BC's Schneider Retires from Pro Hockey

Longtime NHL netminder Cory Schneider (Boston College) has called it a career, retiring after 16 professional seasons.

Schneider, 37, last played in the NHL in 2021-22, making his only appearance with the New York Islanders in a win against his old New Jersey Devils team. He spent all of last season in the American Hockey League, posting a 19-11-3 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and one shutout for Bridgeport. The Marblehead, Mass. native, who dealt with hip and other injuries that curtailed the latter part of his career, finished with a 171-159-58 record in 410 NHL regular-season appearances with Vancouver, New Jersey and the Islanders, to go with a 2.43 GAA and 26 shutouts. He also helped Vancouver to within one game of the Stanley Cup in 2011, the same year he and Roberto Luongo combined to win the Jennings Trophy. He was later traded to New Jersey at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, where he remained until 2020.

In 224 career AHL regular-season outings, Schneider went 127-79-17 (2.53, 14 SO) with Manitoba, Binghamton and Bridgeport, and was tabbed the AHL's Best Goaltender in 2008-09. A product of Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, he played three years at Boston College (99 GP, 66-26-7, 2.09, 15 SO) and backstopped the Eagles to back-to-back NCAA title game appearances in 2006 and 2007. He was also a First Team All-America selection in 2006, and a two-time NCAA Hockey East All-Academic Team choice.

Schneider also represented the United States with the U.S. National Team Development Program prior to BC. He also played for Team USA at the 2004 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, two World Junior Championships, the 2017 World Cup and the 2019 World Championship.

Devils Edged by Lightning on Mischief Night

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) scored three goals, including the game-tying marker with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation, but the New Jersey Devils fell victim to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-6, in overtime on Thursday night in an NHL contest at the Prudential Center.

Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) had two assists for the Lightning, while Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) set up another goal. Alex Killorn (Harvard) tallied a goal for Tampa Bay, which took a 6-5 lead with three consecutive scores in the third period before Palmieri tied the contest.

Curtis McElhinney (Colorado College) finished with 36 saves for the Lightning  (6-4-2 overall), while Corey Schneider (Boston College) made 16 stops for the Devils (2-5-3). New Jersey captain Andy Greene (Miami) led all players in blocking three shots.

Happy Halloween!

Canada Blanks U.S. at Worlds

Canada closed out round-robin play Tuesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship with a 3-0 victory over the United States at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia.

Kyle Turris (Wisconsin) had a goal and assist for Canada, while Dante Fabbro (Boston University) posted an assist. Corey Schneider finished with 33 saves for the Americans.

The win gave Canada first place in Group A, and a quarterfinal round date in Kosice on Thursday with Switzerland. The U.S. will face Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Bratislava.

Red Wings Bounce Devils, 4-3

Michigan State and Michigan teamed up to knock down the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Detroit.

With the game at Little Caesar's Arena tied at 2-2 in the third period, Detroit Red wings forward Luke Glendening (Michigan) blocked a pass by Devils defenseman Will Butcher (Denver) while the Red Wings were killing off a penalty. Glendening then skated down the left side before letting go with a shot at Devils netminder Cory Schneider (Boston College). Schneider made the save, but the rebound was put home by Justin Abeldelkader (Michigan State) with 7:10 remaining in regulation to give the home team the lead for good in a 4-3 victory, Detroit's third straight triumph overall. New Jersey has lost five of its last six outings after winning its first four games this fall.

Schneider finished with 27 saves in his first NHL start since undergoing off-season hip surgery, which was followed by three rehabilitation appearances with Binghamton (AHL). Travis Zajac (North Dakota) posted two assists for the Devils on Thursday, including one on a second-period goal by Blake Coleman (Miami). Jimmy Howard (Maine) finished with 25 stops for Detroit, while Dylan Larkin (Michigan) set up two goals for the Red Wings.

The two teams will meet again on Nov. 18 in New Jersey.

Devils, Flyers Eliminated From 2018 NHL Postseason

The New Jersey Devils’ 2017-18 NHL campaign came to a close on Saturday in Tampa, Florida. The Devils dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, four games to one. It was New Jersey’s first playoff series appearance since 2012.

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) assisted on the Devils’ only goal of the afternoon, while Cory Schneider (Boston College) stopped 35 of 37 shots in the loss. Tampa Bay advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals against either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston currently leads that series, three games to two.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2017-18 season ended Sunday as the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins scored five unanswered goals en route to an 8-5 victory. Pittsburgh, which won its ninth consecutive NHL playoff series dating back to 2016, closed out the Flyers in six games.

Jake Guentzel (Nebraska-Omaha) paced the Penguins with four goals and also added an assist, while Phil Kessel (Minnesota) set up two goals. Pittsburgh will next face the winner of the series between the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, which Washington currently leads by a three-to-two count.

Devils Win Game Three Versus Tampa Bay

The New Jersey Devils aren't dead just yet, thanks to several former NCAA standouts.

A third-period goal by rookie defenseman Will Butcher (Denver), his first ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tied the contest at two goals apiece as the Devils ultimately clawed their way back into their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at the Prudential Center. Tampa Bay still leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one, with Game Four coming up on Wednesday in Newark, N.J.

Butcher's goal forged a 2-2 tie and was part of a four-goal third period outburst by the Devils. Team captain Andy Greene (Miami) assisted on the game-winning goal by Stefan Noesen, before Blake Coleman (Miami) and Ben Lovejoy (Dartmouth) scored unassisted empty-net goals in the final minutes of regulation, with Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy having been pulled both times for an extra attacker.

Cory Schneider (Boston College), making his first start in the NHL postseason since 2013 when he was with Vancouver, stopped 34 shots to earn the win for New Jersey. Alex Killorn (Harvard) notched a goal and an assist for the Lightning, which was outshot, 41-36, by the Devils.

ADDENDUM: Tampa Bay ultimately won the series in five games.

Gibbons Boosts Devils at Buffalo

Brian Gibbons (Boston College) scored one goal and set up another as the New Jersey Devils improved to 2-0-0 on the nascent NHL season with a 6-2 win at Buffalo on Monday afternoon.

Andy Greene (Miami) also posted an assist while Cory Schneider (Boston College) made 23 stops for New Jersey, which last opened 2-0-0 in the 2014-15 campaign. Rookie defenseman Will Butcher (Denver), who notched his first three career assists in the Devils' 4-1 opening night victory over visiting Colorado on Saturday, finished with a plus-two rating.

New Jersey will attempt to remain unbeaten on Wednesday when it travels to Toronto.

Devils Fall Despite Palmieri Goal

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) scored the only goal for the New Jersey Devils in their 2-1 loss Tuesday night to the Colorado Avalanche at the Prudential Center in Newark. Cory Schneider (Boston College) made 23 saves for New Jersey, which fell to 12-10-2 overall.

Erik Johnson (Minnesota) and Jack Skille (Wisconsin) had assists for the Avalanche, who took a 2-0 lead in the second period. The two teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play.

The third-period goal by Palmieri, a New Jersey native, was his ninth of the campaign, and was set up by linemate Travis Zajac (North Dakota). Schneider is now 11-7-0 on the year for the Devils, who sit in ninth place in the NHL's Eastern Conference, one point out of a playoff position. Colorado improved to 10-14-1.

Nieto, Pavelski, Stalock Lead Sharks over Devils

Former Boston University forward Matt Nieto scored the game-winner in the third period as the San Jose Sharks tallied three unanswered goals to top the New Jersey Devils, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon in an NHL contest at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Nieto scored 6:20 into the final frame, one-timing home a pass from fellow former NCAA skater Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin), who assisted on both the tying and winning goals, to break a 2-2 tie. Alex Stalock (Minnesota-Duluth) had 21 saves for the Sharks (39-17-6) to personally improve to 10-4 on the season.

Jon Merrill (Michigan) assisted on New Jersey's second goal while Cory Schneider (Boston College) had 18 stops for the host Devils (26-23-13), who went 0-for-4 on the power play. The loss also snapped New Jersey's two-game post-Olympics winning streak.

After Logan Couture gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead off a rebound to Schneider's left at 3:26 of the second period, Adam Henrique brought the Devils back even 77 seconds later when he redirected home a crossing feed from the right wing by Steve Bernier. New Jersey took a 2-1 lead when Patrik Elias tipped home Merrill's shot from the left point at 14:22, but Raffi Torres tied it up again for San Jose at 15:54 when he converted a 2-on-1 break with Pavelski.

Following Nieto's heroics, Patrick Marleau picked off a pass and wristed a shot past Schneider with 2:25 remaining in regulation to close out the scoring. It was Marleau's 25th goal of the 2013-14 campaign, the ninth time he has hit that mark in his NHL career, all with the Sharks.

New Jersey outshot San Jose, 23-22, on the afternoon, and the Devils will now host Detroit on Tuesday night in the first meeting of a home-and-home series. The Sharks, who completed a three-game road trip with two wins following Sunday's contest, will entertain Carolina that same evening.

Former NCAA Skaters Pacing NHL Statistical Scrolls

Former NCAA players are doing a bang-up job so far in the 2013-14 NHL statistical race (all following stats from NHL.com).

Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) of the San Jose Sharks is tied for second overall in the league with 28 goals, while right behind him is Phil Kessel (Minnesota) of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who has 27 scores so far on the season. Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith (Michigan State) leads all league blueliners, and is third among all players, with 44 assists.

Matt Niskanen (Minnesota-Duluth) of the Pittsburgh Penguins leads all NHL players with a plus-29 plus-minus ranking, while teammate Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) is tied for second overall with a plus-26 mark. Kunitz is also second in league annals with 11 power-play goals to date, with Pavelski one power-play tally behind him. Mike Santorelli (Northern Michigan) of the Vancouver Canucks is tied for the league lead with two overtime goals this winter.

Concerning shots on goals, Patrick Sharp (Vermont) of the Chicago Blackhawks is second overall with 216 shots, followed by Kessel in third place with 209. Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) of the Canucks is fifth with 188 shots, while Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) of the Minnesota Wild again leads all NHL skaters with an average ice time of 29:38 per contest.

As for goaltenders, Ben Bishop (Maine) of the Tampa Bay Lightning ranks first among all NHL netminders with a .933 save percentage, and is third overall with 26 victories, and tied for second with four shutouts. Cory Schneider (Boston College) of the New Jersey Devils is second among league backstops with a 1.86 goals-against average, and is followed in succession by Bishop with a 1.99 GAA, Ben Scrivens (Cornell) of the Edmonton Oilers with a 2.03 GAA, and Jonathan Quick (Massachusetts) of the Los Angeles Kings with a 2.05 GAA. Scrivens (.930) and Schneider (.927) also rank fourth and fifth overall, respectively, in save percent.

There’s just over a week remaining in NHL play before the Sochi Winter Olympic Games commence, which will shut the league down for a fortnight before the regular season starts up again on Feb. 25.

Cornell Grad Scrivens Shining in Net for NHL's Kings

It was a tale of two college goaltenders on Friday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. It was also the first time the New Jersey Devils had faced the Los Angeles Kings since Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final in California, in which the Kings won their first-ever NHL title.

The Kings improved to 5-2 in their last seven outings overall versus New Jersey, but it wasn’t former UMass netminder and 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick doing the honors this time. Cornell graduate Ben Scrivens, who came to L.A. earlier this year from Toronto, outdueled former Boston College backstop Cory Schneider in the Kings’ 2-0 victory, making 26 saves to Schneider’s 19 stops while allowing a third-period goal to stand up as the game-winner.

Scrivens, 27, who went 65-37-13 in 117 games for Cornell from 2006 to 2010, led the Big Red to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an ECAC Championship during his tenure in Ithaca. The Spruce Grove, Alta. native also recorded 20 career shutouts, including seven whitewashes apiece during both his junior and senior campaigns.

Scrivens made 37 saves on Sunday in the Kings’ 1-0 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, and is 3-0-0 in the L.A. net since Quick succumbed to a groin injury earlier this month. He is also 4-1-1 so far for the season for the Kings (14-6-1), who will host Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, and was named the NHL's First Star of the Week, according to NBC Sports ProHockeyTalk.

Devils Come Up Short in B.C. Alum's Return to Vancouver, B.C.

Former Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider, who led the Eagles to two NCAA championship games in his three years at the Heights, came up short Tuesday night in his return to Vancouver, which selected him in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Traded to New Jersey on draft day back in June, Schneider made 29 saves but couldn't prevent the Devils from falling for a third straight game in extra time, as the host Canucks rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory on Oct. 8. Full story can be found here.

Schneider, 27, from Marblehead, Mass., backstopped B.C. from 2004 to 2007, and majored in finance. He posted 65 total victories in his tenure with the Eagles, and also earned First Team All-America accolades as a junior.

B.C. opens its 2013-14 campaign Thursday night at Michigan

Quick Outduels Schneider as Kings Oust Canucks

They faced each other in New England high school hockey, and again right after in NCAA play when UMass did battle with Boston College.

They finally faced off in the NHL this past week with even higher stakes, and it was Jonathan Quick getting the best of Cory Schneider as the Los Angeles Kings eliminated the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks, four games to one, in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Quick came out ahead in prep school when his Avon Old Farms team defeated Schneider and Phillips Andover Academy, and did so again in college during the 2006-07 season when his Minutemen took two of three head-to-head meetings with Schneider's Eagles.

Quick completed his trifecta/hat trick on Sunday night as eighth-seeded LA ousted host Vancouver, 2-1, in overtime. Jarrett Stoll's left-circle shot over Schneider's right shoulder put an end to another President's Trophy-winning campaign by the Canucks, and sent LA on to the second round for the first time since 2001 when the Kings defeated Detroit in six contests.

''To close out this series, for me personally, and a few guys in the room, it's something we've never done, so it's a great feeling,'' said Quick, from Milford, Conn., afterwards at yahoo.com.

He finished with 165 saves in the five games, allowing just eight goals while also recording one shutout. He went 35-21-3 during the regular season with a 1.95 goals-against average and a club-record 10 shutouts.

Schneider, of Marblehead, Mass., who will be an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, made 43 saves in a 3-1 win in Game Four in LA to keep the Canucks alive for one more game. He had 35 stops on Sunday, while Quick posted 27 saves and shut the door after Henrik Sedin scored just over 14 minutes into Game 5.

"Quick didn't miss on a single puck the whole series," said Schneider, who finished 20-8-1 in the regular season with a 1.96 GAA and three shutouts.

Canucks starter Roberto Luongo took a pair of 4-2 losses in Games 1 and 2 in Vancouver before giving way to Schneider, who made 97 saves on 101 shots in three-plus games, but couldn't extend the Canucks' season in what might have been his final appearance with the club.

The Kings will now face the second-seeded St. Louis Blues, a five-game winner over San Jose, in the second round. The Canucks will go back and try to pick up the pieces, one year after falling one win short of their first Stanley Cup championship.

Jerry York Wins No. 900

No. 3 Boston College registered a 4-2 win over No. 9 Merrimack on Friday night at Kelley Rink in a battle of two Hockey East rivals. The bigger story was that BC head coach Jerry York earned the 900th victory of his career with the win, making him just the second college hockey coach ever to attain that milestone.

Now in his 40th season of coaching, all in the collegiate ranks, York sports a record of 900-557-94 (.611) with Clarkson, Bowling Green and Boston College in a career that began back in 1972. A 1967 BC alumnus, he has gone 433-222-60 in 17 seasons and counting at his alma mater, whom he has led to national titles in 2001, 2008 and 2010 since taking over the program in 1994. He also won an NCAA crown with Bowling Green in 1984, and earned the Lester Patrick Trophy two years ago for service to American hockey.

“Holy smokes, 900 wins,” said Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy, a 1991 BC alumnus, at USCHO.com. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll be 275 years old by the time I get 900 wins.”

York is now just 24 wins away from tying all-time college coaching wins leader Ron Mason, who amassed a 924-380-83 mark (.696) with Lake Superior State, Bowling Green and Michigan State from 1966 until 2002. He also won an NCAA title with the Spartans in 1986.

York, a native of Watertown, Mass., has also sent numerous players on to the NHL in his coaching tenure. His current NHLers from BC include Brian Boyle (NY Rangers), Scott Clemmensen (Florida), Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo), Brian Gionta (Montreal), Brooks Orpik (Pittsburgh), Cory Schneider (Vancouver) and Rob Scuderi (Los Angeles).

ECAC Alums Leading Bruins

The Vancouver Canucks may have more former NCAA players on their roster; but it's the Boston Bruins' two former collegians, both from the Eastern College Athletic Conference, who came up big in Game Four of the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals at TD Garden last night in Beantown.

Former St. Lawrence forward Rich Peverley, who tallied 116 points in four seasons with the Saints from 2000 to 2004, scored twice in the Bruins' 4-0 win that tied the series for Boston at two games apiece. All-World goalkeeper and former Vermont Catamount backstop Tim Thomas picked up the shutout yesterday with 38 saves, two nights after he registered 40 stops in an 8-1 Boston rout in Game Three.

On the other side, former Dartmouth skater Tanner Glass made his Finals debut, blocking three shots for the Canucks while going minus-1. Former Boston College All-America netminder Cory Schneider stopped all nine shots he faced in mop-up duty in the third period for the Canucks, who have scored all of one goal in their last two outings. It was Schneider's first playoff action since a start in Chicago back on April 24 in the first round, and his first game back in Boston since the Eagles won the 2007 Hockey East championship game over UNH.

Now it remains to be seen if Schneider gets the start tomorrow night in Vancouver for Game Five - or gets ready to come on in relief again in what is now a best-of-three series.