Boston College gave Cornell University double trouble this weekend, defeating the Big Red at Ithaca twice in a display of outstanding teamwork. Women’s hockey crushed the competition for its seventh and eighth wins of the season, giving most of the Eagles time on the ice to rack up points.
The Eagles put up a dazzling win against Cornell (0-2-0) on Saturday, trouncing the Big Red, 8-0. BC (8-0-0) started the barrage off quickly, with Alex Carpenter scoring in the third minute against goalie Marlene Boissonnault, breaking the scoring record with 210 points. Carpenter notched two more goals in the game, finishing off her third hat trick of the season.
Carpenter has had a stellar season so far, with at least one goal scored in all but one game. She has scored 14 of BC’s 44 goals this season, almost a third of the team’s goals, and leads the team with 22 points, seven above second-place Haley Skarupa.
Though Carpenter puts up fantastic numbers, she doesn’t do it alone. In between her first goal and her two in the second period, Skarupa scored, and Dana Trivigno capitalized on a fake by Kristyn Capizzano for her own goal. Makenna Newkirk bookended the third period. She scored at 16:43 and again two minutes later, showing no mercy to the Big Red’s goalie. Andie Anastos also snuck in a goal with the help of Megan Grieves and Toni Ann Miano.
BC’s second meeting against Cornell showed the Eagles’ ability to adapt to opposing teams, as BC had a much closer game against the Big Red on Friday night, ultimately winning 4-1. The offensive assault began six minutes into the first period with a goal by Newkirk. She shot from far out, passing through two overlapping Big Red players and the goalie, Paula Voorheis.
Cornell took revenge at the beginning of the third period, after a shot from Hanna Bunton evaded Katie Burt’s grasp. Burt, who clinched four shutouts in the games before Cornell, looked visibly shaken after the goal. She was slow to get up after trying to snag the puck.
The Eagles regained the lead after a well-executed play by Skarupa. She passed the puck to Carpenter, who was waiting next to the goal and nailed the shot. Goalie Voorheis didn’t notice the puck was passed, and was still expecting a shot from Skarupa. Kali Flanagan took a shot on the empty Cornell net, and Lexi Bender tipped it in with one minute left in the third period. Seconds later, Carpenter skated furiously toward the goal, sending the puck in while skating past the still-empty net, the Big Red forgoing a goalie for a sixth player.
The goalies battled between the pipes during the two-game meeting, with goalies Voorheis and Boissonnault saving a total of 66 shots and Burt saving 41. Both defenses fought hard to keep pressure off the goal, and when shots slipped through, the goalies easily caught them or swatted them away. Cornell, ranked No. 8, kept the Eagles at bay for the first game, but could not keep up for the second. The Big Red could not hold together the defense that shined in game one, nor could it capitalize on four power plays during game two. BC, which had 44 shots in the first game, more accurately placed the puck in the second game, in which it scored double the goals with 10 fewer shots.
Over the course of the weekend, six different players scored 10 goals, demonstrating the strong offensive presence on the team. Players like Grieves have improved leaps and bounds from last year, and are on track to break their full-season personal bests in the first 10 games. Grieves already has four assists under her belt, whereas last year she had four assists in the entire season. There’s something special in the air for the Eagles, and there’s no doubt that many of the players will have record-breaking seasons this year.
Featured Image by Michael Sullivan / Heights Editor
