Just in case the No. 3 Boston University women’s hockey team wasn’t under enough pressure in the opening round of the Beanpot, they have to face the No. 7 Boston College Eagles in a matchup that could either increase the Terriers’ lead in the Hockey East standings or put BC back on top.
The Terriers (22-3-3, 12-2-3 HE) are coming into the game after a series split with the University of New Hampshire last weekend. On Thursday, BU lost for the first time in 14 games despite having 54 shots on goal, but the team bounced back on Saturday with a 3-1 victory.
“We came off of a good run in January and came back with a nice win on Saturday against UNH,” said BU coach Brian Durocher.
The Eagles (18-5-4, 12-3-2 HE) had two wins over the weekend against the University of Connecticut and Providence College. On Friday afternoon, BC overcame a 2-0 third period deficit to win 3-2 in overtime on junior Danielle Welch’s game-winner 1:28 into OT. Welch would also serve as the hero in BC’s 4-2 win over Providence College as she scored a hat trick.
“I think we’ve got to try and avoid letting [BC] score a goal on the run,” Durocher said. “They’re a team where when they get one goal, they seem to get a second and a third one quick so we’ve got to really batten down the hatches if and when they score a goal.”
So far this season, the Terriers hold the series advantage 2-1. Their one loss came Nov. 20 when the Eagles won 6-3, tied for the most goals any team has scored on BU all season. Since then, the Terriers have shut out the Eagles twice, with both games featuring strong performances by Wakefield and freshman goaltender Kerrin Sperry. Sperry, who will be in the net on Tuesday, had 22 saves in each of her appearances against BC. Wakefield has had eight points (three goals, five assists) against the Eagles.
The Terriers are going to need Wakefield to have another strong outing as freshman forward Marie-Philip Poulin will not be playing on Tuesday. Poulin was injured during the third period of Saturday’s game when she was hit in the hand with a shot.
Poulin saw a hand specialist on Monday afternoon and Durocher said he was not sure if she would need “some type of surgery or just a cast.”
BU is also dealing with an injury to sophomore forward Taylor Holze, who was pulled from the lineup before Thursday night’s game. Holze slipped getting to the stadium before the game, injuring her ankle.
“You’ve got two people that were part of your original nine forwards or top three lines,” Durocher said. “I only look at it that somebody’s misfortune is somebody else’s opportunity. We may have to do a little bit of shuffling—move some people up into a little bit more significant of a role.
“I don’t think we’re going to think about who’s missing. We’re more going to focus on who’s playing well here and who can get the job done for us Tuesday night and beyond, no matter who’s in the lineup.”
Durocher is hoping that a Beanpot win will translate into an even more successful season.
“Without a doubt it does generate a lot of emotion at the time of year when you’re already going to have a lot of big games around the corner,” Durocher said. “I like to take it one game at a time and see if we can use this as something that could be instant success for us.”
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