The No. 7 BC women’s hockey team took on two-time defending women’s Beanpot champion Northeastern at Kelley Rink on Tuesday and defeated the Huskies 3-0 to keep pace with the boys and claim its first title since 2011.
“It was awesome to see them holding up that trophy,” said BC goaltender and co-captain Corinne Boyles. “We came in here to do the same thing.”
Northeastern headed into the game riding a seven-game win streak, while BC looked to rebound after seeing its 11-game unbeaten streak end against Connecticut on Saturday.
The first period was all Eagles. A player in a white sweater seemed to be everywhere the puck was in the first frame. BC’s crisp passing and strong skating resulted in an early domination of the possession game. Only two minutes in, BC junior Kate Leary swiped the puck from a Husky defenseman and moved in all alone on net. Northeastern goaltender Chloe Desjardins, however, was there to stonewall Leary. Desjardins’ solid play in the first was essentially all that kept a lethargic Huskies squad afloat early on in the game.
The Eagles peppered Desjardins throughout the first half of the period, jumping out to a 10-2 lead in shots. With 3:28 left in the first period, the Eagles were finally able to cash in on their multitude of chances as senior Taylor Wasylk picked off a Northeastern pass near the right dot, skated in on net, and ripped a quick wrister over the blocker of Desjardins and into the top corner of the goal.
The second period was more of the same for the Eagles. Puck possession continued to be the name of the game as Northeastern was able to muster up just five shots on goal in the period, despite heading to the power play twice. The only scary moment for the Eagles in the second period came around the 14-minute mark, as Northeastern freshman Hayley Scamurra executed a slick spin-move and blew a shot past Boyles, who was bailed out by the post. At the end of the second period, the Eagles held a 1-0 lead and a 22-13 advantage in shots.
A completely different feel encompassed the third period, however. BC’s dominance in the possession department faded, as Northeastern appeared poised for a comeback. A resilient Boyles, though, would have none of it. Boyles, the recipient of the Bertagna Award as the tournament’s top goalie, stood on her head in the third period, denying all of the 12 Northeastern shots she faced.
Boyles’ exceptional play, coupled with an opportunistic power play unit, propelled the Eagles to victory. Following a body-checking call on Heather Mottau of Northeastern, BC’s power play moved in for the kill.
Co-captain Meagan Mangene took a perfect pass from junior Emily Field and scorched a wrister past Desjardins, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead with less than 10 minutes to play.
“When you go on the power play, it’s an opportunity to put away a team sometimes, and I think we had that opportunity and that our kids did a good job doing that,” said BC head coach Katie King Crowley. “We needed a goal there.”
About five minutes later, the Hockey East’s top power play unit ensured that the women’s Beanpot title would be coming to Chestnut Hill. Assistant captain Melissa Bizzari snuck a quick, low wrister past Desjardins, who appeared to be caught a bit off-guard by the shot.
Crowley emphasized the importance of the Eagles’ power play execution after the game.
“I think that’s one of the things that really helped us in tonight’s game,” Crowley said. “It doesn’t matter what formation we’re in. We’re figuring out how to get pucks to the net and how to get goals when we need them.”
The Eagles would hold on to defeat Northeastern by a final score of 3-0 and ensure that both Beanpot trophies will reside in Chestnut Hill this year. This win marked the fifth time the BC women have won the Beanpot title.
Senior Taylor Wasylk was named Beanpot tournament MVP by members of the media following the game, due to her superb offensive performance against Northeastern and Boston University. Wasylk scored what proved to be the game-winner in the championship game, after putting up a shorthanded goal and an assist against BU last week.
“MVP’s cool,” Wasylk said. “I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s definitely exciting to make an impact senior year. Most importantly, we won the game and won the trophy.”
