The No. 6/7 Boston University women’s hockey team has put together an impressive body of work across the 2014-15 season. However, despite numerous stellar performances and winning streaks, the Terriers (21-8-3, 15-5-1 Hockey East) have been brought back down to earth on several occasions.
This phenomenon most recently unfolded in BU’s home-and-home series with No. 1 Boston College this past week. BU was riding a four-game winning streak heading into the series, only to then suffer one of its worst margins of defeat all year when they lost to BC (30-1-2, 21-0-1 Hockey East) 5-0 on Thursday.
Unshaken by the loss, BU came back with a vengeance when they drew the Eagles 2-2 in overtime on Saturday and tainted BC’s previously blemish-free Hockey East record. With the result, BU demonstrated their ability to bounce back from a loss and put a poor showing in the rearview mirror.
BU coach Brian Durocher said the team has continually shown the ability to put together three strong periods of hockey against quality opponents following losses.
“You certainly have to have some talent to accomplish that, but more importantly, you have to have players who are resilient,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “If there’s a game where you didn’t bring your best game or you had some letdowns, you have to erase that and take it out of your mind. This team tries to put it behind us and focus on what is ahead as often as we can.”
Stoneburgh’s Impressive Plus/Minus Rating
One would normally expect a defenseman to have a lesser plus/minus rating, all because of the nature of the position. However, senior defenseman Shannon Stoneburgh has defied that notion with aplomb throughout the regular season.
In impressive fashion, Stoneburgh has finished the regular season with a team-leading plus-27 rating.
Durocher said this statistic speaks volumes to the type of player Stoneburgh is and the consistently steady defensive presence she offers, despite the numerous injuries she has fought off.
“I would use terms as steady, consistent and underrated with Shannon,” he said. “She is a
defenseman’s defenseman by trade and uses her size and her reach to read the game well. Last but not least, she is a kid who could have had surgery back in the summer for some injuries that are trying, but she has been unbelievably courageous to fight through the season. When you throw that into the mix, it tells you a lot about how mentally tough and committed she is.”
Aside from the complete package of defensive skills Stoneburgh possesses, a big reason for that high of a rating is her quiet, yet potent offensive presence. The assistant captain currently has one goal and eight assists to her name. Her nine points also are the third highest for a defenseman on the team.
“She tries to chip in, and if called upon, she is a good addition to the power play, but the other defensive areas are definitely her main calling,” he said. “As she showed last year though, she can be pretty dangerous for us in the offensive zone.”
Hanson Makes Career High In Saves
The Terriers have enjoyed the luxury of two quality goaltenders all season long, as freshman goaltender Erin O’Neil and sophomore goaltender Victoria Hanson have both shown well between the pipes. As steady as both have been, Hanson stood out in a major way in this weekend’s 2-2 tie with BC.
The Stoughton native finished the game with 34 saves and in the process, bested her previous career high by one. Several of her saves were of the jaw-dropping variety, but the performance was what Durocher said he has come to expect of the veteran net-minder.
“It was arguably best game of the season against [BC], a game where she controlled pucks pretty well, made huge saves in the second period, and then a game-saver against [BC forward] Alex Carpenter in overtime,” he said. “No team is going to win a championship without great defense, and while the five players on the ice are all important, the goaltender is usually the most important one. Her play was great.”
Also, the timing of Hanson’s spectacular game could not have come at a better part of the season for BU. With the regular season in the books, the Terriers only have playoff games left to play in the Hockey East Tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament.
In those games, the stakes will be raised, and Durocher said having Hanson in fine form bodes well for the Terriers’ chances of continuing play deep into March.
“Now is a time where my staff and myself will have to decide who we go forward with [in goal], but Victoria certainly made a loud statement for herself,” Durocher said. “The confidence she generates in her own mind and her teammates’ mind is paramount especially as we go towards the playoffs.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
