In just its third season as a varsity program, the Boston University women’s hockey team is ready to move up in the world. With a new crop of talented freshman skaters ready to contribute and now two seasons of experience under their belts, there are no more excuses.

This is by far the most talented women’s team BU has ever seen. The Terriers are expected to make the Hockey East playoffs for the first time and challenge perennial powerhouses Boston College and the University of New Hampshire for the title.

“We definitely want to progress from last year and definitely want to make the Hockey East playoffs,” said junior co-captain Sarah Russell. “As [BU] coach [Brian Durocher] said to us at the end this weekend, we’ve been playing against top-ten teams and we want to set a goal of winning the Hockey East playoffs.”

Winning the conference is easier said than done of course, especially considering the Terriers are winless through four games. In BU’s defense, though, all four were against some of the nation’s top clubs.

In their game against No. 10 University of Minnesota, the Terriers held onto a 2-1 lead into the third period before the Golden Gophers erupted for three tallies in the last period. The Terriers also lost in the closing minutes again this time to No. 1 Mercyhurst College, 6-5.

“Our schedule is tough right now, we don’t have any wins, but there’s definitely a point to playing these top ten teams,” Russell said. “We’ve given them really good games, especially against Minnesota and the first game against Mercyhurst, so hopefully we’ll be better prepared when we play the lower Hockey East teams.”

BU has the talent to beat up on conference bottom-feeders, but that alone won’t get it far in the playoffs. Finally beating the top conference squads will require BU to reach a new level of dedication and discipline.

“You’ve got to learn to beat the top teams,” Durocher said. “We’ve taken games from BC, Providence and UConn. and we’ve yet to take a point against UNH. Now our goals are, ‘Can we win a season series against BC, Providence or UConn? Can we get points from UNH?’

“Those are some things you start to look for, and how we’re playing against the elite teams is going to be a measuring stick for us,” he continued.

DEFENSE

A playmaker, a spark plug and a double-ended player — all additions that, along with the return of several key scorers, leave endless possibilities for the Boston University women’s hockey team this season. And don’t underestimate the power of an ever-improving chemistry.

Led by junior co-captain Gina Kearns, the Terriers have the tools to improve upon their fifth-ranked offense in Hockey East last year.

“We have a lot more depth this season,” Kearns said. “We have a lot more goal scorers in the freshmen. All three have proven that they can put the pucks in the net. The offense is definitely one of our strong points.”

Rookies Lauren Cherewyk, Jillian Kirchner and Holly Lorms all have uncanny playmaking ability, Durocher said.

“There’s no question those kids are going to contribute,” Durocher said. “They all bring different things to the table. Lauren is probably the smoothest skater in the group and I call her a playmaking wing. Holly is very strong and plays both ends of the ice well, and Jillian is your classic sparkplug who has some gifted offensive skills.

“Some might call her a water bug, a pest out there,” he continued. “She’s very laterally quick and, despite her size [5-foot-2], is a force to be reckoned with.”

The offensive leadership starts with the line of Kearns, junior Erin Seman and sophomore Melissa Anderson. Anderson led the Terriers in points last season (34), with Seman (31) and Kearns (26) filling out the top three. Seman finished first on the team in goals (19), shots (114), power-play goals (8) and game-winning goals (6).

Last year, Anderson was named the Hockey East Mission Hockey Rookie of the Week on Dec. 4 after notching five points in two games. Durocher said he expects another great season from the young player, especially playing with two juniors on her line.

BU outscored opponents, 93-80, with a 30-23 edge in power-play goals. Durocher said the offense must start cashing in on more man-advantages this season. In their first four games, the Terriers have scored six power-play goals on 32 shots in 27 power-play opportunities.

As junior forward Nicki Wiart recovers from an injury, Durocher said he expects her to contribute to the offense whenever she returns. Last year she tallied 18 points on 75 shots, and scored 12 goals in each of her first two seasons.

Forward Stephanie Armstrong is the lone senior up front. Durocher described Armstrong as one of the role players who can be counted on as an energetic skater that will play above her ability.

Junior Laurel Koller returns to the Terriers after missing her sophomore season due to a neck injury. She scored 13 times with 15 assists to lead the team in both categories her freshman year. Durocher said that she goes to the net as hard as anyone and has a terrific shot.

BU scored 52 goals in Hockey East play last season, while Boston College and the University of New Hampshire scored 94 and 93, respectively.

DEFENSE

With only one new face on the blue-line unit this season, the Terrier defensemen can pick up where they left off last year. When the offense wavered, it was the defense that kept BU in contention in Hockey East until the end of the season, allowing an average of 2.4 goals per game in 21 contests.

Junior co-captain Sarah Russell, who played in all but one game last season, will finally get to step up to the role of leader after showing signs of being ready for the task the past two years.

“On the ice she does a little bit of everything,” Durocher said. “She kills penalties. She plays some power play. [Her teammates] obviously recognized her work ethic.”

Seniors Julie Poulin and junior Amanda Shaw are two other outstanding veterans. Last season Poulin tallied 12 points, with one shorthanded goal and one game-winning power-play goal. She averaged two shots per game and an assist every three games. Shaw has played in all 67 since she’s been at BU and led Terrier defenders with 12 points her freshman year. She was named to the Hockey East All-Star Team and the Hockey East ITECH All-Rookie Team in 2005-06, while ranking in the top 50 nationally for points per game as a defenseman.

“If we have one strength, it’s got to be the fact that finally we’ve got some experience on the team,” Durocher said, adding he believes the team has upgraded in all areas.

Freshman Katie MacKinnon is the lone addition to the group. She captained the Choate Rosemary Hall girls’ varsity hockey team during her senior season, winning the New England Championship.

One area of focus for the Terrier defense this year could be power plays. Last season, the team gave up goals in 12.3 percent of power play opportunities while converting on 14.6 percent.Against strong opponents in the first four games of this season, however, the team has allowed power-play goals at an alarming 35 percent clip.

Penalties have not necessarily been an issue for the team, but are something the players cannot overlook Durocher said.

“A lot of us have been playing together for three years,” Russell said. “Our hope is to really gel, come together, get BU out there and make some noise in Hockey East.”

GOALIES

A dependable number-one goaltender is something every team needs to go deep in the playoffs. But having two of them? Even better.

Junior Allyse Wilcox and sophomore Melissa Haber are good enough to play every night and keep BU competitive against any team, but it looks like the goalies will have another net-sharing agreement this year.

“The distinct advantage is when you have two goalies the coaches feel good about, the players feel good about, and the opponents know are going to be tough to deal with — it can be a nice advantage,” Durocher said. “If someone slips a little bit, you can get some good camaraderie going for you because they’re both pulling for each other.”

Through four games, there’s no established number-one goaltender on the team. Haber has played three games with a .880 save percentage, and Wilcox has played one, stopping 19 of 22 shots.

Wilcox carried the load for the team from the start of BU’s inaugural season, while Haber had established herself as capable of playing any night as a freshman. Haber finished third in Hockey East with a 2.12 GAA in 879:25 minutes of play. Wilcox finished seventh with 2.46 GAA in 1168:48 minutes. BU let up the third fewest amount of goals in Hockey East (80).

“We’ve come together as a team and have worked well,” Wilcox said. “Our chemistry this year seems to be a lot better than in past years.”

When they’re not guarding the net, both goalies will need to keep themselves sharp. They are good enough to be the guaranteed starter on different teams, and that fact alone should help fuel a competitive, yet encouraging atmosphere.

“The competition encourages you to play much better and I have a lot of respect for [Haber],” Wilcox said.

Durocher will have his hands full trying to decide who gets the starting nod, but it’s admittedly a question that any coach would love to face.

“I’ve been around all scenarios here and as the year goes on most of the questions get answered by the players,” Durocher said. “If one steps ahead and or is playing hot at that time, that often times determines the situation, but I didn’t go into this year with the preconceived notion that one was going to be sitting ahead of the other. Now the question is, ‘Where will they come as we get into the year?'”