Women’s hockey schedule released for 2013-14 season

The 2013-14 schedule for the Boston University women’s hockey team was released Saturday. Led by head coach Brian Durocher, the Terriers begin the season in a quest to duplicate their success from 2012-13.

BU will open with an exhibition match Sept. 27 at home against the University of Western Ontario. It will then travel to Troy, N.Y., to face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the regular season opener Oct. 11.

The Terriers will begin their pursuit of a second straight regular season conference title by opening up Hockey East play at Northeastern University Oct. 29. BU went 3-1 in the 2012-13 regular season against Northeastern.

After the conference play opener against the Huskies, BU will play five straight Hockey East games before traveling to the Midwest for games against St. Cloud State University and the University of Wisconsin Nov. 15 and 16, respectively.

BU will host the University of Minnesota-Duluth Dec. 6 and 7 for its final games of 2013. When the two met in Duluth last season, the matchups resulted in 2-2 and 0-0 ties.

To kick off 2014, the Terriers will host Dartmouth College Jan. 4. They will then play eight consecutive Hockey East games before the opening round of the 2014 Beanpot Tournament. Harvard University will host the tournament as BU faces rival Boston College in the semifinal round Feb. 4.

The regular season concludes with an away-and-home set against BC Feb. 22 and 23.

Last season, BU finished with a program-record 28 wins en route to a Hockey East regular season title. It eventually beat Northeastern in the Hockey East Championship game, earning the Terriers an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Clarkson University at home in an NCAA Quarterfinal, 5-3, to return to the Frozen Four for the second time in three seasons before falling to the undefeated University of Minnesota in the national championship game, 6-3.

The Terriers will look to several returning players to boost it in 2014. BU will lose its top three scorers from last season, including forward Marie-Philip Poulin, who will represent Team Canada in the 2014 Olympics. However, 2012-13 USCHO Rookie Team selection Sarah Lefort will return for her sophomore campaign after netting 24 goals in her freshman season.

Forward Louise Warren will serve as captain during her senior season after a 15-goal performance in 2012-13. Forward Kayla Tutino will return for her junior year after also putting up 15 goals last season. Top defensemen Shannon Doyle, Kaleigh Fratkin and Shannon Stoneburgh will all return in addition to the 2013 Hockey East Tournament MVP, goaltender Kerrin Sperry.