From day one, Katie Crowley had unwavering confidence in her rookie forwards last year.
“They all can score, they all can produce goals, [and] they all can make plays,” said Crowley, Boston College women’s hockey head coach, before the start of last year’s season.
A year later, it’s clear this group was as special as advertised. Even among such a talented group, one player has continued to shine: Julia Pellerin.
Entering Saturday’s game, the sophomore forward had played in every game for No. 15 BC, recording 18 goals and ranking fourth in the Hockey East with 32 points. Coupled with a Hockey East Player of the Month and All-Star honors, and you’ve got a player who’s become indispensable.
Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup against Maine was no different. Pellerin delivered when it mattered most, scoring twice—including the game-winner—to help BC (21–12–2, 16–9–2) fend off a relentless Maine squad (11–21–3, 10–14–3) in a 4–3 win.
As BC began the campaign for its first Hockey East title since 2017, the route began with a scrappy, battle-tested challenger in the six-seeded Black Bears, who have managed to hang closely with a slate of ranked opponents this season.
Maine wasted no time setting the tone.
The Black Bears dictated the pace early, applying heavy pressure and forcing BC into rushed, misplaced passes in the neutral zone.
That pressure paid off just over four minutes in when Elise Morphy capitalized on a setup from Ava Stevenson and Raegan Wurm to put Maine on the board first.
BC quickly responded at 6:32 when Alanna Devlin found the back of the net, set up by a sharp pass from Lauren Glaser that caught Maine’s defense off guard.
The Eagles generated two odd-man rushes from Devlin’s line, but Maine’s defense held firm to keep the game knotted at 1–1.
In the first period, the Black Bears outshot BC 8–4 and largely contained the Hockey East’s top offense.
The game kicked into high gear during a riveting second period, though.
Less than a minute in, Mikayla Boarder took advantage of a 2-on-1 rush, streaking up the ice and converting on a perfectly placed shot. All signs looked like Boarder would pass, but she instead went gloveside high past Grace Campbell, placing the puck in a near-unstoppable spot.
Maine kept the pressure on, recording two more shots in the opening minutes, including one that came dangerously close to doubling its lead.
But once again, just as quickly, BC had an answer of its own.
Julia Pellerin evened the score at 4:32, notching her 19th goal of the season off helpers from Sammy Taber and Kate Ham. Pellerin, who had been buzzing around the net all period, buried a shot past goaltender Kiia Lahtinen to shift the momentum back in BC’s favor.
The Eagles capitalized again just minutes later, this time on the power play. Keri Clougherty found the back of the net at 5:37, tipping in a feed from Pellerin and Olivia Maffeo to put BC up 3–2.
But the lead was short-lived.
With BC on the penalty kill, Jamie Grinder struck back for Maine at 8:40, netting her first goal of the season at a clutch moment to knot the game at three.
The back-and-forth battle raged on, with momentum shifting in the blink of an eye.
Less than 15 seconds after Maine’s equalizer, Pellerin struck again, securing what would ultimately be the game-winner. Ham picked up her second assist of the night, sending the puck into the slot, where Pellerin finished with precision for her 20th goal of the season.
Maine fought to level the score again, firing off a barrage of shots in the latter half of the period. Campbell stood tall in net, turning away multiple attempts—including a dangerous close-range shot from Boarder—to keep BC ahead heading into the third.
The Eagles held strong in a quieter final frame, shutting down Maine’s last-minute push and sealing a hard-fought 4–3 victory.
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