CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Spencer Knight posted the fourth shutout in his first 14 starts and No. 7 Boston College broke away from ninth-ranked Notre Dame with three second period goals in a 4-0 shutout on Friday night in front of nearly 7,300 fans at Kelley Rink.
The win was the Eagles' eighth straight, pushing their record to 10-4-0 (5-2-0 HEA) with one game remaining in the first half. The Fighting Irish lost its fourth consecutive game and fell to 8-5-2 (4-2-2 BIG 10).
Knight made half of his 26 saves in the second period, including a right pad save to deny Cam Burke on a breakaway late in the frame. Early in the third, Knight flashed the right pad again to rob Jesse Lansdell on a point blank rebound.
BC's top line of David Cotton (1-1-2), Logan Hutsko (1-1-2) and Julius Mattila (1-0-1) combined for five points in the victory. Hutsko's multi-point game extended his career-high point streak to 10 games, and Cotton came within one of his 50th career goal.
Patrick Giles added his second shorthanded goal of the season and the Eagles' fifth as a team, which is tied for the national lead. In addition to the shorthanded goal, Boston College's penalty kill was perfect at 3-for-3 while the power play went 1-for-2.
BC won the faceoff battle 28-22 over the Irish.
SCORING SUMMARY
2nd 2:41, BC Goal (1-0) • Cotton deflected Hutsko's pass from the left corner into the slot, where Mattila lifted the stick of Matt Hellickson and whipped a low shot past Cale Morris (22 saves) glove side for his fifth of the season.
2nd 14:27, BC Goal (2-0) • Along the left wing, Alex Newhook dropped a pass to Drew Helleson for a low shot from the high slot. Hutsko got a deflection at the top of the crease and located the rebound at the right post to double the lead.
2nd 16:49, BC Goal (3-0) • Giles skated down the left wing on a shorthanded 2-on-1 and delayed before sniping the top left corner high blocker side to beat Morris.
3rd 12:33, BC Goal (4-0) • From his own zone, Cotton stick-handled through neutral ice and deked his way into the left circle before snapping a shot that trickled over the shoulder of Morris inside the right post.
UP NEXT
Boston College and Notre Dame close their home-and-home series on Sunday (Dec. 8) with a 5 p.m. faceoff at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Indiana.
