It was a “better late than never” effort on Saturday for Boston University’s women’s ice hockey team, which managed a 4-4 tie on the strength of a third-period scoring binge on the road against Northeastern University.
The Terriers played a decent first two periods, but they never displayed the expected dominance over an NU squad that dropped 10 straight games before Saturday’s match-up.
BU’s lackluster effort throughout the first 40 minutes put the team in a 3-0 deficit heading into the third period, leaving the prospect of a tie rather idealistic at the time.
“There’s always frustration,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “But I didn’t think we played too poorly in those early periods.”
But as they have in previous games this season, the Terriers came out with a sense of urgency for the final 20 minutes, controlling the puck for the majority of the period. At times, BU’s relentless scoring attempts in the NU end resembled a power-play offense — despite the fact that both teams were at full strength.
Once the dust had settled and the overtime was set to begin, the Terriers had outshot the Huskies, 19-5, and cashed in on goals from co-captains Cara Hendry and Gina Kearns, sophomore Nicki Wiart and freshman Melissa Anderson. The goal output was the team’s highest since a four-goal second period launched the Terriers to a win over the University of Vermont on Oct. 22 at Walter Brown Arena.
“We thought if we could just get one, then we would be able to go forward,” Durocher said.
Third period outbursts are nothing new to this BU squad. On Jan. 11 against the University of Connecticut, they erased a 2-0 Huskies advantage in the final stanza before winning the game in overtime, 3-2. And just last weekend at Walter Brown Arena, the Terriers erupted for three third-period goals to break a scoreless tie in a 3-0 victory over the University of Maine.
Clearly, the youthful Terriers have grasped the ability to handle adversity and maintain their composure at critical times during the game.
“I have a lot of faith in this group,” Durocher said. “Their confidence goes a long way.”
“It speaks volumes about this team’s character,” Hendry said. “We’ve shown the resilience to battle back, which is impressive, especially for a young team.”
Through 27 games, BU has scored more than 42 percent of its goals in the third period (31-of-73). Though the late-game fireworks certainly provide excitement and suspense, the Terriers know they cannot fall into a habit of waiting until the final period to provide all of their offense.
“You always want to play 60 minutes,” Durocher said. “But right now, we aren’t playing with quite that sense of urgency [in the first two periods].”
“The first two [periods] have kind of been like a warm-up for us lately,” Hendry joked. “We need to make sure we stay focused for the whole game.”
Playing at a high level for an entire contest is challenging for any team, and the ability to stay disciplined over long periods of time tends to breed positive results.
But did Saturday’s third period leave the Terriers emotionally drained for the overtime session?
“I didn’t feel too tired myself,” Hendry said. “We were pretty much just running on adrenaline.”
Indeed, BU’s inspired effort in the final period was both productive and memorable. And with a pair of Beanpot matchups on the horizon, the Terriers seem to be coming together at just the right time to make their playoff push.