No. 8 Eagles Set To Open Up 2019-20 Season At Merrimack

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The eighth-ranked Boston College women's hockey team will kick off the 2019-20 season this weekend when it heads to Merrimack for a two-game series at Lawler Rink. This marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that the Eagles will begin a campaign against a Hockey East foe. The games will be available for streaming on CBS Sports Live. Hockey East has partnered with CBS Sports Digital to begin the 2019-20 season, making all home men's and women's games available on CBS Sports Digital properties. The partnership kicks off with an early-season schedule that includes games provided for free on CBS SportsLive.

GAME 1
No. 8/8 Boston College (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WHEA) at Merrimack (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WHEA)
Friday, Sept. 27, 2018 | 6 p.m.
Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.

GAME 2
No. 8/8 Boston College (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WHEA) at Merrimack (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WHEA)*
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 | 2 p.m.
*records do not include Friday's result

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE
• The Eagles finished the 2018-19 season with an overall record of 26-12-2.
• BC finished second overall in the Hockey East regular season standings at 19-7-1.
• The Eagles reached the Hockey East Tournament title game, falling in overtime to Northeastern before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
• The 2018-19 squad earned the program's 11th NCAA tournament berth and ninth consecutive overall.
• Captain Lindsay Agnew is BC's leading returning scorer after putting up 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists a season ago ... she also led Hockey East and finished second in the country with four short-handed goals.
• Four players return for BC after having notched at least 20 points last year in Agnew, Kelly Browne, Cayla Barnes and Delaney Belinskas.
• In goal, Maddy McArthur returns after leading all rookies in the country in wins a season ago (23) while posting a 1.99 goals against average and .912 save percentage ... all three of the goaltenders on BC's roster have at least one career win.

ABOUT MERRIMACK
• Merrimack finished the 2018-19 campaign with an overall record of 16-13-7 and a mark of 12-10-5 in Hockey East play.
• The 16 wins marked a program record for the Warriors .... the program played its first varsity season in 2015-16.
• The Warriors were picked to finish seventh in the Hockey East Preseason Coaches poll.
• Erin Hamlen is in her fifth season behind the bench for Merrimack.
• Senior Lea-Kristine Demers returns after playing in six games last season with four starts, posting a 3.14 goals against average and a .920 save percentage and 1-3-0 record.
• Mikayla Grant-Mentis returns for her senior season after finishing second on the team last year with 34 points off of 12 goals and 22 assists.

SERIES HISTORY vs MERRIMACK
• BC is 13-1-0 all-time against Merrimack ... the Warriors became a D1 team and joined Hockey East in 2015-16.
• The Eagles are 8-0-0 at Kelley Rink and 5-1-0 at Lawler Rink.
• BC took the 2018-19 season series two games to one...the Eagles won both contests at Kelley Rink before the Warriors won their first game ever in the series with a 1-0 shutout at Lawler Rink in the series finale.
• BC has shut out the Warriors five times in 14 meetings, including both games of the teams' 2017 HEA Quarterfinal and the first two games of the all-time series.
• BC has scored five shorthanded goals against the Warriors, including three in 2016-17.
• Kelly Pickreign earned her first career start against Merrimack on Dec. 8, 2019 ... the then freshman made 29 saves on 30 shots for a 1.01 goals against average and .967 save percentage in the 1-0 loss.
• Delaney Belinskas (1-6-7) is BC's active career scoring leader against the Warriors.

EAGLES IN THE OPENER
• BC is 13-11-1 all-time in season openers and 7-4-1 under head coach Katie Crowley.
• The Eagles are 3-1-1 in the last five season openers.
• This marks the first time that BC and Merrimack will meet in the Eagles' season opener and the first time since the 2013-14 season that BC opens up with a conference game ... the Eagles topped Maine, 5-1, on Oct. 6, 2013.

A WIN WOULD . . .
• Bump BC's record in season-openers to 14-11-1 all-time and 8-4-1 under head coach Katie Crowley.
• Move BC's all-time record to 449-335-77.
• Give head coach Katie Crowley an overall record of 304-98-48 and 174-43-26 in Hockey East play.

LAST TIME OUT
• BC hosted the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association last Saturday in exhibition action, skating to a 3-2 win at Kelley Rink.
• Hannah Bilka, Hadley Hartmetz, and Alexie Guay each earned goals for the Eagles.
• Bilka and Hartmetz each finished with one goal and one assist while Lindsay Agnew also added a helper.
• All three of BC's goaltenders - Molly Barrow, Maddy McArthur and Kelly Pickreign - played a period in net.

IT'S WORTH NOTING
• The Eagles surrendered 23.10 shots on goal per game during the 2018-19 season, fourth fewest in the country.
• Kelly Browne finished third in the nation among rookies last year in face-off wins with 361.
• BC is the only team in the country to score at least 130 goals in each of the last five seasons.
• The Eagles have put together seven straight 25-plus win seasons, the longest active streak in the country.
• The Eagles went 8-0-0 during the 2018-19 season when Delaney Belinskas scored at least one goal.
• Cayla Barnes led all rookie defenders in the country in points (23) and assists (19) in 2018-19.
• BC's blue liners scored a nation-leading nine game-winning goals last season...11 different players potted game-winning goals for BC last season.

THE 26TH SEASON
• With the start of the 2019-20 season, Boston College will embark on the 26th season of varsity play.
• After 25 years of intercollegiate play, the Eagles held an all-time record of 448-334-77 and a mark of 386-177-64 since Hockey East formed.

MEET THE CAPTAINS
• Erin Connolly and Lindsay Agnew will serve as captains of the 2019-20 Eagles while Molly Barrow and Delaney Belinskas will wear the As.
• All four players are first-time captains for BC and all four players are seniors.

No. 8 Eagles Set To Open Up 2019-20 Season At Merrimack

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Players Mentioned

Lindsay Agnew

Cayla Barnes

Molly Barrow

Delaney Belinskas

Hannah Bilka

Kelly Browne

Erin Connolly

Alexie Guay

Hadley Hartmetz

Maddy McArthur

Kelly Pickreign