In the history of competition between the women’s hockey programs at Boston College and Northeastern, the squads have played 42 games at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena. The results over the years have boiled down to an even split. Each team has come away with 20 wins, with two ties added in for good measure.
In the two teams’ 43rd game at Matthews, the Eagles (6–2–0, 4–2–0) looked to avenge a loss to the Huskies (7-2-0, 6-2-0) the night before and capture the advantage in wins on No. 6 Northeastern’s home ice. No. 8 BC, however, was shut out by its Beantown foe, 3–0, and came away winless on the weekend.
Penalties plagued BC throughout the game. Things looked hopeful for the Eagles early on, as Northeastern’s Maureen Murphy was whistled down four minutes into the game on a hooking call. BC’s elation was short lived, however, as Jillian Fey took a cross-checking penalty in front of the Huskies’ net one minute later, and the Eagles’ power play was cut short.
The scoreline read 0–0 at the conclusion of the first period, though not for a lack of trying on either side. BC recorded 12 shots in the period, all of which were turned away by Northeastern’s veteran goaltender Aerin Frankel.
Though BC held the advantage in shots with 12 over Northeastern’s nine, that stat does not paint the full picture of the period. Many of the Eagles’ shots were taken from the perimeter of the rink, which Frankel easily grabbed. Northeastern, on the other hand, had a number of high-quality scoring opportunities and tested BC goalie Abigail Levy from the first puck drop.
Caroline Goffredo was a bright spot for the Eagles in the loss. The sophomore winger has shown tremendous growth from a freshman campaign in which she recorded three assists and 20 shots on goal. In just eight games this season, Goffredo has already potted the first two goals of her career, and she picked up two assists and 17 shots.
Goffredo contributed all game to BC’s success in the neutral zone, using her speed and puck handling to move swiftly through center ice and into the Eagles’ attacking zone.
In the second period, Fey’s physical play caught up with her once again, and she was called for body checking in the middle of yet another BC power play. This miscue proved more costly, as Maddie Crowley-Cahill was called for tripping just 11 seconds later, and Northeastern was gifted a 5-on-3 opportunity.
Maddie Mills capitalized on the opportunity, deftly deking out Levy and the BC penalty killers and slotting the puck home to put Northeastern on the board in the second frame.
BC looked to escape the second period with minimal damage aside from Mills’ tally, but its hopes were dashed with just 11 seconds left in the period. Northeastern defender Skylar Fontaine lofted a shot in from the blue line, and Chloé Aurard deflected the puck past Levy, driving a dagger into the hearts of the Eagles.
Aurard’s goal seemed to deflate BC, and the Eagles had trouble sustaining offensive pressure throughout the third period. BC recorded just five shots in the frame, and officials called the Eagles for an additional two penalties, adding to their game total of seven.
BC made one final bid for a score in the waning minutes of the third frame. Deirdre Mullowney unleashed a booming shot from the point, and Hannah Bilka got her stick on the puck for a tipping attempt. Frankel came up with a pad save to preserve her shutout, and the Eagles walked away with a loss.
Despite the loss, Levy showcased strong play throughout the game, coming up with 35 saves on Northeastern’s gifted forwards. She solidified herself as BC’s top goaltender in the latter half of last season and has picked up right where she left off for her senior campaign.
Featured Image by Chris Ticas / For The Heights
