BOSTON, Mass. - The #10 Holy Cross women's ice hockey team took on #7 Boston University (BU) for the opening round of the Hockey East tournament. The Crusaders took a 4-2 victory over the Terriers for the first program postseason win.
Just 29 seconds into the opening frame junior defenseman Carmen Elliott fired a shot off the faceoff taken by senior forward Bryn Saarela which was redirected into the back of the net by sophomore forward Lane Lewis. Holy Cross took an early 1-0 lead. The Terriers battled back covering on the powerplay at 7:02 and took the lead 2-1 with two minutes left in the period. Senior forward Lilly Feeney worked the puck out of the corner to Elliott who took another big shot which was redirected past the goaltender by sophomore forward Alexia Moreau with 32 seconds left in the first. The Crusaders ended the period tied 2-2 with BU. Midway through the second period, Moreau netted her second goal of the night at 9:13 to reclaim the lead for the Crusaders assisted by Lewis and sophomore defenseman Taylor Cantelon. Holy Cross extended their lead in the third period when senior forward Millie Sirum ripped a shot into the top shelf at 16:06 unassisted.
"I thought our team played really well from the start. We moved our feet really well, really good fore check. We knew what we had to do," said Moreau. "The coaches prepared us well, so I think we just capitalized on our chances and we're gonna have to bring this against UConn on Saturday and everyone's super excited. We have something to prove and we're ready to take care of some unfinished business."
Senior goalie Madison Beck had a tremendous performance between the pipes earning the win. Beck made a total of 37 saves in the outing and now owns a 2.86 goals against average with a .906 save percentage.
"Just can't be more proud of this group. These seniors have wanted this moment for our program so much. This is a huge step for our program. Obviously, BU is a heck of a team and Maddie Beck did a great job in that. We did a great job defensively blocking shots and all of that. So we're really really happy right now," said head coach Katie Lachapelle. "It's really special to get this first postseason win. This has been a fantastic run for our group, and we wanna keep going. This team's focused all the time. I had no doubt this group was gonna be the one to get us over this hump."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Holy Cross got on the board first with a goal by Lewis 0:29 in the first period. BU equalized with a goal at 7:02 and took the lead at 18:05. Moreau scored at 19:28 to tie the game 2-2 at the end of the first period.
- Holy Cross reclaimed the lead at 9:13 in the second period when Moreau netted the game winner
- Sirum scored an insurance goal at 16:06 and the Crusaders came out with the 4-2 win to advance to the quarterfinals in the Hockey East tournament.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Cantelon had her first career assist.
- Beck earned her first postseason win
UP NEXT:
The Crusaders return to action on Saturday, Mar. 2 for the quarterfinal game of the Hockey East tournament at #1 UConn at 1 p.m. in Toscano Family Ice Forum.
