Boston College Earns Quarterfinal Series Sweep with 5-1 Win Against Maine
Senior defenseman Lexi Bender registers three assists for Eagles

Senior defenseman Lexi Bender registered three assists for the Eagles
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 4:54  MNE1-0 SH Brooklyn Langlois (1) -
1st 16:26  BC1-1 PP Haley Skarupa (30)Makenna Newkirk/24, Kenzie Kent/23
2nd 9:40  BC2-1 EV GW Dana Trivigno (17)Lexi Bender/24
2nd 12:35  BC3-1 PP Kenzie Kent (14)Alex Carpenter/39, Megan Keller/34
2nd 16:15  BC4-1 EV Meghan Grieves (10)Lexi Bender/25, Tori Sullivan/15
3rd 3:53  BC5-1 EV Makenna Newkirk (21)Lexi Bender/26
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Maine  1001
Boston College  1315
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Maine  66517
Boston College  22222266
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Maine (10-23-2)  0/2 6/12 1
Boston College (36-0-0)  2/4 4/8 0
Maine Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Meghann Treacy (L, 9-20-2)60:005 21192161
Boston College Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Katie Burt (W, 31-0-0)60:001 56516

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The number-one ranked Boston College women's hockey team advanced to the Hockey East Tournament semifinals for the sixth straight season with tonight's 5-1 win over Maine in game two of the team's best-of-three series.

After falling behind early in the first period, the Eagles responded with five unanswered goals to win their second in the series against the Black Bears. Last night, BC won 5-2 to take a one-game lead.

Defenseman Lexi Bender notched three assists, while Makenna Newkirk and Kenzie Kent each added one goal and one assist

#1 Boston College 5, Maine 1
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Kelley Rink at Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

- After falling behind 1-0, the Eagles scored five unanswered goals to advance to the Hockey East semifinals

- Lexi Bender matched a career-best with three assists from the blue line, including her 75th career assist

- Makenna Newkirk recorded her second-straight multi-point night with a goal and an assist

- Kenzie Kent collected her 75th career point tonight, becoming the 26th player to reach that mark in program history

- Tori Sullivan picked up her 50th career point with her assist on a second-period goal

- With five goals tonight, BC matched its program record with 195 goals this season - equaling the previous record set last year in 2014-15

- The Eagles' two power-play goals also pushed the team's season total to 41, a new season record

QUOTABLES

Boston College head coach Katie Crowley
"We battled that first period. They got a sneaky one on that long shot and put us back on our heels, which I thought we handled pretty well. We came back with a power-play goal a little bit after that. I like the way our kids handled being down a goal early and then coming back and really playing strong as the game went on - stronger and stronger. Overall I'm happy. It's exciting to move on to the semifinal game. We're excited and looking forward to it."

"We've put a lot of focus on our power-play in particular. I think all three units have taken ownership of finding a way to produce. I thought today we were able to do that. Special teams are important as we keep going forward here, so they'll continue to be important."

"A goal like (Maine's first) was a weird one - a weird bounce. I thought that the way we handled it was very good. No one on the bench, they weren't down on each other. They handled it well and fought hard to get back. That goal by (Haley) Skarupa. I told her she put everything into that one and we needed that one. I thought it was a great way to get a spark and get us going."

"(Our second and third lines have) been great. We change the lines quite a bit through the year and kind of mixed and matched and tried to do a few different things. We've settled on these lines and let them play together and get a feel for each other. As we keep going here - and it's been apparent in these last few games - we need our second and third lines. Our fourth line is doing a good job, too. That's important as we keep moving forward; we need a whole team effort and that's really been evident in the last couple of games."

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st, 4:54 // 0-1 - MAINE GOAL (SHG): On the BC power play, an Eagle pass from the point was deflected right to Brooklyn Langlois, who broke out between the two defenders. She cut out toward the boards and fired a fluttering shot toward goal from behind the red line. The puck found space between Katie Burt's glove and the post for an early 1-0 lead through the shorthanded goal.

1st, 16:26 // 1-1 - BC GOAL (PPG): With the man-advantage, the Eagles worked it around the outside and Kenzie Kent banked a pass across the ice off the far boards. Makenna Newkirk picked it up and curled inside, releasing a shot. Sher attempt was blocked, but Haley Skarupa picked up the rebound and sent the puck past Meghann Treacy for the 1-1 score.

2nd, 9:40 // 2-1 - BC GOAL: Maine attempted to break it out of their zone, but Lexi Bender poke-checked the puck back along the boards in front of the BC bench to Dana Trivigno who was streaming back in from the blue line. Trivigno picked up stream and released a high wristed shot that beat Treacy to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.

2nd, 12:35 // 3-1 - BC GOAL (PPG): Makenna Newkirk picked the puck up off the boards and played Megan Keller at the point. Keller's one-timer was deflected in front to Alex Carpenter just off the crease on the near side, and she shoveled a pass through the crease to Kent for the Eagles' second power-play goal of the night.

2nd, 16:15 // 4-1 - BC GOAL: Tori Sullivan's shot from the right slot was wide and kicked all the way around to the left point. Bender picked up the puck along the boards and skated centrally along the blue line. She launched a shot that ricocheted off a defender in the slot, but right to Meghan Grieves who one-timed her shot high over Treacy's shoulder for the three-goal advantage.

3rd, 3:52 // 5-1 - BC GOAL: Bender stopped a Maine clearance attempt in front of the Black Bears' bench and played Newkirk in across the ice. The freshman collected the pass and skated forward, using the Maine defenders as a screen for her wrist shot that beat Treacy for BC's fifth goal.

GAME NOTES

Team Notes

- The Eagles are now 36-0-0 on the season, and have extended their program record for wins in a season ... the previous mark was 34 in 2014-15

- Boston College has advanced to the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament for the sixth straight season ... it will be BC's 10th trip overall to the league's final four teams

- BC is now 12-9 all-time in the Hockey East tournament, including a 6-1 mark in the quarterfinal round

- Tonight's five goals brought the team's season total to 195, tying the program's single-season record which it set last year in 2014-15

- The Black Bears' first-period shorthanded goal was just the second shorthanded goal surrendered by the Eagles this season

- Haley Skarupa's first-period power-play goal was the team's 40th of the season, a new program record passing the previous single-season mark of 39 in 2004-05 ... Kenzie Kent's second-period power-play goal pushed that total to 41 on the season

- Tonight marked the 11th time this season BC has scored two or more goals on the power play, including the team's last three games in which they've had at least one power-play opportunity

- Today's game marked just the fourth time this season an opponent scored the first goal of the game ... BC has posted the game's first goal in 32 of 36 games this season

- Tonight marked the 22nd time this season that BC scored at least five goals

- BC still has yet to surrender a power-play goal in a non-conference game this season

Player Notes

- Haley Skarupa's first-period power-play goal was her 10th of the season

- Skarupa's power-play goal was her 30th goal of the season ... this is the second straight season she's notched at least 30 goals ... she had 31 as a junior in 2014-15

- Skarupa pushed her career power-play goal total to 23, now one back of second-place Kelli Stack '11 who had 24 in her career

- Makenna Newkirk notched two points to push her season scoring total to 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) ... her 21 goals are most by any freshman this season and her 45 points as second-most among first-year players ... she trails Minnesota's Sarah Potomak (12 goals, 37 assists) by four points in the category

- Newkirk's assist on Skarupa's first-period goal was her 24th of the season, tying her for the fourth-most by a freshman in program history while matching Jennifer Buckley's freshman mark of 24 in 1997-98.

- Lexi Bender tied the program's career appearances record tonight, making her 149th career appearance ... she is tied with Emily Field '15 and Kate Leary '15, who both had 149 appearances in their four-year careers

- Bender added three assists tonight pushing her season total to 26 ... her 26 assists so far this season mark her best single-season effort of her four-year career, besting the 23 assists she registered as a junior in 2014-15

- Bender now has 75 career assists and is tied for eighth most in program history with Mary Restuccia '12

- Bender is now just four assists back of Emily Pfalzer's program record for career assists by a defenseman ... Pfalzer posted 79 assists in her four-year career that ended in 2015

- Tonight was Bender's second-career three-assist effort and her first since her freshman season in 2012-13 - a three-assist effort against Providence on Nov. 12, 2012

- Dana Trivigno tallied her 17th goal of the season in the second period, extending her best single-season production of her career ... she pushed her season scoring total to 47 points, also the best of her career

- Trivigno is now tied for sixth place in program history in career scoring, recording 138 points and matching Emily Field '15

- Kenzie Kent's power-play goal in the second period was her 75th career point ... she is the 26th player in program history to reach the 75-point plateau

- Kent now has 11 multiple-point games this season with her goal and assist effort tonight

- Kenzie Kent picked up her 23rd assist of the season on Skarupa's first-period goal

- Meghan Grieves' goal was her 10th of the season, extending her best single-season mark in her four-year career

- With her assist on Kenzie Kent's second-period power-play goal, Alex Carpenter pushed her nation-leading assist total to 39 on the season ... she now has 77 points on the year and 267 career points

- The power-play assist was her nation-leading 16th power-play assist of the season, and moved her power-play point total to 24 points which also leads the nation

- Megan Keller moved her season assist total to 34, most by any defenseman in the country and tied for sixth among all players

- Keller's assist on Kent's goal was her 16th power-play assist of the year, matching Carpenter for the national lead in the category ... it was also her 20th power-play point of the season, second-most in the country behind Carpenter

- Tori Sullivan's assist on Meghan Grieves' goal was her 50th career point ... she now has 22 points this season after a 28-point rookie campaign in 2014-15

THREE STARS

1. Lexi Bender, BC
2. Meghann Treacy, ME
3. Makenna Newkirk, BC

TEAM RECORDS

Maine: 10-24-2, 6-17-1 HEA
Boston College: 36-0-0, 24-0-0 HEA

UP NEXT

With today's win, the Eagles secured a berth in the semifinals of the 2016 Hockey East Tournament, which will be played next weekend in North Andover, Mass., at Merrimack's Lawler Rink. As the top remaining seed, Boston College will face the lowest remaining seed - either fifth-seeded Vermont (who will play game three against Boston University on Sunday afternoon) or fourth-seeded Connecticut (who swept New Hampshire) - at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.