Eagles Outlast Spartans, 6-4, on Friday Night

Ryan Fitzgerald and Colin White scored two goals apiece, and Myles Wood redirected home the winning score on a late-game power play to lift second-ranked Boston College to a 6-4 NCAA victory over visiting Michigan State on Friday night at Conte Forum. The Eagles improve to 9-1-0 overall, while the Spartans fall to 4-4-1 on the year.

Following a scoreless first period in which BC outshot MSU, 17-6, White put the home side up by a goal when he stuffed a close-in shot past Spartan goaltender Jake Hildebrand (30 saves) just 4:30 into the second stanza. MSU responded 11 seconds later on a goal by Mackenzie MacEachern to tie the game, and also break BC's shutout streak that dated back to a 4-3 win over Denver on Oct. 30. Wood then scored on a backhand several minutes before the end of the period to restore BC's one-goal edge, his sixth goal of the season.

Fitzgerald, who also posted two assists on the night, made it a 3-1 game 91 seconds into the final frame with a sweeping forehand move, and Alex Tuch then put BC up by three goals just under 11 minutes later with an uncontested shot over Hildebrand's glove. Two minutes later, the game was tied, as MSU top goal scorers JT Stenglein, Brennan Sanford, and Mason Appleton scored in rapid-fire succession for the Spartans in a span of just 92 seconds to make it 4-4.

BC rebounded to go back on top for good with just under two minutes remaining in regulation when Austin Cangelosi's shot from the point deflected off of Woods' skate and into the MSU net. The goal, the only one power-play score in a combined 13 man-advantage attempts by both teams, was confirmed following a video review. Fitzgerald then closed out the scoring with just over a minute left, with his team-leading seventh goal of the season, as he wristed the puck into an empty net with Hildebrand having been pulled for an extra Spartan attacker. MSU outshot BC, 37-36, on the night, including 31-19 over the final 40 minutes, but went 0-for-7 on the power play. Michael Ferrantino set up two goals for the Spartans.

Thatcher Demko finished with 33 saves for the Eagles, who will play at Hockey East rival New Hampshire on Saturday evening in another single-game weekend. The Spartans saw their three-game winning string broken, including a two-step sweep of visiting UNH last weekend, and will head home to host Michigan Tech for two non-conference contests this weekend at Munn Arena. (uscho.com photo)