BC Men’s Hockey Wins Thriller over Denver

(5) Denver 3 at (4) Boston College 4
Friday, October 30, 2015
Kelley Rink at Conte Forum – Chestnut Hill, MA
Player of the Game: Matt Gaudreau

As expected, the Friday, October 30 men’s hockey matchup between the fifth ranked Denver Pioneers and the fourth ranked Boston College Eagles at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill, MA did not disappoint. In fact, the game was a thriller down to the very last minute of the game, and after Denver eliminated BC from the NCAA playoffs last year, it seems that a rivalry has begun between the Pioneers and Eagles.
Junior forward Matt Gaudreau, brother of BC legend and Calgary Flames forward, scored the go-ahead goal for the Eagles at 19:24 in the third period to lift the Eagles to a 4-3 victory. With under a minute to play, the game appeared to be headed towards overtime. BC dumped the puck into the zone and then chased it down. Colin White put the puck on net for BC, and Pioneers goalie Evan Cowley, who suffered his first loss of the season, saved it, but did allow the ricochet. A scrum for the puck ensued as the clock continued to tick down and eventually with 36.6 seconds left, Gaudreau put the puck between Cowley’s pads for the game-winner.
Denver got off to a quick start when Danton Heinen drove the puck passed a sprawling Thatcher Demko, who’s scoreless streak finally came to an end at 206 minutes and two seconds. BC answered with 58 seconds left in the first when Demko passed to Austin Cangelosi, who then rifled a pass down the ice to a streaking Miles Wood who scored the equalizer. BC took the lead in the second on Teddy Doherty’s power play goal, but Denver answered when Heinen scored his second of the game on a Denver power play. Two and a half minutes into the third, Cangelosi scored to give BC the advantage again, but Denver was not finished. Will Butcher scored a power play goal for the Pioneers to set up Gaudreau’s game winner just three minutes later.
The win for BC boosted their record to 5-1-0, much to the delight of a raucous “Superfan” faithful, which stayed through the waning seconds of the game before heading out to celebrate the win and Halloween. BC exacted revenge on Denver for last spring’s ousting from NCAA’s as the Pioneers fall to 3-2-0 on the season. Up next, BC will open Hockey East play Tuesday, November 3 against Maine. Denver followed up with an overtime loss to Boston University the next day, and they play again on November 6 when they host Colorado College.