Eagles, Terriers on crash course
WOMEN’S BEANPOT
It will be a Green Line confrontation in the 40th annual Women’s Beanpot championship after Boston College used three goals from junior Makenna Newkirk and a pair from freshman Daryl Watts to turn back stubborn Northeastern, 5-2, in the second semifinal last night at Kelley Rink.
BC (25-2-3) will meet Boston University for the title next Tuesday night (7:30) on the same ice. The Huskies beat Harvard in the opener, 3-2.
Newkirk completed her first hat trick of the season into an empty net at 18:51 in the third.
“I thought we came out with a spark, and then they took it to us pretty good in the second period,” said BC coach Katie Crowley, who is vying for her third straight Beanpot crown. “I think we weathered the storm, and I’m happy that my team found a way to win. Overall, it was a great team effort.”
Northeastern (13-14-3) received an early setback when BC defenseman Toni Ann Miano sent Watts racing in alone. Watts faked before sliding the puck past NU goalie Brittany Bugalski at 8:48. Watts, the nation’s leading scorer, reached 70 points with her 35th goal. She connected later at 15:06, sweeping a backhand shot home off a nifty 2-on-1 pass from sophomore center Caitrin Lonergan of Roslindale, who moved within three of 100 career points.
NU got on the board a 4:19 of the second when sophomore left winger Andrea Renner found an opening between the leg pads of BC senior Katie Burt, the NCAA career leader in goaltender wins (115). A key momentum swing occurred just before midway when BC center Erin Connolly was foiled by Bugalski on a re-direction attempt. NU sped down ice and captain Shelby Herrington connected off a goalmouth scramble at 10:34 to knot the score.
BC quickly regained the lead at 13:06 when Newkirk converted back-door on a return feed from senior winger Kenzie Kent.
The Huskies took the attack to the Eagles throughout the third, but Newkirk roofed her second goal of the game at 14:43 to hand heavily favored Eagles a 4-2 edge
In the first game, freshman center Jesse Compher scored the game-winner, and senior center Victoria Bach registered a pair of goals for the Terriers.
BU (11-14-6), which won its lone women’s Beanpot title as a club program in 1981, scored three times in a span of 2:21 of the first period with Bach leading the way. Bach began the deluge with a burst of speed into the Harvard zone as a lone defender lost a skate edge and toppled. That gave Bach clear sailing to deposit her 32nd goal of the season at 3:48.
Bach made it 2-0 at 5:55 during a scramble around the crease of Harvard sophomore goalie Beth Larcom (25 saves). Bach pounced on a loose rebound and had the wide-open left side. The margin grew to 3-0 at 6:09 when Compher, the younger sister of NHL skater J.T. Compher, fired a wrist shot into the near side during a power play. It was Compher’s eighth goal of the season.
Harvard (9-13-2), which owns 14 women’s ’Pot crowns, erased any shutout hopes harbored by BU freshman Corinne Schroeder (24 saves) when freshman left winger Brooke Jovanovich made a nice backhand flip to light the lamp at 14:03. Harvard was back in the hunt after senior defenseman Chelsea Ziadie sent a floater from the blue line that connected through a maze of players on the power play at 5:06 of the second. Harvard lifted its goalie for an extra skater with 1:07 left but could not score the equalizer.