The Boston University women’s hockey team claimed its first win of the season 3-2 against the University of New Hampshire but was held to a 2-2 tie against Merrimack College.
In both games, the opposing teams netted a goal with the Terriers (1-1-2, 1-1-2 Patriot League) on the penalty kill, an element of play BU head coach Brian Durocher said would need improving going forward.
“We’re thinking too much out there,” Durocher said. “We’ll be better before the season is over at killing penalties, because it’s been a glaring problem at this point and we’ve got to get better.”
While the Terriers outshot UNH (1-2-1, 1-1 Hockey East) 35-20 during the course of the game, both teams got on the scoreboard early in the first period.
At 3:24 in the first, redshirt junior and tri-captain Sammy Davis poked in a loose puck in front of the net, picking up the rebound off of a shot from freshman forward Courtney Correia.
Two and a half minutes later, Wildcat forward Grace Middleton tied the game.
Davis was not finished with UNH goaltender Ava Boutilier, though, and converted a centering pass from sophomore forward Jesse Compher into her second goal of the afternoon.
After missing all of last season due to injury, Davis now leads BU with three goals.
“I’m so excited to be back out on the ice,” Davis said. “The first few games back, I was a little nervous and I was trying to shake those jitters out … Going in from last year, I just told myself to have fun and be confident, and I know what my job is, so I’m just going to do that and not worry about anything else.”
Davis also said the support of her teammates eased the transition — her linemates Correia and Compher assisted on both of her goals.
When the Terriers again found themselves short-handed in the final minutes of the second period, Compher picked up unassisted goal of her own.
The goal would prove to be the game-winner after the Wildcats scored a power-play goal after senior defenseman Reagan Rust was called for tripping at 8:03 in the third.
Along with being the Terriers’ first win of the season, the game against UNH saw freshman goaltender Kate Stuart in net for the first time in her career at BU, during which she would make 18 saves.
“It feels really great as a freshman to be able to just come out and see the team step up around me,” Stuart said. “They blocked shots today and just really pulled together.”
Before Saturday afternoon, sophomore goalkeeper Corinne Schroeder had started the first three games of the season, including a 27-save performance during the team’s 2-2 draw against Merrimack (3-0-2, 0-0-1 Hockey East).
The Warriors scored the first of the match at 13:13 in the first with a man advantage.
By the end of the period, goals from two defensemen — Rust and junior Abby Cook — brought BU into the lead 2-1.
Cook has produced in her last four confrontations against Merrimack, including a four-assist run Jan. 25.
The score would hold for nearly 40 minutes until Merrimack forward Katelyn Rae tied the game at 17:15 in the third.
Neither team was able to produce in extra time, and the game ended with a score of 2-2.
Durocher said that the team could have pushed harder against Merrimack and that the production Saturday was a step in the right direction.
“[Against Merrimack] we didn’t generate much at all,” Durocher said. “I think we sometimes forgot to make the five- or 10-foot passes that forces the other team to adjust a little in their defense. It’s nice to get out of the gate and score some goals to help the cause.”