Boston College women’s hockey had already faced No. 5 Northeastern three times this season as the Eagles headed into their Sunday afternoon game against the Huskies.
All three of those games ended in a BC loss.
That’s not the only pattern that has materialized when these teams have met this season. Grace Campbell has emerged as a star in each game, tallying a career-high 54 saves in the Eagles’ Beanpot loss to the Huskies.
Sunday’s game was different, though, as BC (13–17–1, 11–9–1 Hockey East) held Northeastern (24–6–1, 19–1–1) scoreless through regulation and came away with a 1–0 overtime win at Bentley Arena.
Star freshman Ava Thomas scored the game-winning goal 2:50 into overtime. A slashing penalty on the Huskies put BC on the power play, and it took Thomas just 12 seconds to turn that advantage into a critical goal for the Eagles.
The first period was quiet for both teams, turning into a battle between the goalkeepers, Campbell and Lisa Jönsson. Each team had a power-play opportunity within the first eight minutes of play, but was unable to convert as Campbell racked up 15 first-period saves and Jönsson put up 10.
Olivia Maffeo got called for hooking with 27 seconds left in the frame, granting the Huskies their second man-up advantage. But Campbell stood strong through two quick looks from Jules Constantinople, and the score remained 0–0 at the first intermission.
The Huskies started the second period on the power play. BC killed it, but continued handing Northeastern chances—the Eagles committed three more penalties in the second period and two in the last five minutes, forcing Campbell and the defense to hustle.
Northeastern kept the puck in its o-zone for most of the second, tallying 15 shots to BC’s six and winning 13 of the frame’s 19 faceoffs. Thomas stayed aggressive offensively, leading the Eagles with five shots heading into the final frame while only one other Eagle shot more than once.
Campbell saved another 15 pucks in the second period, staying strong through the Eagles’ 10 total minutes of short-handed play up to that point. Once again, the game headed into intermission with both teams scoreless.
Northeastern got called for hooking 1:34 into the final frame, finally giving BC’s defensive unit a break. BC shot the first eight shots of the period, but the opportunity came and went without the Eagles lighting up the scoreboard.
BC outshot Northeastern 13–8 in the final frame—the most shots by the Eagles in any individual period—but neither team was able to score, and the game headed into overtime, where the Eagles ultimately came away with a 1–0 win.
