CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — In the natural ebb and flow of a schedule, inherently there are going to be large marquee matchups and matchups that can be written off as just another game.
For No. 1 Boston College, the victory over Harvard could be seen as a large, marquee matchup, given history both recent and distant between the two teams.
The matchup against Vermont Friday night just did not have the same ring to it.
Yet, despite the letdown, the Eagles defeated the Catamounts 6-2 at Kelley Rink.
“I think coming off a game like our rivalry with Harvard, kind of tough to get yourself going after that,” BC coach Katie Crowley said. “I thought eventually we got going and were playing a little bit better, but I thought the first period for sure was flat.”
The first period effort by the Eagles indeed was flat, with the Eagles struggling to generate much offensively.
The one bright moment for the Eagles came off the stick of Makenna Newkirk. Around the midpoint of the first period, Newkirk found herself on the side of the Vermont crease. Megan Keller rifled a shot from the blue line. Newkirk got a stick on the shot, deflecting the shot past Madison Litchfield for the period’s first and only goal.
The second period, on the other hand was much more eventful.
The Eagles did not waste much time with getting on the board in the period. Toni Ann Miano got the scoring started in the second period, firing a shot from the blue line that found its way back to the net. BC then got another opportunity when Sammy Kolowrat was sent to the box. Immediately following the faceoff, Trivigno sent a shot past Litchfield. Originally ruled a good goal, the tally was taken away following review. That meant that following an Andie Anastos redirection past Litchfield’s blocker, the score was 3-0, not 4-1.
Consequently, the anomalies of puck luck shifted in Vermont’s favor. A shot came in on Katie Burt in the closing minutes of the second. Burt was able to deflect the puck, but instead of going out of harms way, the puck deflected up. When it came down, the puck fluttered past the goal line, giving the Catamounts their first goal of the game. In a period where the Eagles could have closed up 4-0, instead the Eagles were nursing a tenuous 3-1 lead.
BC, however, was able to give some cushion right away in the third, with Alex Carpenter firing a wrister past Litchfield for her 29th goal. Moments later Dana Trivigno contributed another goal, adding to her three assists from earlier in the game to finish with four points on the night.
The Catamounts added another goal moments after the Trivigno goal. Saana Valkama received a feed from Taylor Willard. Valkama buried the puck past Burt.
Yet the Eagles, who had pushed through minor listlessness, were able to add one more goal. Alex Carpenter was able to redirect a shot from Megan Keller three-quarters of the way through the third, putting the seal on the Eagles victory.
The Eagles continue a 25-game winning streak with the win and improve to 25-0-0. The Catamounts fall to 6-18-2 on the year. The two teams play again Saturday afternoon.
