BU ties BC in anticlimactic Beanpot consolation

The Boston University women’s hockey team concluded Beanpot play with a 1-1 tie against Boston College in the consolation game on Tuesday night.

After the Terriers’ (11-8-11, 7-6-4-2 Hockey East) intense semifinal game, a 4-4 tie and eventual shootout loss to No. 9 Northeastern University, the consolation game might have seemed a little less eventful. Though the Terriers controlled play through most of the first period, BC (5-15-10, 4-9-4-4) came up with the first goal, a late-period tally by senior forward and team-scoring leader Allie Thunstrom.

The 1-0 score stood until midway through the third period, when the Terriers finally capitalized on their fifth power-play chance of the night. Junior forward Jillian Kirchner put the puck on net from close range, and BC sophomore goaltender Kiera Kingston seemed to lose sight of the rebound that bounced into the slot.

Sophomore defenseman Kasey Boucher spotted the loose puck, raced in from her position at the point and fired a shot into the back of the net before Kingston had time to recover.

However, that was the Terriers’ lone power-play success, making them an unimpressive 1-for-7 on the night. BU coach Brian Durocher said he thinks “mental mistakes” were the main reasons for their woes, particularly early in the game.

“There were some bad passes, but at one point we regrouped, got the puck back and immediately threw it into traffic instead of taking it to the other side and moving it around,” Durocher said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. BC did a nice job blocking shots, but I think sometimes we kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”

Whatever the reason, the Terriers were unable to find the back of the net on their final power play in regulation and gave up a one-on-one short-handed breakaway to Thunstrom, who was denied by freshman goalie Alissa Fromkin.

In overtime, senior forward Melissa Anderson and BC sophomore Mary Restuccia had an altercation in front of BU’s bench that resulted in a two-minute roughing call for Anderson and a five-minute major, as well as a game disqualification, for Restuccia. The Terriers got one last opportunity on the man advantage for the final 24 seconds of the game, but did not register a shot.

Because the game was not a Hockey East contest, and was therefore governed only by NCAA rules, there was no shootout. The Terriers and Eagles can both claim third place in this year’s tournament.

The key player of the game for BC, along with Thunstrom, was Kingston. The sophomore made 32 saves for an Eagles team that managed only 17 shots. Early in the game, she denied chances on oddman rushes from some of BU’s top offensive players, including Anderson and freshman forward Jill Cardella.

Durocher said the slow start to the game, with neither team managing more than six shots in the first period, was likely due to the implications of playing in a consolation game at this point in the season.

“I don’t think either team was too revved up at the start,” he said. “The atmosphere is tough. But I put the onus on my team and myself, and we have to make sure we don’t have that kind of first period two weeks from now when the playoffs start. We’re going to be in that one-game, single-elimination situation, and we can’t afford to have a start like that very often.”

Despite the frustrations of tonight’s game, Durocher said the Women’s Beanpot, in general, remains an important part of the Boston hockey community.

“What’s exciting is that all four teams have a chance to win this thing. Obviously there’s been dominance on the men’s side by BU and BC, but you really come here knowing that you’re going to get a good hockey game. The score of [the BC-Harvard University game] was 5-0, but it was 1-0 in the third period, and our game went to a shootout. I think that’s the oxygen you look for, and it’s building.”