When the score is close late in a game, the best players step up to the challenge. In the Boston University women’s hockey team’s 3-2 victory over No. 6 Northeastern University at Agganis Arena on Saturday, senior captain Jenn Wakefield netted her team-leading 17th goal of the season with 1:49 remaining to seal BU’s come-from-behind victory.
The Terriers (14-12-1, 9-7-0 Hockey East) had lost their previous two matchups with the Huskies (17-6-2, 11-3-2 Hockey East) this season, but with sophomore Marie-Philip Poulin back in the lineup BU has been a different team.
“We had to get two late goals, one to tie it and one to win,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “We had to kill off a couple of penalties in there. That shows me a little character and a little bit of heart.”
After an uneventful first period, the Terriers were inches from putting the first goal on the board early in the second frame when senior defenseman Tara Watchorn blasted a slapshot off both posts. Durocher wanted a review to see if it was a goal; however, when the referee did review it and it was called no-goal, Durocher thought there was a miscommunication.
“We thought we saw the puck go in and I think there may have been a review that wasn’t what we were looking at,” Durocher said. “The play went for three minutes and the play they looked at was about 30 seconds before the timeout.”
Northeastern took the lead with just more than four minutes remaining in the second when freshman Kendall Coyne took a pass from senior Casey Pickett and flew past the BU defense, roofing a backhand shot on a short-handed breakaway.
However, early on in the third period junior forward Jill Cardella answered the Coyne goal, deflecting a shot by junior defenseman Kathryn Miller just between Northeastern goaltender Florence Schelling’s pads.
Midway through the third, Wakefield got a short-handed breakaway she could have used to give the Terriers the lead. Wakefield never looked like she was fully balanced though, and sent a shot way over the net.
A minute later, Northeastern defenseman Maggie DiMasi scored a power-play goal and gave the Huskies the lead and the momentum.
Wakefield ended the momentum before it could build, making a breakout pass to junior forward Isabel Menard, who wristed one past Schelling and tied the game 2-2.
“One of the things that has gotten in our way this year is we haven’t been able to shut off a run,” Durocher said. “To answer and get back to 2-2 . . . It is nice to see that one go in.”
The game-winning goal came after Northeastern blocked shots from Poulin and sophomore forward Louise Warren, and Schelling saved Wakefield’s first two shots. The Terriers kept digging though, and Wakefield eventually flipped it over Schelling’s outstretched pad.
Sophomore goaltender Kerrin Sperry made several key saves throughout the game, and finished with 28 saves. In the final few seconds a Northeastern player lobbed the puck into the zone, which took a funny bounce and almost rolled past her. Sperry was able to dive back and cover the puck in the crease with one second remaining.
“Those saves are always interesting,” Sperry said. “A piece of it caught on my triple-X jersey and I couldn’t feel where it hit me so I turned around thinking, ‘It must be behind me and nobody has cheered yet so it’s not in the net.’ And there it was and I made one of those back-jump saves. I was very lucky it didn’t go in.”
The win came during the “Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer” event, in which the Terriers wore pink jerseys and socks. All proceeds from various fundraisers were donated to various breast cancer charities.
“I think the biggest thing there is that we try to raise money. The league has done a fantastic job,” Durocher said. “It is just our way of giving back. I can’t say enough [about] how much the ladies [in] this program and throughout the athletic department give.
“I don’t think people have any idea the number of hours, the number of times they are called on . . . It is fantastic and a great reflection on Boston University and our program.”
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