Alexis Crossley proving attacking talent for women’s hockey

Alexis Crossley, a junior defenseman on the Boston University women’s hockey team, has seen her time on Commonwealth Avenue marked by patience and resilience.

After transferring from the University of New Hampshire, sitting out a season and struggling to make her mark in the offensive zone, Crossley is at last showing why her shot and vision are so valuable for BU (17-10-2, 14-4-2 Hockey East).

She has recorded seven points in the Terriers’ eight games in 2016, including two recent performances that stand out above the rest. She tallied two points in Saturday’s victory over Merrimack College and Tuesday’s Beanpot Tournament loss to Northeastern University.

A part of the Hockey East All-Rookie Team while at UNH (10-17-1, 7-11 Hockey East), head coach Brian Durocher feels that his star defenseman is peaking at the right time, especially with playoffs soon around the corner.

“I think when you sit out a year, even when you practice all through a year, the game rhythm, the game activity, the game confidence sometimes takes a little while to come back,” Durocher said. “In the last month she’s been finding the net and getting a little bit of that luck you need — a screen, a tip, a deflection, whatever it is.”

Compete level remains high

Durocher often touches upon his team’s compete level after games, largely because it serves as an intangible measure of how intense BU’s approach is. A lull or extended lapse can prove catastrophic, but even in recent defeats, Durocher feels his team has fought until the final buzzer.

This manifested itself in the aforementioned loss to Northeastern (24-4-1, 18-2 Hockey East), as a third period comeback nearly pushed the 3-2 loss into overtime. After two goals from senior Kendall Coyne and a strike from defenseman Lauren Kelly, BU saw itself facing an ominous 3-1 hole on home ice.

Rather than wilting, BU peppered the net of goaltender Brittany Bugalski and found a way through when Crossley struck twine with 1:56 left in the game. The result ultimately didn’t fall in BU’s favor, but Durocher was encouraged by his team’s mentality, an element that has lacked at times against some of the nation’s best teams.

“To be there and compete all three periods was super important,” Durocher said. “It wasn’t one of those games where we just put on a late flurry and didn’t play well for 40 or 50 minutes. We played pretty darn well, minus some segments of that second period. Even then, we were competing defensively and that’s what’s going to win you championships.”

Off ice efforts stacking up

While the focus remains on securing another Hockey East Championship, BU has participated in several charitable efforts throughout its season.

Most recently, BU hosted a “Do It For Daron” game that was aimed at raising mental health awareness, and it’s only a small snippet into how involved the Terriers are off the ice. They have supported Denna Laing, the NWHL player who suffered life-threatening injuries in January’s Winter Classic, hosted Breast Cancer Awareness events and often host youth hockey teams, Durocher said.

Durocher noted that sometimes, due to the hectic nature of student athletes’ lives, he has to turn down some opportunities. But he added that they’re often just as important and part of how inclusive a Division I athletic experience is.

“It’s way bigger than our team,” Durocher said. “It’s the athletic department and something that flies under the radar all the time, the amount of community service these people do from individual teams. It’s just great that the athletic department and kids do it. There are certainly times I wish they got more notoriety for it, because they shine a great light on Boston University.”