Senior captain Louise Warren leads the women’s hockey team in total goals (seven), points (nine) and shots (50).
It would be an understatement to say that the No. 10 Boston University women’s hockey team had a successful week, as the Terriers defeated three Hockey East opponents to further its claim as one of the top teams in the conference so far this season.
While the Terriers (6-1-1, 3-0 Hockey East) received contributions from many players during their last three contests, it was the team’s seniors, specifically captain Louise Warren and goaltender Kerrin Sperry, who played the biggest part in BU’s successful week.
Warren finished the three-game stretch with five goals and an assist for a total of six points on the week. The Pembroke, Ontario, native netted the overtime game-winning goal Tuesday night against Northeastern University before posting multi-goal games against the University of New Hampshire Friday night and the University of Vermont Saturday afternoon.
Warren now leads the Terriers in goals (seven), points (nine) and shots (50). For her efforts, Warren was named the Hockey East Co-Player of the Week. BU coach Brian Durocher praised Warren and her impact both on and off the ice this season.
“[Warren] obviously had the big pair of goals to become the game winner and seal the deal up in New Hampshire, and she responded back here against UVM with another great game,” Durocher said. “Off the ice, Louise is someone who works extremely hard but has a role of being a captain, which sometimes can have a lot of prestige and certain recognition from it, but at the same time, it’s not an easy job.
“She’s done a great job helping with some of the team building and team bonding and making sure people are all on the same page.”
Sperry was nearly unstoppable in net last week, as the BU goalie posted a 3-0-0 record with a microscopic 0.98 goals-against-average and a .965 save percentage. Sperry had the 12th shutout of her career against the Catamounts (3-5-1, 1-1 Hockey East), stopping 28 shots in what was her 100th start with BU. Sperry’s stellar performance this past week was rewarded Monday afternoon, as she was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.
“Kerrin has been very sharp all through this season,” Durocher said. “She’s had real good support in front of her from her team and that’s probably something she’s appreciate of and so am I, because it tells me we’re working hard, we’re committed to defense.”
Terriers off to quick start against Hockey East opponents
BU itself earned an award this week, as the Terriers were named the Hockey East Team of the Week for defeating three conference opponents in five days.
So far this year, the Terriers are living up to, if not exceeding, expectations that had them tabbed to finish second in the conference. BU is currently tied atop the Hockey East standings with Boston College, but hold the distinction of being the only undefeated team in the conference.
For Durocher, the biggest factor in BU’s success against conference rivals lies in the team’s great defensive unit and its strong play away from Walter Brown Arena. The Terriers are currently 4-1-1 in away games this season.
“I think, without a doubt, it’s the fact that we play good defense,” Durocher said. “There’s nights you can play well offensively … but it’s not always a given that you’re going to turn the light on in this game, because goalies can be tough. That would be first and foremost, our level of defense, and secondly, being able to play on the road is very important. To get two of the three wins on the road is a feather in the cap.”
BU reappears on USCHO poll
The Terriers gained national recognition again, as BU was ranked No. 10 in the latest USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll.
BU, which held a spot in the national poll from Jan. 30, 2012 to Oct. 21, 2013, were left off the list for two weeks before finally making a reappearance.
Despite the positive news, Durocher said that his players are more focused on taking it one day at a time as opposed to focusing on larger issues such as national rankings.
“I think the kids are really just focused on taking things one step at a time,” Durocher said. “If you do that and you perform well, you’re going to find your way back into a nice position whether it’s in your league or in the national picture. It’s all a matter of putting it together, not looking too far down the road … just taking one shift, one period at a time and good things will add up.”
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