LOWELL, Mass. - No. 1 Boston College men's hockey rolled to its fifth straight win with a 6-1 decision at the Tsongas Center over UMass Lowell on Friday night. Sophomore Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored twice to lead the Eagles, who improved to 19-4-1 overall and 12-3-1 in Hockey East.
The two sides combined for only 14 shots on net in the first period, but a two-shot advantage led to a two-goal advantage for BC at the first intermission. Graduate Jack Malone (Spring Lake, N.J.) gathered the puck in his defensive zone and went the distance, shooting through the legs of goaltender Henry Welsch, who appeared to initially make the stop.
Before the midway point of the period, the Eagles doubled their lead on their first power play opportunity of the night. The all-freshman line of Gabe Perreault (Hinsdale, Ill.), Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) got involved on the second goal. Leonard sent the back from behind the net to Smith inside the left circle, who sent the puck far post for Perreault to score his 10th goal of the year.
UMass Lowell briefly cut the BC lead to one, but senior defenseman Eamon Powell (Marcellus, N.Y.) lit the lamp on the power play to push the lead back to two. Gauthier later gave the Eagles a three-goal lead on his 20th goal of the season. He took a pass from Perreault at the left point and sniped a wrist shot past Welsch.
In the third, Gauthier added his 21st of the season before Leonard lit the lamp with his 14th.
Freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler (Melbourne, Fla.) made 21 saves in net for the Eagles, while Welsch made 23. Fellow freshman Jan Korec (Bratislava, Slovakia) made his collegiate debut in net after Gauthier's second of the night gave BC a 5-1 lead. He stopped five shots in 6:45 of play.
SCORING
1st 5:55 BC Jack Malone
1st 9:38 BC Gabe Perreault (Will Smith, Ryan Leonard) - PP
2nd 4:38 UML Filip Fornåå Svensson (TJ Schweighardt)
2nd 5:21 BC Eamon Powell (Smith, Perreault) - PP
2nd 15:15 BC Cutter Gauthier (Powell, Drew Fortescue)
3rd 13:15 BC Gauthier (Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik)
3rd 18:21 BC Leonard (Perreault, Aram Minnetian)
GAME NOTES
- BC is 16-2 when scoring first this season and has scored first in its last four games.
- BC's all-freshman line of Leonard, Perreault and Smith has combined for 106 points this season.
- BC scored two or more goals on the power play for the seventh time this season.
- Gauthier scored his Hockey East-leading 20th and 21st goals of the season.
- Gauthier extended his point-streak to 14 games; the longest in Hockey East this season.
- Freshman goaltender Jan Korec made his first appearance of the season for the final 6:45, entering with a four-goal lead.
- Malone scored his seventh goal of the season.
- Perreault scored his 10th goal of the season and has scored in four consecutive games, while also extending his point streak to 10 games; one shy of his season-high.
- Perreault recorded his 14th multi-point game of the season.
- Powell scored his second goal of the season.
- Smith extended his point-streak to 10 games and assist streak to six games; both season-highs.
- Smith assisted on two goals for his fifth game of two or more assists and his 13th multi-point game.
UP NEXT
Boston College will be listed as the visiting team when its meets Boston University in the semifinals of the 71st Annual Beanpot at TD Garden on Monday in the nightcap scheduled to start at 8 p.m.
