Last year, despite the addition of four Olympians, the return of the bulk of the scoring, and a talented first-year goaltender, Boston College women’s hockey found itself in an unfamiliar position. The Eagles came away from the famous “Trophy Season” without a single one, falling in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament and in the Hockey East Championship before suffering a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
It was a disappointing end to a storied career for the likes of Megan Keller and Kali Flanagan, and things only seemed to spiral in the offseason. Daryl Watts—who won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2017-18 as a freshman for the Eagles—transferred to Wisconsin, and talented teammate Caitrin Lonergan followed suit and headed to Clarkson.
Still, one would be remiss to doubt head coach Katie Crowley with her track record in Chestnut Hill. BC welcomes in a talented freshman class, headlined by a pair of United States U-18 Team members and another from Canada’s U-18 Team. It also has a goaltender in Maddy McArthur who has a year under her belt, an Olympian in Cayla Barnes, experienced pieces such as Erin Connolly and Delaney Belinskas, and up-and-comers like Kelly Browne and Savannah Norcross.
Last Thursday afternoon, BC announced its schedule for the coming season—one that features the usual 27-game Hockey East slate as well as matchups against heavyweights Minnesota and Wisconsin.
2019-20 Schedule (Note: Italics denote conference play)
Sept. 27 at Merrimack (North Andover, Mass.) *Hockey East Opener
Sept. 28 at Merrimack (North Andover, Mass.)
→ The season kicks off with a pair of road games—the first of four straight away from home—against Merrimack. The Warriors were 0-13 all-time against the Eagles after the first two meetings last year, but then sprung a 1-0 upset on Dec. 8 in North Andover.
Oct. 3 at Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.)
Oct. 5 at Syracuse (Syracuse, N.Y.)
→ Last year, BC cruised to a 5-1 win over the Orange in its home opener. The game had special significance for Agnew, who registered her first three points with the Eagles, and for Barnes, who had an assist for her first collegiate point.
Oct. 18 vs. Merrimack (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) *Home Opener
Oct. 20 at Vermont (Burlington, Vt.)
Oct. 25 vs. Holy Cross (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Oct. 26 vs. Maine (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Nov. 1 vs. New Hampshire (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Nov. 2 vs. Providence (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
→ BC took two of three from the Friars last year, keeping Providence just outside the top three in the conference. The Friars finished fourth with 34 points, five off of the second-place Eagles. All three games were decided by a 4-2 scoreline, with Providence notching its only win at home.
Nov. 9 at Connecticut (Storrs, Conn.)
Nov. 15 at Boston University (Boston, Mass.) *Battle Of Comm. Ave
→ Last year was an incredibly entertaining back-and-forth season series between the two longtime rivals, and their first meeting in 2019-20 comes in mid-November. The teams split four meetings last year, with BC opening the season with a win, dropping both games of a home-and-home, and then redeeming itself with a 5-1 win in the Hockey East semifinals.
Nov. 19 vs. Northeastern (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
→ Four days later, the Eagles will face another team that it had no shortage of dramatics against last season. The Huskies and BC played one of the most memorable games in Hockey East Tournament history, a 3-2 overtime thriller that went Northeastern’s way. Flanagan forced overtime with 4.7 seconds left by scoring off a faceoff, but the Huskies escaped with the victory.
Nov. 22 vs. Connecticut (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Nov. 23 at Connecticut (Storrs, Conn.)
Nov. 29 vs. Minnesota (Bellevue, Tenn.) *Country Classic
Nov. 30 vs. Wisconsin (Bellevue, Tenn.) *Country Classic
→ Matchups with two teams of particular significance—and talent—await BC in Tennessee. First, the Eagles will square off against Minnesota, the school from which Agnew transferred. All the Golden Gophers did last season was go 32-6-1 and lose in the National Championship game. The team they lost to: Wisconsin, who BC plays the next day. The Badgers, who will prominently feature Watts, are seeking to repeat as the NCAA’s title winners.
Dec. 6 at Boston University (Boston, Mass.)
Dec. 7 vs. Boston University (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Dec. 31 vs. Harvard (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
→ You can expect the Eagles to come out firing in this matchup. The Crimson stunned BC last year, handing the longtime Beanpot powerhouse a first-round loss for the first time in seven years. Harvard won with ease, 4-1, and sent the Eagles tumbling into the consolation game.
Jan. 10 vs. Northeastern (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Jan. 12 at Northeastern (Boston, Mass.)
Jan. 17 vs. Vermont (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Jan. 18 vs. Vermont (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
→ The first home weekend of the year comes against the Catamounts, who finished last season eighth in the Hockey East table. UVM gave up 12 goals in three losses to BC in 2018-19 and historically has had a dreadful time with Crowley’s teams, as she has a 36-1-4 record against UVM as a head coach.
Jan. 24 vs. Providence (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Jan. 25 at Providence (Providence, R.I.)
Jan. 31 vs. Holy Cross (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Feb. 4 at Boston University (Boston, Mass.) *The Beanpot
→ Fittingly, BC draws the host Terriers in the first round of the Beanpot. The last time the two faced off in the annual tournament was 2017-18, and it was in the title game. It was a tremendously entertaining game, as the Eagles and Toni Ann Miano—who was on campus recently to play BC as a part of the PWHPA New England team—won in overtime.
Feb. 7 vs. New Hampshire (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
Feb. 11 vs. Northeastern/Harvard (Boston, Mass.) *The Beanpot
Feb. 14 at Maine (Orono, Maine)
Feb. 15 at Maine (Orono, Maine)
Feb. 22 at New Hampshire (Durham, N.H.)
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Staff
