Boston College Women’s Ice Hockey secured a 4-1 victory against the Franklin Pierce Ravens at Conte Forum this Saturday in their home opener, thanks to a spree of scoring midway through the third period.
Kate Ham got what would end up being the game-winning goal with just under 12 minutes remaining in the third. Sidney Fess and Jena Carpenter assisted on the tough-angle shot that was placed just above Franklin Pierce’s goalie Suzette Faucher’s left shoulder.
The first period saw both teams shaking off some rust, as missed passes and hits were common in the first few minutes. After a back-and-forth start, however, Boston College took over the game. They began to dominate zone and possession time as they pounded Faucher with shot after shot. Hannah Bilka led the way for the Eagles with two excellent chances to put the puck away, but came up just short both times. At the end of the first twenty minutes, the score was 0-0, due in large part to the Ravens keeping BC to the outside of the offensive zone.
The same themes continued into the second period with the Eagles still dominating play. 7:42 into the second period, the Eagles went to the power play off a tripping penalty by the Ravens’ Grace Schuck. While the Eagles managed to get three shots on what would be the only penalty of the game, their power play was ultimately underwhelming. They were again kept to the outside with no real scoring chances, and all of their shots came from the outside circles.
The Eagle’s luck would change with seven minutes left in the second, however, as Kayla Barnes buried the pass from Hannah Bilka and Abby Newhook. Barnes was the trailer on what turned into a four-on-two odd-man rush for the Eagles. Bilka took the puck wide, drawing the defenseman and opening up the lane for Newhook to take a beautiful shot from above the hash marks.
Franklin Pierce wasn’t about to go down easy, since a few minutes later, Ava Krison put home a rebound on a two-on-one. Hanson Lucy and Ruiz Jenna ended up assisting on what was a regrettable goal for the Eagles: a bad turnover on their own blue line. Both teams went to the locker rooms at the end of the second, once again tied, despite the Eagles clearly being the better team through forty minutes.
The beginning of the third again saw Franklin Pierce with a little bit of life as both teams went end to end in a series of exciting fast-paced action. However, this was once again quickly shut down by the Eagles as they began to dominate time of possession again. This initially led to Kylie Huseth hitting the post around six minutes into the third, but more importantly, it eventually became a series of goals in the middle of the period.
The first of which was the game-winning goal by Kate Ham, which was quickly followed up with goals three and four from Bilka and Gaby Roy. The first of these occurred just over halfway into the third as a fluttering puck found its way past Faucher and into the Ravens’ net. It was a nice reward for Bilka, who had been a pivotal player for BC throughout the entire game.
A little under five minutes later, Roy was able to tap in what was a beautiful pass from Cayla Barnes, who danced around a Raven defender in order to get the puck to Roy. With five minutes to go, the crowd of 216 people cheered with the knowledge the 4-1 lead would seal the game.
The Boston College Women’s Hockey Team seemed rusty for the first five minutes of the contest but put away any doubt with their performance in the last fifty-five minutes. While the scoring didn’t come until later, it was clear to everyone watching that they were the better team on the ice. Time of possession and zone time played a pivotal role in the win, but the use of the Eagles’ defensemen in the offensive zone seemed to make the difference at key points. This, combined with a strong cycle game deep in Franklin Pierce’s zone, led BC to outshoot the Ravens 38-15.
Catch Women’s Hockey in action next Friday, September 30th as they travel to Quinnipiac in what’s sure to be an exciting game.
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Political Science major with a small Fantasy Football addiction
