The Boston University women’s hockey team was on a rollercoaster ride all season, alternating lengthy losing streaks with thrilling upset victories. In the first round of the Hockey East playoffs – the first postseason berth in Terrier history – that ride came to a sudden stop with an 8-0 drubbing by the No. 2 University of New Hampshire.
BU (15-17-3, 11-9-1 HE) played the Wildcats (31-3-1, 20-0-1) tough in each of the teams’ three meetings in the regular season, but failed to register a point against the top team in Hockey East. Last Saturday at Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn., the Terriers’ nightmarish second period, in which they allowed five goals, doomed their push to avenge the regular-season defeats and make it to the Hockey East championship game.
“UNH’s ability made a 1-0 game into a 6-0 game. I tip my cap to them,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “I wish that our bad period might have been in the regular season some time.”
The Wildcats didn’t lose a conference game all year, and an upstart BU squad could not overcome the energized offensive attack UNH brings to the ice. Junior goaltender Allyse Wilcox made an excellent save early in the first period on a one-timer from senior Sadie Wright-Ward, but the scoreless tie would not last long.
At 9:55 of the first, sophomore Micaela Long put the Wildcats on top, 1-0, with a sensational goal that shook the Terriers’ confidence. Long took a pass from junior Maggie Joyce at the left circle, deked Wilcox to her right and put the puck past the sprawled goalie.
“[Long] did manage to get an outside-inside move around one of our defensemen. She protected the puck with her body and put it wide on Allyse,” Durocher said. “She made it into a highlight reel goal.”
With an early deficit, the Terriers had an uphill battle, but the scrappy team had plenty of fight in it.
“That set a slight tone, but we were still very much in the hockey game,” Durocher said.
Down just a goal heading into the second, BU was still in the game. But things changed quickly once the second stanza got underway. Just 1:17 into the second, freshman Courtney Birchard put the Wildcats up 2-0 on the man-advantage. Thirty-six seconds later UNH was back at it, this time with Birchard’s classmate, Jenn Wakefield, netting a goal on a one-timer from the left post.
Senior Leah Craig got in on the action at 8:32 of the second with a shot from the right circle that snuck past Wilcox, giving UNH a 4-0 lead. After two BU power plays, including an extended 5-on-3 opportunity that failed to produce a goal, the Wildcats added to their lead with goals from junior Sam Faber and Long to close the period leading 6-0.
“If they really get rolling or they get a couple bounces, it can make life tough,” Durocher said of the second-period collapse. “We haven’t been the only team that had something like that happen to them this year.”
With his team well behind after the UNH’s outburst, Durocher replaced Wilcox with sophomore Melissa Haber. Wilcox’s six goals allowed tied her career high, and the five goals in the second period set a program record.
“I felt disappointed for Allyse, because she arguably is our M.V.P. and is a First-Team All-Star in our league. She didn’t want to have the season end on that type of note,” Durocher said. “Nobody here could say she had one, two, three bad goals. It was a matter of her getting beat by some real quality goals – goals you’re not going to stop.”
Faber and Wakefield each piled on to the final score with third-period goals to finish the scoring. BU was unable to overcome the strong goaltending of freshman Kayley Herman, this year’s Hockey East ITECH Goaltending Champion.
“You’ve got to tip your cap to them,” Durocher said. “I don’t think there’s any question that after playing 10 really good periods against UNH this year, finally the bout went the other direction.”
