After a tough start to the calendar year, the Boston University women’s hockey team hopes to bounce back against Providence College this weekend.
The Terriers (12-8-4, 7-7-3 Hockey East) are coming off two straight ties against the University of Vermont, and have not won since Dec. 10.
Providence (12-1-1, 7-6-1 Hockey East) has struggled to break away from the middle of the pack all season, which presents BU with a solid opportunity to regain momentum and confidence as the spring semester gets underway.
After nearly a month off, January has not been kind to the Terriers thus far. In four games, the team is 0-1-3, with the one loss coming against the University of Connecticut by one goal. For BU head coach Brian Durocher, the string of close games demonstrates the importance of clutch goals.
“You’ve got to get the timely goal to win a game,” said Durocher. “There have been low scoring games, so that’s the good side of things. The goaltenders, the defense, and the team are keeping the puck out of the net, but we’ve got to get that timely one that changes the complexion of the game.”
Another factor that contributed to the Terrier’s turbulent start has been a slew of injuries to key players. Junior forward Victoria Bach missed the game against Boston College and senior forward Maddie Elia has been out the last three games.
While losing essential players is never favorable, Durocher said other players have taken advantage of the opportunity to step up and gain significant playing time. Durocher named senior captain Natalie Flynn, sophomore forward Mary Grace Kelley, and freshmen forwards Deziray De Sousa and Natasza Tarnowski as players who have stood out.
“They’ve done a good job, not just 5-on-5, but they’ve had to do some penalty killing and some power plays. Their growth is a positive,” Durocher said.
Durocher acknowledged that the team’s goaltending and defense have been “pretty solid.” If the team keeps up its strong defensive play and their injured players return, Durocher said, it “bodes well for some of the big games” coming up, including the Beanpot Tournament and the playoffs.
“Hopefully we can piece all of that together with what we’ve learned and what we’ve grown from, but also just the need for that timely goal,” Durocher said.
Heading into the series against Providence, Durocher identified the Friars’ greatest strength to be their aggressive play in front of both nets. “They don’t always beat you with fancy [plays], but they beat you with determination,” said Durocher. “They’ve had good-sized forwards over the years, and they really go hard to the net.”
Providence is coming off two straight three-goal victories over Connecticut (11-10-3, 6-7-1 Hockey East), and Durocher does not overlook their momentum.
“They’re clearly getting themselves some confidence,” Durocher said. “To sweep UConn, and beat them in pretty good fashion, tells you something about how they’re going. We’re going to have to be ready to battle in front of both nets.”
This weekend, Durocher will be looking to senior forward Samantha Sutherland and sophomore forward Sammy Davis to make greater contributions to the team.
“They’re very talented and accomplished players,” Durocher said. “I’m going to look to them to be people who are healthy and in good shape, and who maybe just haven’t quite had their finish. Sutherland hit the post late in the game against Vermont. I think Davis, in the second half [of the season], has been trying too hard or thinking too much, instead of just letting her natural ability and natural hockey sense take over. So hopefully those two will be a couple who could really step it up.”
As BU enters the final month of its season, Durocher listed three goals he has for his team: end the season playing well, win the Beanpot Tournament and succeed in the playoffs. Though a hefty set of expectations, Durocher believes his team is up to the challenge.
“It gets to the time of year when there’s some hardware on the line,” said Durocher. “We want to play well, play loose and play smart as we get there. The best way to do that is have the coaches not get in the way and go out there with a healthy team.”
