Ryan Leonard recorded yet another multi-goal performance in Boston College’s 4-2 victory over the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday night.
Despite losing one of his longtime linemates, Gabe Perreault, for the game due to injury (called “maintenance” on the telecast), Leonard wasn’t fazed and still scored twice on Vermont’s Gabe Carriere. The two markers and an additional primary assist in the win extended Leonard’s point streak to 15 games.
Leonard was involved in the scoring of the team’s first three goals, striking first with 13:56 remaining in the first period. The shorthanded goal tied the game at one after Vermont scored on a power play within the very first minute of play.
At the tail end of the penalty kill, the Eagles sent out Leonard and Cutter Gauthier to kill off the remaining seconds. Leonard caused a turnover in the Vermont zone with a hit and Gauthier picked up a loose puck near the blue line. Gauthier then smacked a backhanded feed to a wide-open Leonard who calmly deked Carriere out of his hockey pants and slid an easy tally into an empty net.
Just over five minutes later the two combined on Leonard’s second of the game.
Gauthier was fed by Will Smith as he streaked down the left wing and then sent a cross-ice, aerial feed to Leonard. The 19-year-old winger deftly knocked the puck out of mid-air and entered the Catamounts zone with control.
Leonard then shielded the puck from a back-checking defender and used his speed to get to the front of the net. After Carriere made a great save on the initial attempt, Leonard knocked the rebound off the back of the goaltender and in.
During his 15-game point streak, Leonard has recorded 28 points (13g, 15a). He has nine goals in his last six games, only failing to score in one of those games. With the two-goal night, Leonard has jumped up to third in the entire NCAA in goal scoring with 23 tallies.
Only Macklin Celebrini (26), the consensus number-one overall draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and Leonard’s teammate Cutter Gauthier (29) have scored more goals than Leonard. Celebrini is the only freshman ahead of him in that race as well.
