CHESTNUT HILL - Jerry York and his No. 1 ranked Boston College men's hockey team didn't get the result they were looking for in their home opener on Friday night, losing to No. 3 Denver 4-2, but the legendary Eagles coach still thought it was a hard-fought game all around despite the circumstances.
"I thought it was a really good hockey game," York said after the loss. "Certainly, the Pioneers are deserving of a high national ranking. I thought the conditions or the ice, because of the humidity and just the warmth, were unusual on an October night. Kind of slowed both teams down a little bit. Neither team benefitted from that. Both teams showed a lot of grit and they kind of battled through some tough elements.
Both teams scored one goal in the first period, but it was the second period that did Boston College away, as Eagles goaltender Parker Milner (18 saves) surrendered two goals to the Pioneers early in the period. However, Boston College was able to head back in the right direction, scoring a goal at the end of the period to cut their deficit to one.
Led by strong play from goalie Adam Murray, Denver was able to fend off a late Boston College push and put the nail in the coffin with an empty net goal in the final minutes. BC didn't do itself any favors early on, but as York pointed out, the team did a better job of creating opportunities in the final stage of the game.
"I thought late in the game we really started to create some more chances," said York. "[Adam] Murray made one real good save, kind of on a cross in front - it was from Johnny Gaudreau to Pat Mullane - and he just missed."
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