GOAL BY GOAL: BC Women's Hockey Comes From Behind To Defeat Boston University

It was a wild night at Conte Forum.

The Terriers put a scare into the Eagles and threatened to end their program-record 18 game unbeaten streak, but BC was able to hold on. After falling behind 2-0 early to the Terriers, the Eagles rallied and scored the game-winning goal in the third period to escape with a narrow 4-3 win.

Boston College was without primary goaltender Katie Burt, who was in Buffalo, NY playing with the Team USA U18 team (our goalie is under 18), and had to turn to another young freshman, Gabri Switaj, to backstop its biggest game of the season. With her first collegiate start coming against the #4 team in the country, the first period was, well, a bit of an adventure.

Boston University Goal #1: 6:13 of the 1st period
Marie-Philip Poulin (Unassisted)

BU 1, BC 0

It's hard to get on Switaj for this goal. Despite dramatically outshooting BU over the course of the game, the Eagles definitely had some rust to shake off from the winter break.

Kaliya Johnson makes a pass attempt with Poulin bearing down on her, and Poulin is able to come up with the steal. She whips around and is able to come in on a partial breakaway.

The first shot Gabri Switaj faces in college comes on a breakaway from one of the world's biggest superstars. It didn't end well.

Boston University Goal #2: 6:26 of the 1st period
Kayla Tutino (Unassisted)

BU 2, BC 0

Just 13 seconds later, and BC is facing a multi-goal deficit for the first time all season.

Switaj gives a great Zatkoff Face after this goal and it's definitely the one she would probably want back the most. The puck bounces in to the side of the cage and she whacks at it with her stick to try and clear it away. But she's not totally to blame here -- Pfalzer, #14, starts to skate it out but whiffs. Tutino finally comes in to take a hack at it and it chirps by Switaj for the second Terrier goal.

BC had been badly outshooting the Terriers to this point, and fortunately they started to find the back of the net.

Boston College Goal #1: 7:11 of the 1st period
Tori Sullivan (Megan Keller, Dana Trivigno)

BU 2, BC 1

BC's been the best team in the country at winning faceoffs, and winning the draw is critical on this goal.

Keller skates behind the net and throws the puck in front where a mess of bodies awaits. No one is able to get a clean shot on the initial chance, but Sullivan stays with it and is able to chip the puck up and over Victoria Hanson. Fifty-eight seconds after the scoring started, BC is on the board.

Boston College Goal #2: 16:58 of the 1st period
Kate Leary (Emily Pfalzer, Dana Trivigno)

BC 2, BU 2

Have a look at Kate Leary with the individual effort! Leary gets it all done on her own here, skating through two BU defenders, getting off a shot from the slot, finding her own rebound, and slipping it past Hanson. BC comes back to tie the game before the period even ends, and it feels like things have turned around for good, don't they?

Boston University Goal #3: 19:31 of the 1st period
Sarah Lefort (Marie-Philip Poulin)

BU 3, BC 2

Well, they didn't. Or, hadn't yet, anyway.

Lots to talk about on this goal. First of all, this wraps up a brutal period for Switaj, as she allowed 3 Terrier goals on the first 3 shots she faced. That's... rough. But credit to Coach Crowley for sticking with her. She came back out in the second period and didn't allow another goal the rest of the game.

That's not to say that she didn't struggle with rebounds and look like she still had some nerves to shake off, but she certainly got the job done and made some ridiculous saves in the third period to keep BC up late.

The big part of this goal, though, is the injury to goalscorer Sarah Lefort. Kaliya Johnson takes a pretty good slash at Lefort's legs during the shot, and this, possibly in conjunction with Lefort losing her balance on her own, causes Lefort to go flying headlong into the boards. It took her a while to skate back to the bench, but she would return to the ice.

That wrapped up a wild but disappointing first period. BC largely controlled play save for a few sloppy plays, sloppy passes, and rusty skating, but they'd keep up the pressure in the second period.

Boston College Goal #3: 6:58 of the 2nd period
Haley Skarupa (Emily Pfalzer, Alex Carpenter)

BC 3, BU 3

It's hard to really put into words how important Emily Pfalzer is to BC's offense. That's her skating in wide and taking the puck to the net. She's a defenseman but she really makes the offense go.

Nothing fancy from Pfalzer here. She just takes the puck to the net. The puck sits there long enough for Haley Skarupa to find it and tap it home, and BC has itself a tie once again.

But with BC's talent, a tie would have been unacceptable. Fortunately, the Eagles would come out on top.

Boston College Goal #4 (PPG, GWG): 7:24 of the 3rd period
Tori Sullivan (Emily Pfalzer, Lexi Bender)

BC 4, BU 3 -- FINAL

After zero penalties through the first two periods (despite some clear infractions from both sides), it looked like the third period would be bona fine Felony Time. But the referees found their whistles and sent a parade of Eagles and Terriers to the box the entire period. It would be to BC's benefit.

Another setup from Pfalzer down low, but this time with a bit more patience. As Pfalzer comes behind the net, your eyes are drawn to the Eagle down low on the faceoff circle all alone. That pass is practically begging to be made, but the result would have been a fairly low quality shot from a bad angle.

Instead, Sullivan sneaks into the slot and finds some good space. Pfalzer finds her with an easy pass and a tap-in goal, and that would be enough for BC to take home the win.

Unfortunately, the story at the end of the game was not the win over #4 BU, but the vicious hit in the closing seconds from BU's Kayla Tutino on Emily Pfalzer.

Pfalzer was down for nearly 5 minutes as a result of this brutal hit as she was being tended to by the team trainer. She eventually had to be helped off the ice. Tutino was given a 5 minute major and a game misconduct, but you can certainly expect the league to take a look at this hit and take additional disciplinary action.

BC will take on Northeastern in a home-and-home this weekend, but our thoughts will obviously be with Emily Pfalzer as we wait for more information on any potential injury.