It pays to be in the right place at the right time. It also pays to have Abby Newhook on your roster.
In Boston College women’s hockey’s matchup with Holy Cross, Newhook wasted no time taking charge when it mattered most, peeling back a wrister from the high slot, letting it sail into the far-side net to vanish under the glove of Crusaders goaltender Jada Brenon for the go-ahead goal in the third period.
The Eagles (8–4–0, 6–3–0 Hockey East) went on to beat Holy Cross (2–12–0, 1–9–0) by a final score of 4–2 on a robust outing in net by goalie Abigail Levy, who faced a total of 58 shots fired in her direction, including 34 shots on goal.
Newhook, who previously netted the game winner in the second game of BC’s most recent split home-and-home series with Providence, lit the lamp for a second straight week to establish a late edge. The rookie forward leads Hockey East freshmen in scoring and was tabbed the Hockey East Rookie of the Week riding a 6–3–9 statline galloping into Friday afternoon.
BC struck first only three minutes into the first period. A rebound broke loose for the Eagles in the attacking zone off Brennon’s right pad. BC forward and captain Kelly Browne identified and picked off the puck, potting the game’s first goal. After struggling to connect in the early stretch of the season, Browne recorded two goals on the day.
“It was nice to finally get that monkey off the back,” Browne said in her postgame press conference, cracking a smile. “It’s been a couple of games, and I was just trying to be patient, not trying to grip my stick too tight, [and I] knew sooner or later this was going to come.”
Senior netminder Brenon previously held a .889 save percentage despite going 1–8–0 entering the game against BC.
Even trailing, Holy Cross looked steady in the first, forcing shots early when rushing the zone. Still, the Crusaders misfired on the forecheck, leading to a rain of shots from the Eagles’ pointmen. Plenty of neutral zone work called for opportunistic chances late in the first, as BC outshot Holy Cross 23–14.
Floundering into the second, the Crusaders were caught on their heels on an unsuccessful power-play opportunity delayed from the first. Newhook sent a rifle from deep in BC’s defensive zone to just break the blue line on Holy Cross’ end, zipping a tight line right into the hands of forward Gaby Roy. Roy took the puck on a string and fired off a forehand finish, finding the top shelf over the back of Brenon to make it 2–0.
From that moment on, the Crusaders began to dominate, marching back to tie it at 2–2 before the third period began. A goal from Bryn Saarela nine minutes into the second started off the scoring for the Crusaders.
Seven minutes later, Forward Lilly Feeney fired a puck that Levy deflected to the short side. Sent back down to Holy Cross’s defensive zone on a stifling BC breakout, BC defensemen Alexie Guay made a poor decision up top. The pass was intercepted by Holy Cross forward Mary Edmonds who, on retrieval of the puck, carried it into the offensive zone to slot a backhand goal past Levy to tie it off on a breakaway.
The third began tied at two, and Newhook stepped into the spotlight. She plucked the puck off the red line on a transition breakout and sniped a low bullet from the far side wing, handing the Eagles a 3–2 lead.
BC regained its strength from there and came close to pocketing several more goals. With three minutes remaining in the third, the puck passed from Browne to Hannah Bilka and back to Browne in a tic-tac-toe weave through the Crusaders’ defensive line, making it 4–2 on a one-timer and putting the game just out of reach for a Holy Cross comeback.
Despite four power-play opportunities for the Crusaders—and just two for BC—the Eagles prevented any scores on the man advantage. Head coach Katie Crowley said after the game that penalties are a focal point for her team.
“We try to be as disciplined as we can, and sometimes I think that part gets overlooked,” Crowley said.
Featured Image by Leo Wang / Heights Senior Staff
