The Boston University women’s hockey team should look into playing at Agganis Arena more often.
The last time the No. 8 Terriers hosted an opponent there rather than at Walter Brown Arena, they rolled to an 8-1 victory over the University of Maine behind a program record four power-play goals. On Saturday, the power play matched that total as BU defeated Providence College, 5-3.
‘We were definitely pumped to play here at Agganis,’ sophomore defenseman Tara Watchorn said. ‘But recently we’ve been really strong on the power play anyway ‘-‘- there’s a lot of chemistry developing between the two units.’
Watchorn, who had three assists, was on the ice for all but one of BU’s goals on Saturday.
Whether it was the location of the game or simply the productivity of the team’s top scorers, the Terriers looked virtually unstoppable on the man advantage, going 4-for-7 after converting three of their first four.
‘We’ve been doing a good job [on the power play] in the last month, really,’ BU coach Brian Durocher said. ‘You expect to get one or two goals, and even that can change the complexion of the game, so four was great.’
The Terrier power play, led by strong efforts from senior forward Melissa Anderson and sophomore forward Jenelle Kohanchuk, buried the Friars in an insurmountable 3-0 hole.
Providence was overly aggressive throughout the first two periods, and BU made them pay for it, setting up in the Friars’ zone and tormenting Providence goaltender Genevieve Lacasse with 23 shots, 14 on the power play.
Through most of the game, the Terriers were just as strong on the penalty kill, allowing Providence five shots and one goal on its first four power-play opportunities. However, they lost their composure somewhat in the third period, taking six penalties and allowing Providence the advantage for over half of the period.
The Friars scored on two of those six power play opportunities, making the game appear closer than it had really been throughout the first 40 minutes.
‘Six is definitely too many,’ Durocher said. ‘The goaltender needs to be protected, of course, but you need to have discretion.’
Discretion did appear to be a problem when the Friars scored their second goal on a delayed penalty call. Senior BU goaltender Melissa Haber held her ground to keep the Terriers on top, making 17 saves in the third-period to hold off the Providence onslaught. Despite BU’s early offensive outburst, Providence ultimately ended up with the advantage in shots, 35-30.
Both teams were more disciplined in Sunday’s contest at Providence, racking up only six penalties between them, as opposed to 15 on Saturday.
As a result, the Terrier power play was unable to keep its momentum rolling, and Providence took home the victory, 6-2.
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