With a season of high expectations looming in the not-so-distant future, the No. 2 Boston University women’s hockey team took the ice last weekend in an exhibition game against the Ottawa Senators.
The Terriers, who were missing some of last season’s key players due to them attending the Canadian national team’s camp, defeated the Senators 3-1 on two short-handed goals scored within one penalty during the second frame of the game.
“I thought it was a good day for us to see people play,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “It’s nice to see everybody that was here today get a lot of reps and a lot of opportunities against a good opponent.”
Within seconds of the game’s start, BU jumped out to a lead on a goal by sophomore forward Meghan Riggs.
Riggs, who had one goal and one assist in her freshman season, picked up the rebound from senior defenseman Kasey Boucher’s shot off Ottawa goaltender Cassie Charette and netted it into the right corner of the goal.
“It was nice to get a goal there,” Durocher said. “It’s always nice to get that one goal lead because in the game of hockey that can be a big start.
“It takes three goals for somebody to put you at the disadvantage and we did a nice job of getting off the gate there.”
Ottawa, which had seven shots in the first period, could not score off of junior netminder Alissa Fromkin who started off the game for the Terriers. The Senators did, however, get a tally in the second period when sophomore Braly Hiller replaced Fromkin in goal.
After a scrum in front of the net 7:39 into the period, Senator Lauren Miller found the puck and slipped it past Hiller for Ottawa’s lone goal of the game.
About three minutes later, with freshman defenseman Shannon Stoneburgh in the penalty box for cross-checking, the Terriers took back the lead when junior forward Jill Cardella picked up a pass from junior defenseman Kathryn Miller. Cardella skated down the right side and shot it past Charette for the eventual game-winning goal.
With only 20 seconds left on the penalty kill, BU scored another short-handed tally when junior forward Taylor Holze had an unassisted goal.
“It came at an opportune time for us and a less opportune time for them because a real tight game became a two-goal game and gave us a little cushion,” Durocher said. “Hats off to the kids for doing a good job killing penalties.”
During the second frame, Hiller had 13 saves on her way to earning the win.
While neither team had any goals in the third period, both experienced time on the power play. The Terriers served four out of their five penalties in the third frame while the Senators had two.
“We want to stay the heck out of the box if we can and hopefully we’ll do a good job of that,” Durocher said of his team’s influx of penalties in the third period. “Our job is to win the penalty game and I don’t think we did today.”
Sophomore goaltender Kerrin Sperry took control of the net for BU in the final period and held the Senators scoreless while racking up six saves.
While Durocher was pleased with his own team’s play he was also impressed with Ottawa, which outshot BU 27-23.
“[Ottawa] is a team that because it’s an intermediate team, kind of a high school group, they’re a little bit younger and some kids aren’t quite as strong as some of the kids you’re going to see in Hockey East,” Durocher said. “But there’s a lot of kids on that team that will play college hockey and that’s a good intermediate team.
“I give them a lot of credit for coming in here and actually outshooting us and definitely playing a dead even hockey game if not giving them a little bit of an edge other than the final score.”
Despite the Terriers’ victory, Durocher pointed out that it would be detrimental for the team if it was to gain too much confidence in it’s play.
“I think we certainly have to make sure we’re ready to play every night and not think we’re good,” Durocher said. “As soon as we start thinking we’re a good team, I think we’re going to have to climb some slippery slopes.”
