Written by James Garrison
The Boston University Women’s Hockey Team took the ice for the first time Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 victory against the Holy Cross Crusaders at Walter Brown Arena in Boston. Here are three takeaways from the exhibition game heading into next weekend. All opinions are my own.
Offensive Depth
A deep forward core. From the first line to the fourth line, the Terrier forwards laid a consistent attack on the Crusaders. After a slower start, the first line of Junior Hayley Blinkhorn, Senior Courtney Correia, and Freshman Liv Haag moved into the forefront. Haag scored her first collegiate goal and Correia secured an assist on the power play nine minutes into the third period. The second line, consisting of seniors Emma Wuthrich, Kaleigh Donnelly, and Jesse DeVito stood out as the Terriers’ strongest line of the day. Despite being held off the scoresheet, they spent the majority of their ice time in the Crusader’s zone. Freshman Christina Vote, alongside sophomore Catherine Foulem and Senior Julia Nearis, combined for two points and eleven shots on goal, the most of any line. Finally, the Lacey Martin- Kylie Roberts- MacKenna Parker line provided the energy and grind you would expect from a fourth line while also adding a bit of skill to the game. Looking into next week, the Terriers can be expected to have three offensively productive lines and a hardcore fourth line to rely on.
Quick Strike Offense
A major factor in the Terrier’s victory was their ability to use their speed to get to loose pucks first and win 50-50 battles against the defense of Holy Cross. Head Coach Brian Durocher was positive on that aspect of the team’s play. “For the other 40-45 minutes we did a pretty good job there,” Durocher commented when asked about the Terriers winning a majority of their 50-50 battles. The Terriers’ speed was not just front and center on the forecheck as the defense moved the puck quickly through the neutral zone which allowed the forwards to create more offense off the rush. “In our pace, you know, we might be a little more dynamic coming through the neutral zone,” Durocher added when comparing the pace of play between the Terriers and the Crusaders. Creating offense off of the rush will be a sure way to increase the Terriers’ offensive production, especially after only scoring 2 goals on 44 shots.
Defensive Puck Management
One issue the Terriers ran into on Saturday was the defense’s puck management in their own zone. The Crusader’s aggressive forecheck resulted in unforced errors that occurred almost as often as the forecheck occurred. As the season progresses and the opponents become more and more competitive, the Terriers will be well-served to make this a point of focus in the coming weeks.
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The Boston Hockey Blog is excited to add a new writer to our staff for the 2021-22 Season!
James is a freshman studying journalism in the College of Communication. In addition to writing for the Boston Hockey Blog, James talks on a WTBU sports radio show and has his own hockey podcast. In high school, James did radio play-by-play and color commentary for a variety of sports including hockey, baseball, softball, and lacrosse.
As a Massachusetts and Boston-area native, James grew up playing AAA hockey. A die-hard Boston sports fan, he grew up coming to BU hockey games as a kid.
He can’t wait to get started covering the Terriers this year.
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