CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - In the highest scoring Battle of Comm Ave since 1986, Boston College pulled away from No. 6 Boston University for a 9-6 Hockey East victory in front of a sellout crowd on Jerry York Night at Kelley Rink.
Freshman Cutter Gauthier registered two goals and two assists for a four-point performance on Friday in the 288th edition of the rivalry.
Boston College improved to 6-5-4 overall and 5-3-3 in the league heading into the holiday break. BC also extended its home unbeaten streak against the Terriers to five games (4-0-1) at Conte Forum.
Gauthier was joined by six other Eagles with multi-point games, including Trevor Kuntar (1-2-3), Nikita Nesterenko (1-1-2), Lukas Gustafsson (1-1-2) and Connor Joyce (1-1-2). Oskar Jellvik and Eamon Powell each collected a pair of assists.
Friday marked the highest goal total in a Battle of Comm Ave since a 9-6 BC victory at Boston Garden on Dec. 2, 1986. Schiller Family Head Hockey Coach Greg Brown was a freshman defenseman in that game.
Gustafsson opened the scoring on the power play with less than five minutes left in the first period when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from Jellvik past Drew Commesso from the right wing. Charlie Leddy doubled the lead 45 seconds later with his first collegiate goal, surprising Commesso from the right wing half boards.
Boston University (10-5-0, 7-4-0 HEA) scored the game's next three goals, taking its first lead at 1:44 of the middle frame on a Wilmer Skoog goal following a double rebound at the left doorstep.
Liam Izyk equalized quickly for BC at the 4:51 mark, redirecting a centering feed from Nesterenko at the top of the crease.
Following a Jeremy Wilmer goal 48 seconds later which put BU ahead 4-3, Gauthier netted the next two tallies for the Eagles. The rookie fired a shot blocker side from the right circle after a spinning feed from Joyce out of the right corner. Gauthier then slipped a shot through the five-hole of Commesso after a layoff pass from Andre Gasseau.
Nick Zabaneh brought the Terriers level with a weak-angle effort from the right wing, but Joyce responded by snapping a shot high short side from the right wing for an unassisted goal at 15:27. Kuntar batted an aerial puck from the slot past Commesso on the power play with under 10 seconds remaining for a 7-5 lead after 40 minutes.
Nesterenko sealed the victory on a power play rebound midway through the third, beating backup netminder Vinny Duplessis high short side from the left circle for an 8-5 cushion.
BU grabbed a goal back with Duplessis pulled, but graduate student Christian O'Neill capped the scoring with an empty-netter for his first goal in a BC sweater.
The Eagles finished the night a perfect 3-for-3 on the power play.
Boston College returns to action just before New Year's with a two-game series against Arizona State on Dec. 30-31 in Tempe, Arizona.
