The No. 6 Boston University women’s ice hockey team will play at Walter Brown Arena for the first time this season for two games against Wayne State University this weekend.
The Terriers (2-1-0) are coming into this matchup after acquiring their second win of the season against Union College Saturday by a 6-2 score. The game was a strong defensive outing for BU, who did not allow a shot on goal until the second period.
“I was real happy with the way we played the entire 60 minutes,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “Right off the bat we controlled the first period, didn’t let them have a single shot on net so that was a great sign for me and when we did jump out to a lead I don’t think we ever really relaxed.”
In the win against the Dutchwomen, junior forwards Jenelle
Kohanchuk and Jenn Wakefield along with freshman forward Marie-Philip Poulin had three points apiece. Junior defensemen Tara Watchorn and Carly Warren tallied their first goals of the season in the first and second periods, respectively. Wakefield’s two goals in Saturday’s game gave her a team-leading five goals on the season.
“She was somebody we expected to have an impact on the team. . .having been a two-year star in the league at the University of New Hampshire,” Durocher said. “She came here with all the ability and knowledge of how to be a successful player, and she carried it right through the first three games.”
Also playing well against Union was sophomore goaltender Alissa Fromkin who recorded her first win of the season.
“I think Alissa played fine on Saturday,” Durocher said. “It was one of those tough games for goaltenders where you only get 10 shots on net because the team played well in front of her. She’s been solid in her first two games.”
Fromkin had eight saves in her three periods of work.
Durocher still intends on rotating Fromkin and freshman Kerrin Sperry for the foreseeable future.
“You want to make this a competitive battle where they make the decision for myself and my staff by who plays well and who sort of takes charge,” Durocher said. “You can’t make that decision from practices and one or two games each. I hope I have the problem of choosing between two real good goaltenders.”
The Terriers will need to take their enthusiasm from this win and playing in their new home and use it against the Warriors (2-2-0). Wayne State was predicted to finish fifth in the College Hockey America pre-season polls.
“I think first of all [Wayne State is an] extremely well-coached team,” Durocher said. “[Head coach] Jim Fetter is a widely recognized guy not only in U.S. college hockey but with the Canadian national program so his team will be well-schooled, organized and prepared.”
When the two teams met up in October 2009, they tied 4-4 in the first game before BU triumphed in the second game, 4-2.
“Our challenge will be, I think, to not be over excited for the home opener and the first time in the building,” Durocher said. “Sometimes when you are overexcited you got the energy and you got the adrenaline, but you maybe take bad penalties or don’t do the little things that add up sometimes in hockey. If we channel the energy, it could be a good weekend.”
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