The No. 6 Boston University women’s hockey team played its last regular season game this Saturday, tying No. 1 Boston College 2-2.
Just two days after falling 5-0 to the Eagles (30-1-2, 20-0-1 Hockey East), the Terriers (21-8-3,15-5-1 Hockey East) finished off the two-game series with a much different result.
The first period began like any contest against a heated rival like BC, with high aggression and speed. Despite the shot numbers — both teams were under 10 after the first frame — each team brought its best. Four minutes into the period, freshman forward Victoria Bach had a breakaway opportunity, but was denied by BC goaltender Katie Burt.
Each team received two penalties, with BU getting two in a row and BC following with two of its own. It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the frame that one team would break through the scoring. On a tripping penalty against BC defenseman Lexi Bender, BU capitalized on the power play when sophomore forward Samantha Sutherland got the puck past Burt on a rebound from sophomore defenseman Sarah Steele’s shot from the blue line.
The second period was a much different story for the Terriers. Just four minutes into the second frame, Eagles forward Haley Skarupa fired a shot that beat sophomore goalie Victoria Hanson from between the circles. Things did not get any better from there, as BU was only able to muster a total of two shots during the middle frame and spent much of the time on the penalty kill.
The Terriers received three penalties, but were successfully able to kill each one, thanks to the aggressive defense and the attentive play of Hanson. BC peppered the BU goalie with a total of 20 shots on target during the middle frame, but only one made it into the net.
Just seven minutes into the third period, the Terriers were able to take the lead once again on sophomore forward Maddie Elia’s shot from in front of the net that slid between Burt’s legs.
“I was really excited,” Elia said about scoring the goal in the third period. “I wanted to win for the seniors, and I thought it would give everyone some momentum towards the end of the game.”
However, BC would bounce back before the end of the period, tying the game on a shot from forward Dana Trivigno that just passed Hanson before she could slide across the net. The goal would send the teams into overtime, in which the Terriers started on the power play.
“[The third period] gave us a chance,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “Nothing was guaranteed, but because of Victoria [Hanson] and some bounces went our way, we end up going in there with home ice and play a better period then that second period. It created some chances, and we almost had a chance to win the game twice.”
With just over two minutes left in overtime, the Terriers were able to score on a shot from senior captain Marie-Phillip Poulin, but the goal was waved off after the referee called goalie interference on junior assistant captain Kayla Tutino.
“I always think it’s a little bit tough when you have a call from a long ways away,” Durocher said. “I didn’t see in real time what was going on. I got an interpretation from the official. They made their call.”
Both BU and BC would receive one more penalty each before the end of overtime, but neither capitalized, and the game ended in a tie. Hanson finished with 34 saves after three periods and overtime.
“[Hanson] played unbelievably all through the game,” Durocher said. “She controlled the puck better and made some backwards saves. In the second period, when BC really took it to us, it could’ve been 3-1 or 4-1, but she kept them at bay. She gave us the chance to get a point.
“It was a terribly exciting game. You’ve got to give credit to both teams.”
Ranya currently covers field hockey and women’s hockey for the Daily Free Press. As a Biology major at BU, she spends much of her time buried in her Chemistry textbook with the occasional trip to the piano practice room to rehearse her favorite piece, Debussy’s "Claire de Lune." She is an avid ice hockey fan and a proud supporter of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
