Offensive outburst

Concluding a difficult six-game homestand that saw virtually every bout go down to the wire, an 8-1 victory for the Boston University women’s hockey team ‘-‘- thanks in part to the first career hat trick from sophomore Lauren Cherewyk ‘-‘- over the University of Maine Saturday at Agganis Arena was not something the Terriers were used to, but they will most certainly take it.
Although the score indicates a high-scoring affair for the Terriers, the first period provided a rather slow start. The lone goal of the stanza came after a Maine (2-5-0, 0-1-0 Hockey East) checking penalty by goaltender Genevieve Turgeon awarded BU the man advantage. Cherewyk capitalized with her first goal of the afternoon when she redirected a slap shot from senior defenseman Amanda Shaw.
The second period started with a bang for the Terriers (5-2-1, 2-0-0) when, nine seconds in, freshman forward Jenelle Kohanchuk scored her third goal of the season off a play designed by BU coach Brian Durocher and his staff.
‘The two forwards [senior Gina Kearns and sophomore Jillian Kirchner] play back and bomb between the two wingers. They came up with the puck. [Kohanchuk] followed the play after a couple of tips and ended up in a free position to go in and score the goal,’ Durocher said.
Maine’s only goal came five minutes later. A breakdown in the BU defense left Maine freshman forward Dominique Goutsis open in front of the net for the score. It was the only miscue for junior goaltender Melissa Haber, who finished with 12 saves and was rarely tested.
An answer came rather quickly from the left-handed stick of senior forward Erin Seman 59 seconds later when she scored from her knees off linemate Melissa Anderson’s pass from behind the red line.
Then came the third period and, with it, an offensive onslaught from the Terriers. In that 20-minute span, BU saw five shots find the back of the net, three of which came on the power play for a grand total of four special teams goals.
Cherewyk scored the final two legs of her hat trick in the third, while Seman added her second tally. Anderson and freshman defenseman Carly Warren, who notched her first career goal, joined in on the fun as well. In the period, the Terriers scored more goals than they had in any game this season.
Of course, Durocher did not expect the third period to unfold the way it did.
‘The stars lined up a little for us,’ Durocher said. ‘We went into the period focusing to see if we could get out of the period without a goal on the board for them, and I figured we’d get a fourth, get a fifth. Well, we did that plus a little more.’
As impressive as the third period appeared to be, the main stories of the game were the play of Cherewyk and Seman.
Cherewyk has been on fire as of late, scoring five goals in BU’s past two contests after going scoreless in six games prior. The hat trick, in particular, is a big step for the sophomore and could signal continued success.
‘It feels great,’ Cherewyk said. ‘My linemates [Seman and Anderson] pointed out to me that we all got our first hat trick sophomore year.’
‘We’re the only three [in the history of the program],’ Seman said. ‘She wanted to join the club, and we’re happy to have her.’
Seman matched her teammate’s strong play with a pair of goals against the Black Bears, a stat Durocher attributed to increased stamina from the senior after offseason knee surgery.
‘I’m getting excited to see Erin Seman getting her legs back under her,’ Durocher said. ‘She’s building up her stamina and her strength. I’m kind of excited to see that. She’s played very smart. All things are pointing north for her.’