Hayes ignites Eagles

Quick-striking freshman Jimmy Hayes connected for a pair of first-period goals within a 3:20 span last night, triggering second-ranked Boston College's 4-1 Hockey East victory over Merrimack before a crowd of 3,908 at Kelley Rink.

Hayes initiated the scoring at 9:13 and increased the Eagles' lead to 2-0 at 12:33.

Merrimack's Pat Kimball countered with an unassisted goal at 18:13, but BC's Brock Bradford nullified it at 19:30 for a 3-1 lead.

Brian Gibbons's power-play tally with 3:06 left in the game concluded the scoring and made a winner of sophomore goalie John Muse, who had a relatively uneventful evening with 18 saves.

Andrew Brathwaite (12 saves) and Joe Cannata (15) split the Warriors' netminding duties.

BC improved to 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the league. Merrimack fell to 2-3-1, 0-2.

UMass-Lowell 4, Quinnipiac 1 - The River Hawks chased Bobcats goalie Bud Fisher with three first-period goals and cruised at Lowell's Tsongas Arena, giving coach Blaise MacDonald his 200th career victory.

Kory Falite, Ben Holmstrom, and Scott Campbell beat Fisher in the first 13:57 as UMass-Lowell boosted its record to 3-2 while dropping Quinnipiac to 1-2.

Fisher was replaced by freshman Nick Pisellini, who surrendered a second-period goal to Falite that made it 4-0.

Spencer Heichman's shorthanded score at 12:53 of the third period was Quinnipiac's only offense.