After three straight losses, Boston College women’s hockey headed into its New Year’s Eve matchup with something to prove. BC hadn’t had a losing streak longer than three games since its 2009-10 season, but after Harvard controlled the puck in the first and third period, the Eagles couldn’t connect for a comeback, falling to Harvard 7-1 to close out 2019.
The No. 9 Eagles (11-7-2, 10-5-1 Hockey East) quickly took charge and settled into Harvard’s territory early into the first frame. Despite BC’s dominant start, the Crimson (9-4, 7-0 ECAC) were the first to draw blood. Swerving past Alexie Guay, Anne Bloomer slipped in a shot past Maddy McArthur’s left glove to secure the first point of the game.
The Eagles tried to respond, but they couldn’t connect through the heavy traffic in front of Lindsay Reed. Harvard’s Kristin Della Rovere then fired a shot on McArthur, but the puck went wide when it rang off the pipe.
Following a hooking penalty on Savannah Norcross, the Eagles were a player down halfway through the period, and it didn’t take long for Harvard to capitalize. Six seconds after the Crimson won the initial faceoff, Della Rovere fired a shot past McArthur, putting the Eagles two points behind Harvard.
Not even a minute later, Becca Gilmore found Kat Hughes, and the senior wasted no time finding twine. The third straight goal from Harvard resulted in BC calling a timeout. After 20 minutes of a period dominated by Harvard, the Eagles quickly headed into the locker room to regroup and reset.
Harvard continued its strong performance early in the second. McArthur was in the middle of the action following the puck drop, and one shot drew her away from the cage. With an empty net, Hughes took control of the puck. The Eagles were lucky, however, as her shot just went wide, saving BC from a four-goal deficit, at least for the time being.
The Eagles gained their first advantage following a high-sticking call on Dominique Petrie, but just 25 seconds into the power play, Bridget McCarthy was called for interference, negating the Eagles’ advantage.
A holding call on Kate Glover gave the Eagles their advantage back, but they still couldn’t connect. Shortly after the completion of Glover’s penalty, Petrie was called for tripping. Halfway through the penalty, it looked like the Eagles had a golden opportunity, but Reed deflected Hannah Bilka’s shot at the last second, robbing BC of its first goal. The Eagles couldn’t connect throughout the rest of the period, and the game returned to full strength without BC putting a point on the board.
Late into the period, a checking call on Lindsay Agnew was not what the Eagles needed, but they killed off the penalty, a strength of theirs all season. But as soon as the game returned to full strength, Gilmore ripped a shot on McArthur. While the sophomore was able to initially deflect the shot, Hughes connected with the rebound and ripped a shot past McArthur before she could react.
Four points down, Norcross collided with Gilmore in front of the Eagles’ bench. Gilmore took a few seconds to get up from the ice, and after a review by officials, the play was ruled a minor boarding penalty, giving the Crimson a player advantage to close out the second period. While the Eagles were able to kill the penalty off, they headed into the final frame with a daunting outlook in front of them.
In an attempt to jumpstart the momentum for the Eagles, Norcross took what looked like a perfect shot early in the final period. But despite getting past Reed, the puck narrowly went wide, keeping the Eagles off the board.
Five minutes into the frame, Petrie tried skating the puck around McArthur, but Kelly Pickreign was there to deflect her attempt. Petrie kept the play alive, however, and escaped Pickreign. After losing her defender, Petrie took her chance on McArthur, and it paid off. The puck snuck past McArthur, putting Harvard yet another point up on BC.
After five straight goals, Maegan Beres was what BC needed to finally respond to the Crimson. After connecting with her initial rebound, the junior ripped a shot from the circle, resulting in BC’s first point of the afternoon.
Despite Beres’ goal, Petrie connected for the second time of the afternoon, ripping a shot past McArthur for Harvard’s sixth goal. With less than two minutes left in the period, Della Rovere snuck a shot past McArthur, securing Harvard’s seventh goal.
Despite Beres’ goal in the third, it wasn’t enough for the Eagles to make a comeback. While unable to avoid a shutout, Reed kept the Eagles quiet throughout the afternoon. After four straight losses, the Eagles ended their 2019 campaign with their longest losing streak of the decade.
Featured Image by Ikram Ali / Heights Editor
