NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — For four out of five women’s Hockey East championship games in Boston College program history, history repeated itself, just as history can sometimes have a way of repeating itself over and over again.
Until it doesn’t.
The No. 1-ranked Eagles won their second Hockey East championship in program history, defeating Boston University 5-0 Sunday afternoon. The Terriers’ loss snaps the program’s six-year tournament berth streak and four-year Hockey East championship streak.
“It’s awesome,” BC coach Katie Crowley said. “I’m extremely proud for that senior class — they’ve been through a lot. There are some great players in that class, and they get to take home this trophy, which is awesome for them and awesome for our younger kids to learn how to win this trophy. But it’s a special moment for our team and our program.”
This game marked the second time the Eagles won the Hockey East championship. In comparison to the 2011 3-1 victory over Northeastern, Sunday afternoon’s game was not much of a contest. The Eagles scored early to take control of the game and due to a solid defensive effort by the Eagles, the game was never in question.
The first goal came just 4:12 into the contest. On a power play after a Sammy Davis cross-checking penalty, eventual All-Tournament team member Haley Skarupa took a one-time feed from eventual tournament MVP and linemate Alex Carpenter. Skarupa’s shot hit Erin O’Neil’s arm, slowing the puck down. O’Neil did not get enough of it, however, and the puck trickled in.
Carpenter and her linemates struck again just a minute and a half later. On a similar play, Carpenter got a one-time feed from Skarupa. This particular shot, however, was not touched by O’Neil, and the puck rocketed past her to give the Eagles the 2-0 lead.
Ultimately, that was all the Eagles needed to take control of the game from the Terriers.
“I just think, from a start of the game standpoint, we maybe could have afforded to give up one, but we gave up two,” BU coach Brian Durocher said. “We didn’t want to take penalties, but we got a penalty out of the gate, I think Alex slipped somebody on the side wall, I saw a three-on-one situation and they score, and then she makes one of those plays the great players make, a one-timer that’s right in the top corner, and it’s 2-0.”
Compounding the issues for the Terriers was the lack of offense of their own. The Terriers only managed two shots on goal in the first period, effectively stymieing any chance at offense for BU.
In the second, Carpenter added a second goal just 16 seconds in, netting her second goal of the game. The second goal tied a single-game record in WHEA championship games, the plateau previously reached by BU’s Marie-Philip Poulin in the 2015 championship game.
The Eagles added two more goals early in the third period, capping their second championship in program history. For the Terriers, it was the program’s first loss in the Hockey East championship game. The Terriers had previously won all five of their previous Hockey East championship games.
“The mood in the locker room is always that you are losing a big group of seniors,” Durocher said. “You’re losing a group that has that personality, that played hard, that are champions. You always want to win this one because it puts a great staple on the season. It puts a banner up in the rink, it gets you to the NCAA tournament, but again we leave with a little bit of bittersweet thank you for the seniors.”
The Eagles await the NCAA tournament selection show Sunday evening. The Eagles and Northeastern will be the two teams representing Hockey East in the NCAA tournament.
