CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The No. 1 Boston College men's hockey team defeated Vermont, 4-2, at Kelley Rink on Saturday night. The Eagles improved to 25-5-1 overall and 17-3-1 in Hockey East to stay atop the league standings.
UVM (12-15-3, 6-11-3 HEA) drew a penalty on the first shift of the game and scored 35 seconds into the contest on Chris Theodore's power play goal. BC freshman Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) atoned for his first-minute infraction with the game-tying, shorthanded goal 6:04 into the period.
Leonard found the net again midway through the period to give the Eagles their first lead of the night. Freshman Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) sent the puck out of the defensive zone to sophomore Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who threaded a pass from left-to-right for Leonard. Leonard's initial shot was denied, but his follow-up backhand from the left side of the net went through the five-hole for the score.
After a scoreless second, the two sides traded goals early in the third. The Catamounts tied the game on a goal by Ryan Miotta with an extra attacker. On the ensuing penalty, the Eagles regained the lead with their second shorthanded goal of the night. Leonard caused a turnover and fed a pass through the slot to Gauthier to complete the goal on a two-on-one rush.
Freshman netminder Jacob Fowler (Melbourne, Fla.) made 17 saves in the win for BC, while Gabe Carriere stopped 27 shots for UVM. For the game, the Eagles outshot the Catamounts, 31-19.
SCORING
1st 0:35 UVM Chris Theodore (Ryan Miotto, Jeremie Bucheler) - PP
1st 6:04 BC Ryan Leonard (Cutter Gauthier) - SH
1st 11:32 BC Leonard (Gauthier, Smith)
3rd 2:55 UVM Ryan Miotto (Luca Munzenberger) - EA
3rd 4:07 BC Gauthier (Leonard) - SH
3rd 17:54 BC Smith
GAME NOTES
- BC has won 10 games in a row in Hockey East play.
- BC has won 25 games or more for the first time since a 28-win season in 2015-16.
- BC has won 17 or more Hockey East games for the first time since winning 17 in 2019-20.
- BC last scored two or more shorthanded goals in a game when the Eagles netted three at Providence (12/5/20).
- Gauthier scored his NCAA-leading 29th and 30th goals of the season. He is the first Eagle to score 30 goals in a season since Johnny Gaudreau's 36 in 2013-14.
- Gauthier recorded his sixth game of three or more points and third in the last six games.
- Leonard scored his first shorthanded goal of the season, the fourth this year by an Eagle and first since Mike Posma against Northeastern (12/1/23).
- Leonard extended his points streak to 13 games.
- Leonard recorded his fifth multi-goal game of the season and third in the last four games.
- Smith's two-point game pushed him to 51 points, passing classmate Gabe Perreault for fifth most in a single season by a BC freshman.
UP NEXT
Boston College opens a home-and-home series vs. New Hampshire on the road Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
