Murray's glove hand
19:40 3rd, UMass Goal (2-4) | Chaffee raced down the ice to prevent an icing and slid a pass into the crease for Gaudet, who fired a one-timer into the open net
UP NEXT
Boston College travels to Orono next weekend (Feb. 22-23) for a two-game series against Maine at Alfond Arena.
