Coming off a 3-1 victory in Matthews Arena, the No. 4 Boston College women's hockey team (8-3-1, 5-2-1 Hockey East) took on No. 8 Northeastern (10-3-0, 5-2-0) for the second night in a row on Friday. The Eagles made it two in a row at Kelley Rink, as they dominated the Huskies, 4-1, behind two goals from sophomore forward Taylor Wasylk.
BC started off slow in the first period, before its pace quickened and it began to create more opportunities later in the period. NU goaltender Florence Schelling did well to overcome a flurry of shots from the home team, as the Eagles outshot the Huskies 13-9 for the period.
Despite this shot advantage, the Huskies were the first to hit the back of the net. At 12:57, BC defenseman Blake Bolden was called for a checking penalty, giving the Huskies a power-play opportunity. NU responded by creating heavy traffic in front of goaltender Corinne Boyles. Colleen Murphy nearly put the Huskies ahead, but Boyles was able to knock away her initial shot. Teammate Katie MacSorley collected the rebound and wristed it into the back of the net, giving the Huskies the lead, 1-0.
The Eagles came into the second period with a more focused approach, and this adjustment showed early. Sophomore defender Jackie Young made a solid read and found Wasylk in the slot. The sophomore took the open shot to notch the tying goal just 1:18 into the period.
"We talked about a few things like being a little more disciplined and patient," said head coach Katie King Crowley of the Eagles' second-period adjustments. "Going from yesterday's game, which was a big win for us, we were a little jumpy and our forwards were jumping out of the zone a little too soon, and they figured out how to be a little more patient. We talked about it and I think they did a really good job of being a little more patient and relying on each, rather than one big pass."
BC almost took the lead when forward Kristina Brown broke away on a one-on-one opportunity down the ice. The junior earned the open look, but Schelling denied her attempt at the last second. Despite being down a man for a decent portion of the second period, the Eagles were able to create offensive opportunities.
At 17:16, freshman Alex Carpenter put the Eagles ahead for good with a score. The play started when defender Emily Pfalzer passed the puck to Emily Field along the wall, and Carpenter was then able to maneuver through the Huskies' defense. She finished the play with a shot over Schelling's right shoulder from the left hash.
The Eagles gave themselves more of a cushion throughout the third stanza, creating many opportunities and shutting out the Huskies' offense.
Boyles and the defense locked in to shut out the Huskies after the first-period power-play score. On the night, Boyles recorded 29 saves after recording a career-high 40 the night before.
"Our defense is so good," Crowley said. "Boyles did a great job for us in net the last two games. She made the saves that she had to make and really helped us out. The defense played the game so well, and they really helped our forwards to get going on offense. They moved the puck really well and created a lot of opportunities for our forwards."
Wasylk continued her impressive night with her second goal of the game. Just over a minute into the period, the sophomore took a pass from freshman Kate Leary and sent it past Schelling to put the Eagles up, 3-1. The team extended this lead when junior forward Ashley Motherwell finished a strong drive to the net by Carpenter and Field.
The Eagles were able to overcome some first-period struggles to take down the Huskies for the second straight night. The second and third-period scores came within minutes of play, which led to dominant periods for the home team.
"Huge," Crowley said of her team's early second and third-period scores. "We know that our first period hasn't been the best this season, and today I thought we did OK. In the second and third periods, we really came out on fire, and we talked to the kids about how important that was. They really responded well and took it on their own shoulders and did a great job."
Wasylk, Field, and Carpenter each recorded two points on the night, as the Eagles regained the top position in the Hockey East. Crowley said that these two victories will give the Eagles some necessary momentum.
"These wins give us a lot, and we really need to feed off this going forward in the season," Crowley said. "We have maybe seven games before break, and we need to really focus on those seven, starting this coming Tuesday."
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