Throughout the season, Boston College women’s hockey has notched blowouts and shutouts, very rarely leaving fans on the edges of their seats. Boston University, however, has given BC (21-0-0, 14-0-0 Hockey East) a run for its money two out of three times. The Eagles struggled in their last meeting against the Terriers in November but won 4-3 in overtime. Despite pulling out another win with the same score Jan. 9, and with a player putting up a hat trick and then some, the Eagles did not dazzle in usual fashion. The 4-3 victory against BU (13-8-1, 10-4-1) was tight, and the Terriers stayed in it until the last second.
BC kept up its typical offensive onslaught, with Haley Skarupa scoring five minutes into the game on a power play. BC’s leading scorer Alex Carpenter took a backseat, passing the puck to Skarupa to put BC on the board. The Eagles usually strike first against their opponents—only in November matchups against BU and Northeastern University did BC fall behind in the early goings.
The Terriers answered back quickly, scoring three minutes later when Kayla Tutino scored off the rebound after a deflection by Katie Burt. Skarupa fired back again, this time with the help of Dana Trivigno and Kristyn Capizzano. BU managed to sneak in the last goal of the first period with 20 seconds left.
The Terriers opened up the second period much like they closed out the first. Even with BU playing a player down, Rebecca Russo forced Burt out of her comfort zone and sent her diving to the ground with her shot.
Burt had a difficult time cutting off the BU lead, an abnormal occurrence for BC’s primary goalie. The last time Burt allowed three goals was in the 4-3 November game against BU. Instead of cutting it close in the final minutes of the third to seal the win, she kept the Terrier offense at bay and stopped them a couple minutes into the second period.
After BU’s final goal, Skarupa broke away to notch two more goals for the Eagles. The four goals were a single game career-high for Skarupa. With Skarupa’s dominant offensive performance, BC’s spotless regular season record remained intact.
The Eagles aren’t finished with the Terriers yet, as they may have to face them during the Beanpot. BC will have to work on keeping the defense tight, while BU would do well to try to avoid penalties. BC and BU combined for 11 penalties, and BC capitalized during a power play for a goal.
Featured Image by Michael Sullivan / Heights Editor
