If there ever was a must-win situation for the Boston University women’s ice hockey team, this would be it.
With five games left in their inaugural season, the Terriers can’t afford to let another league loss daunt their playoff chances.
As they take on cross-town rival Northeastern University Saturday afternoon, the Terriers (10-12-4, 5-9-2 Hockey East) will have their chance to grab some Hockey East points and take the season series, 2-1.
The Huskies (4-20-1, 3-13-1) have had a subpar season thus far, coming off what could be considered their worst loss of the season – a 10-1 thrashing at the hands of the University of Connecticut.
“They’re obviously not anyone we take lightly,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “They are definitely going to have some motivation. They obviously don’t want to lose the season series to us, a first-year team.”
Neither team comes into Saturday’s match-up on a winning streak. The Terriers have dropped their last three in a row, including two to rival Boston College and a tough 7-0 loss to the University of Maine. The Huskies, meanwhile, haven’t notched a win in nine games – a streak that spans over two months.
“The last time I saw them play, against BC, they played a close game but they just couldn’t get over that hump,” Durocher said. “But they have a goalie that can steal games all by herself in Marisa Hourihan.”
Despite a dismal season on the whole, Hourihan and junior forward Ashley Bielawski are having solid seasons for the Huskies. Bielawski has had particularly good success against BU this season, netting three goals in the two contests between the teams.
On the BU side of the puck, the Terriers return to their home ice and will try to take advantage of the Walter Brown mystique to pull them up in the standings when they need it most. Although they began the second half of the season playing very well, the momentum has faded as of late and the Terriers are looking to regain that spark.
“We have struggled a little with scoring goals,” Durocher said. “In earlier games this season, we found ways to score goals late in the game and we just haven’t been finding ways to do that lately. One goal can really change the complex of a game.”
The Terriers could certainly use a few goals this weekend to propel them back on the winning track. They will need the momentum going into the last month of the season which includes five Hockey East games where playoff points are up for grabs.
Momentum will be the key to any late season success they are looking for, and by getting on top of the Huskies early they may be able to capitalize and come away with two more league points.
“We’ve got to start getting some positive momentum,” Durocher said. “A win is very important for us and the positive momentum will snowball. And the longer we stay in games, the more pressure it puts on other teams knowing that the underdog is still competing.”
Expected to start in goal for the Terriers is freshman Allyse Wilcox. Wilcox, who has been a rock between the pipes for BU this season, has struggled as of late, giving up 10 goals in her last three starts. In two of those games, she was pulled in favor of backup goalie Karilyn Pilch. However, it has been Wilcox who has been the backbone of this Terrier team all season and it looks to be Wilcox who will guide its playoff push.
But for now the Terriers are focused on the task at hand, and that task is beating Northeastern, gaining two points and bettering their own playoff position.
“I expect a real good effort and a competitive effort,” Durocher said of his team. “I expect a team that is more accountable when it comes to the mental aspects of the game. We weren’t very accountable these last few games and we need to return to the top of our game.”