Since the beginning of the season, No. 4/5 BU coach Brian Durocher was unsure of who would be his No. 1 goaltender. He continually said that he was lucky enough to not need to make such a decision immediately because of the talent that he has between the pipes. Even on Monday, he would not name who he would have in the net for Tuesday’s game against No. 10 Northeastern University.
However, after 18 games, Durocher, a former BU netminder himself, appears to have made his decision as freshman Kerrin Sperry has put together an impressive résumé while earning the starting spot.
“I’m pretty excited, pretty happy with all of our goaltenders,” Durocher said. “I just feel like Kerrin’s body of work has separated herself a little bit.”
Previously, Sperry had been rotating with sophomore goalie Alissa Fromkin, the only exception being a five-game stretch where Fromkin was injured. During her time here at BU, Sperry has gone undefeated with a 10-0-2 record and compiled statistics that place her amongst the best players in the league.
Sperry is fourth in the nation with a goals-against average of 1.32 and fifth in the nation for her save percentage of .941.
“She’s put herself for the first dozen games of her career up with some elite numbers and goalies in this league – the Schellings, Lacasses or Schauses – and that’s a pretty elite company,” Durocher said.
Most recently, Sperry has earned three shutouts in four games – the latest whitewash came Tuesday night against Northeastern. Sperry, who has not given up a goal in over 160 minutes, had 23 saves on the night.
“Anytime we get a shutout it’s a pretty darn good effort,” Durocher said. “Tonight with shots in the 20s and some pretty good chances by them, she was right there competing the whole night and made those three or four saves that give us a chance to win.”
The three games that Sperry has shut out her opponents have been crucial for the Terriers’ season and have all come against conference competitors. On Nov. 21, Sperry blanked No. 6 Boston College for her first career shutout in an effort that helped the team rebound from a 6-3 loss to BC the previous night. Then on Dec. 4, Sperry, with help from the team’s defense, shut down University of Connecticut in a game that would give BU some extra breathing room in the Hockey East standings.
“I have to say that personal success starts with team effort,” Sperry said. “It starts with players in practice, players coming before practice to shoot on me, players staying after practice, our trainer [Darcy Gould] helping me figure out workouts I need to do during the week, Coach Durocher doing goalie training. It’s not just me in the net. It’s not only the team in front of me. It’s the people you don’t see behind the scenes who are really helping me make this happen.”
Sperry, who was also named the HE Co-Rookie of the Month for November, also gives a lot of credit to the defense in front of her.
“They’re amazing,” Sperry said. “I thank them every day. They’re really strong. Each and every one of them comes up big at different points. . .They’re very strong in front of me, and I trust them a lot.”
Furthermore, Sperry cites her teammates keeping her relaxed during the game as another source of her success.
“Players come back and say random stuff to me to keep me laughing on the ice, keep it fun and keep us loose in the game,” Sperry said. “With four minutes left, you get some shots, and if you’re tight, you’re going to let them in. They keep me loose out there, and that’s a big part of our defense.”
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