BC loses recruit, transfer

Classes are over at Boston College, and most of the undergraduates have dispersed for the summer, but the women's hockey meltdown continues.

On April 24, a month after the Eagles played in their first NCAA Frozen Four, BC announced the resignation of Tom Mutch, saying the Hockey East and New England Coach of the Year was pursuing other career interests. After the Eagles' success, such a move seemed wildly improbable. Several hours later, athletic director Gene DeFilippo released a statement that the school had received an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving Mutch and had begun an investigation of the alleged incident involving a player immediately. He added that Mutch's resignation was offered and accepted.

Now one of four BC recruits for next season, Geena Prough of Farmington, Mich., has chosen to go to Mercyhurst. Prough, a forward who played at Lawrence Academy, where Mutch's wife is the coach, had verbally committed to BC but had not signed a letter of intent.

Prough is still at her boarding school, and efforts to reach her parents were unsuccessful, but on the Mercyhurst website, she said, "I chose Mercyhurst because the team plays a style of hockey that relies on speed and aggressiveness. I think a smaller college will also allow for more personal instruction, which will aid in my education."

BC's remaining three recruits for the Class of 2011 -- Amanda Rothschild of Sherborn and Deerfield Academy; Ashlan Lambert of Eden Prairie, Minn.; and Kathleen Kurth of High Bridge, N.J., and North American Hockey Academy -- all affirmed they will be coming to BC. Kurth's mother, Michelle, said the family was at first uneasy with the situation, but that her daughter's conversations with interim coach Katie King and BC players had been reassuring.

In women's hockey, players can transfer to another college without sitting out a year. Before Mutch's resignation was announced, Anna McDonald of New Brighton, Minn., one of the Eagles' stellar freshmen, had been given an unconditional release from her scholarship. Now "it's like going through the recruiting process all over again," said her father, Mark. He expected McDonald to decide among Harvard, Dartmouth, and Minnesota by the end of next week. Harvard appears to have the edge.

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.