Milestones and Memories Mount for Crowley

With various milestone records being passed this year by coaches and players alike on the women's hockey team, bceagles.com took a look back with head coach Katie Crowley at the start of her time with program and the journey she and her staff have been on to establish the Eagles as one of the nation's elite teams.

You can forgive Katie Crowley if she can't entirely recall the details of her first win as head coach of the Boston College women's hockey team.

"I don't have vivid memories of the first win, actually," Crowley said, after taking a moment to mull it over. "I remember my first game, I think I tied the very first game. Maybe it was a win in overtime. Now I don't even remember. I remember we were tied at one point. It does seem like a long time ago. I feel like I've evolved quite a bit as a coach since then. It's pretty crazy."

It's not all that crazy if you take into consideration that the Eagles have racked up more than 250 more of those victories since that time.

Two games into the 2017-18 season, her 11th as head coach, Crowley's crew secured her milestone 250th victory with a 4-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 6, and there is no letup in sight for one of the game's best.

She is quick to credit her evolution in the role to the long-time support of folks like Senior Associate Athletics Director Tom Peters, BC men's coach Jerry York and her husband, former BC men's hockey player Ted Crowley, among others.

She is equally quick to note that each of these wins are shared with so many others, most notably long-time friend and Associate Head Coach Courtney Kennedy, who has been by her side on the bench since day one.

"I was fortunate enough to be able to hire Courtney and she's been with me through all of those 250-plus wins and she's been a huge part of our program," Crowley said. "I like to think we did it together. It was certainly not just me. She's someone that has really helped our program tremendously. I tend to say 'we' because we did it together. I don't feel like those are just my wins."

The Eagles coach doesn't hesitate to point to the players having played the most vital role in victories big and small, from the first Beanpot win under Crowley - a 1-0 thriller over Harvard in 2009 – to massive NCAA tourney victories.

And as much as the wins stand out, so too do the losses, of which the program has seen only 80 of in her time behind the bench.

"The Frozen Four wins and losses are ones that kind of standout," Crowley said. "I would say we had a loss in Erie, against Wisconsin, 3-2. That was (Kelli) Stack's, (Molly) Schaus' senior year, so that was 2010-11… It was an unbelievable game up and down. We had chances, they had chances. We didn't come out with the win in that one, but again to show how far our program had come to that point was amazing to look back on."

Indeed, the Eagles have soared under her tutelage and are now simply a powerhouse on the national level, routinely sitting amongst the top teams in the country.

They've enjoyed five Beanpot titles, three Hockey East tournament titles, six Frozen Four appearances and the program's lone NCAA Championship trip in 2016 in the time that Crowley has served at The Heights.

From day one, she and her staff instill in their players that their goal on the ice is that elusive national championship. It's just what the program has become with her running the show.

But, it's not that first day of the season, or the last that makes her most proud, it's those days in between when those who have skated under her guide in the past make the effort to express their gratitude.

"That's my proudest thing, when players leave and still want to come back, still want to be a part of the program," Crowley said. "That's ultimately what we're here for, so when these women get through college they look back on their four years and they loved it. I think we've been very fortunate that we're able to have that quite a bit with a lot of the players that have come through the program."

And if Crowley has her druthers, she'll be able to enjoy that aspect of her job with a lot more players for a long time to come.

"I think I'll be here as long as they'll have me," she said. "I love what I do. I'm very lucky to be at a school like Boston College and to be working with one of my best friends. To have a great support system around here - a great support system around home - I consider myself really lucky to be here and be in this role. Hopefully it's not ending anytime soon."

As for that very first win, Crowley's memory wasn't as foggy as she let on; it was a 2-1 overtime victory at RPI, and just as important to the program as the 250-plus that have come in its wake.

Boston College Athletics

Milestones and Memories Mount for Crowley

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