Boston College Athletics
No. 3 WIH Hosts Syracuse to Open Season Oct. 4
October 02, 2014 | Women's Hockey
Chestnut Hill, Mass. – The Boston College women’s ice hockey team, ranked No. 3 in USCHO.com and USA Today preseason polls, opens the 2014-15 season Saturday afternoon as the Eagles host Syracuse at Kelley Rink at 2 p.m.
BC is coming off a 27-7-3 season, going 18-3-1 in Hockey East play and winning the Hockey East regular season title. Boston College’s 27-6-3 regular season record was the best in program history. The Eagles made the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, sixth overall, as the national sixth seed, falling to No. 3 seed and eventual national champion Clarkson, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.
Captains
The captains for the 2014-15 season are senior forward Emily Field and senior defenseman Emily Pfalzer. Field tallied 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists as a junior. Field’s career 109 points is good for ninth in the BC record books. The forward’s 66 career assists rank sixth. Pfalzer won the Hockey East Best Defenseman award last season. The defenseman’s 25 points in the 2013-14 season ranks fourth among Boston College defenseman. Her 15 career goals is tied for third all-time among BC defensemen.
Forward Alex Carpenter returns to the squad as an assistant captain after participating in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games with the U.S. Women’s National Team in Sochi, Russia. In Sochi, Carpenter scored a team-high four goals, including the lone goal in the gold medal game against Canada. Carpenter left off her BC career leading the 2012-13 Eagles in points (69) on 32 goals and 37 assists on her way to winning Hockey East Player of the Year.
Carpenter is joined by senior forward Erin Kickham as assistant captain for the season. Kickham, a Needham, Mass. native, saw ice in 32 games last year and earned Hockey East All-Academic Team honors.
Newcomers
The Eagles welcome seven freshmen to the team. Katie Burt (Lynn, Mass.) and Gabriella Switaj (Kent, Ohio) join junior Taylor Blake (White Rock, B.C.) at the goaltender position. Boston College is without goalie and 2013-14 captain Corinne Boyles, who topped the Hockey East in league save percentage (.945) last season.
Forwards Tori Sullivan (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Kenzie Kent (Norwell, Mass.) and defensemen Kali Flanagan (Burlington, Mass.), Toni Ann Miano (Bronx, N.Y.), and Megan Keller (Farmington Hills, Mich.) are added to the remaining 16 returners on the roster.
Forwards
Boston College returns ten forwards: graduate student Danielle Doherty (Newton, Mass.), seniors Kate Leary (Seabrook, N.H.), Emily Field (Littleton, Mass.), Erin Kickham (Needham, Mass.), juniors Haley Skarupa (Rockville, Md.), Dava Trivigno (Setauket, N.Y.), Meghan Grieves (Cary, N.C.), and sophomores Kristyn Capizzano (Oakville, Ont.), Andie Anastos (Farmington Hills, Mich.), and Haley McLean (Howell, Mich.).
Haley Skarupa led the Eagles with 41 points on 25 goals and 16 assists last season. Skarupa also earned 2014 WHEA First-Team All Star accolades.
Andie Anastos was second on the team with 35 points on 14 goals and a team-leading 21 assists. Her outstanding play as a freshman earned her Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year.
Defense
BC returns four defensemen including senior captain Emily Pfalzer (Getzville, N.Y.), juniors Kaliya Johnson (Chandler, Ariz.), Lexi Bender (Snohomish, Wash.), and sophomore Lauren Wedell (Arden Hills, Minn.).
In the 2013-14 season, Johnson was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team and Bender earned 2014 Hockey East Second-Team All Star honors.
Exhibition Recap
In the Eagles’ exhibition game Sep. 26, Boston College defeated Queens University from Kingston, Ontario in dominant fashion. BC scored 10 goals, six of those coming in the first period, and held the Gaels to a single third period goal.
Four different Eagles scored in the first period of action. Freshman forward Tori Sullivan and Alex Carpenter each score two goals apiece. Carpenter’s goal in the 15th minute of play came shorthanded on a Lauren Wedell holding penalty. Freshman defenseman Megan Keller and senior forward Kate Leary also notched goals to increase BC’s lead to 6-0.
Both teams were held goalless in the second frame. Forward Danielle Doherty, freshman defenseman Toni Ann Miano, and junior defenseman Lexi Bender all scored for the Eagles in the third period. Tori Sullivan netted her third goal of the game in the sixth minute of the period to complete a hat trick.
The Gaels’ only goal came 10 minutes into the third period by forward Jessica Wakefield. Goaltenders Katie Burt (3), Gabriella Switaj (7), and Taylor Blake (3) combined to make 13 saves. Boston College outshot Queen’s University, 45-14.
History vs. Syracuse
Boston College and Syracuse have met three times, all with head coach Katie King Crowley at the helm. The series between the Eagles and the Orange is even at 1-1-1.
In last year’s meeting, Syracuse topped BC, 4-1 at the Tennity Ice Arena. Kate Leary was the lone goal-scorer for the Eagles. Leary’s goal came ten minutes into the third period to make a dent in the Orange’s 3-0 lead.
Although Boston College had 44-25 shot advantage in the game, Syracuse goaltender Kallie Billadeau fended off the Eagle attack making 43 saves to secure the win.
Boston College women’s hockey faces off against Syracuse Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. in Kelley Rink to kick off the season.
To keep up with BC women’s ice hockey news and receive in-game updates, follow @BC_WHockey on Twitter.
