As Julia Pellerin celebrated with her teammates, it seemed as if Boston College women’s hockey would send its hard-fought battle with Vermont into overtime. The freshman forward had just scored an improbable goal on a deflection from a Molly Jordan shot just inside the blue line to equalize the game with just over two minutes left to play.
But Maddy Skelton had other ideas. Right after the Eagles won the ensuing faceoff, the Vermont forward intercepted a pass, raced by two BC defenders, and fired a shot into the top corner. In the blink of an eye, the energy shifted all the way back to the Catamounts.
Just one day after rallying from a three-goal deficit, the No. 15 Eagles (7–6–1, 7–2–1 Hockey East) fell to No. 13 Vermont (6–4–1, 5–2–0) on Saturday. Skelton’s third-period goal proved to be the difference in a 3–2 victory for the Catamounts.
BC dominated the first period, outshooting Vermont 19–14 and tallying six more shots on goal. The Eagles earned a power play just three minutes into the game, and they immediately took advantage of it. Jordan found forward Abby Newhook open on the left side of the zone, and she sniped a shot into the upper twine.
BC left its foot on the gas until the 14th minute of the initial frame, when officials sent Newhook to the box for tripping. Vermont moved the puck around quickly but could not find the equalizer on the power play. The man advantage sparked the Catamounts’ offense, however, and Vermont ended the first period on a strong note.
BC started the second period with a barrage of shots. Newhook, defender Annaka Mettler, and Pellerin all produced opportunities but could not beat Vermont goalkeeper Sydney Correa. Immediately after, Vermont forward Evelyne Blais-Savoie skated to a one-on-one opportunity with BC goalkeeper Grace Campbell, but her shot sailed over the net.
The Eagles’ forecheck wreaked havoc on Vermont’s attack throughout the first 25 minutes of the game, with the Catamounts finding it very difficult to advance the puck into the attacking zone without having it stolen. To counter this, Vermont started to lift pucks over the top of BC’s defense. This strategy caused problems for the Eagles, but Campbell made sure none of these opportunities turned into goals.
Vermont tied the game on a power play at the 11:48 mark of the second period. Forward Natálie Mlýnková freed up space with a hesitation move and then beat Campbell with a powerful shot. In the last minute of the period, Pellerin had an opportunity to give BC the lead but was displaced after great defense from defender Sara Levesque.
Despite dominating the first two periods on the stat sheet, the Eagles only had one goal to show for it. Vermont started the third period aggressively, looking more dangerous than it had during the first two frames.
The Catamounts earned a power play just under four minutes into the period and quickly took advantage. Blaise-Savoy dribbled close to the net without being closed out by an Eagle defender and beat Campbell with a shot to the top corner.
After Blaise-Savoy’s goal, the Eagles started to play like they had early in the first period. BC fired shot after shot at Correa, but it failed to get the puck past her.
With four minutes left in the game, it seemed like the Eagles were knocking on the door. Pellerin finally found the breakthrough with her miraculous tip-in from Jordan’s long-range attempt that bounced off both posts before somehow slipping past the otherwise flawless Catamounts goalkeeper.
Skelton answered instantly, however, sending the fans in Gutterson Fieldhouse into a frenzy. BC pulled Campbell with two minutes left in the game and desperately searched for an equalizer, but could not find one. Despite outshooting the Catamounts 35–20 in shots on goal, the Eagles could not get enough pucks past Correa, who finished with 33 saves in BC’s 3–2 loss.
