When we last saw our heroes, Boston College Women’s Hockey had just swept the WCHA’s Minnesota-Duluth back on October 5th and 6th. While the rest of the country has gotten their seasons well underway, the Eagles have been sitting at home waiting out a nearly two week layoff between their opening weekend and their next game.
So despite a slow start that might be chalked up to BC having to shake off some rust, the Eagles retook control over the Bobcats in the 2nd period to cruise to a solid 4-2 win.
Quinnipiac Goal #1 (PPG): 10:33 of the 1st period
Brooke Bonsteel (MacKenzie Lancaster, Anna Kilponen)
QU 1, BC 0
The Eagles were really not sharp to start the game. While Quinnipiac is currently playing their 4th weekend of hockey, the Eagles haven’t played since October 6th, and it took BC a little while to get into a groove.
Not only was there a distinct lack of passing crispness in the first period (which is putting it kindly), but BC sent a parade of players the penalty box. BC played 6 minutes of the first half of the period shorthanded.
Quinnipiac converted to take the early lead thanks so a good low, hard shot on Burt. Lancaster shot through a screen, and with the puck coming in along the ice, Burt can’t do much more with it than try and steer it aside. The problem is Brooke Bonsteel is right there waiting for it, and she just has to tap home the rebound for the goal.
Boston College Goal #1: 5:30 of the 2nd period
Makenna Newkirk (Daryl Watts, Toni Ann Miano)
BC 1, QU 1
This game played out pretty much exactly like BC’s season opener against Minnesota-Duluth. The Eagles stumbled out of the gate, but quickly took over the game in the beginning of the 2nd period.
Something must have clicked for the Eagles in the locker room, because they completely dominated the 2nd period, especially after they got their first goal.
BC had put together about three straight solid scoring chances immediately prior to this goal, so while QU’s Abbie Ives may have wanted this one back, BC did deserve to tie it up.
Newkirk gets pretty much all the credit on this one as she pretty much set up her own goal. She’s the skater behind the net who sends the no-look pass back to Watts down along the goal line. Newkirk heads right out front and gives Watts a target, and slips the puck underneath Ives for the tying goal.
Boston College Goal #2: 10:51 of the 2nd period
Caitrin Lonergan (Daryl Watts, Willow Corson)
BC 2, QU 1
BC kept that mojo going, this time with couple exceptionally nice assists from two Eagle freshmen.
It’s kind of a shame that Watt’s primary assist was so nice because the play by Willow Corson is a bit overshadowed. Quinnipiac is starting to gather the puck behind the net, but Corson just goes and wins it away from her cleanly. She spots Watts out front and sends it out to her.
Watt’s primary assist is just a subtle thing of beauty. She fools everyone on the ice thinking she’s going to shoot the puck — she’s squared up to the net and her shoulders don’t even move toward Lonergan on the pass — and dekes Ives right out of her crease.
Lonergan just has to tap it in, and BC has a lead that Quinnipiac would never threaten.
Boston College Goal #3 (GWG): 1:42 of the 3rd period
Willow Corson (Daryl Watts, Caitrin Lonergan)
BC 3, QU 1
More Daryl Watts highlights!
This time she’s stuffed on a breakaway by a pretty impressive post to post move from Ives (who actually played pretty well and made a couple of robberies in this game — one on Caitrin Lonergan in the 3rd period in particular).
But Watts and Corson earn this BC goal by sticking with the play after Watts is stopped on the breakaway. Watts in particular gets absolutely blown up by a Quinnipiac defenseman for her troubles, but still manages to flick the puck up and over the pad of Ives to give Corson a chance in the crease:
Corson fights through not one but two Quinnipiac defenders of her own and is able to win the stick battle, getting enough on the puck to put it into the net.
That’s a goal Coach Crowley and Coach Kennedy have to really be proud of.
Boston College Goal #4: 4:23 of the 3rd period
Daryl Watts (Caitrin Lonergan, Caroline Ross)
BC 4, QU 1
BC continued its choke hold on the game into the third period. This time it’s Lonergan with the helper and Watts with a strong finish, rifling a screamer past the glove of Ives to put BC up 4-1.
Watts and Lonergan currently sit at #1 and #2 in the country in PPG with 3.00 and 2.67 respectively. Watts is actually 3rd in the country in scoring, despite the fact that she’s only played in 3 games and the players above and around her have played 8 and 6 games. She’ll certainly has a bright future if she continues to shoot the lights out like she has.
Quinnipiac Goal #2: 14:16 of the 3rd period
MacKenzie Lancaster (Randi Marcon, Anna Kilponen)
BC 4, QU 2 — FINAL
BC’s got one big problem this year — special teams. While their power play at 16.7% isn’t good (especially since they were top 3 the last few years), their penalty kill has been just terrible. BC has killed just 66.7% of their penalties this year, which is 2nd to last in the country.
The Eagles’ special teams the last few years have been too good for that to continue, so you have to feel like that will get cleaned up. But in the meantime, it’s been a problem.
On this goal, you can sort of see that BC just isn’t doing enough. They’re very stagnant, very collapsed, and giving Quinnipiac much more time and room than they need to be. It’s a deflection and a rebound that catch Burt a bit out of position, but the Eagles are skilled and fast enough to be able to prevent these sort of plays from happening in the first place a lot of the time.
Still, this is the sort of thing that practice can clean up. Given the fact that BC has been dominant 5 on 5, currently sits at 3-0-0 after 3 games against top 15 teams, and has controlled every game (they’ve held a 4-1 lead in all 3 matchups) despite their special teams not clicking — that has to give BC some confidence that they can get even better than they’re already playing.
Game highlights are below, and you can re-watch the full game replay right here.
Miss the #BCEagles' 4-2 win over Quinnipiac last night? We've got you covered. pic.twitter.com/2adNHdUn5r
— BC Women's Hockey (@BC_WHockey) October 18, 2017
The Eagles will kick off a stretch this weekend with 5 straight one-off games against 5 different members of Hockey East — the first three of which are on the road. This will be a good opportunity for BC to put itself into a good position in the league standings, and hopefully start to work on that special teams play.