Just five years after becoming an official varsity program, the No. 8 Boston University women’s hockey team earned the chance to compete with No. 1 Mercyhurst College, consistently one of the top teams in the nation over the last few years, in the NCAA Tournament.
Though the Terriers lost to the powerhouse Lakers, 4-1, the fact that they made the tournament at all is a testament to the progress they have made this year. After a frustrating start to the season, BU picked up steam through February and captured the first Hockey East Championship in program history, establishing themselves as legitimate competition for the best teams in the country.
Early in the year, the Terriers struggled to string wins together. Their first four games went to overtime, and three of those ended in ties. Individual players proved their abilities, most notably sophomore forward Jenelle Kohanchuk, who scored four goals in BU’s first regulation win of the year against Wayne State University. But the team as a whole seemed to be stuck in limbo through October and November.
When Kohanchuk and high-scoring sophomore defenseman Tara Watchorn missed a series of January games to play for the Canadian U-22 National Team, senior forward Melissa Anderson stepped up her already-reliable offensive contributions. Anderson finished the season as the team’s top scorer with 21 goals and 18 assists, and was instrumental in defeating Yale University in BU’s first contest of 2010.
“Without a doubt our offensive catalyst was Melissa Anderson,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “She’s one of the most intense and competitive kids we’ve ever had here, and in college hockey, period.”
With increased production from Anderson and consistent contributions from her linemates, junior Lauren Cherewyk and freshman Jill Cardella, the Terriers picked up key victories over the University of Vermont and Boston College in January.
But in retrospect, the season hinged on the Beanpot semifinal game when BU came back from a 4-0 deficit to force overtime with then-No. 7 Northeastern University.
Though BU eventually lost in a shootout, managing four goals in two periods against Northeastern junior goaltender Leah Sulyma was an impressive feat: Sulyma finished the year with a .949 save percentage and a 1.70 goals-against average, placing her in the top three in the conference in both categories.
“I can’t say there was one game [where the season turned around], but somebody pointed to the four goals we got against Northeastern as a springboard,” Durocher said. “Then we didn’t lose a game in February, and the kids didn’t lose confidence.”
Following that shootout loss, the Terriers were unbeaten for the rest of the regular season. Their next two meetings with Northeastern yielded a shootout win and a regulation win. The next weekend, they surged to the third seed in the conference playoffs with two victories over the University of Maine. After failing to put two wins together all year, BU rode a three-game winning streak into the playoffs.
After tying the previous program record of seven career shutouts against BC on Nov. 18, senior goaltender Melissa Haber finally broke the record in the last game of the regular season, blanking Maine 2-0. Haber, the HE Tournament MVP, finished the year with a .923 save percentage. In her four years at BU, she went 31-18-14-8.
Haber remained solid in the playoffs, and the Terriers got offensive production from throughout the lineup. In addition to top scorers Anderson and Cherewyk, senior forward Laurel Koller provided the winning goal against then-No. 5 University of New Hampshire in the semifinals, and Watchorn netted the championship-winning tally against then-No. 7 University of Connecticut.
Watchorn, who was named to the conference All-Tournament Team, was one of a trio of sophomore defensemen who were integral to the team’s success this year. She finished the year with 15 points and a plus-18 rating despite missing nine games due to a foot injury.
Sophomore Kasey Boucher also improved on her freshman campaign, scoring 12 points &- twice as many as last year &- and logging significant time on both the penalty kill and the power play. According to Durocher, though, it was sophomore Carly Warren who made the greatest strides this year.
“In my opinion, the person who had the biggest surprise season was Carly Warren,” Durocher said. “Carly was someone who struggled for ice time and had a lot of things that prevented her from being a big-time player last year, but she was great this year from the get-go.”
The Terriers will lose valuable players to graduation &- their top scorer and their starting goaltender, of course, but also a handful of underrated players who have been reliable contributors throughout their time at BU.
“To have the type of year Laurel Koller had without putting up big numbers was fantastic,” Durocher said. “She put up big minutes and killed penalties, and played on the power play as well. Jonnie Bloemers sacrificed her own offensive concerns and knew what it took for her to help the team win. And the other most competitive kid on this team [besides Anderson] is Sarah Appleton. She’s a great leader, a great captain and she plays hard and does a great job.”
They will miss the seniors, but the Terriers will retain Kohanchuk and Cherewyk, and they will stand a respectable chance at building on this year’s success next season.
“The progress has continued to escalate, which is fantastic,” Durocher said. “We finished sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and second, and that’s what we’re looking for. Those are landmarks that are fantastic for the team.”
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