The Boston University women’s hockey team struck first and never looked back en route to a 3-1 victory over Boston College Tuesday night at Walter Brown Arena.
The win preserved BU’s undefeated streak to start the new year, while third-place BC continues to struggle. Senior Melissa Anderson, senior Laurel Koller and junior Holly Lorms all scored for the Terriers.
‘I think the effort was very thorough,’ Coach Brian Durocher said. ‘We gave up that one chance late there that I wish we didn’t. We may have been just a shade rusty coming out of the gate, but we killed penalties, got a power play goal, so all-in-all, I thought it was a good effort there.’
BU started the game slowly after a week of rest, but the Terriers finally found some momentum near the end of the first when Anderson scored on a backhander following a flurry in front of the BC net.
‘That was big, that first goal,’ Durocher said. ‘It starts the game, gets you rolling and gives you that lead.’
Boston University added to its lead in the second. When Terriers went on the power play following a hooking call on Boston College’s Allie Thunstrom, sophomore defenseman Carly Warren brought the puck out from behind the net and passed to junior forward Jillian Kirchner, who found Koller waiting on the doorstep. Koller nudged the puck through the five-hole for her third goal of the season.
BC cut the Terriers’ lead in half just five minutes into the third when Allie Thurnstrom scored on the rush.
‘They snuck one behind us,’ said Durocher. ‘We made a turnover. We threw a little bit of a blind pass that they stole, and Thurnstrom had a nice wrist shot right off the inside post.’
The Terriers had controlled the pace of the game throughout the second period and into the third with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The BC goal lit a fire under the Terriers and inspired them to play tough and tight for the remainder of the game.
‘At times, we were a little tentative carrying the puck,’ Durocher said. ‘You have to play sometimes like you are down by two goals instead of trying to just play kitty by the door and block it. The main thing was to not give that last opportunity there.’
Senior goalie Melissa Haber was there for the Terriers when they did give up opportunities to BC. With 2:44 remaining in the game, Haber made her best save of the night. As the puck bounced off her pads, Haber dove to cover up as two BC forwards rushed in, preserving the then 2-1 lead for BU.
‘She was fantastic,’ Durocher said. ‘She’s a wicked competitor and she made some fantastic saves. The aforementioned one with a bit over two minutes left was just tremendous.’
The Terriers sealed their victory with an empty-net goal 19:12 into the third. After a battle entering the offensive zone, Holly Lorms fired a shot toward the net. A lone BC player dove across the goal line in an attempt to make the save, but the puck slipped under the Eagle and across the line.
The game marked the return of sophomore forward Jenelle Kohanchuk and sophomore defenseman Tara Watchorn, both of whom had been competing for the Canadian National U-22 team in the MLP Cup. Watchorn took seven shots, registered an assist and finished the game with a plus-1.
‘Those are key players,’ Durocher said. ‘Those are kids who are top forwards, top defensemen, so to have a full group, that gives us a little more energy and a little more paced play. Going into a weekend you have three games in five days, everybody is going to play a little bit more. Depth is very important.’
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