Photos by Turner Action Sports (www.facebook.com/TurnerActionSports)

Story by Paul Sulzer

BC grad and Detroit Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus hosted his third annual football summer camp last month in Somerville. Joining him were fellow former Eagles Jamie Silva, Tyronne Pruitt, Chris Miller, Josh Beekman, Andre Callender, and L.V. Whitworth. The camp took place before the resolution of the NFL lockout, so pros Cherilus, Silva, and Beekman were using that time productively, giving back to the community.

This will likely be our final post before switching over to Tumblr before the start of the new school year. Stay tuned for an unveiling.

As expected, Boston College junior Reggie Jackson is keeping his name in the NBA draft, and will forego his senior season on the Heights. The guard had declared for the draft in April, but did not hire an agent, allowing him the chance to withdraw before the May 8 deadline. Now Jackson is committed to the NBA, and has been predicted to get selected anywhere from a lottery pick to a late first-round draft pick. In what many are calling a weak draft class, ESPN’s Chad Ford has Jackson going at some point between picks nine and 19. BC’s leading scorer in the 2010-2011 season finished his career with 1,254 points in 99 games, and left with this final statement:

“I just want to thank BC, the coaching staff and administration for all their help and support throughout my three years here, but I have decided to stay in the draft and forego my senior season. The NBA has always been a dream of mine and it is one I wish to pursue. I am truly blessed to have attended and played for such a prestigious university. I would like to say thank you to all the BC fans for all the support and, though I have decided to leave school early, I will always be a BC Eagle.”

The moves leaves head coach Steve Donahue with a young squad in the 2011-2012 season. The only players who will be returning with experience under Donahue will be Gabe Moton and Danny Rubin. There is also Matt Humphrey, who sat out last year after transferring from Oregon. There has not yet been an announcement on whether John Cahill will be returning for one more season as a 5th year player. This means that Donahue will be looking at the seven incoming freshmen to contribute a heavy amount of minutes in their first season at the college level. Due to Jackson’s departure, there will also be an open scholarship that Donahue could possibly use on a transfer or a player who de-commits from another team late in the process.

Lacrosse Makes History

On Sunday night, the BC women’s lacrosse team (12-6) received the news that they had been waiting to hear all season: for the first time in the program’s history, they are headed to the NCAA tournament. The Eagles secured one of eight at-large bids in the field of 16, and will travel to Evanston, Ill. to face No. 2 Northwestern (17-2) for a 4:00 p.m. game on Saturday, May 14. BC is no stranger to facing tough competition, having taken on five of the tournament teams during the regular season. Although the Eagles went 1-4 against those teams, the lone win coming against Virginia, they will look to change their luck against top teams starting Saturday.

Speer Picks Up ACC Softball Honors

Freshman Tory Speer was named the ACC player of the week, after she continued her breakout season on Thursday against Boston University. Speer went 3-for-3 in the game, hitting two home runs and driving in a career-high seven runs in the Eagles’ 10-3 victory over the Terriers. This is the second time this season that Speer has been named player of the week.

Speer has hit 11 home runs on the year, topping the record for home runs by a freshman that had stood at nine before she broke it on Thursday.

The Eagles will be looking for Speer to continue her amazing freshman campaign when they begin the ACC tournament on Friday afternoon against North Carolina.

Baseball Swept At Wake Forest

The baseball team (16-29, 7-19 ACC) traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C. this past weekend, and despite having early leads in two of the three games, BC suffered a sweep at the hands of Wake Forest (20-26, 10-14). The Eagles lost the games by scores of 2-1 (10 innings), 15-5, and 4-3.

Getting swept puts the Eagles in a tough spot in terms of having any hope of making the ACC tournament. BC is now tenth overall in the league, and only the top eight teams qualify for the tournament. In order to reach the tournament, the Eagles must sweep NC State next weekend, while hoping that Wake Forest loses its six remaining ACC games and that Virginia Tech loses at least five of its last six ACC contests.

On Friday afternoon, Clemson (22-13, 9-9 ACC) came into Chestnut Hill to begin a three game series against the Boston College (13-20, 6-11) baseball team. 28 hours later, the Tigers left Shea Field with a three-game sweep under their belts. The Eagles suffered defeats in all three games, by scores of 9-2, 7-5, and 9-2.

“In terms of the series, it puts us in a little bit of a tough spot,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “Getting swept in this league is tough.”

The series was supposed to be played over the course of three days, but the heavy rain predicted for Saturday night threatened to cause poor field conditions for Sunday’s game. Due to the forecast, the two teams played a doubleheader on Saturday.

In the final game of the series on Saturday, the Eagles turned to their bullpen to pitch them through the game. They got off to a rough start, as Matt Alvarez allowed three runs in the top of the first inning, and that ended up being all the offense the Tigers would need in the game, en route to a 9-2 victory. BC committed four errors in the game.

“I thought we got a little bit sloppy,” Gambino said. “You’re not going to beat many teams in the ACC when you make four errors.”

Five other BC pitchers combined to pitch the final eight innings, but they were unable to stop the bleeding. The Eagles made it as close as 3-2 in the bottom of the second inning. It started when Mike Sudol knocked in Kyle Prohovich on a RBI triple off the wall that nearly went out of the park. Marc Perdios sent Sudol home with a ground out that made it a one-run game.

But that was as close as the home team would get in the game, as Clemson’s Jonathan Meyer pitched seven strong innings only allowing five hits, and the Tiger offense continued to knock around the BC bullpen.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, BC was led by Garret Smith’s career-high four-for-four performance at the plate, but it wasn’t enough, as the Eagles dropped the 7-5 decision.

“We had our opportunities late and scrapped and scrapped and couldn’t get the hits,” Gambino said. “The game came down to they got the hit, we didn’t. For the two or three opportunities we each had, they got it done, and we didn’t.”

Starting pitcher John Leonard was strong for BC through the first six innings, only allowing three runs. He ran into trouble in the seventh inning though, when he let up three runs off six straight hits by the Tigers.

The Eagles had taken the early lead in the first inning when Smith drove in Brad Zapenas with the first of his three RBI doubles in the game.

After Clemson tied it at one in the third, the Eagles responded with two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Smith knocked in Tom Bourdon with another RBI double, and Zapenas later came in to score on a fielder’s choice, giving BC the 3-1 lead.

The Tigers made it 7-3 in the rocky seventh inning for Leonard. A comeback attempt by the Eagles began in the bottom of the eighth. Smith knocked in his third run of the day when he hit another double, scoring Matt McGovern. Anthony Melchionda then singled to make it first and third, which was followed by a RBI single by Andrew Lawrence to cut the lead to 7-5. But the rally stalled after that, as the next three batters were shut down to end the inning.

On Friday afternoon, the Eagles again depended on multiple arms out of the bullpen to combine for nine innings of pitching. Lawrence threw the first two frames for BC, letting up two solo home runs to give Clemson the 2-0 lead early.

In the bottom of the third, the Eagles started to chip away at the lead. McGovern and Smith began the inning back-to-back singles, followed by a Melchionda walk. Lawrence then hit a fielder’s choice to bring in a run and put runners on the corner with one out. But BC could not manage any more runs, as Sudol grounded into a double header to end any scoring threats.

BC pushed another run across the plate in the fifth inning. Melchionda drove in McGovern on a RBI double to tie the game a two. But from then on, it was all Clemson.

The Tigers scored seven straight runs without any BC response, giving them the 9-2 lead which stood as the final score of the game.

The bright spot on the weekend for BC was two of its batters continuing their hot streaks. Smith went six-for-12 in the series, while McGovern finished five-for-14. He has been on a tear lately, and now has 21 his in his last 39 at bats.

“I don’t even want to talk about it cause of how well he’s swinging the bat,” Gambino said. “Honestly, he’s not going to hit .500, I know that. But this is not a fluke streak he’s on. The kid’s a really good hitter. It’s a really simple, compact swing. The kid’s a really good player and a really good hitter.”

Photos by Alex Trautwig

By Paul Sulzer

Here’s part two of our Spring Game grades, a position-by-position breakdown of the defense. Part one is here.

Defensive line: B+

The offensive line pushed around the front four a bit in the first half, creating gaps for Tahj Kimble and Mike Javorski to scamper through. The D-line generated great pass rush, though. Early enrollee Mehdi Abdesmad blew up many plays with the second team, recording a sack and a deflection that led to Will Thompson’s interception.

The first team line of Kasim Edibali, Dillon Quinn, Conor O’Neal, and Max Holloway got stronger as the game wore on. Quinn started despite his ejection from the previous scrimmage. Edibali tackled Kimble in the open field for a five-yard loss on a checkdown that had a lot of potential. He also deflected a third down pass by Chase Rettig when he read the quarterbacks eyes and stuck his arm up to get a piece of the ball.

Linebackers: B-

The 1s didn’t have much of a chance to stand out. They made their tackles and swarmed to the ball. Kevin Pierre-Louis recorded 12 stops and teamed with Luke Kuechly (five tackles) to wrap up several short passes short of the marker. Steele Divitto split reps at outside linebacker with Nick Clancy and played with a similar motor to KPL and Kuechly.

Thompson had the lone pick of the day on an interception that fell right into his lap. The rest of the second team linebackers whiffed on some easy tackles that would have cost the Eagles in a real game.

Defensive backs: B+

The DBs had a solid day. They played their usual bend-but-don’t-break Cover 2 with man underneath. Rettig and the backups picked them apart with short routes but couldn’t really find any space up top. The only chance the offense really had for a huge play was on a post to Ifeanyi Momah that split the safeties. Rettig underthrew his wide-open receiver by five yards, though.

Jim Noel played the first half with the 1s at boundary corner and was near the ball throughout. He covered his man tightly and actually got his hand on the ball a few times. He should have intercepted a Rettig pass with 10 seconds left in the half that he instead batted harmlessly to the ground.

Donnie Fletcher had an apparent pick waved off in the fourth quarter that would have been reviewed in a real game. Okechukwu Okoroha also could have intercepted a pass but smartly knocked it down instead just outside the end zone on fourth down from the 25-yard line.

Overall defense: B+

The defense only allowed one touchdown on the day—a 2-yard sneak by fifth-string QB Shane Cranmore, who was untouchable because he was wearing a green jersey. In each of the two scrimmages and this game, the defense settled down after allowing a long opening drive. Remember, though, that the defense was at full strength while the offense was without four major contributors (Andre Williams, Colin Larmond, Alex Amidon, and Mark Spinney). Still, the decent pressure from the defensive ends and the ability of the secondary to get its hands on the ball are reasons to be optimistic that the team may be more opportunistic than it was last year.

Photos by Alex Trautwig

By DJ Adams

After watching the annual Boston College Jay McGillis Memorial Spring Game yesterday, here is our take on how the offense looked. Rising sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig ran the first offense for the majority of the day, while Colin Larmond, Jr., Andre Williams, Alex Amidon, and Mark Spinney sat out the glorified scrimmage.

Quarterbacks: C+

Rettig had a strong day, going 20-for-29 with 182 yards. Those numbers aren’t bad, especially for a game that usually favors the defense. The sophomore looked particularly comfortable using the play action to get outside of the pocket and hit his receivers while rolling out.

That being said, he looked antsy while directly behind the center. He missed a wide-open Ifeanyi Momah on a post by throwing five yards too short. The secondary could have tacked on a couple interceptions if the defenders had looked the ball into their hands. Much of Rettig’s yardage came from check-downs.

Backup Dave Shinskie went 9-of-15, but held on to the ball for too long on several of his drives, including one offensive set in which he was sacked three times. Mike Marscovetra rounded out the crew’s wish-washy performance, only completing four passes in 14 attempts. BC’s quarterbacks still have much to work on over the summer.

Running Backs: B

Montel Harris took the opening carry of the game before spending the remainder of the day on the bench, since there’s no need for BC’s clear-cut starting back to risk reinjuring his knee.. Williams was out with a back injury, which allowed Tahj Kimble and Mike Javorski to earn the bulk of the carries. Kimble broke through a hole in the line for a 21-yard run in the first half. However, the rising sophomore only finished with 37 yards on 13 carries. Kimble did catch the ball out of the backfield, though, grabbing three receptions on the day when his quarterback ran out of options downfield.

Javorski’s numbers were much better than Kimble’s, as the soon-to-be senior ran 20 times for 82 yards. With his carries coming from a healthy blend of counters as well as dives between the tackles, the Eagles’ strong running game looks poised once again to succeed in 2011, especially with their top two runners from last year returning.

Receivers/Tight Ends: C+

Leading the charge for the receiving game was tight end Lars Anderson, who caught seven balls for 78 yards, and Bobby Swigert, who grabbed six for 68. While there were other noteworthy individual performances for the receiving corps, the wideouts’ shortcomings were what stood out.

Even going against BC’s soft defensive zone, the receivers hardly gained any separation downfield. Whether that was the quarterback’s inability to recognize the zone, or the receivers’ fault was difficult to tell, but against other tighter defenses in 2011 it will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

A few dropped passes by Momah and Clyde Lee, two key deep threats for the Eagles, caused this ranking to fall from a B- into the C-range.

Offensive Line: A-

Despite being criticized in the past two spring scrimmages, the offensive line was the brightest spot for BC on Saturday. The big guys opened wide holes against the first-team defense, and if it weren’t for the Eagles’ superb linebackers, the stats could have been even greater for BC’s backs.

The pass protection was likewise stellar for Rettig. The sophomore was able to check down on several occasions, evidence of enough protection for him to move through his entire receiving progression.

This could have been an A, but the second-team had one drive with Dave Shinskie that composed of three sacks allowed and a holding penalty that called back a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Overall: B-

The offense showed a few encouraging signs on Saturday, most notably the line’s improvement and a commitment to play-action rollouts, which will be instrumental in balancing out a ground game that features one of the ACC’s best runners in Harris.

The same troubles that have kept BC from becoming a 10-win team in past seasons were present still, however. Rettig panicked when under pressure, and no other quarterback looked poised to offer him any competition. The receivers lacked any big-play ability, and often looked either lost while doing routes. Whether that was a result of miscommunication or just botched plays, the sloppiness needs to be fixed.

The running game once again will be the crutch on which BC leans, but eventually the team needs to incorporate a dangerous passing game back into the offense if it hopes to be one of the premier squads in the ACC.

By DJ Adams

Collegiate coaches are obviously visible members of any college community, showing themselves most frequently on the court or in the media, for example. What many people tend to forget, though, are how these adults impact the world with their actions as role models that are largely unrelated to how well their respective team performs in competition.

Steve Donahue, in response to a request from Amy Stabile, a current Teach for America employee and BC ’09, visited a Houston public elementary school along with three other coaches to teach children how to read, as well as speak with them about BC and the basketball program.

How awesome is this excerpt from an e-mail Amy herself sent to us?

The Heights sat down with Reggie Jackson on Tuesday afternoon, a day before he declared for the 2011 NBA draft. His newest thoughts about his decision and more from this interview are in the feature on Jackson in today’s issue found here.

Here is the rest of Tuesday’s conversation that didn’t make it into the feature:

The Heights: What are your thoughts on this past season?

RJ: “It didn’t end the way we wanted, but there were a lot ups this year. A lot more ups than downs if you look in the win column compared to the loss column. Wish we could have gotten another win [in the regular season] to possibly end up in the NCAA tournament. We’ve seen what happens there. VCU is in the Final Four. They do what we do in a similar way, drive and kick. They just call fire at the right time. Anything’s possible. We were hoping to get a chance, get a crack at that, but we’re not hanging our heads about it. We still feel like we had a successful season for what people thought of us. But maybe a failure in our eyes. Especially the seniors and the upperclassmen, me and Dallas, we really believed that we could finish in the top-three in this conference and fell a little bit short of that. But we weren’t quite as bad as people thought we were going to be.”

The Heights: Does it mean anything that you defied expectations?

RJ: “I believe it shows people around the nation, if you look at it, it really doesn’t matter what people believe or what they think of you. It’s just about they guys on your team and coaching staff. The fans help behind you, but it’s really about this program just going in, putting in the work, and as long as you believe in your brothers and your coaches, then great things can happen. You come out and compete hard every day. So that’s what we did, and that’s how we racked up as many wins as we did.”

The Heights: How was the first year under Coach Donahue, and how did it compare to years under Al Skinner?

“Besides offense and defensive schemes, not too different. Both coaches really have a passion for the game, have a love for the game. You come to practice, you may not think so because they do things differently. Coach Donahue is very much active on the court, involved, sometimes accidentally pokes a ball away from a player because he’s literally right there on the court coaching you through everything. Even when you’re playing, he’s so active. I believe Coach Skinner’s age was a factor in him being away from practice, sitting on the sideline more. But they’re both fiery, very hungry, and both great coaches. I feel very fortunate to play under both. But you could just see more animation from Coach Donahue. He really lets himself go. It’s almost like a kid. He gets lost on the game because he loves it.”

The Heights: Did you feel like you could shoot more this year in new system? Did that change your game at all?

RJ: “I believe there were possibly more opportunities built for what I do: kind of attack the basket constantly. The flex kind of compacted everything, you have to pick and choose your spots. Just like you do in Donahue’s offense, but there’s a little more freedom. ‘Keep shooting’ is also about confidence. Donahue, first thing he did when he got here was refine my shot a little, and made sure I and everybody on the team was in the gym, constantly working on their shots. Just shooting us a text or a reminder to at least put up 200 [shots] a night. So the confidence is what I believe allowed me to have the year that I had, and a lot of us have the year that we had. Especially Biko Paris, we’ve seen he hit six threes in about four games this year, and he did it about four times [all of last year]. Everybody just had more confidence, their shots were more refined, and even Corey Raji stepped up the three a lot this year. We just had more confidence in ourselves. Coach never really focused on everybody’s weakness. It wasn’t a deficiency. I guess he believed they just had to work. We even saw Josh almost shoot a few threes, foot on the line. But everyone was just a lot more relaxed. Coach kind of preached that, to get out of a slump, you’re going to have to keep shooting. As long as they were good shots, we knew we were going to be okay. I believe that we have to attribute our success to our confidence and the confidence he had to us to really put the ball in the air this year.”

The Heights: Have you talked to John Cahill at all about him coming back?

RJ: “I haven’t talked to him really as much. Me and him talked a little bit before the season ended, giving it heavy thought. We talked probably the day after [the season ended]. If he comes back, that’s definitely great, going from being a walk-on to a starter, knowing his ability to play. Maybe not the most athletic, looks a little frail, but his heart’s bigger than most people I’ve met in my life. His basketball IQ is through the roof. Even though it’s technically his freshman year on the court. But he knows the game, he’s been around it his whole life, he can bring people along and do great things and help the team tremendously. So if he comes back, that would be amazing. If he doesn’t, I wish him the best in anything he does. He knows he has a brother in me for the rest of his life. I just think greatly of the kid.”

The Heights: Who you got in the Final Four?

RJ: [Laughs] “It’s a hard pick. You keep feeling like UConn can’t do it because they’re a one-man team, but that team’s really grown up. I feel like Kentucky’s too young, but they’ve grown up also. It seems like they have more weapons. But we’ve seen a streaky Connecticut team. Before we’ve seen a streaky Kentucky team. And then you have the sleepers on the other side, or supposed to be sleepers. Butler’s been there before, and then you have VCU, who’s playing perhaps better than anyone in the nation. It’s very much a toss-up. I guess the pride in me wants to see a high D-I team win, but a hunch is telling me Butler gets it done at the end of the day.”

The Heights: How much do you look at VCU and say ‘that could be us’?

RJ: “In the NCAA tournament, minus VCU, you win six games, you bring a title home. They have to do seven. It’s hard not to relate to them. They’re a team that gets in the lane, they share the ball, one through five can shoot the three. You saw our starting lineup at the end of the year, with me, Biko, John, Corey, and Trap, everybody can light it up. We’ve seen what we can do throughout the year if people get hot, so it’s hard not to relate to them. Games we’ve had, just like VCU had against Kansas there, two-of-12 or three-of-12 in the paint in the first half but they’re nine-of-17 outside. They were up by about 12, so you see what the 3-point shot can really do for you. It’s very hard not to envy them getting in and us not, cause we feel like we could do the same. It’s just about finding a shot at the right time, and playing your best ball at the right time of the season. If they continue for two more games, and they continue to shoot the way they’re shooting, then it’s very imaginable that they can be the national champs.”

Reggie Jackson has declared for the 2011 NBA draft. The junior has decided not to hire an agent, meaning that he holds the right to withdraw from the draft before May 8 to come back to Boston College for his senior year.

Jackson had told The Heights on Tuesday that he had not yet made a decision, and was taking it “day by day.” He had not yet met with any NBA teams, but will probably be doing so in the coming weeks to find out where he stands on team’s draft boards.

Be sure to check out tomorrow’s issue of The Heights to read more from Tuesday’s interview with Jackson, and more rumors surrounding the future of the BC basketball team.

Jerry York

I thought the game was secure late in the third period. Then Northeastern came to life. They had some terrific plays on 5-on-3s and 6-on-3s. We looked up with a minute left in the game, and what once looked like a sure-fire W for us turned into an exhilarating finish. Any time during the season, when you can prevent a team from going for a championship with a win, it’s difficult to get that win. Northeastern played exceptionally well, and now we have a chance to bring the Lamoriello Cup back to Boston College.

On the key to the power play

[Assistant coach] Greg Brown works really close with our power play unit. We’ve passed the understanding that the puck doesn’t stay on your stick very long. The ability to move pucks quick, tape-to-tape, is essential to power plays. The puck movement was outstanding. We were hungry on the power play. A lot of good things happened.

On the play of the fourth line

Patrick Brown and Brooks Dyroff haven’t played a lot for us. They’re certainly scrappy, hard-nosed young guys. Kevin [Hayes] has a world of skill. He understands the game very well. When he does play with that line, it adds a  whole new element to [our team]. They can score goals. Kevin on that line really makes a difference.

On Steven Whitney’s goal

It was a 4-on-4 situation. McNeely-MacLeod-Silva – when they get those three seniors on the ice, in any combination, they’re really dangerous. We had Billy Arnold and Steven Whitney on at that time. They’re very solid players themselves. We made that stop and a quick transition. I watched that goal again on the Jumbotron, and it was a highlight goal for Steven. The whole place just jumped up when we saw that – a backhand, top-shelf goal.

On the play of John Muse

He’s just a winner. That’s how I can best describe him. He’s had a remarkable career with us. He has been on fire for the past month or so of the season. He wants to win another Lamoriello Cup. That’s what we’re focused on. Nationals will come. We use the expression “you have to enjoy Thanksgiving before you can enjoy Christmas” a lot. We don’t have to win games to get to the tournament like Northeastern did, but our focus is on our league. We’re giving our conference all our respect and all our effort. Too many teams look past their conference championships.

On whether he can teach someone to score a goal like Whitney’s

No, I can’t. I don’t know what coach can. Maybe he learned it from his dad in the backyard. That was a special, special goal. His brother Joe got a goal similar to that to send us to the Frozen Four his freshman year. And now Steven comes back with a goal like that.

On what NU’s play says about the depth of Hockey East

We’re really proud of our league. We’re very humble and very grateful to be in this type of environment, in Hockey East. Whether it’s a midweek game in November, or a quarterfinal game at our home rink, or now at the Garden at the end of the year – the coaches have pushed us to be better coaches, the players on the other team push our players. It’s an outstanding year. To have a chance to play in Hockey East – we’re all very excited by that. Northeastern has one of the best freshman classes in the league. McNeely, MacLeod, and Silva are three dynamic players up front, too. They were a tough out for us tonight.

Tommy Cross

On why he play’s his best in the Garden

The Garden is a great place to play. Everyone on our team loves playing here, being on an NHL rink with great crowds. We watch the Bruins play here all the time on TV and coming to games. Playing here is still something special. It’s a big-game atmosphere, and it’s fun to play in those games. We’ve played in some this season, and we want to keep playing in them.

On playing a win-or-die team

Any time you play a team when a win by you ends their season, it’s tough to beat them. That was certainly the case tonight. Northeastern played really strong. We expected nothing less. We came out hard. That’s the kind of edge you need if you’re going to take someone’s season away. We’ve got to be at our best.

The Boston College men’s hockey team punched its ticket to the semifinals of this season’s Hockey East Championship, relying largely on Jimmy Hayes’ hat trick. Facing UMass for the second time in as many nights, the Eagles were able to sweep the best-of-three series at Kelley Rink. The victory was an even larger accomplishment for this year’s seniors – Brian Gibbons, John Muse and Joe Whitney – as they earned their 100th career win as a class.

Head coach Jerry York commented after Friday night’s 4-1 victory over UMass that the quarterfinals series could be some of the toughest games of the season, as he said, “Nobody wants the sticks taken out of their hands.” He was certainly correct, as this UMass team was unwilling for its season to end without a fight.

Jumping out of the gate, the visiting team was able to score on its first offensive possession of the night. Coming off a BC turnover, Chase Langeraap netted an unassisted score to put his team up 1-0, only 21 seconds into the game.

For the first 10 minutes of the contest, the Eagles had difficulty maintaining possession and were turning the puck over, similar to how they started in the first game of the series. However, the second portion of the period showed a much more efficient Eagle effort, as the team was able to move the puck well and get off good shot attempts. Despite this quick turnaround and a 12-to-eight shot advantage, BC ended the period down a goal.

The Eagles worked fast to tie up the game at the start of the second period. At the 4:32 mark, working in their offensive zone on a power play, a pass by Pat Mullane was tipped in the air in front of the net. Despite a defenseman in his face, Hayes quickly grabbed the flying puck and was quick to blast it over goalie Paul Dainton’s shoulder. Mullane and Tommy Cross were credited with assists on the game-tying goal.

The next score proved to be one of the biggest highlights of the night. At the 8:52 mark, the Eagles were passing well in the offensive zone when Whitney received the puck from Barry Almeida and set up for a hard slap shot just past the blue line. The shot was too quick for Dainton and made its way to the back of the net. Almeida and Gibbons were given assists on the go-ahead score.

Despite the Eagles’ dominance throughout the period both offensively and defensively, they ended the second frame tied 2-2. UMass’ second goal came from Michael Marcou at the 16:43 mark. Despite this final goal, BC entered the final period with more momentum then the visiting squad due to its strong penalty-kill play and offensive possessions.

The third period had some exciting moments, largely with the play of Muse. UMass came flying out offensively and tried to put a lot of pressure on the BC goaltender, however Muse was able to fend off this strong attack.

“I think I’ve been seeing the puck pretty well lately,” Muse said. “In the third, there were a couple of rebounds that I let up that would’ve liked to have controlled better but I think the one that stuck out the most was right at the beginning of the third when they hit it off the post and luckily it bounced back in towards me and I was able to cover it up before they put it in.”

BC retook the lead at the 8:33 mark on Hayes’ second goal of the night. Playing without his usual linemate Chris Kreider, who was out with a broken jaw, and Kreider’s replacement, Paul Carey, who suffered a bruised ankle in the previous night’s contest, York called on Hayes’ brother, freshman Kevin Hayes, to play on the second line.

“Kevin’s really coming. He started fairly slow this year and then really caught fire in November,” York said. “Then the injuries set him back and he missed probably a month of the season. He’s been playing catch-up ever since. Lately, he’s seen a lot more ice time. He’s an excellent freshman for us. Whether it’s with Jimmy or whoever he plays with, he makes things happen on the ice. He plays hard.”

The younger Hayes was quick to make his presence felt with his best moment coming on his brother’s go-ahead score. Stationed with the puck behind the net, Kevin sent a no-look pass to his brother in front of the net. Jimmy buried it to put the Eagles up 3-2.

“He’s just a great playmaker,” the older Hayes said of his brother. “I think he probably didn’t even notice it when he went in but he just took a look right over his shoulder and kind of had his vision of where I was. By kind of having the vision beforehand, he could turn around and throw it right on my stick there. And I just ended up beating the goalie short side.”

Hayes’ final goal came with less than a minute left in the game. Looking for its last chance of the contest, UMass pulled Dainton from net. Almeida was able to take the puck from the UMass offensive possession and carry it to the other end. Hayes was skating right next and Almeida fed him the puck to finish the hat trick. The BC faithful erupted in the stands for what proved to be an exciting finish to a hard fought series.

Along with the seniors’ 100th win, the record books were rewritten in the contest for one particular player. Muse, who finished the night with 18 saves, tied the school record of most career saves (3,605) with BC great Greg Taylor. However, the senior was less focused on those kinds of accomplishment and more on the importance of the next month of playoff hockey.

“I think Joe, Gibb and I take it with a grain of salt,” he said. “We know we still have a long way to go here before we’re done. I don’t think any of us said that a goal we had when we came in here was to win 100 games. It’s always been our goal to win national championships and everything else that comes along with that.”

The Eagles have advanced into the Hockey East semifinals next Friday night at the TD Garden. Their opponent will be decided upon the Northeastern-BU contest tonight. If Northeastern wins, BC will face the Huskies; if Northeastern loses, the Eagles will see Merrimack.