The University of Maine women’s hockey team fell to Boston College Eagles 2-1 in a Thursday night contest.
The Eagles soared out of the gate, scoring off of the first face off under a minute into the game. Third-year forward Lindsay Agnew scooped the puck in Maine’s defensive zone and took it down the wing, sending a wrist shot behind third-year goaltender Carly Jackson. Third-year forward Tereza Vanisova took the puck down the wing before cutting across the slot. Vanisova clapped a hard shot through traffic to tie the game with eight minutes left in the first. The second period was a back and forth battle between the two teams but neither was able to score.
Midway through the third period, the Eagles capitalized on a power play opportunity. Fourth-year defender Megan Keller fired an initial shot, which was deflected and recovered by first-year forward Kelly Browne. Browne poked the puck past Jackson, tallying her ninth goal of the season and scoring the final goal of the contest. Jackson finished with 29 saves, while Eagles’ first-year goaltender Maddy McArthur tallied 26 saves.
The Black Bears fared no better against a strong Boston College defense on Friday night, losing 5-2 and subsequently losing the series 2-0. Browne scored the lone goal of the first, giving the Eagles a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game. Maine tightened up their defense though, stopping eight more shots over the remainder of the period.
The Eagles continued their strong push, as Keller scored her second goal in two games under a minute into the period. Two minutes later, third-year forward Delaney Balinskas took the feed from second-year forward Maegan Beres and clapped the puck past Jackson, putting the Eagles ahead 3-0. Vanisova, a bright spot on an otherwise disappointing series for Maine, fired a shot through traffic to put Maine on the board. The Eagles capitalized on a power play courtesy of tripping by Black Bears’ fourth-year forward Lydia Murray. Eagles’ second-year forward Daryl Watts took the feed from fourth-year defender Serena Sommerfield and rifled the puck past Jackson, sending both teams to the locker room with a 4-1 score.
The Black Bears scored the opening goal in the third, cutting Boston’s lead to 4-2. At the end of a power play, Vanisova sent a pass up from the corner to the top of the zone, where first-year defender Ida Press clapped a shot past McArthur for her second goal of the year two minutes into the period. Boston College would score the game’s final goal on another power play, as Agnew sent one in to give the Eagles the 5-2 lead. The Black Bears proceeded to pull Jackson, putting in second-year goaltender Loryn Porter for the remainder of the contest.
Maine returns home to face the University of Vermont in the team’s last home game of the regular season on Feb 23. Puck drop for senior day is at 2 p.m.
