Crowley Announces Captains for 2017-18

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Junior Makenna Newkirk and senior Kenzie Kent will be the captains of the 2017-18 Boston College women's hockey team, while senior goaltender Katie Burt will be the team's assistant captain. Head coach Katie Crowley made the announcement on Wednesday as Boston College students returned to campus for the school year.

All three players will be first-time captains.

"We're really excited about Makenna, Kenzie and Katie leading us this season," Crowley said. "This is a very hard-working group and they set a tremendous example for the rest of the team. They're fantastic representatives of BC Hockey not only on the ice, but also on campus and in the community.

"All three players bring something unique to the program and we expect they'll work really well together to lead this team to the best it can be," Crowley continued.

Newkirk returns to the ice for her third season after standout campaigns in 2015-16 and 2017-18. The junior will come into the 2016-17 season with 88 career points from 37 goals and 51 assists in 77 games. As a freshman, she was the runner-up for AHCA National Freshman of the Year and went on to claim Hockey East All-Star Second Team status as a sophomore. In 2016-17, Newkirk was fourth in Hockey East conference scoring with 28 points in 21 games, despite missing three games. The Scottsdale, Arizona, product's 19 league assists were second in the conference behind teammate Megan Keller, while her 12 power-play points were best among all Hockey East players last season. Prior to the season, she was a member of the 2016 U.S. Under-22 Select Team.

Kent – who is the country's most prolific two-sport athlete – is coming off a season in which she participated in two sports' Final Four weekends, playing in the 2017 Frozen Four with the hockey team and the 2017 Final Four with the lacrosse team, where the Eagles advanced to the national championship game. On the ice, Kent enters 2017-18 ranked 14th in career scoring at Boston College with 107 points. Her 76 career assists are tied for 10th in program history, while her 0.64 assists per game rank eighth in the team's record book. She has played in all 119 games in her career, primarily as the left wing on the team's first line. She is also a primary component on the Eagles' special teams units. On the lacrosse field, Kent recorded a career-high 77 points in just 12 games in 2017. She was ranked 27th nationally in assists and 31st nationally in points, garnering first-team all-region honors and one of four nods nationally as a Honda Award Nominee. At the conclusion of the year, Kent was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference's Mary Garber Award winner as the 2016-17 Female Athlete of the Year. Kent was recently drafted fourth overall in the 2017 NWHL Draft by the Boston Pride.

Burt enters her final season of play holding almost every Boston College goaltending record and threatening several NCAA career records. The Lynn, Massachusetts, product is the Eagles' career leader in wins (91), save percentage (.939), goals against average (1.30) and shutouts (31). On the NCAA career charts, Burt enters her senior year fifth in career shutouts and tied for sixth in wins – 23 back of the career record (114). She is also one win shy of matching the Hockey East career conference wins record (52), which will complement her Hockey East Tournament career wins record (11). She already holds the conference's career shutouts mark for league games (20). Prior to the season, she was a member of the 2016 U.S. Under-22 Select Team and has been called into numerous U.S. Women's National Team camps during her BC career. Last week, Burt was drafted number one overall – by the Boston Pride – in the 2017 NWHL Draft.

The Eagles are set to return 18 players from last year's team. Additionally, the Eagles have added four freshmen, including three players who played in the 2017 IIHF Women's Under-18 World Championship: Cayla Barnes (United States), Maegan Beres (Canada) and Daryl Watts (Canada).

Players Mentioned

Cayla Barnes

Maegan Beres

Katie Burt

Megan Keller

Kenzie Kent

Makenna Newkirk

Daryl Watts

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