On a night where New Hampshire scored its first goal of the young season and played as well as its opponent, Boston College, it was the Eagles that earned the victory, behind a phenomenal performance from goaltender Parker Milner.

The scoreboard read 5-1 in BC’s favor, but the scoreboard was no indication of how the game actually played out.

What I saw

• For the final two periods of the game, UNH outplayed a seemingly tired Boston College club coming off a big three-game stretch and trip west. Parker Milner rebounded from an early goal to make 39 saves in the game, including 34 in the final two periods to lift BC to the win.
• Many of the UNH faithful were given a false sense of hope in the early going as Nick Sorkin scored a power-play goal early in the first period. The goal was the first of the season for UNH, only to see Milner take over the game from that point forward.
• UNH had a lot of shots and control time throughout the final 30 minutes of the game but many of the shots taken were long range, as the Eagles D kept the Wildcats out of Grade-A.

What I thought

• UNH has made a living on not finishing opportunities, and Boston College took every opportunity that they had a buried it. UNH is a young team, the scoring is something that will improve as the season goes on.
• The Wildcats outplayed the Eagles for long stretches of the game but struggled to beat Milner, as is often the case in hockey when a team runs into a hot goalie. Milner stole the show at the Whittemore Center, and his effort was much to the delight of BC coach Jerry York, who has replaced John Muse with a very capable goaltender.

What they said

“The reason we won the game the game tonight was clearly Parker Milner. He was outstanding in goal tonight. It is almost unfathomable that the Wildcats didn’t score five or six goals tonight. The win tonight was strictly goaltending.” — Boston College Coach Jerry York.

“I would say it was a little busy in the second period. I think the shots are a little misleading. I thought the guys did a great job keeping UNH to the outside. Most of the shots were guys swinging in from bad angles taking shots,” — BC goaltender Parker Milner

“We had our chances, but our problem is still finishing. We carried play to them a bit but I think the shots were a little misleading. Milner still played well. BC took advantage of their opportunities and we did not.” — UNH coach Dick Umile

What they didn’t say

Umile’s mindset at the moment is certainly one of concern after watching his team struggle being outscored 14-1 on the season in its first four games. There was some progress due to the line changes Umile made, but the Wildcats still struggled to create quality scoring chances

Umile did not mention these line changes in his post game press conference but with a trip to St. Cloud State upcoming, it will be interesting to see the lineup he roles out..

What else you should know

UNH heads out west for a tough two game matchup with St Cloud State and Boston College plays two conference games, at home against Massachusetts and on the road against Northeastern. Every indication says that this game was an improvement for New Hampshire but defensive breakdowns are costing the Wildcats goals. UNH played well enough offensively to score goals, but failed to finish their opportunities. Boston College, meanwhile impressed the crowd with a clinic on finishing, while UNH continued its three-game funk in that same department.

Sunday, October 16th, 2011 - 10:56 pm | Hockey East, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings