In the waning minutes of Saturday’s game against the University of Vermont, the No. 4/5 Boston University women’s hockey team seemed destined for overtime. After two consecutive losses, both in the Beanpot Tournament, the Terriers (20–5–3, 15–2–1 Hockey East) fell behind early on in the contest with the Catamounts (8–19–3, 6–10–3 Hockey East), and managed to comeback to tie it about halfway through the game.
Nonetheless, some 40 shots later, BU had yet to put itself ahead in a game that the team needed to win to get back on track for the final weekend of the regular season.
With just over a minute left in the contest, however, junior captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored BU’s lone goal of the game, picked up a pass from senior defenseman Kathryn Miller at center ice. Poulin skated toward the Vermont goal and backhanded a shot into the net.
The goal and subsequent win snapped the Terriers’ two-game losing streak, their longest of the season, but also gave them a different stat to add to their record books. With the victory, the women’s hockey program and BU coach Brian Durocher picked up their 150Cth victory — a feat that took just eight seasons to accomplish.
“It’s great, and I’m most proud of the young ladies,” Durocher said, admitting he did not realize at first that it was his 150th win.
During the past eight seasons, various players have come through the BU program, establishing their presence in the hockey community and creating the reputation that BU now has as one of the top teams in the Hockey East conference and in the nation. A big part of that success, however, comes from the man standing behind the Terriers’ bench during games, as Durocher has recruited top-tier players and led his team to national and conference tournaments.
“He’s a great guy, down to earth, very nice, and I think we feed off that,” said senior forward Isabel Menard. “I’m just really glad to play for a guy like that.”
Menard, who scored two goals during BU’s 151st win Sunday, transferred to BU after playing two seasons with Syracuse University. In her two seasons with the Terriers, she has come up big as one of the team’s offensive leaders.
But Menard is only one of many key players that Durocher has brought onto the squad. Durocher has managed to bring in members of the Canadian National Team, like Poulin and former Terrier Jenn Wakefield.
All of his work on and off the ice has helped Durocher amass a 151–92–37 record in his eight seasons as head coach of the Terriers. In that span of time he has also watched the team win two Hockey East Championships and earn three NCAA Tournament appearances — including one in the national championship in 2011.
If the past eight seasons are any indication, the Terriers will continue to add to their record book in the coming years, if not in the next few games. BU reached the 100-win mark just two seasons ago — a game that also featured them defeating the Catamounts — and if it manages to win the rest of the games this season, could break its record for single-season wins within the Hockey East Conference.
Despite all of that, however, Durocher said he is not the reason for the success the Terriers have found since the team became a varsity program in the 2005–06 season. Instead, he focuses on the players that helped to build the program and the work they have done for the team.
“I told [the team] after the game … I still haven’t scored a goal, made a save, killed a penalty,” Durocher said. “It’s all on their hats and they’ve all done a great job here, and I’m proud of all the accomplishments they’ve had so far.”
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