BC Bulletin

Boston College Women’s Hockey Comes Out Flat, Falls to Maine at Home

For a second straight game, Boston College fails to find a result against a team in the bottom half of the Hockey East standings.
Chris Vogel|
Kara Goulding comes out of the tunnel ahead of the matchup with Maine. Goulding and Sammy Taber returned to the lineup after missing last weekend’s series with New Hampshire.
Kara Goulding comes out of the tunnel ahead of the matchup with Maine. Goulding and Sammy Taber returned to the lineup after missing last weekend’s series with New Hampshire. | Boston College Women's Hockey (@BC_WHockey) on X

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – After allowing six goals last time out, Grace Campbell came into the night determined to give her squad every chance to pick up three crucial Hockey East points and help Boston College pull within striking distance of a top-two spot in the conference. The senior held up her end of the bargain but a defensive group that failed to protect her and a lethargic offensive performance through much of the night ultimately doomed the Eagles in the series opener against Maine.

Through the first period, Boston College struggled to settle into the contest as the Eagles found themselves pinned back in their own zone for the majority of the period as they struggled in the dot and on the breakout. Despite being significantly outshot, Grace Campbell kept the score level at zero through the first twenty minutes, denying all seventeen Maine shots in the opening frame.

Early in the second period, the Eagles found a breakthrough as Emma Conner found Olivia Maffeo in the slot on the power play, with the sophomore putting home her fourth goal of the season. On the woman up advantage, Maffeo was used as a forward on the top power play unit, sliding up from her normal spot on the blue line, as she traded places with Boston College’s leading scorer Ava Thomas who instead quarterbacked the power play.

Less than three minutes later, Maine found an answer as Mikayla Boarder entered the zone with Stephanie Jacob on her left. Grace Campbell denied the initial shot attempt from the junior but was unable to secure the puck before Jacob put home the rebound.

Just over two minutes into the third period, Maine struck once again for their first lead of the evening. After Campbell overcommitted to a threat on her left, she was caught out of the crease as the puck came free behind the net. Isabelle Michaud found the loose puck below the goal line and quickly sent it to Stephanie Jacob. Alania Dunn got in the way of the sophomore’s initial attempt, but Jacob wasted no time recollecting and going bar down for her second of the game.

Maine would score their third straight goal three minutes later, as once again a defensive breakdown by the Eagles let a Black Bear find herself open in front of the net. This time it was Ava Stevenson who positioned herself perfectly between Dunn and Jade Arnone before Lily Fetch hit her with a pass from behind the net. The senior wasted no time burying her fourth goal of the season.

Ava Thomas would give Boston College new life with under seven minutes remaining in regulation. The freshman from Pennsylvania collected a pass from Sammy Taber as she crashed towards the net but ran out of room to get off a quality shot, seeing it easily pushed behind the net. Thomas recollected the puck and attempted to tuck it home on the wrap around but could not find the angle. Sammy Taber was able to tap the loose puck free for Emma Conner who sent it back to Hockey East’s leading scorer in the crease. Thomas handled her way by Kiia Lahtinen to cut the deficit in half.

After an icing call against Maine with two and a half minutes remaining, Boston College head coach Katie Crowley opted not to pull Grace Campbell immediately and instead wait for the Eagles to establish the zone. However, after a faceoff win by Maine’s Lily Fetch, the Eagles failed to find a way to get back on the front foot before the Black Bears sprang an attack. Mackenzie Podewell fired a pass across the attacking zone, looking for Stephanie Jacob to put the game away. Boston College’s captain Jade Arnone was able to get a piece of the pass but could only watch helplessly as her deflection floated over the shoulder of Campbell to all but seal the game.

Just fifteen seconds later, Lauren Glaser gave Boston College hope as she put home a rebound after Lahtinen denied Emily Mara’s initial shot. Despite having almost a full minute to find an equalizer, it took until the final ten seconds for Boston College to get Campbell out of her net and generate any semblance of an attacking opportunity. Unable to find a goal in a brief six on five, the buzzer sounded to send Boston College to a second straight loss. 

The Eagles fall to 11–15-1 overall and 9-7-1 in Hockey East Play. Boston College return to action Sunday afternoon to conclude the two game home series with Maine before a pair of road matchups with Holy Cross and UConn next weekend.

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Chris Vogel
CHRIS VOGEL

Chris Vogel has spent the last five years in sports media; including as a play-by-play broadcaster for ACC Network Extra and Hockey East on ESPN. He’s a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and in his final year as a graduate student at Boston College, where he serves as the radio voice of Boston College Women’s Hockey on WZBC 90.3; the flagship radio network of Boston College Women’s Athletics. He’s the host of the “All Things Hockey” podcast, and cover women’s college hockey for College Hockey On SI.

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