Category Archives: Hockey

Great season, but disappointing end

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BCWIH

The BC women’s hockey team finished with 34 victories this season, more than any other team in the country, but, more significantly, zero championships. Despite an excellent season overall, and two outstanding national awards for individuals, the Eagles would have liked even more to have earned the Beanpot, Hockey East championship, and the national crown.

Harvard, which had lost to BC 10-2 in November but beat the Eagles for the Beanpot 3-2, ended the Eagles’ season with a 2-1 victory Friday in the semifinals of the national championship. BC outshot Harvard, 44-21, including 18-9 in the final period, but the Harvard goalie stopped all but one.

BC started the season with a 28-game unbeaten streak, reaching #1 in the country, before  losing for the first time, to Harvard in the Beanpot. The Eagles finished 34-3-2, and 21-0-1 in the regular Hockey East season.

National player and coach of the year

Alex Carpenter

Alex Carpenter

Junior forward Alex Carpenter, the nation’s leading scorer, won the Patty Kazmaier Award, presented to the nation’s best women’s college hockey player in Division I. Her 81 points (37 goals, 44 assists) in the highest point total in Division I, women or men.

Carpenter, from North Reading, Mass., didn’t play with the Eagles last season as she was on the US national women’s team that took the Silver Medal in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. She was also named Hockey East Player of the Year this season.

BC Coach Katie King Crowley was named American Hockey Coaches’ Association “coach of the year” for women’s college hockey in 2014-15.

Carpenter and teammate Emily Pfalzer, a senior defenseman, were named first team all-America.

Eagles 0-fer in Beanpot trophies

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For the first time in several years, there is no Beanpot trophy on the Heights.

After the men’s team lost to Northeastern in the opening round, the #1-ranked women’s team took its unbeaten record into the arena at Harvard Tuesday, February 10, but lost 3-2 to #4 Harvard, a team BC had beaten 10-2 earlier in the year.

BC’s men’s team had won the five previous Beanpots and the women were defending Beanpot champions before this season’s Beanpot drought.

Against Harvard, BC took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game and outshot Harvard 32-17 in the game. BC advanced to 2-1 but Harvard came back to tie the game and then scored the winning goal when BC’s all-everything Alex Carpenter was in the penalty box for a five-minute major penalty.

The BC men’s team plays in the Beanpot consolation against Harvard on February 23, as the men’s tournament was recheduled because of perpetual snow.

BC #1 college in hockey

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Beanpot game watch changed to Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5 pm, Beer Co. The opening round was postponed a day because of the snowstorm.

USA Today has published a list of the best US college men’s hockey programs, based on “athletic strength, leadership, career preparation and value.” At the top of the list is none other than, ahem, Boston College. I think BC fans would have only been surprised if some other school was there.

The top 10 college men’s hockey programs are

  • Boston College
  • Wisconsin
  • Minnesota
  • Notre Dame
  • Quinnipiac
  • Denver
  • Michigan
  • Colgate
  • Providence
  • Union

Notice the absence of that other hockey program on Commonwealth Avenue.

BC-BUhockey

The BC Eagles defend their top ranking and go for their sixth consecutive Beanpot Championship in the opening round against Northeastern. Game watch is Monday, February 3 (change), 5 pm, The Beer Co., 602 Broadway, San Diego.