Logan Hutsko’s Hockey East Tournament heroics, Acacia Walker-Weinstein’s 100th win as Boston College lacrosse head coach, and other stories are all covered in the latest edition of our weekly roundup, where we take a look at everything that’s been going on in the world of the Eagles over the past week. In addition to those storylines, here’s what else we’ve seen.
Men’s Basketball Bows Out of the ACC Tournament
The season ended with a whimper for the Eagles, who faced Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC Tournament but looked outclassed despite having already beaten the Panthers this season. BC kept it competitive in the early going, but an 18-3 Pittsburgh run late in the first half blew the game open and gave the Panthers a lead they would never relinquish. The Eagles never got closer than nine points the rest of the way and finished their season on a four-game losing streak. Nik Popovic once again starred in a loss, tallying a team-high 21 points. For more coverage of the season-ending defeat, check out our recap here.
In addition, for some thoughts on what BC needs to do next season to progress, click here.
Hutsko Keeps Men’s Hockey’s Season Alive
Trailing a best-of-three Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal series against No. 7 Providence 1-0, the Eagles desperately needed a hero to keep their season alive. They got it, in the form of Hutsko. Just 23 seconds into overtime of Game Two on Saturday, the sophomore forward—who entered the contest on a 19-game goalless streak—won a race to the puck and buried it past Friars goaltender Hayden Hawkey to knot the series at one.
Sunday, in the final game of the series, Hutsko played savior again. With eight minutes left in a 1-1 contest, he rifled a shot past Hawkey’s glove for a game- and series-winning goal. Improbably, seventh-seeded BC bested its conference rivals to advance to the tournament semifinals. For more coverage of the third game, check our our recap here.
Women’s Hockey Loses Another NCAA Tournament Heartbreaker
When Daryl Watts struck for the opening goal of the Eagles’ NCAA Tournament quarterfinal game against Clarkson, there was some hope that BC could begin to erase the heartbreak of an overtime loss in the Hockey East Championship to No. 3 Northeastern and maybe even the bad memories of NCAA Tournaments past. It was a hope that lasted until the Golden Knights nabbed the tying goal with just over three minutes to play in the third period. Neither team could break the deadlock in regulation, and, for the second straight game, the Eagles headed to overtime. Unfortunately for head coach Katie Crowley and Co., the extra period yet again failed to favor BC. Elizabeth Giguere capitalized on a scrum in front of the net to stick the puck into an open goal, and the Eagles saw their season come to an end, once again in devastating fashion with a 2-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Lacrosse Continues to Roll
Saturday morning, BC took on its fourth straight ranked opponent in No. 21 Georgetown. On paper, it looked like another decent test for the Eagles—even if they’d rattled off eight consecutive wins to start the season and outscored opponents, 148-79, in the process. Eleven minutes later, though, it was clear how much of a gap existed between the two teams. BC outscored the Hoyas, 9-0, in those first 11 minutes and cruised from there. Five different Eagles players recorded hat tricks, and BC continued its perfect start, beating Georgetown, 21-11. As a result, Acacia Walker-Weinstein also recorded her 100th win as BC’s head coach. She is the first coach in program history to reach that mark.
Baseball’s Pitching Struggles Mightily at Wake Forest
BC hit the road for its second ACC weekend series of the 2019 season and nabbed a 5-3 victory on Friday to start the three-game set off on the right foot. Things quickly collapsed from there, however. On Saturday, the Eagles held a 5-3 edge moving into the fifth inning before giving up an astonishing 13 runs in the bottom of the frame and dropping a 22-9 decision that wasn’t as lopsided as the final score suggested. The next day, the story was much the same. BC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Brian Dempsey sacrifice fly, but a grand slam from Demon Deacons left fielder Chris Lanzilli quickly flipped the scoreline in favor of Wake Forest. Lanzilli wasn’t done, though, tacking on six RBIs to finish with a program-record 10 on the day, as the Demon Deacons took the rubber match, 13-3. Cody Morrissette’s two-run triple in the sixth accounted for the Eagles’ other two runs on the day. For a more complete story about the weekend, check out our recap here.
Softball’s Bats Go Quiet at North Carolina
BC finished a 21-game road trip to start the season with its first ACC series of the year at North Carolina, and it’s safe to say things did not go to plan. The Eagles managed just one total run in the three games—a home run by Emme Martinez in the third inning of Friday’s 9-1 defeat—and were swept by the Tar Heels. Susannah Anderson pitched a stellar game on Saturday, throwing six innings of two-run ball, but got no support from the offense in a 2-0 loss. Then, BC was run-ruled on Sunday, dropping the final game of the set, 8-0, as Kristina Burkhardt’s three-run home run in the fourth inning prematurely ended the game.
Men’s Tennis Continues to Slump in ACC Play, While Women’s Tennis Goes Unbeaten
Men’s tennis spent the weekend in Florida, taking on a pair of ACC foes in Florida State and Miami, but once again struggled mightily in conference play. The Eagles were swept by both the Seminoles and the Hurricanes, failing to record even a doubles victory in either contest. With the losses, BC falls to 0-5 in the ACC this season.
On the women’s side, the Eagles were much more successful, beating Binghamton, 7-0, before notching their second conference win of the season, knocking off Virginia Tech, 5-2. Laura Lopez and Micayla Casella picked up a dominant 6-0 win in doubles play against the Bearcats on Saturday before Lopez sealed the victory against the Hokies with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Shane Disbergen on Sunday to cap a perfect weekend for BC. The Eagles are now 11-5 on the season and already have just two less wins than they did all of the 2018 season.
Moment of the Week: Hutsko’s Heroics
Make that not one, but two game-winning moments from the sophomore on the weekend. For a BC team that’s had trouble scoring all season long, Hutsko’s late resurgence is certainly a pleasant sight, and it comes at just the right time for the Eagles. Somehow, they find themselves just two wins away from an improbable NCAA Tournament berth.
What’s Next?
Baseball has home games against Northeastern and Siena, before its first home ACC series of the season against Clemson over the weekend
Softball plays Providence on Wednesday at home, then stays in Brighton to take on Syracuse in another conference series.
Men’s Hockey plays at TD Garden in the Hockey East Tournament semifinals against No. 3 Massachusetts on Friday. If the Eagles win, they’ll play for the Hockey East Championship—and a berth in the NCAA Tournament—Saturday, once again at TD Garden.
Lacrosse looks to continue a perfect start at home against Albany on Tuesday, then faces its toughest test of the season against No. 3 UNC in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
Men’s Tennis has home matches against North Carolina State, Sacred Heart, and Wake Forest over the weekend.
Women’s Tennis takes on Florida State at home on Friday, before traveling to Georgia Tech for another conference match on Sunday.
Featured Image by Bradley Smart / Heights Editor
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly labeled the Boston College women’s hockey head coach as Jerry York instead of Katie Crowley. (1:29 p.m.)
