Boston College
Providence
Women's Ice Hockey Shuts Down Providence 5-1
February 20, 2009 | Women's Hockey
Feb. 20, 2009
Providence, R.I. - The Boston College women's ice hockey team defeated Providence College 5-1 on Friday afternoon in game one of a critical home-and-home series to close out the Women's Hockey East Regular season.
The Eagles (21-7-4, 13-5-1) currently are two points ahead of Boston University and Connecticut for second place in the Hockey East standings. A second place finish would earn BC a bye in the newly instituted six-team quarterfinal playoffs allowing them to move directly to the Hockey East semifinals to be hosted by New Hampshire the first weekend in March.
The Eagles controlled the game off the opening face off with Allie Thunstrom netting the first goal of the game from the top of the crease off a dish from linemates Kelli Stack and Mary Restuccia to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead.
Danielle Welch looked to add to the Eagles tally when she broke up a Friars pass at center ice and skated in on goaltender Danielle Ciarletta but her wrister dinged off the crossbar.
BC made it 2-0 when Thunstrom skated up the right wing and centered a pass to Stack who was waiting in the slot. Stack's initial shot was saved by Ciarletta, but the rebound squired out past her leg where Restuccia was waiting to tuck it in for her 12th goal of the season.
Thunstrom added her second goal of the frame in the waning seconds of the period after Stack pulled a long pass from defensemen Katelyn Kurth off the boards and flipped it to Thunstrom who closed in on the Friars netminder and sent the puck top shelf to end the first period with the Eagles leading 3-0.
The Eagles scored three goals on six shots in the first period, while BC goaltender Molly Schaus made eight saves.
The Friars made a goaltending change to start the second, with freshman Genevieve Lacasse taking over for Ciarletta between the pipes.
BC opened the second period in much the same fashion as the first, Becky Zavisza won a face off in the Providence zone and Shannon Webster collected her first goal of the season with a slap shot to beat Lacasse less than two minutes into the frame to open the score to a four goal lead. The assist gives Zavisza 95 career points, just five shy of reaching the 100 point mark.
The Friars got on the board halfway through the second frame with a tally by senior forward Mari Pehkonen.
The Eagles had several more scoring opportunities in the second, with the most promising coming during a breakaway by Thunstrom with five minutes to play in the frame, but BC was unable to convert and the second period ended with the Eagles leading 4-1.
A quieter third period followed the offensively dominated first two periods. The Eagles power play broke up the quiet with a goal by senior defenseman Maggie Taverna to give the Eagles a 5-1 lead. Stack recorded her fourth assist of the game and Restuccia added another point to two she collected in the first period.
Schaus made 21 saves in her 21st victory of the season.
The Eagles will host Providence in game two of the weekend series tomorrow, Saturday February 21 at 1 p.m. at Conte Forum.
