After traveling returning from their 1,000-plus-mile trip to Madison, Wis. to face the No. 1 University of Wisconsin, the No. 5 Boston University women’s hockey team has returned home sweet home – almost.
The team will end its five-game road trip only four miles away in their Hockey East opener at No. 6 Boston College Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
“It is kind of interesting that we start the season with BC,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “It definitely is a big opening series.”
BU (5-3-1) has lost back-to-back games entering Wednesday’s contest, both of them to the defending national champion Wisconsin. Last weekend, it seemed as if the Terriers left their offense back in Boston as they were outscored 9-1 over the two-game series.
“When you are struggling you have to get the dirty goals,” Durocher said. “You can’t think that every goal is going to be a drop pass and a beautiful shot.”
Part of the reason for the Terriers’ offensive woes was the depleted depth at forward. With star sophomore center Marie-Philip Poulin already out due to an abdominal injury, senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk was also out due to an injury suffered in a game against St. Lawrence University on Oct. 22.
Just behind BU in the polls is BC (5-2-1), which fell to University of Maine last weekend by a score of 5-2. The Eagles have proven themselves to be about even with the Terriers, as the two teams split the four-game season series last season.
This year, the Eagles have found themselves a stud freshman in forward Alex Carpenter, who is the team’s leading scorer with six goals and five assists in just eight games this season. Carpenter made her a good first impression on the team when she scored a game-winning goal in the final second against then-No.7 University of Minnesota-Duluth earlier in the season.
“Alex is better than a pretty good player,” Durocher said. “She is a real top player. She is very, very strong with her stick, so we have to be aware of where she is on the ice at all times.”
Wednesday’s game marks the first of a home-and-home series between the Terriers and the Eagles, as the two teams will be meeting again on Saturday at BU. This is a crucial series between the rivals, as it is an opportunity for one of the top teams in the league to get an early step ahead in the standings.
“Right off the bat you are in the first two games of the year,” Durocher said. “One team or the other could get a jump on the league.”
The Terriers will be shorthanded even further in Saturday’s game, as senior center and October Hockey East Player of the Month Jenn Wakefield will be absent from the lineup while she represents Canada in the Four Nations Cup in Sweden. Wakefield is the Terriers’ leading scorer with eight goals and five assists on the season, and her absence will leave another hole in the Terrier offense.
Behind the offense, sophomore goaltender Kerrin Sperry will assume her regular position in net for BU on Wednesday after giving way to junior Alissa Fromkin for the last few minutes against Wisconsin. Sperry got troughed up a bit over the weekend, but still owns a 3-3-1 record in seven starts while posting a .926 save percentage.
This series is obviously important for the Terriers because of the rivalry between the two schools. However, Durocher sees the matchups with the Eagles as more than simple rivalry games.
“It is important to beat BC obviously because they are one of our prime rivals,” Durocher said, “but more importantly they are another one of those teams we are going to have to climb over in Hockey East. To grab early wins can mean a lot when it comes down the stretch.”
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