It was a rough final week on the road for the Boston University women’s ice hockey team, as the Terriers were unable to end it on a winning note against the University of Connecticut on Saturday afternoon. But on Sunday, the team made a triumphant return to Walter Brown Arena, keeping its undefeated home record intact with a 3-1 win over the University of Vermont.
On Saturday, the Terriers (5-5-3, 3-2-2 Hockey East) were shut out for the first time this season in a 3-0 loss to UConn. The Huskies (3-6-0, 2-2-0 Hockey East) got an excellent performance from senior goalie Kaitlyn Shain (20 saves). It was a difficult opponent for a young Terrier team.
“Overall, I think we played well, because we played very smart,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “But they are more advanced than we are right now and they also have the best goalie in the league.”
Right from the start, BU found it extremely difficult to get past the Huskies’ defense. The Terriers had only six shots on goal in the first period, while UConn had 14, en route to doubling the Terriers in shots, 40-20.
The Terriers couldn’t even get help from their most reliable source: their power play. Coming into the game tied for second in Hockey East in power play goals (5), BU went 0-for-4 with the advantage against UConn.
“We didn’t have too many Grade A chances, and there were a couple times where we misfired on our power play,” he said.
After a scoreless first period, the Huskies opened up the second frame strong. Freshman Kristen Russell, tied for the team lead in goals and points, scored off of a pass by junior Leslie Hurlburt with 16:02 left in the period.
Despite the 1-0 UConn lead, BU freshman goalie Allyse Wilcox was already well into another extraordinary game in net, finishing with 37 saves while allowing only two goals.
“Wilcox played a real strong game,” Durocher said. “She did exactly what she needed to do to give us a chance.”
UConn’s offense continued to put the pressure on Wilcox in the third and was rewarded with another goal. Sophomore Bridget King knocked freshman Nicole Tritter’s pass down from mid-air and into the back of the net with 9:35 remaining in the game.
A pair of late-game penalties to freshmen Gina Kearns and Caroline Bourdeau hindered the Terriers’ chances of making a comeback. The Huskies also netted an empty net goal in the final two minutes to seal the win.
“We relaxed late in the game and they capitalized,” Durocher said. “We drew a few late penalties and they were calls we always want to avoid.”
After a four-game slide to end a road trip that began with two wins and a tie, the Terriers were ready to come back home and take another two points from the Catamounts (2-9-2, 1-2-1 Hockey East), after already beating and tying them this year.
“We needed to get a win,” Durocher said.
A barrage of penalties slowed the first period to a crawl. The teams combined for six penalties, many of which overlapped, causing a few 4-on-4 and 5-on-3 sequences. Neither BU nor Vermont was able to take advantage in the first.
BU opened the second period much like the first: with penalties. The Terriers got called for two consecutive penalties, including one for having too many players on the ice during a sloppy line change.
It was during this penalty when the Catamounts scored their goal. Senior Hilary Johnson got the puck on a pad save rebound and put it past Wilcox to put Vermont up 1-0.
“As the game went on, we didn’t avoid penalties as well as we should,” Durocher said. “It’s the ones where you take a penalty out of frustration which are the ones that coaches hate.”
The Terriers finally broke through Vermont’s stifling defense halfway through the second period when junior captain Cara Hendry scored her second goal of the season.
“[Erin] Seman made an awesome effort and chipped it down to Gina [Kearns] who found me wide open in front,” Hendry said. “It is really those two who deserve the credit on that one.”
Seconds later, freshman Laurel Koller scored the first of her two goals on the day. Her first one came right after a face-off, and the other one was on a power play in the last five minutes of the second period.
“I’ve been told I am a natural goal-scorer, but I think I am in the right place at the right time,” Koller said.
And, quietly, Wilcox played another great game, stopping 15 of 16 shots on what looked like a day of rest compared to UConn.
The Terriers will look to build on this win next weekend when they have another road-home series against Providence College and UConn.
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