A few weeks ago, the Boston University women’s ice hockey team was on high in the middle of a seven-game unbeaten streak, an accomplishment very rare for a first-year team. But, after falling back to earth with three consecutive losses, BU is fighting to return to its winning ways.
The Terriers (4-4-3, 2-1-2 Hockey East) will look to break out of their losing streak this weekend when they close out a seven-game road trip against the University of Connecticut Saturday at 1 p.m. The Huskies (2-5-0, 1-1-0) mark a return to Hockey East play for the Terriers, who have been absent from conference match-ups since beating Northeastern University Oct. 26.
The team then returns to Walter Brown Arena Sunday at 3 p.m. for its third match-up of the season with the University of Vermont.
“Our early-season success has helped us in securing points in the conference standings,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “The schedule will continue to get tougher, but right now the key is to get some points from teams at the bottom of the standings.”
BU began its road trip with a 3-3 tie and a 4-1 win over the 1-8-2 Catamounts (0-1-1). The win over Northeastern avenged the Terriers’ season-opening 4-3 loss to the Huskies. It also gave the team plenty of confidence going into a game against then-No. 6 Dartmouth College. But a tough 4-3 loss to the Big Green began the downturn for BU.
Following the loss in Dartmouth, the Terriers were swept out of Houston Field House by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a two-game set last weekend, 7-3 and 5-3. And although the Engineers (7-0-1) are a strong team, their experience came from playing in Division III before this season, not the far more competitive Division I.
“We just need to put RPI behind us,” Durocher said. “There is reason to believe we can beat UConn, so our focus should be on getting some points from them.”
Until the two games against the Engineers, the Terriers had relied on their stifling defense as the support structure. Freshman goaltender Allyse Wilcox kept her goals-against average below 2.50 to start the season. But after giving up six in the RPI set, her average shot up to 2.72.
BU’s total goals-against average soared to 3.10 after backup goalie Karilyn Pilch was torched for five goals in the first game of last weekend’s series. The team’s goals-against average had been 2.44.
“I know that Karilyn [Pilch] would like to have a few of those goals back,” Durocher said. “She has put up good numbers in the past and we have faith in her to continue to do so.”
The offense performed only marginally better. A Terrier team that had 3.67 goals per game going into last weekend netted three in both losses.
Success on the power play remained constant. The Terriers scored three power play goals against RPI, increasing their season total to 13.
“We are a hard team to defend on the power play,” Durocher said. “We have good players out there on special teams who continue to push the envelope. If there are a lot of penalties in a game, the game itself can be triggered by the power play.”
The Terriers will need to capitalize on every offensive advantage they get when playing UConn on Saturday. Despite their poor record, the Huskies are among the top defensive teams in the conference. The anchor to their stellar defense is senior goalie Kaitlyn Shain.
“She is one of the top goalies in the league and is the backbone of the UConn team,” Durocher said. “We can’t press too hard, but we need to try and slip a few past her.”
Shain currently boasts a 1.51 goals-against average with a .953 save percentage. Last season, she posted 12 wins with a .924 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average.
The offense has the same luxury as the defense, with its sophomore standout still carrying last year’s momentum. Jaclyn Hawkins led UConn in goals (25) and points (39) and was second in assists (14) last year, taking Hockey East Rookie of the Year honors. This season, Hawkins has recorded a hat trick against Providence College and has five goals in eight games.
“Hawkins has great hockey instincts and is a proven commodity to the conference,” Durocher said.
The Terriers will look to stay unbeaten versus the Catamounts when they return home on Sunday.
“Our experience against Vermont shows us that they are a very good skating team,” Durocher said. “We have to play to match their speed, because they will be looking for revenge.”
After a tough second half of their road trip, the Terriers will be delighted to come home to Walter Brown, where they have yet to lose. BU is 2-0-2 at home this year.
“We’ve will definitely have home ice advantage if we have the student body there to make it loud,” Durocher said. “If we get 300 to 400 people out at Walter Brown Arena, the adrenaline will be there.”
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