BC Interruption Hall of Fame: BCI Inducts Kelli Stack

Boston College’s 2nd most successful program already has an inductee into the inaugural BC Interruption Hall of Fame class. Alex Carpenter leads the program in almost any stat you can think of — and leads all Boston College hockey players in career scoring.

So what makes Kelli Stack worthy of joining the BCI Hall of Fame alongside Alex Carpenter? Simply put, there would be no Alex Carpenter, no six-Frozen-Fours-in-seven-years, no Boston College Women’s Hockey juggernaut, without Kelli Stack.

Stack was a major recruit with offers from all the major programs. In the end, she narrowed her decision to either Boston College or Wisconsin, and her decision to come to the Heights changed the course of the program.

Coming into Kelli Stack’s freshman year, the BC Women’s Hockey program had never once advanced to the NCAA tournament. As a freshman, Stack put up a wild 17-37—54 line, leading the Eagles in scoring and good for 6th nationally. That was enough to lead Boston College into the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, and they weren’t just “happy to be there.”

The 8th ranked Eagles topped #3 Dartmouth 3-2 in the NCAA quarterfinals in a double overtime thriller. Kelli Stack, playmaker that she was, tallied the primary assist on all three goals for BC, including on a wild shorthanded goal that put the Eagles up 2-0.

That run to the Frozen Four was the start of the rise of a new power in women’s hockey. Stack again led the Eagles to the national tournament her junior year in 2009 before taking a year off to play in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. She joined her classmate, goaltender Molly Schaus, as the first two Eagles to make it to the Olympics in women’s hockey.

While Stack was gone the Eagles struggled mightily, posting a disappointing 8-17-10 record in 2009-2010. It was the last time the Eagles had fewer than 24 wins in a season.

Her return for her senior year saw the Eagles post — to that point — their best season in program history. BC entered the 2011 national tournament 4th in the nation, good enough to host an NCAA quarterfinal for the first time. The Eagles hosted perennial powerhouse Minnesota and pulled off one of their most impressive single-game efforts ever in a 4-1 dominating win at Kelley Rink.

Kelli Stack, who had long since proven her abilities in big games, pulled off what is to this day one of the slickest goals for any BC hockey player.

Stack’s five years as a representative of Boston College hockey elevated the program from no-name status all the way to an annual Frozen Four contender. But her legacy went beyond her time on the Heights. The sustained success of the Eagles made Boston College a destination program for incoming recruits, allowing BC to reload rather than drop back to the pack after Stack’s graduation.

The 2011 Frozen Four in Stack’s senior season marked the beginning of a stretch of seven consecutive years in the NCAA tournament, including 6 out of 7 Frozen Fours (!!), a stat that is tops in the nation.

After graduating, Stack was the one of the most recognizable faces of the 2014 Olympics, and made headlines after the Games because of her adoption of one of the stray dogs of Sochi (which definitely helps her case for the Hall of Fame).

Kelli Stack almost single-handedly made Boston College a destination for top recruits. She led almost every career statistical category upon graduation, and more importantly, set the table for future BC women’s hockey superstars to break those records.

Boston College would not have a powerhouse peer alongside men’s hockey if Kelli Stack had not decided to come to the Heights. That’s why she is a member of the inaugural BC Interruption Hall of Fame Class of 2017.