The No. 5 Boston University women’s ice hockey team kicks off its Hockey East schedule this weekend with a game at Providence College.
The Terriers (6-1-0) enter the matchup on a six-game win streak, tying them for the longest win streak in the program’s history. BU has never started a season 7-1-0.
“It’s just another first,” BU coach Brian Durocher said of a possible seventh straight victory. “I’m not the most superstitious guy in the world, but I leave that be and we’ll come in if we get it done. I’ll probably let them know it’s another first then.”
Instead of focusing on the win streak, the team is looking to find a way to beat a talented Providence squad. The Friars (6-2-0) are scoring an average of four goals per game, and they are pretty stingy on the other side of the ice. Goalie Genevieve Lacasse boasts a 1.61 goals-against average and already has two shutouts on the season.
“They fight like crazy on defense, but they fight even harder in front of the net,” Durocher said. “If you’re sleeping just a little or you lose your concentration, they can find ways to take advantage of their size and their reach to get goals.”
BU counters Lacasse and the Friars defense with the most potent offense in Hockey East. Freshman forward Marie-Philip Poulin leads the league with 16 points, and junior forward Jenn Wakefield is right behind her in the two-spot with 13 points. Both Wakefield and Poulin each have at least one point in every game this season.
In net, freshman Kerrin Sperry is starting to find her groove. Sperry has earned a 5-0-0 record on the season and boasts a 1.60 goals-against average. In a win against St. Lawrence University last weekend, Sperry carried a shutout 17:25 into the third period.
The Terrier goalies will not be the only goaltenders in the building on Friday night who were coached by Durocher. Providence coach Bob Deraney developed under Durocher’s tutelage as a goalie for BU’s men’s ice hockey team while Durocher was still serving as the team’s assistant coach.
“I coached him two or maybe three years so I hope that means I’m not getting old,” Durocher said. “He is one of the hardest working people you would ever meet. I have great respect for him.”
“We have a great friendship. It’s not coach-mentor. It’s highly respected friend to friend, coach to coach, and that’s the most important thing.”
Most important for the Terriers this weekend is getting all they can out of three of their players who will be leaving for a few games after the game at Providence.
Poulin, Wakefield and junior defenseman Tara Watchorn will all be playing for the Canadian national team in the Four Nations Cup next week.
“They’re obviously fantastic, world-class players,” Durocher said. “But I know there’s plenty of other highly talented kids who are here. It’s a time when you hope that other players who normally play a lesser role will step forward. We may play a slightly different game but we want the same results.”
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