HYANNIS, Mass. - Junior forward Kate Leary scored three goals and graduate student goaltender Corinne Boyles made 25 saves to lead No. 4 Boston College to a 4-1 victory over Vermont in the Hockey East Semifinals at Hyannis Youth and Community Center. The Eagles (27-5-3) will play the winner of Boston University and Northeastern for the WHEA championship Sunday, March 9.
Boston College jumped out to a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, and while Vermont was able to get one back in the third frame, the Catamounts were unable to complete the comeback.
Leary gave Boston College a 1-0 lead at 15:23 of the first period. Dana Trivigno cycled the puck along the blue line to Jackie Young who blasted the puck at the net where Leary was able tip it past Vermont netminder Roxanne Douville.
Vermont had two great chances late in the opening stanza but was unable to convert. Victoria Andreakos and Delia McNalley broke out on a 2-on-1 with just five minutes to play, but Boyles made a great glove save on McNalley's shot to keep the Catamounts off the board. UVM missed out on another 2-on-1 opportunity with 1:30 to play in the first period when Gina Repaci and Dayna Colang were unable to connect on a short-handed opportunity.
Boston College played a dominant second period in which it scored two goals on ten shots, while only allowing the Catamounts to fire five shots on goal.
The Eagles doubled the lead at 1:50 of the second period. BC scored in similar fashion, as Leary tipped a shot by Young in front of the net that found its way passed Douville to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Leary scored her third goal of the game at 9:45 of the middle stanza. The junior forward roofed a shot from the slot over Douville's shoulder for her 12th goal of the season, giving Boston College a 3-0 lead. Melissa Bizzari and Meagan Mangene assisted on the play.
Vermont scored at 11:32 of the third period to cut the BC lead to 3-1. After a slashing call on BC's Taylor Wasylk, UVM pulled its goaltender for a 6-on-4 advantage on the power play. Dayna Colang tipped a shot in from for the Catamounts, and the puck deflected past Boyles and into the net for UVM's first goal of the game.
After Jackie Young was sent off for interference with 1:30 remaining in the third period, UVM once again pulled its goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, but was unable to find the back of the net a second time.
BC was 0-for-3 on the power play while UVM went 1-for-6 on the man advantage.
Boyles stopped 25 shots and improves to 23-5-2.
Douville made 35 saves in 57:52 and falls to 14-10-3.
NOTES: With her third save of the game, Corinne Boyles registered her 3,000th career save.... Kate Leary recorded her first career three-goal game... Leary's hat trick was the third ever in WHEA tournament play, and the second in the semifinal round... with the victory, BC ties the single-season school record with 27 wins (2013).