SKARUPA AND LEARY LEAD BOSTON COLLEGE PAST PROVIDENCE, 8-6
Sophomore forward Haley Skarupa and junior forward Kate Leary each have two goals and two assists for Eagles

Sophomore forward Haley Skarupa had two goals and two assists for the Eagles

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College women's ice hockey team fell to the No. 6 Boston College Eagles, 8-6, in a Hockey East match-up on Friday, Nov. 1 at Schneider Arena. The loss moves the Friars overall record to 4-5-0 and 1-2-0 in Hockey East play.

After the first period, the Friars held a 2-1 lead over Boston College. Senior Rebecca Morse (Westfield, N.J.) broke the scoreless tie at 5:03 of the period with her first goal of the season. Sophomore Molly Illikanen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) won the face off to freshman Liv Halvorson (Richfield, Minn.), who moved the puck along the blueline to Morse. Morse skated in from the left face-off circle before firing a low shot on goal past Eagles goaltender Corinne Boyles.

Boston College responded at 8:40 when Danielle Doherty evened the score at one. Kaliya Johnson connected a pass to Doherty, who crashed the net to the puck past Friars netminder Sarah Bryant (Bethlehem, Pa).

Junior Beth Hanrahan (Poolesville, Md.) capitalized on a Friars power play to give her team the lead before the end of the opening frame. Her goal was scored from a sharp angle while standing almost parallel to the goal line. Hanrahan fired a high shot that found its way into the net after being set up by graduate student Janine Weber (Innsbruck, Austria) and senior Corinne Buie (Edina, Minn.).

The Eagles responded to their one goal deficit following the close of the first period with an offensive outburst in the second period. Boston College scored five times in the period, with two of the goals coming while on the man advantage. Sophomore Haley Skarupa scored the game tying goal at 7:15 of the period, and also added a second goal later in the period. Kristyn Capizzano, Kate Leary, and Andie Anastos also notched a goal each in the second.

Early in the third period, junior Haley Frade (Marion, Mass.) cut the deficit for the Friars when she scored her second goal of the season, while the team was on the power play at 5:25 of the third period. Frade was playing the point when she fired a rising shot that put the score at 6-3, in favor of the Eagles. Buie and Illikainen both registered their second assists of the night on the play. However, Boston College answered with a goal by Lexi Bender at 10:27 of the third period to regain the four goal lead.

A late push from Providence in the final minutes of play led to the near tying effort by the Friars, but their comeback fell just short. After Boston College committed back-to-back penalties, the Friars had an extended 5-on-3 power play opportunity late in the period. With their goaltender pulled, Buie scored the Friars fourth goal of the game to make the score 7-4.

While still on the power play, freshman Cassidy Carels (Bruxelles, Manitoba) put the Friars within striking distance with 1:58 left to play in regulation. Carels goal was scored from right outside the crease and was assisted by junior Brooke Simpson (Boxboro, Mass.) and sophomore Lexi Romanchuk (San Jose, Calif.).

With less than a minute left on the clock, Illikainen made it 7-6, and gave the Friars a chance to complete the rally. Buie and Halvorson each tallied assists on the goal that was scored at 19:34. However, with 3 seconds remaining on the clock, Kate Leary sent the puck into the empty net to seal the 8-6 Boston College win.

Special teams played a large role in the game as each team notched multiple power play goals. The Eagles went 2-for-6 in the game, while the Friars were 4-for-8 with the extra skater.

The Friars outshot the Eagles, 33-30, in the game, including 14-5 in the final period of play. Both teams played two goaltenders over the course of the game. Bryant played the first two periods for the Friars stopping 19 shots. Senior Nina Riley (Lexington, Mass.) played the third period and allowed one goal on four shots. Boyles made nine saves in the first period for the Eagles and Megan Miller finished the final two periods with 18 saves.

The two teams will play the second half of the Hockey East series on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Friars will be providing live play-by-play (Chris Fama), while Boston College will have live streaming and stats available to fans through their website.