Four-Goal First Period Sends Boston College Past Merrimack, 6-3
Sophomore forward Zach Sanford registers two goals and assist for Eagles

Sophomore forward Zach Sanford registered two goals and an assist for the Eagles
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 1:38  BC1-0 EV Adam Gilmour (9)Ryan Fitzgerald/18, Austin Cangelosi/13
1st 5:27  BC2-0 PP Zach Sanford (10)Adam Gilmour/8, Scott Savage/13
1st 8:57  BC3-0 PS Austin Cangelosi (13) -
1st 16:36  BC4-0 SH GW Colin White (17)Matthew Gaudreau/14, Casey Fitzgerald/14
1st 18:21  MER1-4 EV Jared Kolquist (2)Jace Hennig/5, Ben Bahe/10
2nd 14:55  MER2-4 EV Marc Biega (2)Alex Carle/8, Brett Seney/13
3rd 0:13  BC5-2 EV Alex Tuch (12)Zach Sanford/21, Steve Santini/13
3rd 10:43  BC6-2 EV Zach Sanford (11)Michael Kim/3, Steve Santini/14
3rd 15:36  MER3-6 EV Marc Biega (3)Derek Petti/5, Chris LeBlanc/3
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Merrimack  1113
Boston College  4026
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Merrimack  9101433
Boston College  108725
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Merrimack (8-15-6)  0/3 3/6 0
Boston College (21-4-4)  1/1 4/8 1
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Collin Delia (L, 7-12-6)60:006 68519
Boston College Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Thatcher Demko (W, 20-4-3)60:003 891330

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Sophomore forward Zach Sanford registered two goals and a assist to lead Boston College to a 6-3 victory against Merrimack at Kelley Rink on Friday night.

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Merrimack 3 // No. 3 Boston College 6
Records: Merrimack (8-15-6, 2-9-6 HEA) // No. 3 Boston College (21-4-4, 12-1-4 HEA)
Location: Kelley Rink at Conte Forum // Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Length of Game: 2:08
Attendance: 4,563
Boston College Starters: Doherty (LW) - Sanford (C) - Tuch (RW) - Santini (LD) - Savage (RD) - Demko (G)
Merrimack Starters: Hennig (LW) - Christie (C) - Bahe (RW) - Biega (LD) - Carle (RD) - Dellia (G)

BC HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

- Boston College tallied four different types of goals in the first period, including an even strength goal (Adam Gilmour), power play goal (Zach Sanford), short-handed goal (Colin White) and a penalty shot (Austin Cangelosi).

- Alex Tuch is currently in the midst of a career-best seven-game point streak starting on Jan. 22, 2016 at UMass. The Baldwinsville, N.Y., native has accounted for four goals and as many assists over the course of his streak.

- Zach Sanford accounted for his fifth-career three-point performance and second-career multi-goal game. The Manchester, N.H. native netted his fifth power play goal, tying Teddy Doherty for the team lead.

- Boston College is 27-0-3 against Merrimack at home dating back to the last 30 games between the Eagles and Warriors on The Heights.

- Austin Cangelosi has scored two penalty shot goals this season, with his first coming against Boston University on Jan. 25.

- Steve Santini doled out a pair of assists, marking his fourth multi-point performance this season. With one goal and 14 helpers, the Mahopac, N.Y. native posted a career best in points in a season thus far.

- Boston College matched last year's win total this evening with 21.

TURNING POINT

- Adam Gilmour set the early tempo with an early strike 1:38 into regulation and the Eagles never looked back. Zach Sanford added a power play foal four minutes later while Austin Cangelosi and Colin White closed out the first frame with two more goals to give BC an early four-goal advantage.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Boston College attacked 1:38 into the game on a quick goal in transition.

Austin Cangelosi triggered the play by gathering a puck that came out from behind the Eagle net in between the circles. Cangelosi zipped it to Ryan Fitzgerald streaking into Merrimack's end and Fitzgerald made a heads up play just after bringing the puck onsides. Adam Gilmour hid behind Fitzgerald and accepted the drop pass for a precise wrister from the right dot to give BC the early 1-0 lead.

Just after the initial Eagle strike, Mathieu Tibbet was cited for hitting from behind at 4:19 and Boston College wasted no time taking a 2-0 lead with its only power play opportunity of the night.

Scott Savage thrust the puck down behind the net from the left corner of the zone to Gilmour. With no one near him, Gilmour skated it out from behind the net and slipped the disc through the crease where Sanford emerged and backhanded the one-timer past Collin Delia for the power play tally at 5:27.

At 8:57, Merrimack's Ethan Spaxman hauled down Cangelosi on a drive to the net, yielding a penalty shot.

Cangelosi's quick stick work kept Delia focused on the puck, but before he could react, Cangelosi spiked it through his five-hole to give Boston College the 3-0 advantage.

Travis Jeke was caught with a trip at 14:50 of the first period, but the Eagles continued to pressure on the penalty kill and scored their ninth short-handed goal of the season at 16:36.

Casey Fitzgerald batted the puck off the near boards deep in BC's end to Colin White on the blue line. White sent the rubber to the other side of the sheet with a long stretch pass for Matthew Gaudreau down the left side. White kept skating hard and was the beneficiary of a perfect pass back across the zone from Gaudreau on the near post. Just before White ran out of room, he tipped Gaudreau's dish pass Delia as BC was down a man at 16:36 for a 4-0 lead.

Merrimack stopped the bleeding before the first period ended at 18:21 after Jared Kolquist beat Thatcher Demko with a sharp wrister atop the right circle to make it a 4-1 affair after 20 minutes of play.

The second period unfolded relatively uneventful until the 14:55 mark when Marc Biega stirred the Warriors' offense with a big blast from out deep. Alex Carle provided Biega with the puck via one-timer across the top of the zone and Biega mashed it past Demko to make it a 4-2 contest.

Boston College wiped out the Warriors late strike in the second period with one of its own 13 seconds in to initiate the third.

Sanford won the third period's opening draw back to start the third and Savage was in place to gather it. He shifted over to Steve Santini on the right flank and Santini crafted one of his patented passes into the opponents' zone. The puck hopped off of Sanford's stick right in front of Alex Tuch on the right dot. Tuch scooped it up and beat Delia shortside to regain the three-goal lead, 5-2.

Sanford netted his second marker at 10:43 of the second period to put BC back on top by four, 6-2. Santini hauled in a puck on the blue line that was won off the near boards by Sanford. Santini sent it along the top of the zone where Michael Kim let one loose towards Merrimack's net. Delia made the initial stop, but the carom had so much momentum that it jutted out to Sanford's blade for the putback.

Marc Biega kept the Merrimack offense going with his second of the night at 15:36 of the third. Derek Petti scooped out a loose puck that was tangled up in a pile in from of Demko's crease. With everyone focused on getting the puck out, Biega had an open look from the slot and buried it to make it a 6-3 count.

Boston College minimized any further Warrior opportunities to preserve the 6-3 triumph.

BOSTON COLLEGE LEADERS

Points: Zach Sanford (2-1-3) Goals: Zach Sanford (2) Assists: Steve Santini (2) Shots: Alex Tuch (5)

MERRIMACK LEADERS

Points: Marc Biega (2) Goals: Marc Biega (2) Assists: Six players with one Shots: Justin Hussar (5)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Merrimack: 0-for-3
Boston College: 1-for-1

PENALTIES

Merrimack: 3 penalties - 6 minutes
Boston College: 4 penalties - 8 minutes

UP NEXT

Boston College closes out the Merrimack series tomorrow night at Lawler Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday night's showdown will be broadcast live on NESN. The following weekend, the Eagles will make their last regular-season overnight trip to Burlington and take on the Catamounts for a pair at Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse. BC closes out the regular season the following weekend with a home-and-home against UMass Lowell. The regular-season finale will be broadcast live on NESN.

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