A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
 | |
| University | Boston College |
| Conference | Hockey East |
| First season | 1917–18 |
| Head coach | Greg Brown 3rd season, 48–22–7 (.669) |
| Assistant coaches | |
| Arena | Kelley Rink at Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| Colors | Maroon and gold[1] |
| Fight song | For Boston |
| Mascot | Baldwin the Eagle |
| NCAA Tournament championships | |
| 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012 | |
| NCAA Tournament Runner-up | |
| 1965, 1978, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2024 | |
| NCAA Tournament Frozen Four | |
| 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2024 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2024 | |
| Conference Tournament championships | |
| 1965, 1978, 1987, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2024 | |
| Conference regular season championships | |
| 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2024 | |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
The Boston College Eagles are a NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The team has competed in Hockey East since 1984, having previously played in the ECAC. The Eagles have won five national championships, the most recent coming in 2012. Home games have been played at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum, named in honor of long-time BC hockey coach John "Snooks" Kelley, since 1986, having previously played at McHugh Forum. The Eagles are coached by former Eagles and NHL defenseman Greg Brown, who recently took over the reins after the retirement of Jerry York.
Boston College hockey history
Boston College is among the top and oldest college hockey programs in the country. The Eagles first fielded a team from 1917 to 1929. School officials briefly dropped hockey as a cost-cutting measure in the wake of the Great Depression.
The modern era of hockey on the Heights began when former player John "Snooks" Kelley agreed to coach a small team of BC students who formed a team midway through the 1932–33 season. Apart from a short break during World War II, Kelley would lead the Eagles until 1972. He led the Eagles to their first national championship in 1949, along the way establishing Boston College as a perennial powerhouse in both regular season and post-season play.
From 1933–2022, BC hockey only had three other full-time coaches, Len Ceglarski, Steve Cedorchuk, and Jerry York, all Boston College alumni. They all continued to build upon the success began by Kelley. Ceglarski achieved over 400 career wins with the Eagles; York attained over 600 as head coach of the program, and retired with over 1,100 career wins overall, the most by any coach in collegiate history and only one over 1,000.[2][3]
To date, BC has won 14 conference tournament titles, including 12 Hockey East titles, a conference record. Their most recent triumph in 2024 came after beating Boston University 6-2 in the championship game.
Post-season and Frozen Four
Boston College has made 36 NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the tournament's Frozen Four 25 times, second only to Michigan's 26 appearances.
Under John "Snooks" Kelley, BC advanced to the NCAA tournament three straight years from 1948 to 1950 (when the field was only four teams), winning the National Championship in 1949 after defeating Dartmouth 4–3 in Colorado Springs, CO.
After Jerry York took over as head coach in 1994, the Eagles began to work their way back to the NCAA tournament, having not qualified since 1991, and not having been to a Frozen Four since 1990. In 1998, four years after York became head coach, the Eagles were back in the national championship game, losing to the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey in Boston. BC was back in the national championship game in 2000, facing North Dakota. They lost the game 4–2, but returned the favor a year later in 2001, beating North Dakota 3–2 in overtime thanks to a sensational Krys Kolanos goal. This was the Eagles first national championship since 1949. The championship was all the more satisfying for BC as the Eagles defeated in the process the three teams that had eliminated them from the previous three tournaments (Michigan, Maine, North Dakota). The 2001 National Championship team contained current NHL standouts Brian Gionta, Brooks Orpik, and Chuck Kobasew.
The Eagles returned to the national championship game in 2006, facing the Wisconsin Badgers in Milwaukee, WI. The Eagles lost 2–1. A Brian Boyle shot was denied by the post as time expired, securing the win for the Badgers. The Eagles made it back to the national championship game in 2007, riding on the heels of a 13-game winning streak. However, they came up short again, losing 3–1 to the Michigan State Spartans.
BC got back to the national championship game in 2008, disposing of Minnesota, Miami (OH), and North Dakota in the Frozen Four semifinals along the way. The 2008 tournament marked the third year in a row that the Eagles ending Miami's season, beating the top seeded Red Hawks 4–3 in overtime thanks to an acrobatic goal by freshman Joe Whitney. In the national championship game, the Eagles met the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who had upset Michigan in the other semifinal. The Eagles won the contest by a score of 4–1, behind an MVP performance by Nathan Gerbe. The defeat of the Irish by BC has added fuel to the growing rivalry between Boston College and Notre Dame, carrying over to the ice what has been being fought on the gridiron for years between the two schools' football teams in the Holy War. The hockey rivalry, called the Holy War on Ice added the moniker "on ice" in reference to the aforementioned rivalry.
After missing out on the 2009 tournament, BC returned in 2010 as a number one seed. The Eagles defeated Alaska and Yale in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, earning them a berth in the Frozen Four to be played at Ford Field in Detroit. BC defeated Miami (OH) 7–1 in the national semifinal, the fourth time in five years that the Eagles ended the RedHawks' season in the NCAA tournament. BC would face Wisconsin in the championship, a rematch of the 2006 title game. The Eagles avenged that loss by defeating the Badgers 5-0 behind a two-goal effort from sophomore Cam Atkinson and an MVP performance by senior Ben Smith, who would be named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player. Junior John Muse became just the fourth goalie to record a shutout in a title game. The game was played before a record crowd of 37,592, the largest to attend an indoor hockey game.[4]
After a first round loss to Colorado College in the 2011 tournament, BC once again returned to the Frozen Four on the heels of a 15-game winning streak in 2012. After dispatching Air Force and Minnesota-Duluth with two shutouts in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, they advanced to their 23rd Frozen Four played at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The continued their now 17-game winning streak, making quick work of Minnesota in a 6–1 rout thanks to the efforts of forward Chris Kreider and a 30-save performance by netminder Parker Milner. The Eagles would go on to win the national championship by defeating the Ferris State Bulldogs in a 4–1 victory, featuring a highlight-reel goal by rookie Johnny Gaudreau late in the 3rd to secure the Eagles' fifth national title. Kreider would go on to join the New York Rangers in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he would score 5 goals and 7 points before ever playing a regular NHL season game, a feat unaccomplished by any player before him.
Once again, the Eagles would continue their every-other-year or even-numbered-years trend by missing out on the Frozen Four in the 2013 tournament via a 5–1 first round loss to Union College and returning the following year in 2014. After defeating Denver 6–2 and UMass Lowell 4–3 in Worcester, the Eagles advanced to their NCAA-leading 24th Frozen Four appearance played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, having tied the record with Michigan. However, they would not continue to win the championship in their every-other-year trend, as they lost once again to Union in a close 5–4 match. Junior Johnny Gaudreau had a tremendous season, scoring 80 points in 40 games, with a 31-game point streak during the season, and was named the Hobey Baker winner, the third in school history.
The Eagles' season in 2014–15 was not up to their usual standards. Despite a respectable 21–14–3 record and finishing 2nd in the conference, the Eagles were bounced out of their 34th NCAA tournament bid in the first round, a 5–2 loss to Denver, who took revenge for the previous year's defeat.
Again finding success in even-numbered years, the Eagles advanced to an NCAA-record 25th Frozen Four in 2016 after dispatching Harvard 4–1 and Minnesota-Duluth 3–2 in the Northeast regional, held in Worcester. After heading to Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL for the Frozen Four, however, they would fail to advance to the title game at the hands of the Quinnipiac Bobcats, who defeated the Eagles 3–2 in the programs' first-ever meeting. Junior goaltender Thatcher Demko was named a Hobey Baker hat trick finalist as well as the winner of the Mike Richter Award after leading the NCAA with a school-record 10 shutouts during the season.
2017 was a down year for the Eagles, as they failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. Although, they did finish with a strong 21–15–4 (13–6–3) record and a share of the regular season conference title (shared with UMass Lowell and Boston University). They also made it to the Hockey East tournament championship, but would fall 4–3 to the River Hawks of Lowell, ending their effort to earn an auto-bid into the NCAA tournament.
Since 1998, the Eagles have qualified for the NCAA tournament 17 times, making it to 12 Frozen Fours, seven National Championship games, and have won four national titles.
Season-by-season results
Championships
National Championships
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | City | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Boston College | 4–3 | Dartmouth | Colorado Springs, CO | Broadmoor Arena |
| 2001 | Boston College | 3–2 (OT) | North Dakota | Albany, NY | Pepsi Arena |
| 2008 | Boston College | 4–1 | Notre Dame | Denver, CO | Pepsi Center |
| 2010 | Boston College | 5–0 | Wisconsin | Detroit, MI | Ford Field |
| 2012 | Boston College | 4–1 | Ferris State | Tampa, FL | Tampa Bay Times Forum |
Runners-up in 1965, 1978, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2024.
Hockey East Tournament championships
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Boston College | 4–2 | Maine | Hockey East regular-season champions |
| 1990 | Boston College | 4–3 | Maine | Hockey East regular-season champions |
| 1998 | Boston College | 3–2 | Maine | lost to Michigan in National Championship game |
| 1999 | Boston College | 5–4 (OT) | New Hampshire | lost to Maine in Frozen Four |
| 2001 | Boston College | 5–3 | Providence | defeated North Dakota in National Championship game |
| 2005 | Boston College | 3–1 | New Hampshire | Hockey East regular-season champions |
| 2007 | Boston College | 5–2 | New Hampshire | lost to Michigan State in National Championship game |
| 2008 | Boston College | 4–0 | Vermont | defeated Notre Dame in National Championship game |
| 2010 | Boston College | 7–6 (OT) | Maine | defeated Wisconsin in National Championship game |
| 2011 | Boston College | 5–3 | Merrimack | Hockey East regular-season champions |
| 2012 | Boston College | 4–1 | Maine | defeated Ferris State in National Championship game |
| 2024 | Boston College | 6–2 | Boston University | lost to Denver in National Championship Game |
Runners-up in 1985, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2006, 2017, and 2019
Hockey East regular-season championships
| Year | Conference record | Overall record | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-85 | 24-9-1 | 28-15-2 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1985-86 | 23-9-2 | 26-13-3 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1986-87 | 26-6-0 | 31-8-0 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1988-89 | 16-6-4 | 25-11-4 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1989-90 | 15-6-0 | 28-13-1 | Len Ceglarski |
| 1990-91 | 16-5-0 | 27-12-0 | Len Ceglarski |
| 2000-01 | 17-5-2 | 33-8-2 | Jerry York |
| 2002-03† | 16-6-2 | 24-11-4 | Jerry York |
| 2003-04 | 17-4-3 | 29-9-4 | Jerry York |
| 2004-05 | 14-3-7 | 26-7-7 | Jerry York |
| 2010-11 | 20-6-1 | 30-8-1 | Jerry York |
| 2011-12 | 19-7-1 | 33-10-1 | Jerry York |
| 2013-14 | 16-2-2 | 28–8–4 | Jerry York |
| 2015–16‡ | 15–2–5 | 28–8–5 | Jerry York |
| 2016–17# | 13–6–3 | 21–15–4 | Jerry York |
| 2017–18 | 18–6–0 | 20–14–3 | Jerry York |
| 2019–20 | 17–6–1 | 24–8–2 | Jerry York |
| 2023-24 | 20–3–1 | 31–5–1 | Greg Brown |
† Shared with New Hampshire
‡ Shared with Providence
# Shared with Boston University and UMass-Lowell
- The Eagles achieved the highest finish in Hockey East conference standings during the 2020–21 season, however, no regular season title was officially awarded, due to disparities in scheduling caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Runners-up in 1997–98, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15