Frozen Four Preview: Eagles Ready for Clarkson on Friday

2016 FROZEN FOUR | National Semifinal #1
No. 1 Boston College (39-0-0) vs. No. 5 Clarkson (30-4-5)

Friday, March 18, 2016 | 4 p.m.
Whittemore Center, Durham, N.H.

Radio: WNTN 1550 AM (play-by-play: Tom Grace), bceagles.tv
Live stream: ncaa.com

FROZEN FOUR HEADLINES

Boston College's senior class is the third-straight BC class to advance to four NCAA Tournaments, joining the Classes of 2014 and 2015
Alex Carpenter is the first player in program history to play in four Frozen Fours (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
Alex Carpenter (43-42-85) leads the nation in scoring, while and Haley Skarupa (33-44-77) is No. 3 nationally in points ... the linemates are also ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in assists
Alex Carpenter is now fifth on the NCAA career scoring list with 275 points, while Haley Skarupa is 13th with 242 points
Megan Keller is the first defenseman in program history to record 50 points in a season ... she leads all defensemen nationally in scoring (12-38-50)
Makenna Newkirk has 24 points (8g, 16a) in 15 games since Jan. 22 ... she leads all freshmen nationally with 21 goals and, with 48 points, is three points back of the national lead in freshman scoring
Dana Trivigno has 27 points in 19 games in 2016 and now has a career-high 47 points ... her previous best was 34 points as a junior in 2014-15
Katie Burt has an 0.86 GAA with a .958 save percentage - and is 7-0-0 with two shutouts - in seven tournament games this season (Beanpot, Hockey East, NCAA)

TOURNAMENT TESTED

Boston College is playing in its eighth NCAA Tournament in program history, including its sixth-straight tournament
BC is 6-7 overall in NCAA Tournament play, including a 6-2 record in quarterfinal-round play and an 0-5 mark in the national semifinals
The Eagles' senior class is the third class in BC history - and third straight - at advance to the NCAA Tournament in all four of its seasons at The Heights, joining the Classes of 2014 and 2015.

SEMIFINAL MATCH-UP OVERVIEW

Friday's match features the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament against the only unseeded team to advance to the Frozen Four, Clarkson
Both teams played intra-conference matches in the NCAA Quarterfinals
BC knocked off No. 6 Northeastern, 5-1, at Kelley Rink on Saturday
The Golden Knights knocked off ECAC rival Quinnipiac - the No. 4 seed in the tournament - 1-0 on the road in the quarterfinal round
BC enters the game ranked No. 1 in the country, while Clarkson is ranked No. 5
This is the teams' third-straight year meeting in the NCAA Tournament, but their first in the national semifinals
Eventual national champion Clarkson beat BC 3-1 in Potsdam in 2014, before BC topped the Golden Knights 5-1 last year in Chestnut Hill
The teams have played once in each of the last four seasons

SEARCHING FOR A STAR

Boston College is on the hunt for its first NCAA title in the program's history
Should the Eagles win, it would the first women's team NCAA championship in BC history
A NCAA title would also give Boston College its sixth hockey NCAA championship, as the men's team has five (1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012) which are signified by stars on the back of their jerseys.

FOLLOWING THE MEN'S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS?

The BC men's hockey team has won five national championships, including four in the last 15 years (1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012)
In all four of their most recent championships (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012), the Eagles won both the Beanpot and Hockey East tournament before winning the national championship
In two of the last four championship seasons (2001, 2012), the men's team won the Beanpot, Hockey East regular-season title and Hockey East Tournament title on their way to capturing the National Championship
The women's team has won all three titles - Beanpot, Hockey East regular-season and Hockey East Tournament - this year

HOCKEY EAST'S NCAA FLAG BEARER

The Eagles lead all Hockey East programs in NCAA appearances (8), as well as Frozen Four appearances (6)
BC has advanced to the last six NCAA Championships, the conference's longest current streak of NCAA appearances and tied for the league's longest run overall (BU, 2010-2015)
The Eagles' six wins in NCAA Championship play are also the most in Hockey East history
No Hockey East team has ever won the NCAA Tournament, with only BU advancing to the title game twice (2011, 2013)

BC HISTORY MADE WITH TOP SEED

The women's hockey team is the first Boston College women's athletic team to earn the No. 1 overall seed in an NCAA Tournament
The previous best was also the hockey team, earning the No. 2 overall seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament

NOT LOOKING FOR HISTORY'S TO REPEAT ITSELF

The No. 1 seed in the women's NCAA Tournament is a combined 29-9-2 since the tournament launched in 2001
However, since 2006, the No. 1 seed has suffered a loss in the tournament in every even-numbered year
In both 2012 and 2014, the No. 1 seed lost in the championship game
In 2006, 2008 and 2010, the No. 1 seed lost in the national semifinal
The No. 1 seed has won the national championship in every odd-numbered year since 2003

CARPENTER IS THE FIRST FROZEN FOUR FOUR-TIMER

Alex Carpenter is the first player in program history to play in four Frozen Fours in her career, now having qualified for the 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016 tournaments
The seniors composing the Classes of 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 each advanced to three Frozen Fours
Carpenter matriculated at Boston College in September 2011 and played two seasons before taking the 2013-14 school year off to train and play with Team USA at the Sochi Olympics
The Eagles lost in the NCAA Quarterfinals that season to eventual national champion Clarkson, but the team returned to the Frozen Four last year, Carpenter's junior season

KATIE CROWLEY MOVES UP COACHING CHARTS

Katie Crowley is making her seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the fourth-highest total under a single coach and tied for sixth among all coaches
Crowley's current run of six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances are tied for fifth-longest in event history
With her fifth trip to the final weekend now booked, Crowley is tied for fourth in Frozen Four appearances among all coaches

A SECOND PERFECT TEAM?

Boston College finished the regular season with a perfect 34-0-0 mark and are now 39-0-0 as they enter the Frozen Four
The Eagles are just the second team in the NCAA era to reach the Frozen Four with an unblemished record
The other squad - the 2012-13 Minnesota team - went on to win the NCAA Championship with a 41-0-0 mark

BC VS. CLARKSON

Friday's semifinal will be the 14th meeting between the two programs ... BC leads the all-time series, 6-4-3
This is the third straight season the teams are meeting in the NCAA Tournament ... the teams have split the two prior contests with each team winning on home ice
Overall, this is the fifth straight year the teams will meet, with one contest each season since 2011-12
Four of the teams' games have gone into overtime
Boston College is 4-0-1 against Clarkson at home at Kelley Rink, including a 5-1 win in the quarterfinals of the 2015 NCAA Tournament
The Eagles are 2-2-1 in Potsdam, including a 3-1 loss in the quarterfinals of the 2014 NCAA Tournament
Clarkson has won both meetings on neutral ice, which both occurred 10 years ago in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The Eagles' 5-1 road win in 2013 came when the Golden Knights were ranked No. 2, the most recent time BC played an opponent ranked that high
Head coach Katie Crowley has a 4-2-5 career mark against the Golden Knights

EAGLES VS. GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Haley Skarupa leads all current Eagles in scoring against Clarkson, recording six points (1-5-6) in three games ... she had a four-point outing (1-3-4) in last year's NCAA quarterfinal
Alex Carpenter has picked up four points (2-2-4) in two games against Clarkson, including two goals and one assist in last year's NCAA game
Dana Trivigno has two goals and one assist in three games, while Kristyn Capizzano has one goal and one assist in two games
Toni Ann Miano (1-0-1 in 1 game), Lexi Bender (0-1-1 in 3 games), Kaliya Johnson (0-1-1 in 3 games) and Kenzie Kent (0-1-1 in 1 game) have also picked up points
Katie Burt is 1-0-0 against Clarkson, with a 1.00 GAA and a .952 save percentage

Frozen Four Preview: Eagles Ready for Clarkson on Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lexi Bender

Katie Burt

Kristyn Capizzano

Alex Carpenter

Kaliya Johnson

Megan Keller

Kenzie Kent

Toni Ann Miano

Makenna Newkirk

Haley Skarupa

Dana Trivigno

Frozen Four Preview: Eagles Ready for Clarkson on Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lexi Bender

Katie Burt

Kristyn Capizzano

Alex Carpenter

Kaliya Johnson

Megan Keller

Kenzie Kent

Toni Ann Miano

Makenna Newkirk

Haley Skarupa

Dana Trivigno

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