When the Boston University women’s hockey team arrived on campus for the 2015-16 school year, it had the chance to win five straight Hockey East championships and qualify for a seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament.
With a senior-laden squad — the least of which included forwards Sarah Lefort, Kayla Tutino, Rebecca Russo and Dakota Woodworth — BU (23-14-2, 17-5-2 Hockey East) seemed primed to make those goals reality.
Yet, fast forward to the present day and BU head coach Brian Durocher’s squad fell just short of silverware, falling in the Hockey East title game to No. 1 Boston College, failing to earn an at-large bid to the national tournament and finishing fourth in the Beanpot Tournament. Despite those low points, all is not drab, Durocher said, as the Terriers still enjoyed great success.
“There were a lot of positive points about the season, and we could be looking at this all differently if we got a W in the final game of the year,” he said. “But that didn’t happen, and we’ll still look at it as a solid season with a lot of individual accomplishments and a team that was fun to coach and a pleasure to be around.”
On an individual level, several underclassmen thrust themselves into prominent roles. The forward trio of sophomores Rebecca Leslie and Victoria Bach and freshman Sammy Davis combined for 54 goals and 69 assists. Their efforts were boosted by sophomore goaltender Erin O’Neil, who finished the year with a .909 save percentage and backstopped the Terriers through their postseason run.
There was also the emergence of freshman blueliner Connor Galway and sophomore defenseman Savannah Newton, who Durocher highlighted as the “biggest surprise of the year and the most improved player” in his eyes. With that solid core in mind, Durocher expressed anxious excitement for what lies ahead.
“It’s always nice to have young kids step up and play extremely well,” the 11th-year head coach said. “There are nice signs pointing forward, but we will lose a lot of depth, a lot of leadership and those are things that will have to be dealt with when we start next season. There’s going to be a lot more teaching and figuring out who fits what roles.”
As Durocher alluded to, the Terriers now bid farewell to a storied eight-member senior class that won 100 games, appeared in the 2013 NCAA title game and won a Hockey East regular-season title. There’s reason for optimism, though, with a talented group filling the ranks next year.
Tasza Tarnowski and Deziray De Sousa are expected to join as forwards, while the defensive corps should be boosted by Abby Cook, Alexandra Calderone and Breanna Scarpaci. Durocher explained that another forward could join the incoming class, but said he’ll be careful not to shower the Canadian and American talents with too high of expectations.
“It’s always interesting to see how people deal with college hockey and how quickly they adjust to college hockey,” Durocher said. “That’s one of the things that’s always important. On paper, there’s some real solid players coming here next year … If that’s the case, the combination of the new kids, the returning kids and everyone assuming more significant roles will be the determining factor of how things go next year.”
Nonetheless, Durocher and assistant coaches Allison Coomey and Katie Lachapelle have constructed a strong program over the years. Next year’s team will have to take on a new identity, but history points toward the Terriers staying near the top of Hockey East and competing with the nation’s best.
Simply put, with Durocher at the helm and a steady flow of talented student-athletes, BU’s future should be secure.
“I’m thankful to have a staff that does a great job and have been a big part of this program in the legacy that’s been left up to this point,” Durocher said. “… I tip my hat to the student-athletes who have really made us the type of program we are and put us on the map as a contender nationally and certainly a strong presence in Hockey East.”
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.
