Over the weekend, a certain Boston College hockey team dominated its opponent, defeating the challenger without any nail-biting plays or a desperate run for a last-minute goal. Anyone who paid attention to the action at Kelley Rink on Saturday knows that men’s hockey didn’t do that, as the team fought Northeastern to get three points this weekend. But women’s hockey did, sweeping the University of Maine in a 7-2 victory on Sunday, after a 5-0 shutout Saturday afternoon.
Less than a minute into the game, the Eagles (19-0-0, 13-0-0 Hockey East) already had their first goal on the Black Bears (6-13-0, 3-9-0). Megan Keller redirected the puck from a Haley Skarupa shot and sent it into the goal, sailing past both Maine and BC players. BC could not find its offensive stride again until much later in the period. The Eagles registered 14 shots between its first and second goals, giving Maine goaltender Mariah Fujimagari plenty of practice.
The warmup didn’t do much, however, as BC scored three goals in three minutes with only five minutes left in the first period. Lexi Bender passed the puck to Alex Carpenter, who scored. A minute later, freshman Makenna Newkirk attempted her own shot, but missed. Bender followed up the shot when Fujimagari bungled the save, sneaking the puck past the goalie.
But the Eagles had one more goal left in them before the period ended. Andie Anastos scored off her own rebound, powerfully shooting above the goalie’s arm. It was the second goal that BC scored with each team playing a woman down.
Both coaches did a goalie swap to start the second period, with head coach Katie Crowley pulling Katie Burt for Gabri Switaj. It was an unusual move for Crowley, who tends to start Switaj in the second game of a series. The tactic backfired on the Eagles, as Maine scored a minute into the period. The Black Bears managed to put another one in the back of the net 10 minutes later, but BC answered back quickly. Tori Sullivan scored from the post after receiving a pass from Meghan Grieves, widening the lead to 5-2.
During the final minute of the second period, Kenzie Kent and Carpenter collaborated for Kent’s seventh goal of the season, putting pressure on Maine’s new goalie Meghann Treacy. The third period saw little action, as the Eagles added yet another goal to their collection, the icing on a six-layer cake. Keller scored a second time, the only BC player to do so in the match.
While the blowout didn’t leave the Black Bears scoreless, the Eagles managed to shutout Maine the day before. BC dazzled in all aspects, from the mastery of the offense to the stellar saves of Burt, who gained her sixth shutout of the season. The Eagle defense only allowed 15 shots from Maine, while BC fired off nearly three times that.
BC quickly gained the upper hand, as Kali Flanagan scored on Treacy in only two minutes of play. Skarupa added to the tally, shooting high into the back of the net and giving the goaltender no chance to retrieve the puck.
The Eagles focused on getting their shots off early, scoring three of the five goals in the first five minutes of each period. Kaliya Johnson, with the help of Kent and Carpenter, chalked up her second goal of the season. Her slap-shot off a pass from Carpenter earned Johnson her first point of December, as her last came from an assist in a Nov. 28 meeting against Providence.
BC’s last two goals came during the third period, both during power plays for the Eagles. The unlucky Black Bears handed Carpenter her 22nd goal of the season, with Kent contributing again to Carpenter’s offensive success. Kent and Carpenter are paired excellently, making plays as soon as their skates hit the ice.
The goal, coupled with her assist in the Eagles’ final goal of the game by Flanagan, was a momentous one for Carpenter. With her performance in Saturday’s victory, Carpenter surpassed the Hockey East record for career points, with 134. On the way, she eclipsed BC graduate Kelli Stack, a member of the National Women’s Hockey League’s Connecticut Whale. Carpenter, who won last year’s Patty Kazmaier Award, has led the Eagles to dazzling victories throughout her career, and has been on fire this season.
But it seems that recently, every member of the Eagles has.
Featured Image by Michael Sullivan / Heights Editor
