Boston College women’s hockey looks to continue its 10-game unbeaten streak with a home-and-home weekend series against New Hampshire, the final Hockey East team it is yet to face. UNH (9-6-5, 6-3-3 Hockey East) is off to its best start in years and sits three points back of second-place Providence in the conference.
The Eagles (16-1-3, 10-0-3) showed no signs of rust in a 7-3 win over Merrimack on Tuesday, following their holiday break. They’ll look to remain the only undefeated team in conference play against a resilient Wildcats team.
Who is BC playing?
New Hampshire
When is BC playing?
Friday, Jan. 5, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
Friday: Kelley Rink, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Sunday: Whittemore Center, Durham, N.H.
TV, Radio, Stream?
Friday: The game will be streamed on ESPN3, available online at WatchESPN.
Saturday: The game will be broadcast on UNH’s YouTube channel.
By the Numbers
BC:
1) Daryl Watts and Caitrin Lonergan rank first and second in the country in points with 52 and 48, respectively. Additionally, Lonergan has an eight-point lead over the player sitting in third.
2) BC has 14 games left in the regular season, plenty of time for goaltender Katie Burt to claim the eight wins she needs to break the current NCAA career wins record (114).
3) The last 12 meetings against UNH have all gone the Eagles way. They’ve outscored the Wildcats 66-10 in those wins, or an average winning margin of almost five goals per game.
UNH:
1) The Wildcats have played very well defensively against conference foes, currently ranking first in the Hockey East in scoring defense. They’ve allowed just 2.17 goals per game in 13 conference matchups.
2) UNH went 3-1 in December, continuing one of its best starts in recent history—the Wildcats have a winning record through their first 20 games for the first time since 2009-10.
3) Meghara McManus leads the way with 16 points, but four UNH players sit right behind her with 13 points apiece. Defensemen Amy Schlagel and Julia Fiskel are capable scorers, with eight and seven goals apiece.
Last Meeting
The Eagles completed a sweep of the season series last season, cruising to a 7-1 win over UNH at home. Delaney Belinskas netted a hat trick while Andie Anastos and Kristyn Capizzano each scored twice in the convincing victory. It extended BC’s winning streak against UNH to 12. They outshot the visiting Wildcats 32-21, and took advantage of seven penalties to score a pair of power play goals.
BC wins if…
It showcases its offensive firepower. The Wildcats have been playing excellent defense as of late, but have yet to face the conference’s highest-scoring offense. The Eagles have scored almost a half a goal more per game then Providence, who is one of just four teams that have managed more than three goals against the Wildcats. UNH is 8-1-5 when holding opponents to under three goals, but when they give up four or more, the Wildcats are just 1-5.
BC loses if…
The opposite of above occurs. If the Eagles can’t crack the back lines of UNH, the Wildcats could very well threaten BC’s eight-week unbeaten streak. UNH has won two in a row and recently shutout a UConn team on the road that took the Eagles to overtime a week prior. The Wildcats could hold strong and make it a defensive battle in which they could play spoiler to the Eagles’ perfect conference record.
Featured Image by Mark Niu / Heights Staff
