First time for everything

The No. 10 Boston University women’s hockey team stayed hot against ranked competition with an upset win over the No. 4 University of New Hampshire last night at Walter Brown Arena.
In its first game as an NCAA Top-10 team, BU skated to a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats in its Hockey East opener.
The win followed a tie against No. 9 St. Lawrence University and a win over No. 6 Mercyhurst College earlier this season. The recent success against Top-10 programs marks a dramatic turnaround from the team’s results in previous years.
‘I think we can play at a better tempo all around,’ BU coach Brian Durocher said of his team’s recent improvement. ‘Everybody on this team is in better shape physically. You add in experience, and all of a sudden you’ve got a different picture.’
From the opening faceoff, BU was on a mission to keep its competitive streak alive, scoring twice in the first eight minutes of regulation. The Terriers seemed to be in control for most of the period, pairing fast-paced offense with unflappable defense.
BU held UNH to a mere five shots on goal in the entire period. When the Wildcats did generate chances, BU senior goaltender Allyse Wilcox proved to be an impenetrable barrier against incoming shots.’ ‘
Crisp passing kept BU’s offensive attack sharp and unrelenting. The Terriers’ first goal came 1:54 into the game. Freshman defenseman Tara Watchorn was credited with the score, assisted by fellow rookie blueliner Kasey Boucher.
Sophomore forward Lauren Cherewyk netted BU’s second goal during a power play 12:44 into the first period. After a centering pass from sophomore forward Jillian Kirchner, the puck deflected off junior forward Melissa Anderson to Cherewyk, who was waiting in front of the net. She converted to net BU’s first power-play goal of the game.’
The Wildcats struck back in the second period, limiting BU to four shots on goal and keeping the Terrier defense on its heels. UNH scored twice in the second period to even the score at two.
Sophomore forward Jenn Wakefield scored the first goal for the Wildcats. It looked as though Wilcox saved the shot, but the referees ruled it a goal. Durocher said Wilcox caught the puck, but her hand crossed the goal line, forcing the officials to rule it as a score.
Penalties hurt BU in the second period. After avoiding penalties in the first period, BU was tagged with four infractions in the second, including one that led to a UNH power-play goal.
‘I was disappointed that we went into one of these self-destruction modes where we took four penalties,’ Durocher said. ‘Some of those [penalties] are well in our control. I thought we were in position to maybe put this game away. We had them on their heels.’
Kohanchuk drew a penalty for cross-checking 16:17 into the period, and UNH junior forward Micaela Long scored less than a minute later. Assists on the goal came from senior defenseman Maggie Joyce and sophomore forward Courtney Birchard.’
Both teams fought for the upper hand in the third period. After a long period of back-and-forth play, UNH senior forward Sam Faber was sent to the penalty box.
BU took advantage of the power play. The offense increased pressure on the shorthanded Wildcat defense, leading to the go-ahead goal by Cherewyk.
With 8:05 left in regulation, UNH goaltender Kayley Herman saved a BU shot. Cherewyk set up in front of the net and received the puck after Herman deflected it. The BU winger put the puck in for the Terriers’ second power-play goal of the night.
It would be all they’d need to secure the victory.