WORCESTER, Mass. — The Holy Cross women's ice hockey team returns to conference play as they prepare for a two-game set with the Boston College Eagles on Dec. 2 and 3. The Crusaders will travel to host the first game on Friday night at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the teams will travel to Chestnut Hill for an afternoon contest with puck drop slated for 2 p.m.

Friday's matchup will serve as the women's hockey Cousy Cup game, a year-long competition among all teams at Holy Cross. The scoring of the Cousy Cup will be based on the following categories: team GPA, community service hours, competitive outcomes, and attendance at select home athletic events.

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRUSADERS (2-15-1, 1-11-0 Hockey East): 

• Holy Cross enters the weekend with an overall mark of 2-15-1 and 1-11-0 in Hockey East play. The Crusaders paused their Hockey East play during the past two weeks as they faced Brown and Franklin Pierce. Holy Cross fell to Brown 1-0 on Nov. 22 and lost to Franklin Pierce 4-1 on the 26th.
• Junior Bryn Saarela notched her fourth of the goal of the season against Franklin Pierce assisted by juniors Millie Sirum and Vaia Graves. She leads the team in goals alongside freshman Alexia Moreau. Additionally, Saarela ranks first for total points with eight. She has tallied a point in three of the last five games, scoring a goal in two of the last three. 
• Sirum took top rank in assists in Saturday's contest, earning her fifth of the year. She lands second in total points with six.
• Holy Cross has scored eight power play goals this season and holds a seventy-four percent penalty kill grade. Saarela and Moreau lead the team with two power play goals each. 
• Junior goalie Madison Beck and freshman Brooke Loranger have split time in goal for Holy Cross this season. Beck posted 347 saves, a save-percentage of .920 and a goals-against average of 2.74 in 12 games.
• Loranger has seen action in eight games for the Crusaders owning 199 saves with a save percentage of .896 and goals-against average of 3.32. She set a new single-game career high in saves with 42 against Maine.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE EAGLES (9-7-1, 7-5-0 Hockey East): 

• Boston College is coming off a 5-1 victory over Harvard on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Five Eagles tallied goals, including senior Hannah Bilka and sophomore Jenna Carpenter who posted one goal and one assist apiece. 
• The Eagles recently faced Hockey East opponent New Hampshire for a weekend series on Nov. 18 and 19, winning both. 
• In Friday's contest, the Eagles notched three goals, winning 3-1. Sophomore Abby Newhook scored two goals and Bilka recorded three assists. On Saturday, Newhook tallied one more goal, ending the weekend with three. 
• The Eagles have tallied three power play goals on the year and hold an eighty-nine percent penalty kill rating.
• Bilka leads the Eagles in points (24), assists (15) and goals (9).
• Abigail Levy, a graduate student, has spent the majority of the season in goal for Boston College. In 13 games, Levy has managed two shutout victories. She owns 405 saves with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage.

LAST TIME THEY MET:

• These programs met three times during the 2021-22 season, with the Eagles winning all three contests. In the first matchup, Saarela scored the first goal assisted by Mary Edmonds and Emilie Fortunato. Edmonds later notced a goal unassisted, posting a two-point game.
• The teams met, once again for a two-game series in late January. Edmonds, Saarela, Sirum, and Emma Min recorded assists during the weekend.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's ice hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossWHockey | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswhockey | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Ice Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross