Troy, N.Y.—Boston College freshmen Anna McDonald (New Brighton, Minn.) and Allie Thunstrom (Maplewood, Minn.) both scored their first collegiate goals to lead the Eagles to a 2-1 season opener victory over RPI Friday night at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y. Freshman Molly Schaus (Natick, Mass.) made the start for Boston College in goal and picked up her first collegiate win by turning away 18 shots.

McDonald starting the game’s scoring late in the first period when she pushed the puck into the net past RPI goaltender Ashley Mayr after receiving the pass from junior Cristin Stuart in the left circle. Junior Deborah Spillane (Franklin, Mass.) also earned credit for the assist. The Eagles out shot the Engineers, 2-1, in the first period and finished the first 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead.

Nearly six minutes into the second period, RPI’s Jamie-Lynn Stewart retaliated with a goal of her own. During the power play, Melanie Guillemette took a shot, and Ellen McNamara picked up the rebound and passed it to Stewart, who then evened the score at one a piece. After two periods, the scored remained 1-1. Schaus stopped seven shots on goal in the second period, while Mayr stopped eight shots in net.

With 13:07 elapsed in the final stanza, Thunstrom scored the gamewinner. After sophomores Maggie Taverna and Becky Zavisza handled the puck, Thunstrom backhanded a shot into the goal to give the Eagles a lead that proved final.

On the power play, the Eagles were 0-6, while the Engineers did not fare much better going 1-8 in their power play opportunities. Boston College out shot RPI, 24-19, in the match.

“This was a hard-fought win with a great atmosphere,” says Boston College Head Coach Tom Mutch. “A couple of young freshmen found the back of the net and Molly Schaus was outstanding. This was a great road win to begin the season.”

The Boston College women’s hockey team continues their season in their home opener on Saturday, October 7. The Eagles host the Quinnipiac Bobcats at 2:00 p.m.