It’s not everyday that a coach remains undefeated against a rival team.
For Boston College women’s hockey head coach Katie Crowley, this is just one of her many career feats.
In the first game of their home-and-home split, the Eagles (3–4–0, 3–0–0 Hockey East) traveled west to challenge Holy Cross (1–4–0, 0–1–0) on Friday night. After a disconnected first period, BC found its energy on power play opportunities in the following frames, successfully killing six penalties and converting on one of four man advantages. The Eagles secured a 2–1 victory and extended an all-time series record of 15–0–0 against Holy Cross.
Coming off their first win of the season against Brown, the Crusaders took the ice with a scrappy attitude, clogging the crease and making it hard for Campbell to get a clear view of the puck.
It didn’t take long for Holy Cross to execute with that energy. At the 5:28 mark, Lane Lewis found a touch on the action in front of the crease, tipping the puck past Campbell and netting the first point of the night at 1–0.
From there, BC was plagued with turnovers as Holy Cross forced the Eagles to play defensively.
BC had a chance to equalize but squandered its first good look of the night. In a three-on-one rush, captain Gaby Roy sent a pass to freshman Sammy Taber who missed what could have become her first career goal.
BC received another chance to get on the board at the 15:30 mark. Not even a minute into the man advantage, Sammy Smigliani applied traffic in front of the net, allowing Jade Arnone to land a shot from the blue line that sailed over the top-left shelf of Madison Beck, equalizing the score at 1–1.
From there, a new line came out and the momentum shifted as BC mustered the energy to pepper the net with shots as the first-period clock drained.
After the referees called another penalty on BC at the 18:53 mark, Holy Cross received time with the advantage in the opening of the second frame. BC quickly killed that penalty, and regained intensity in the ensuing minutes.
In the most exciting minutes of the game, the Eagles held steady offensive possession and a barrage of shots against Beck. BC exhausted the Holy Cross defense, which couldn’t find a time to change lines as the visiting team applied pressure.
BC’s offensive play turned aggressive at points, giving Holy Cross two more chances with the advantage in the frame. But the Crusaders failed to capitalize on both.
Past the halfway mark of the second period, a spark reignited as the Eagles became eager to go ahead with a bigger lead. Once again, BC tired the legs of the Crusaders’ defense with another barrage of shots. Holy Cross became sloppy in its resistance and gave the Eagles a chance with a power play. Looks by Arnone and Julia Pellerin seemed convincing but ultimately fell short as BC closed out the advantage–and the period–without a point on the board.
The third period was the charm for the Eagles, but it didn’t come easy.
Three minutes into the final frame, BC had a second breakaway as Taber rushed the puck down the ice, but a swift glove move by Beck kept the score even.
After an extended flow of play with no stoppages, the penalties kept coming against the Eagles as Holy Cross received their fifth turn at the advantage. The Crusaders didn’t have long to relish this opportunity when, just over eight minutes into the period, the play turned to four-on-four.
Seconds into this change on the ice, Roy finally put the Eagles ahead. Winning the faceoff herself, Roy beelined to the net to take the 2–1 lead.
Then, as had occurred all night, more penalties stacked up between the two teams. It wasn’t until the 12:19 mark that play on the ice evened in terms of players.
The Crusaders continued to make last-minute efforts with scrums in front of the net, but swift saves from Campell shut them down. With two minutes remaining, the Crusaders exchanged Beck for an extra attacker. That momentum was short-lived, as the referees called interference against the Crusaders with just over one minute left in regulation.
BC ultimately earned its third straight win with a final score of 2–1.
