NESN

NCAA Hockey Tournament Live Blog: Boston College Scores On Third Period Power Play to Take Down Air Force 2-0

End of Third Period, 2-0 Boston College: The Eagles' constant pressure in the offensive zone, as well as scoring on the power play (as noted earlier) is what won them this game. Stay tuned to NESN.com for the live blog of the UMaine-Minnesota-Duluth game, as the winner of that matchup will move on to face BC in the second round.

Third Period, 19;18, 2-0 Boston College: The frustration is starting to show for Air Force. Senior Scott Mathis heads to the box for tripping.

Third Period, 18:39, 2-0 Boston College: The Eagles showed how dominant they can be on the power play as Kreider scored his second of the game off of a rebound.

Third Period, 18:07, 1-0 Boston College: BC will be on the power play for the rest of the game as freshman Dan Wessienhofer was sent to the box for cross-checking. Bad timing for Air Force

Third Period, 16:30, 1-0 Boston College: Air Force had their best chance of the game off a face off from the left dot above the BC blue line. Junior Kyle De Laurell's snapshot was placed well, but Milner made the save. The Falcons aren't giving up just yet.

Third Period, 15:34, 1-0 Boston College: BC senior Paul Carey was all alone with the puck in the offensive zone, but his wrist shot just misses high on Torf's glove side.

Third Period, 13:43, 1-0 Boston College: A couple of good scoring opportunities for the Eagles off of Air Force turnovers in the neutral zone, but Torf stops them both.

Third Period, 11:54, 1-0 Boston College: The BC band plays the "Top Gun" theme during a break in the action. Perhaps it was to please the Air Force fans in attendance?

Third Period, 9:02, 1-0 Boston College: Air Force does a good job killing the penalty. Not much production from BC during the man-advantage.

Third Period, 8:05, 1-0 Boston College: BC on the power play now, looking to try to put this game in the bag.

Third Period, 7:01, 1-0 Boston College: Eagles junior Pat Mullane intercepts a pass in the neutral zone and gets hooked by Air Force's Scott Holm. Four-on-four hockey here.

Third Period, 5:33, 1-0 Boston College: BC senior Edwin Shea heads to the penalty box for boarding. Air Force needs to score on this power play if they want any chance of staying in the game.

Second Intermission Notes: The Eagles clearly won the period, but an excellent effort by the Air Force defense and Torf continues to keep BC's potent offense at bay.

End of Second Period, 1-0 Boston College: The Eagles easily klled off the penalty and are now 20 minutes away from facing either the University of Maine or the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the second round.

Second Period, 17:05, 1-0 Boston College: Air Force goes on their first power play as Arnold goes to the sin bin for slashing. However, the Eagles have an excellent 87.5 percent penalty kill rate.

Second Period, 15:30, 1-0 Boston College: That last post is already void. Air Force quickly not able to capitalize in the Eagles' end.

Second Period, 15:16, 1-0 Boston College: Offensive zone face off for Air Force. This could be their best chance for a scoring opportunity in the period.

Second Period, 13:13, 1-0 Boston College: After leading just 9-8 in the shots on goal department in the first period, the Eagles have out-shot Air Force 11-4 since then. The score doesn't show it, but the momentum is clearly with the Eagles in this game.

Second Period, 10:07, 1-0 Boston College: BC sophomore Bill Arnold received a pass at the left side of the net and was wide open, but again, the shot missed it's target. Frustration is mounting in the offensive zone and among Eagles fans

Second Period, 7:31, 1-0 Boston College: Eagles freshman phenom Johnny Gaudreau was left all alone in front of the net, but was stopped trying to get it past Torf's right side. BC is attacking with full force now.

Second Period, 5:26, 1-0 Boston College: Back online after some technical difficulties here in Worcester. BC had a great chance at goal number two when junior Patch Alber got open and ripped a shot from the left point that went wide of the net. This game is turning out to be closer than expected.

First Intermission Notes: It's a surprise that BC is leading only by one after the first 20 minutes. The Eagles had nine shots on goal, but every one of them was a quality scoring chance.

The Eagles can be described in one word: relentless. They won't give up in the offensive zone, and will swarm any Air Force attacker with the puck in their defensive end. The Falcons have done an excellent job passing through the neutral zone, but can't capitalize on any scoring opportunities.

End of First Period, 1-0 Boston College: Air Force freshman Dan Weissenhofer ripped a slapshot from the blue line at the buzzer, but it sailed high over the net.

First Period, 19:13, 1-0 Boston College: Air Force had their best scoring chance of the period when Weisgarber fired a snap shot from point blank range. The Falcons attacked heavily in the final minute, but Milner remained a stone wall in net.

First Period, 12:29, 1-0 Boston College: BC almost netted their second goal of the game when Torf appeared to not be able to cover up a loose puck. The red light went on, but the officials called no goal on the play.

First Period, 7:39, 1-0 Boston College: The Eagles strike first the "Battle of the Birds of Prey." Junior Chris Kreider puts it home in front of the net. Sophomore Kevin Hayes and freshman Destry Straight get the assists.

First Period, 3:33 0-0: Air Force killed off the penalty, but Almeida had a couple of good scoring chances, including being stopped on a two-on-one by Falcons goalie Jason Torf.

4 p.m.: The action has begun here in Worcester. BC is on a power play 1:03 into the first period thanks to a tripping penalty by Air Force's Paul Weisgarber.

3:15 p.m.: It's less than an hour until the puck drops at the DCU Center, and on paper, BC is the heavy favorite. Stat of the afternoon: the Eagles are 64-4-1 all time against AHA teams.

The key to victory for Boston College is capitalizing on the power play, led by senior Barry Almeida, who leads the nation in power-play goals with 11.

Both teams have strong goaltending, as the Falcons and Eagles register team GAAs of 2.10 and 2.14 respectively. Junior Parker Milner will start between the pipes for BC, coming into today's game with a 25-5-0 record, a 1.82 GAA and a Tim Thomas-like .931 save percentage.

8 a.m. ET: Boston College captured their third straight Hockey East title by defeating the University of Maine 4-1 on St. Patrick's Day and now the top-ranked Eagles have earned the overall No. 1 seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

BC will first face Air Force, who is ranked 16th nationally, and took home the Atlantic Hockey Association championship with a 4-0 victory over the Rochester Institute of Technology. The Falcons are making their fifth tournament appearance in the last six years.

The Eagles have won two national titles in the last four seasons in 2008 and 2010. Last year, BC held the No. 3 seed and was upset 8-4 by Colorado College in the first round. Air Force also went one and done in 2011, losing to top-seeded Yale 2-1 in overtime.

Boston College comes into the game with a record of 29-10-1, and Air Force enters the action at 21-10-7. The Eagles have lost only three times to a non-conference opponent this season, the last one coming this past Dec. 29, falling 4-2 to the University of Michigan. BC has faced Air Force five times in school history, winning each game. The last matchup came on Dec. 29, 2007, with the Eagles winning 8-2. BC is also riding a 15-game winning streak coming into Saturday's game.

The puck drops at 4 p.m. here at the DCU Center in Worcester, so keep up with the live blog on NESN.com to follow all the action.

Photo via Twitter/BC Hockey News