The No. 10 Boston University women’s hockey team lost 2-1 in its conference home opener Monday night against rival Boston College at Walter Brown Arena.
The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period until freshman Ashley Motherwell’s goal at 3:11 in the final frame gave the Eagles (2-2-4, 1-1-1 Hockey East) their first victory in conference play this season.
‘Like I said, they were a slightly more determined team,’ BU coach Brian Durocher said on Boston College’s play. ‘I don’t think that the 29-to-15, or 26-to-15, whatever it was in shots, was a complete description of the game. I think sometimes that can be slightly misleading, and it was tonight.’ The final shot totals were 28-16 in BC’s favor.
‘ The Terriers (3-2-4, 1-1-0 Hockey East), fresh off a 3-1 victory over Providence College on Saturday, failed to earn their second-straight win.
The Eagles’ first goal scoring opportunity came in the first period when the Terriers gave the puck away in their defensive third, and a BC player took advantage of the mistake and unleashed a shot on net that was saved by BU senior goalie Melissa Haber.
BU’s first real chance at goal also came in the first stanza. Off of a deflection in BC’s defensive end, the puck landed in the slot, where freshman forward Jill Cardella’s one-timer went just wide of the net.
In the first 20 minutes of action, it was the goalies who stole the show, making save after save and keeping the score deadlocked at 0-0.
Haber finished the game with 14 saves, while BC freshman goaltender Corinne Boyles stopped 27 shots.
‘Both goaltenders were real solid,’ Durocher said. ‘Both of them gave their team a chance to win. I think Corrinne had a few more saves, shutting the door when we had a couple of opportunities. We also found a way to just miss the net on a couple of opportunities late in the game with real good slapshots. And those are the differences in the game.’
BC took the early 1-0 lead at the 7:36 mark in the second period when senior forward Allie Thunstrom, off a pass from sophomore Mary Restuccia, skated pass the right face-off circle towards the net and backhanded the puck through Haber’s legs.
In a game that saw no goals in the first 27 minutes of play, there were two in 48 seconds.
BU responded at 8:24 in the second period when freshman forward Jill Cardella scored her fourth goal of the season.
Off a rebound from senior Melissa Anderson’s shot, Cardella picked up the loose puck and deposited it into the right side netting, tying the score at one.
BC put the game away with 16:49 remaining in the third period when Motherwell collected the puck in the slot after the BU defense had failed to clear it and ripped a shot that went past Haber, sealing the Eagles’ 2-1 win.
‘We finished playing a game in Providence just a couple nights ago, and it was the same type of game,’ Durocher said. ‘We got the goal with six minutes left on an open net, and tonight it went on the other team’s luck.
‘BC was a pretty determined team tonight. I thought they played with a little more pace and a little more quickness than I had expected. I give them all the credit in the world for coming up with two points here.’
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