As a transfer, it must be a strange feeling to return to your former arena in a new team’s colors.
For Boston College sophomore Sage Babey, this was just the reality as BC women’s hockey (4–4–0, 3–0 Hockey East) faced off against Merrimack (2–5–1, 0–1) at Lawler Arena on Saturday.
Few could imagine a better game for her, though, as she scored both goals to give BC a 2–1 win.
After an eighth-place conference run last season, Merrimack came into its first conference game this year looking to put a win on its books.
But BC came out looking much stronger in the first stretch, putting up 10 shots to the Warriors’ three with six minutes left in the first period.
There were two almost-goals from BC, including a 2-on-1 rush from Ava Thomas, ultimately stopped by the glove of Adreanna Doucette. Merrimack was the first to get on the scoreboard, however, with Mady Cipolla scoring her first goal as a Warrior after starting her career at Northeastern.
But BC did not just sit back and let the Warriors run the game.
The Eagles kept building pressure against Doucette, running the Warriors’ defense in circles until Babey was finally able to sneak one past two Merrimack defenders and bag the Eagles’ first goal of the game.
Merrimack notched the first power play of the game in the second frame following an ill-timed shove from Thomas that got called for roughing. But they struggled to generate shots on goal on the power play, only getting one through to Grace Campbell, which she easily stopped.
Just a minute after BC returned to full strength, Thomas nailed a shot toward Doucette in net, sending her sprawling and leaving the net wide open for Babey to grab the rebound and net her second goal of the game.
BC earned its first power play of the game after Merrimack’s Maddie Crowley-Cahill sent Emma Conner sprawling into Doucette.
The Eagles put the pressure on during the power play, with Sammy Taber netting back-to-back chances to no avail.
Opening up the third, Merrimack turned the heat back up, trying to take advantage of some of the younger defensive lines and sending some good shots toward Campbell.
Thomas continued to be one of BC’s most notable players in the third, generating tons of shots on goal and setting up plays for teammates like Olivia Maffeo to fire some shots of their own.
Despite the pressure building from both teams, both goalies remained dominant in the net throughout the third.
As the scoreless period crept on, frustration started to show from both teams, culminating in them trading off power plays through the final stretch of the game for BC’s third conference win so far this season.
