The No. 8 Boston University women’s hockey team resumes its six-game road trip Tuesday night when it takes on Hockey East foe the University of Maine at Androscoggin Bank Colisee, at 7 p.m.’
‘It’ll be exciting for two reasons,’ BU coach Brian Durocher said on playing in Lewiston, Maine. ‘It’s exciting for assistant coach Katie Lachapelle and [sophomore defenseman] Kasey Boucher to come back to their hometown, and for Boucher to play in that rink. It’ll be a new experience for everyone else, and hopefully, we’ll find a way to get a win for Katie and Kasey.’
Durocher said BU (6-4-5, 4-3-1 HE) will need a unified effort on both offense and defense if it wants to leave Maine (3-9-2, 1-5-2) with two points, especially considering one of BU’s key players will not be available.’
‘We have to match their intensity because we have enough talent on our bus,’ Durocher said. ‘We have to play tough in front of our own net to avoid easy goals because we’re going to be playing short-handed because [sophomore defenseman] Tara Watchorn is out for the rest of the fall semester with an injury. Everyone is going to have to do a bit more.’
Tuesday’s matchup against the Black Bears will be the third-straight game away from Walter Brown Arena. So far on this road trip, BU is 1-1, with a 6-2 loss to Providence College on Nov. 15 and a 4-0 win over Boston College last Wednesday. Maine earned its first conference victory of the season in its last contest, defeating Northeastern University, 1-0, on Nov. 15.
The two teams have met a total of 12 times, with BU posting an overall record of 8-3-1 against Maine. The last time the Terriers and the Black Bears played each other was earlier this year, in a weekend series up in Orono, Maine, on Jan. 17 and 18, with BU earning 5-2 and 5-1 victories.’
In BU’s 5-1 win, junior forward Lauren Cherewyk scored the Terriers’ third goal of the game, and sophomore forward Jenelle Kohanchuk added BU’s fourth goal in the third period. Senior netminder Melissa Haber, who needs one more shutout to set the program record, made the start in net and stopped 15 shots.
The Terriers are currently in fourth place in the Hockey East standings with 10 points, while the Black Bears are tied for sixth place with the University of Connecticut, with five points. Two points separate Maine from last place in the standings, but Durocher and his squad are not taking the Black Bears lightly.
‘We know it’s an important game,’ Durocher said. ‘Any of the results against [University of New Hampshire], Providence and Boston College get wasted when you let games slip away that you have the ability to win. Maine does a good job of keeping games tight. But we’re not taking this game for granted.’
Maine coach Dan Lichterman’s team has struggled mightily this season. Through 14 games, Maine has been outscored by its opponents, 42-31, and outshot, 457-386. In conference play, the Black Bears have been even worse ‘-‘- scoring only eight goals in eight league games, while surrendering a staggering 26 goals.
Maine’s two goaltenders -‘-‘- freshman Brittany Ott and sophomore Candice Currier ‘-‘- have each had their share of growing pains this season. Ott ranks ninth in goals-against average (2.89) and winning percentage (0.357) among all Hockey East goaltenders, while Currier is last in those two categories, registering a 2.91 GAA and a 0.214 winning percentage.
On offense, Maine is led by senior forward Jenna Ouellette (4 goals, 9 assists), junior forward Jennie Gallo (5g, 4a) and senior forward Taryn Peacock (4g, 5a). For a team that has had a hard time scoring more goals than its opponent, Lichterman will have to depend on these three players to generate the offense for the Black Bears.
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