Sophomore defenseman Michael Kim won it for No. 3 Boston College by netting a short-handed goal with 22.9 seconds left in regulation, taking down Northeastern with a score of 2-1, as the Eagles remain unbeaten (7-0-1) in Hockey East play.
With this dramatic win included, Boston College is now 14-2-2 in last run against Northeastern.
It was Kim’s second-career goal, first of the season in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night. The Toronto, Ontario native stole the puck on the penalty kill and rifled it past Northeastern’s Ryan Ruck to win it for the Eagles. Kim’s goal was not only his first-career short-handed goal, it also counted as his first-career game-winning goal.
In the second period, Boston College broke the scoreless stand off after 39 minutes and 27 seconds of play. The Eagles won a faceoff in their own zone after Casey Fitzgerald chipped it off the boards and Matthew Gaudreau helped steer the puck in the right direction to JD Dudek. Dudek streaked down the right side with Colin White flanking down the middle. The two forwards worked the give-and-go and White finished it off with the tip in front of NU netminder Ryan Ruck at 19:27 for the 1-0 lead.
Gaudreau, who tallied an assist on the play, remains the team’s leading point scorer with 18 (5-13-18) through 17 games. The Carneys Point, N.J. native is 61st in scoring in all of college hockey with 1.06 points per game.
This goal was White’s team-best ninth goal of the season to break up a contest that started off with 39 minutes and 27 seconds of scoreless hockey. White now has 14 points (9-5-14) this year. The Hanover, Mass. native is now tied for 25th, nationally, with 0.60 goals per game this season.
The Huskies tied up the game early in the third period, capitalizing on their fifth power play opportunity of the night after Zach Aston-Reese deflected an Adam Gaudette blast at 1:56. Dylan Sikura set up Gaudette with a blast from the right dot and the puck ricocheted off of Aston-Reese's leg.
Northeastern picked up a late power play to try and end the contest and the Huskies called a timeout with 1:27 to play. The Huskies had a couple opportunities and as Gaudette tried to reset in the neutral zone and drop pass it. Kim read the play, picked it off and raced it into NU's end with a bunch of flat-footed Huskies. Kim had one defenseman in his face, but he picked his spot with a blistering wrist shot from the left dot and smoked it past Ruck top-right shelf.
The goal also counted as Boston College’s fifth short-handed tally of the season. BC is one of five teams in college hockey (Bentley, BU, Lake Superior State and St. Lawrence) to have accounted for that many goals on the penalty kill this season.
Next up, the Eagles have a big one on Saturday, Dec. 3, as Boston College travels to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, to take on defending national champion North Dakota in NYC. BC and UND square off at 7:30 p.m. live on CBS Sports Network.
