GOAL BY GOAL: MINNEAPOLIS BOUND! BC Women's Hockey Dominates Clarkson To Advance To Frozen Four

BC may have lost the Beanpot championship game and the Hockey East championship game, but at least for one night, that bad mojo is far in the rearview mirror.

Saturday afternoon, BC found its legs early and cruised to a strong 5-1 victory over the Clarkson Golden Knights, avenging last year's season-ending loss and sending the #1/#2 ranked Eagles soaring to Minneapolis for the Frozen Four.

The stars came out to shine, and this game was never in doubt.

Boston College Goal #1: 11:28 of the 1st period
Alex Carpenter (Haley Skarupa, Kenzie Kent)

BC 1, Clarkson 0

Alex Carpenter is currently on a victory lap to the Patty Kazmaier award banquet. The voting is already over, so we can say that without jinxing her -- but like Johnny Gaudreau last year for the Hobey, the actual announcement of the award is a mere formality.

She was a force in this game, controlling the game just about every time she and her linemates were on the ice. She got things started with this laser up over the shoulder of Clarkson goalie Shea Tiley, who needed to retrieve her water bottle.

#12 Renata Fast for Clarkson wisely gets out of the way, not just so she wouldn't die, but so Tiley could have a clear look at the shot. From that distance, she would be nothing more than a screen on her own goalie. But even if Tiley's glove gets up to grab it, that puck is taking the glove with it.

Boston College Goal #2 (GWG): 0:23 of the 2nd period
Alex Carpenter (Haley Skarupa)

BC 2, Clarkson 0

Not to make this article an Alex Carpenter love fest, but she's the whole-hockey-player-package. You saw her shot in the first goal, and you can see her speed in this one. She collects the puck off the boards and in three strides goes from the red line to the other blue line.

The poor girl she took the puck from is gone, poof, and she doesn't even reenter the frame. There's a desperation dive in front of the net by the Clarkson defenseman, and Carpenter just skates around her and flings the puck in 5 hole to put BC up 2.

The way things were going, it felt like two just might be enough, but BC was just getting started.

Boston College Goal #3: 15:55 of the 2nd period
Kristyn Capizzano (Emily Field, Kaliya Johnson)

BC 3, Clarkson 0

I wish I could have grabbed more of this play, but the game wasn't archived and I was limited to pulling GIFs from the highlights. Oh well.

What happens on this play is Emily Field takes a shot from the far faceoff dot intentionally wide. It's surprising that it wasn't Dana "Trig" Trivigno because she sure seems to know her angles (HA! BC INTERRUPTION EXCLUSIVE JOKE MUST CREDIT BC INTERRUPTION).

Kristyn Capizzano is unmarked at the near post, and Shea Tiley realizes what is happening way too late, giving Capizzano a wide open net to shoot at.

Boston College Goal #4: 13:58 of the 3rd period
Haley Skarupa (Alex Carpenter)

BC 4, Clarkson 1

First thing's first: Alex Carpenter is lucky not to have been snapped in half by this cross check. It was basically prison hockey for the entire third period, with the refs hesitant to blow the whistle on anything that wasn't completely blatant -- but this is what you'd call "blatant." The refs did call it, giving BC a power play that would basically ice the game.

Clarkson actually scored a goal in the very beginning of the third period to cut the lead back to 2, and played very well, with their most sustained pressure of the game, for the last several minutes of the 2nd and early third. But BC's top line came to the rescue.

After an extended scrum in the front of the net, Carpenter tried to wrap the puck around the post but lost the handle on it. Turns out that's exactly what BC needed to find enough space for someone to actually get a shot, and Haley Skarupa was there to lift the puck over a sprawling Shea Tiley to really put the game away.

Boston College Goal #5 (ENG): 11:28 of the 3rd period
Toni Ann Miano (Haley Skarupa)

BC 5, Clarkson 1 -- FINAL

A few minutes later, Miano won a puck battle to earn the empty net, and that would be all from Conte Forum for this season. BC's defense looked much improved in this game, clearing Clarkson's plays from the slot rather than putting the puck there themselves, and choking out just about every Clarkson chance. Even their one goal was more of a rare misplay by Katie Burt than a great chance.

BC will fly out to Minneapolis this weekend for the Frozen Four. The top four seeds all advanced (told you so), which sets up a tournament that should, on paper, have the most high-end collection of talent in history.

Friday, March 20th
Ridder Arena, Minneapolis, MN

#4 Wisconsin vs. #1 Minnesota -- 6pm ET
#3 Harvard vs. #2 Boston College -- 9pm ET

Just two wins stand between BC women's hockey and their first national title. Let's go, Eagles.