Without mincing words, the Boston University women’s hockey team recognizes that its postseason aspirations must be solidified this weekend.
With four Hockey East games left in the 2015-16 regular season, BU (17-11-2, 14-4-2 Hockey East) will get that exact charge underway in a home-and-home series with the University of New Hampshire. The proceedings kick off Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena and wrap up Sunday afternoon in Durham, New Hampshire.
Head coach Brian Durocher acknowledged that his team will try and put two disappointing Beanpot Tournament losses in the rearview mirror, and the chance to do just that requires a period-by-period approach.
“Before we get four points, we have to work hard to get two,” Durocher said. “If we take care of business at home, hopefully that will get us started. The kids want to put it behind them and start a new winning streak. Two good weekends, four straight wins and all of a sudden, we can move up a notch and potentially be in second place in Hockey East.”
To achieve that, BU will have to strike a balance between defensive solidarity and attacking creativity. The Terriers’ 3.07 goals against per game is the fifth most in Hockey East, while their 3.60 goals scored per game is the third most in Hockey East.
Trying to iron out the kinks of those statistics will likely be sophomore goaltender Erin O’Neil and BU’s top line of seniors Sarah Lefort and Kayla Tutino and sophomore Victoria Bach. O’Neil has started 10 of BU’s last 13 games, and Durocher called upon the aforementioned line to rediscover itself.
“I think the last couple of games, our top line — certainly Kayla, Victoria and Sarah — have been a little snakebitten around the net,” Durocher said. “I’d love to see them get some good fortune and finish. Maybe this weekend, they can break out and get back to a little more production.”
Looking toward UNH (10-19-1, 7-13 Hockey East), it’s not quite clear what sort of opponent will come to the rink. The Wildcats are 2-3 in their last five games and have employed a rotating cast of goaltenders throughout the season.
On the offensive end, junior Jonna Curtis and sophomore Amy Boucher lead the charge, as they have accrued 29 and 22 points, respectively. Couple those presences with the fact that BU escaped from Durham with a narrow 5-3 victory in early November, and the upcoming weekend takes on a new complexion.
“They’re a good skating team and Jonna Curtis is one of the very good offensive players in the league,” Durocher said. “They’re starting to build with what they’ve done this second year with [head] coach [Hilary] Witt and her staff. Their kids are starting to build confidence, and we know nothing is taken for granted. We have to be there and ready to go right from the beginning.”
With the prospects of playoff hockey looming, Durocher acknowledged that each result is increasingly scrutinized, but BU isn’t overly focused on the long term. Geared toward the here and now, the Terriers will try and take care of business first Saturday and let the rest take care of itself.
“Our task is to be ready to go in the first period against UNH,” Durocher said. “If we can keep putting one foot in front of another in a positive way, all of a sudden, you could walk off with a pretty good record at the end of the year.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
