With No. 12 Boston College women’s hockey posting an up-and-down record the past few games, it took on Merrimack looking to begin a healthy winning streak.
Merrimack forward Sage Babey opened the scoring by landing a shot in the back of the net aided by Sophie McKinley just 3:16 into the first period.
The early goal forced BC into playing defensively sound, while the Warriors continued to dominate in their offensive zone.
Merrimack potted another goal after Maria Lindberg’s shot found its way past Grace Campbell, further widening the scoring gap in the Warriors’ favor.
The Eagles continued to struggle to find ways to break into the scoring column after falling quickly into a 2–0 deficit.
Just 22 seconds after the Warriors’ second goal, defenseman Natalie Nemes landed a third shot for Merrimack into BC’s goal.
In an attempt to change the Eagles’ current strategy, they substituted Campbell for Bailey Callaway in between the pipes.
Despite surrendering three goals in the first seven minutes, BC continued to battle in its effort to even up the score.
After forcing pressure on the Merrimack defense, BC forward Katie Pyne lifted the puck above goaltender Calli Hogarth’s pad to give the Eagles their first score of the night.
Soon after, BC went on the power play but failed to make use of it, sending both teams into intermission with a 3–1 score.
The Eagles began the second frame seeking to crawl their way back into the game, looking to pressure both sides of the Warriors’ game.
The Eagles got one step closer after Julia Pellerin fired a one-timer from Sammy Taber’s feed to cut Merrimack’s lead in half.
Less than six minutes later, though, BC failed to fend off the Warriors as Chloe Goofers tallied Merrimack’s fourth goal of the night to sweep away any hopes of a tie game.
The Eagles continued to push offensively to begin the third period, hoping to once again close the two-score gap.
Entering the final 10 minutes of regulation, Pellerin glided up the right side and snapped a shot beneath Hogarth to bring the score within one for BC.
In response, Merrimack’s Michaela Littlewood gave her team its much-needed insurance goal with 1:18 remaining to put the score at 5–3.
Despite their whole-hearted attempts at evening the score after falling to an early three-goal deficit, the Eagles were ultimately upset by the unranked Warriors.
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