FIVE MINUTES INTO OVERTIME, the Boston University women’s hockey team had just one thing standing between them and their first Hockey East Title in nearly a decade: a goal.

Lilli Welcke found Sydney Healey positioned in front of the slot and delivered a perfectly timed pass, setting up the game-winning goal. As the puck hit the back of the net, Healey skated behind it in celebration, arms open, ready to embrace her teammates.

The first person she found was her younger sister and teammate, Keira.

“She was the first one getting off that jumped at me. The video is actually hilarious because I didn’t know it was her at first,” the now senior forward said with a laugh.

The sisters from Ontario, Canada, have different personalities, different social lives and play different positions, but they’re able to bring out the best in each other both on and off the ice.

Growing up, the two were always out on the ice together.

They first played together on a novice hockey team in their hometown. Despite a two-year age gap, Keira played up to join Sydney.

Sisters in the same sport are often compared to one another, but the Healeys set themselves apart from an early age.

“I actually played defense, funny enough, for one season, and she was a forward, and then we kind of just flipped,” Sydney said.

Eventually, age differences placed them on separate teams, but that never weakened their shared commitment to the game — or to each other.

They drove to practices and games together when they were both in juniors and found creative ways to train side by side, despite their positional differences.

“We would work on drills together that both have defensive and offensive concepts,” Keira said. “She would help rim a puck and I’d shoot at the net for tips.”

That collaborative spirit followed Sydney into college, where she began carving out her own path – one that would eventually lead Keira to join her.

Now heading into her final season, Sydney has played 106 games for the Terriers.

As a freshman, Sydney appeared in all 34 games, recording 12 points with five goals and seven assists, along with 18 blocked shots. She followed that up in her sophomore year playing in 34 games and improving her totals to 14 points, seven goals and seven assists.

When it was Keira’s turn to choose a college, Sydney tried not to sway her sister’s decision.

“I kind of stepped out when she was making that decision,” Sydney said. “I told her I would love for you to come here, but in the end, it’s up to you.”

Sibling duos are a familiar theme across both sides of BU’s hockey programs, with notable pairs like the Celebrinis, Welckes, and Hutsons.

“Obviously, every sibling, I would assume and I would hope, wants their sibling to play hockey with them for the rest of their lives and play sports with them for the rest of their lives,” Sydney said. “I wanted that, but I never wanted to influence her decision based off of that.”

Ultimately, Keira followed in Sydney’s footsteps, joining her at BU.

College hockey is a big jump for anyone, let alone shouldering the expectations of a well-known name in Hockey East, but both sisters agree that the comparisons often made between them in hockey haven’t affected their mindset or approach to the game.

The two are different players and different people both on and off the ice, but “that’s how they complement each other,” head coach Tara Watchorn said.

Entering her freshman season last year, Keira was quiet and reserved off the ice, but having her sister there helped her come out of her shell.

Having someone who already knew the ins and outs of the program is a luxury not many freshmen have, but Keira had that advantage, allowing her to find her own sense of confidence early on.

“Because Syd was there, it really got her out of her shell, and she was able to show her personality on and off the ice,” former teammate Julia Shaunessy said.

While Sydney had already established herself as a standout player before Keira’s arrival at BU, her sister’s presence and support seem to have contributed to her continued success.

Last season, Sydney played a pivotal role in the Terriers’ underdog success story, tallying 23 points from 15 goals and eight assists.

Her standout performance earned her multiple honors: she was named the Hockey East Tournament MVP after scoring the overtime game-winning goal against Northeastern in the championship, selected to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team, and recognized as a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.

“Her being here and stuff — its just felt like, you know, more of a home to me…I love having her around, so it’s been so much more comfortable with her here,” Sydney said of Keira joining her at BU.

It’s apparent that the sisters’ values resonate throughout the team. Their passion for hockey is palpable, both on and off the ice.

Former assistant coach Reagan Rust described the Healey sisters as “the backbone of the team.”

“Every single time they go out there, they are going to give 110 percent, and they’re never going to lose a battle,” Rust said. “I can probably count on my hands the number of times they lost battles on the ice last year.”

Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Healey’s face a new kind of pressure: defending their Hockey East title.

Sydney will take on added responsibility as she steps into a leadership role, now wearing an ‘A’ on her jersey.

Keira, entering her second year as a Terrier, appears to be embracing a similar mindset, ready to build on her freshman success with more growth and confidence from the year before.

“Even how she’s come back to start her sophomore year — just the way she is carrying herself — [she has] so much confidence,” Watchorn said.

As the Terriers look ahead to another season, the Healey sisters remain central to the team’s identity, not just for their skill, but for the balance they bring to the ice and to each other.

“I think they do almost yin and yang, they kind of balance each other out,” senior defenseman Maeve Kelley said.

With their final season on the ice together approaching, their bond will only grow.

“You don’t really get to experience winning the Hockey East Championship and the first person you hug with your sister,” Sydney said.

There’s no doubt the pair will be eager to chase the title once more, hoping to experience that feeling one more time.