Photo by: Mike Gridley
Watts' Five-Point Night Helps Pace Eagles Past Warriors
January 02, 2018 | Women's Hockey
Women's hockey claims the 7-3 road win to open the 2018 portion of the schedule
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Freshman Daryl Watts posted a career-high five points and Makenna Newkirk and Caitrin Lonergan each scored two goals as the No. 2 Boston College women's hockey team claimed a 7-3 win at Merrimack at Lawler Rink on Tuesday.
After falling behind 1-0 less than two minutes into the game, BC took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission behind goals from Kenzie Kent and Newkirk. BC added three goals in the second period – from Watts (twice) and Newkirk (shorthanded goal) – but Merrimack netted a pair of goals from Mikyla Grant-Mentis, her second of the game, and Kaitlyn Rae as BC took a 5-3 lead into the second intermission. Lonergan tallied a pair of power-play goals in the third period to push the final score to 7-3.
Boston College returns to action on Friday, Jan. 5, when BC and New Hampshire open a weekend home-and-home series. The Eagles will host Friday's game at 6 p.m. at Kelley Rink, before traveling to Durham, N.H., for the return game on Sunday, Jan. 7. Sunday's faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Whittemore Center.
No. 2 Boston College 7, Merrimack 3
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME NOTES
THREE STARS
TEAM RECORDS
Boston College: 16-1-3, 10-0-3 HEA
Merrimack: 6-13-3, 1-9-2 HEA
UP NEXT
Boston College returns to action on Friday, Jan. 5, when BC and New Hampshire open a weekend home-and-home series. The Eagles will host Friday's game at 6 p.m. at Kelley Rink, before traveling to Durham, N.H., for the return game on Sunday, Jan. 7. Sunday's faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Whittemore Center.
After falling behind 1-0 less than two minutes into the game, BC took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission behind goals from Kenzie Kent and Newkirk. BC added three goals in the second period – from Watts (twice) and Newkirk (shorthanded goal) – but Merrimack netted a pair of goals from Mikyla Grant-Mentis, her second of the game, and Kaitlyn Rae as BC took a 5-3 lead into the second intermission. Lonergan tallied a pair of power-play goals in the third period to push the final score to 7-3.
Boston College returns to action on Friday, Jan. 5, when BC and New Hampshire open a weekend home-and-home series. The Eagles will host Friday's game at 6 p.m. at Kelley Rink, before traveling to Durham, N.H., for the return game on Sunday, Jan. 7. Sunday's faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Whittemore Center.
No. 2 Boston College 7, Merrimack 3
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- 1st, 1:20 | MER GOAL, 0-1 - Mikyla Grant-Mentis intercepted a pass to the point in the Warriors end and skated around a defender, creating a one-on-one from the red line. She skated deep and then beat Katie Burt by cutting across the front and tossing a backhand under the goalie.
- 1st, 7:58 | BC GOAL, 1-1 – Delaney Belinskas got control of the puck in the high slot and spun around, sending a pass down to Caitrin Lonergan just off the crease to Lea-Kristine Demers' right. Lonergan received the puck and then threaded a pass through traffic in the slot for Kenzie Kent at the bottom of the faceoff circle. Her one-timer found a wide-open net and tied the game.
- 1st, 8:39 | BC GOAL, 2-1 – Maegan Beres started the play in the Eagles' defensive zone, playing Daryl Watts out wide along the boards. Watts took the neutral zone, skated past a pair of defenders and then cut inside by the faceoff circles, getting off a low shot. Demers made the save, but the rebound fell to Makenna Newkirk coming in behind the play and she pocketed the Eagles' second goal.
- 2nd, 6:18 | BC GOAL, 3-1 – Newkirk won a faceoff just off to Demers left, and pulled it over to Watts along the boards. After she controlled the puck, she gained space and ripped a high shot, beating Demers over her glove-side shoulder.
- 2nd, 8:01 | MER GOAL, 3-2 (5v3 PPG) – Katelyn Rae pulled the Warriors within a goal less than two minutes later, converting a 5-on-3 power-play goal just 12 seconds into the two-man advantage after she potted the rebound of a Paige Voight shot right in front.
- 2nd, 11:19 | BC GOAL, 4-2 (SHG) – With on the penalty kill, Grace Bizal broke up a Merrimack pass deep in the BC zone and played Newkirk ahead, who took the neutral zone down along the boards. Her drop pass found Watts coming in hard behind her, and the freshman cut across the slot putting a shot on Demers from the far circle. The goaltender made the save, but the rebound popped very wide and Newkirk charged off the boards to get the loose puck first and slot home the shorthanded goal – her second of the season – into an open net.
- 2nd, 12:12 | MER GOAL, 4-3 – As a Warrior power play wound down, Grant-Mentis sprung a 3-on-1 into the BC end. Andrea Olson's shot was wide, and Megan Fergusson picked it up off the boards, pushing it to the other side of the net to Grant-Mentis. She then pushed it in along the post to pull Merrimack back within one.
- 2nd, 14:08 | BC GOAL, 5-3 – Caroline Ross restarted the play back behind Burt's goal, pushing the puck ahead to Watts along the wall. She fed Newkirk coming through the center of the zone, and Newkirk gained the Merrimack blue line before putting a shot on Demers. The effort was wide, and she pulled her own rebound off the boards and pushed a pass back through traffic in the slot for Watts. Watts faked the shot and then cut across the slot before beating Demers along the post on the other side of the net.
- 3rd, 3:12 | BC GOAL, 6-3 (PPG) – On the Eagles' first power play of the day, BC wasted little time and tallied just 19 seconds into the man-advantage. BC worked the puck around before Kent dumped it lower to Lonergan off the edge of the circle. She then fed Watts below the goal line and Watts quickly pushed it back to Lonergan for the one-timer that found space low between Demers' pads for the power-play strike.
- 3rd, 15:44 | BC GOAL, 7-3 (PPG) – After the Eagles got the puck into the Merrimack end, Kent pulled it off the boards and cut inside, feeding Lonergan. The sophomore cut across the top of the zone and unleashed a shot from the top of the circle, beating Samantha Ridgewell, who'd come in to replace Demers after Lonergan's first goal, to wrap up the day's scoring.
GAME NOTES
- Today marked the seventh time this season BC scored at least two power-play goals in a game, and the third time in the last four games
- Makenna Newkirk's shorthanded goal was the Eagles' fifth of the season – and second of the season against Merrimack and sixth against the Warriors in three seasons
- Boston College moved to 15-0-0 when scoring four or more goals this year
- The Eagles moved to 11-0-0 all-time against Merrimack, including a 5-0-0 mark at Lawler Rink
- Merrimack's three goals today marked the most BC has allowed the Warriors in the teams' 11-game series
- BC is now unbeaten in its last 10 games, the longest current run in women's D1 hockey ... the Eagles are 8-0-2 in that span
- The Eagles remained undefeated in Hockey East play, now 10-0-3 on the season
- Boston College went 2-for-2 on the power play today, pushing their season total to a nation-leading 23 PPGs on the year
- Daryl Watts collected a career-high five points from two goals and three assists … she bested her previous high of four points, which she recorded five times this season
- Watts now has a career-long 10-game point streak, besting her previous long of nine games (first nine games of the season)
- With her five-point effort today, Watts now has the third-highest point total by a freshman in BC program history … with 52 points, she sits behind Kelli Stack's 54 points in 2006-07 and Haley Skarupa's 53 points in 2012-13
- Watts' 28 assists so far this season rank fourth by a freshman in program history, behind Stack (37), Kenzie Kent (31), and Skarupa (29)
- Watts' 24 goals also rank third among freshman goal scorers, behind Erin Magee (39) and Allie Thunstrom (30) … she is tied with Skarupa's freshman-year total
- Makenna Newkirk (2 goals, 2 assists) recorded her second career four-point game and her first since Dec. 3, 2016 at Providence
- This was Newkirk's third multiple-goal game of the season … it was also her fifth multiple-assist game of the campaign
- Newkirk's second-period shorthanded goal was her second of the season and the second of her career
- Caitrin Lonergan posted her second-straight three-point game in a row against Merrimack
- Lonergan also pushed her point streak to 10 games, which is a new career long … during this run, Lonergan has eight multiple-point games
- Today marked Lonergan's first-career game with multiple power-play goals
- Kenzie Kent picked up her fourth multiple-point game of the season (1 goal, 2 assists) and her second 3-point day …. she now has six points in the last four games
- Delaney Belinskas registered an assist, and how has one helper in each of the last three games, and six in the last seven games
- Grace Bizal notched her ninth point of the year, and her seventh assist of the year with her set-up on Newkirk's shorthanded goal
- Caroline Ross recorded her fifth assist of the season and her first Nov. 22 at Harvard
- Maegan Beres collected her fifth assist of the year and her third in the last four games
- Katie Burt recorded her 107th career victory and is now just seven wins back of tying the NCAA career wins record (114, Noora Raty)
THREE STARS
- Daryl Watts, BC
- Makenna Newkirk, BC
- Mikyla Grant-Mentis, MER
TEAM RECORDS
Boston College: 16-1-3, 10-0-3 HEA
Merrimack: 6-13-3, 1-9-2 HEA
UP NEXT
Boston College returns to action on Friday, Jan. 5, when BC and New Hampshire open a weekend home-and-home series. The Eagles will host Friday's game at 6 p.m. at Kelley Rink, before traveling to Durham, N.H., for the return game on Sunday, Jan. 7. Sunday's faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Whittemore Center.
Team Stats
BC
MER
Shots
32
24
PPG
2
1
SHG
1
0
Penalties
6
2
Penalty Mins
12
4
Faceoffs Won
33
29
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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