On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Boston College women’s hockey was thankful and excited to be back on the ice and to have the chance to play, according to head coach Katie Crowley.
BC relentlessly showed the Wildcats how it’s done in Chestnut Hill. Playing on home ice in Conte Forum, the game ended in a 4-1 victory for BC (2-0). While New Hampshire (0-2) put up a tough fight on offense, the Wildcats were no match for the Eagles.
Noting the team’s fire and spirit on the ice, Crowley said that the Eagles had their best practice a day before this weekend’s games. She said the team has been enjoying the process, especially as they have been able to begin competition.
“I’ve never seen our team run out on the ice as fast as they did,” Crowley said in her postgame press conference. “It’s great to see that energy that they have and everybody has it. They’re excited to play, excited to practice. They’re excited to be around each other in any way that they can.”
Fresh off of a 6-2 win over UNH on Friday, BC was eager to meet the Wildcats on the ice for the second night in a row, according to Crowley. Not only did the Eagles show up to play, but also to win.
Although the action took a little while to heat up, BC’s Savannah Norcross scored the first goal of the evening and her first goal of the season. With 10:12 left in the first period, Norcross, assisted by Gaby Roy and Kelly Browne, fired a shot on Wildcat goalkeeper Ava Boutilier. Only 26 seconds later, BC’s Jillian Fey scored the second goal of the evening on an assist by Natalie Tulchinsky.
After three shots on BC goaltender Kelly Pickreign, all three of which she turned away, UNH finally found the back of the net. With 4:37 left in the first period, Tamara Thiérus scored an unassisted goal, the first and only of the evening for the Wildcats. UNH did not let up, however, and took seven more unsuccessful shots before the period ended.
Before heading into the second period, BC’s Hannah Bilka, assisted by Willow Corson, scored the Eagles’ third goal of the night and her first goal of the season. Browne nearly added another before the break, shooting just before the buzzer rang, but her shot missed wide. The first period ended with the Eagles leading 3-1.
While neither team scored in the second period, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. UNH tallied 10 shots on Pickreign, while BC shot 12 times on Boutilier.
After four shots throughout the game, Browne, assisted by Corson, finally scored in the third period with 15:19 on the clock.
The Eagles won the game 4-1 and triumphantly skated off the ice for the second night in a row. While the Wildcats shot a total of 43 times, they were no match for Pickreign and BC’s defensive line.
“We’ve been waiting for two months, and I mean, the fact we’re able to get into games when other teams couldn’t this weekend is awesome,” Browne said after the game.
BC had multiple scorers between the two games including Norcross, Fey, Bilka, Browne, Roy, and Corson. Crowley said she was happy to see the depth of the team’s offense and their ability to have a variety of offensive lines score.
“Under tough circumstances, never really knowing when you’re going to start playing games, and to be able to come away with two great wins, I’m just really proud of how we played,” Crowley said. “We played as a team. And [I’m also proud] that they stayed safe enough to be able to play this weekend.”
Featured Image by Ikram Ali / Heights Editor
