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With Alex Carpenter away on US Olympic duty for the season, Haley Skarupa let it be known on Sunday afternoon that she'd be playing the role of BC's human highlight reel - and perhaps even the role of Patty Kaz contender. Skarupa sparked the Eagles' well-rounded offense with a pair of goals in an easy 5-1 win over the University of Maine.
In reality, this game was never as close as even the 5-1 score indicated, with the 44-19 shots on goal edge for BC giving some indication of the level of control BC was in. In last season's crazy Hockey East quarterfinal game between Maine and BC, the Eagles poured 70+ shots on net before finally winning in overtime. They prevented that sort of drama by getting on the board early on Sunday, with freshman Andie Anastos notching her first career goal just 5:40 into the game.
Much as the men's hockey team did in their tuneup vs. St. Francis on Sunday, the women's hockey team found a lot of success by driving hard to the net, being in place to knock home centering passes or shots into traffic; Kristyn Capizzano, another freshman, notched her first career goal by knocking one such goal home late in the first to extend BC's lead.
Skarupa scored the second period's only goal on a play that she made look way too easy, casually cruising around Maine's entire defense as though they were traffic cones and ripping home a nasty shot. Thankfully, it's captured in gif form:
Maine scored early in the third to make it 3-1, but Haley McLean extended BC's lead with a power play goal at 8:59 of the third to really put the game out of reach.
Skarupa then added the exclamation point with a strip-and-steal that would have made Luke Kuechly proud, dispossessing a Maine defender and waltzing in for an easy shorthanded goal, deking out Maine's goalie in the process. The dangle was captured in .gif form, though it leaves out the takeaway:
The tuneups are well and truly over now for BC, as they prepare for a two-game set at home next weekend against regional rival St. Lawrence. The Saints aren't considered preseason ECAC title favorites the way they have been in some past years, but they should still provide a stout early test for the Eagles. The puck drops Friday at 7, with game two following that on Saturday at 2.