The 6'3'', 225-pound winger from Boxford, Mass., who just won his second national championship with Boston College only nine days ago, made his NHL debut tonight in the New York Rangers 1-0 playoff victory over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont.
Kreider skated 13 shifts in all, logging just over 11 minutes of ice time and recording one shot on goal and one hit while wearing jersey No. 20. Brian Boyle, a 2007 BC alumnus, scored the only goal of the game in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 first-round series lead.
Kreider is no stranger to skating alongside NHL players. He represented the U.S. at the 2010 and 2011 IIHF World Championships as the lone college player on the American squad.
Drafted 19th overall by the Rangers in 2009 out of Phillips Andover Academy, and long touted to join the Blueshirts' ranks, Kreider, 21, signed with New York shortly after BC beat Ferris State in the NCAA title game in Tampa, Florida on April 7.
He led the Eagles in scoring this past season with 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points, all career high numbers for him. He tallied 50-43—93 points in 114 career college games over three seasons, and also collected 137 penalty minutes.
Kreider also helped BC to the 2008 NCAA title over Wisconsin at Ford Field in Detroit as a freshman, and had a goal in the championship game. He posted a goal and an assist in the Eagles' 6-1 triumph over Minnesota in this year's Frozen Four semifinals for the final points of his college career, and also scored both BC goals in a 2-0 regional semifinal victory over Air Force.
Now he'll be seeking to do the same in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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