In three games this season, Boston College women’s hockey has been outscored 12–2 by No. 3 Northeastern. The Eagles have not won a game in 45 days, and Tuesday night’s affair with Northeastern extended BC’s slide.
Northeastern (20–2–1, 15–2–1 Hockey East) and BC (10–11, 8–8) both came out firing in the first period, but as the game went on, the Huskies solidified themselves as the dominant team. Goaltender Abigail Levy made 31 saves throughout the night but could not prevent an eventual 5–0 shutout loss.
Levy’s performance was a bright spot for BC Tuesday night, as it has been all season. The senior goaltender leads the NCAA in saves by a margin of 58, and her .933 overall save percentage is good for fifth in Hockey East.
Northeastern’s Aerin Frankel is equally prolific in the net. Her .963 save percentage ranks first in the NCAA, and her talents were reflected in her play against the Eagles.
Levy and Frankel went head to head from either side of the ice throughout the first period, each refusing to let up a goal. In the first period, the Huskies took eight shots on goal while the Eagles took nine.
The first-period stalemate lasted just over 16 minutes before Levy finally cracked, and Katy Knoll found the back of the net. The period ended 1–0, but once the Huskies started scoring they never looked back.
Northeastern scored a shorthanded goal just under six minutes into the second period and scored again six minutes later.
With 15 Northeastern shots on goal in the second period alone, however, Levy’s job became harder. Three power plays and 11 faceoff wins were the icing on the cake for the Huskies.
BC attempted an offensive revival in the third period, but it was too little, too late. The Eagles increased their shots on goal total from the first two periods, but Frankel was there to meet each puck that the Eagles sent her way.
Defensively, BC continued to flounder as Northeastern refused to take its foot off the gas, and after two more goals for the Huskies, the Eagles left the ice with their fourth straight loss.
Though Northeastern shut out the Eagles, Maddie Crowley-Cahill, Kelly Browne, and Hannah Bilka all bolstered BC’s offensive attack. They managed three shots on goal each, with Browne totaling seven shots on the night.
Bilka leads BC in points this season with 16, and Browne is hot on her tail with 14. While neither increased their total Tuesday, their aggressive play was reflective of a season-long pattern.
Featured Image by Chris Ticas / Heights Staff
