The Boston University women’s ice hockey team jumped from fifth to fourth place in Hockey East this weekend, earning three points in two-game home series against the University of Maine.
The Terriers (8-11-3, 5-5-1 HE) and Black Bears (2-19-3, 1-7-3) skated to a 1-1 tie at Agganis Arena on Saturday despite out-shooting Maine, 46-20. BU came up with a stronger offensive effort yesterday at Walter Brown Arena, posting a 4-3 win behind co-captain Gina Kearns’ two points.
The Terriers were stumped in the first game by Maine goaltender Genevieve Turgeon, who made 45 saves. BU came out storming in the first period, keeping possession for long stretches of time and firing 19 shots.
“She’s a good goalie,” said freshman Jillian Kirchner of Turgeon. “She stood on her head the last time we played her. We had close to 50 shots last time and we only had three goals.”
Kirchner, who has nine points in her last eight games, scored the Terriers’ lone goal against Maine. During a BU power play, sophomore defenseman Sarah Appleton passed the puck along the point to junior co-captain Sarah Russell, who found Kirchner in the corner. With one defender blocking her path to the net, Kirchner charged forward and caught Maine captain Jenna Cowan flat-footed. Kirchner dragged the puck away from Cowan’s poke check, skated by her and buried a shot past Turgeon.
Maine evened the score at 17:58 of the second period when freshman Jennie Gallo took a pass from sophomore Amy Stech, skated between junior Amanda Shaw and senior Stephanie Armstrong into the high slot and fired a slap shot that beat junior goaltender Allyse Wilcox’s glove side.
The Black Bears played better in the second and third periods, and clung onto the tie score behind Turgeon’s excellent play. Her biggest challenge came late in the third period, when sophomore Jonnie Bloemers stole the puck from the point and had a clear breakaway from her own blue line. She tried to deke left once, but Turgeon got a piece of the puck and redirected it into the corner. Bloemers then collected the rebound and passed it out front to a streaking Kearns, who was also stoned by Turgeon.
“One point is better than no points,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “I think we worked pretty hard, but we didn’t quite finish the deal. Their goalie played pretty well. The team got life after the first period and they played well as a group — better as the game went on.”
Though only six penalties were called, Saturday’s game was a hard-fought and chippy contest that carried into yesterday’s action. Leading the charge for the Terriers was sophomore Melissa Anderson, who played aggressively all weekend and was relentless in winning one-on-one battles.
“I actually thrive off a physical game,” Anderson said. “I would love to play full contact. It gives me momentum. I love it.”
Maine played a stronger game yesterday, but this time it was too much for Turgeon to handle alone. BU scored the first three goals before Maine got on the board at 14:36 of the second period on a tally from junior forward Vanessa Vani (3 points).
Junior Laurel Koller opened the scoring for the Terriers on the power play in the first period, with assists from Anderson and Appleton. Kearns made it 2-0 7:13 into the second. The junior streaked up the right wing into the offensive zone when she deked from the face-off circle to confuse her defender and Turgeon before firing a beautiful wrist shot that clanged off the far post and in.
A few minutes later on nearly the same play, Kearns carried the puck into the zone but this time slid it over the middle to freshman Lauren Cherewyk, who collected the pass and fired home a top-shelf wrister.
For the first time this season, Kearns, Cherewyk and Kirchner played on the same line. They are similar players: small, crafty and with a nose for the goal. Although it is unusual to see three similar players on one line, they seemed to have good chemistry in producing two goals Sunday.
“We were just trying to feel it out the first couple of shifts, and eventually it started working,” Kearns said. “We’re all small, all quick and all crafty. If it works, it works.”
Maine launched a last-ditch effort in the third period, when they scored consecutive goals to pull within one. At 19:28 of the third, junior Caroline Bourdeau intercepted a pass in the Black Bears’ zone and scored an empty-netter to make it 4-2 before Maine scored again with 11 seconds left.