Women’s hockey set for series against Vermont

The Boston University Women’s hockey team (3-7-0, 2-6-0 Hockey East) will look to stop their early-season slide against the University of Vermont Catamounts (7-4-1, 5-2-1 HE), with 2:00pm start times set for Friday and Saturday. 

Last Saturday, a 4-1 loss against Providence College marked the sixth loss in seven games that the Terriers have suffered since jumping out to a 2-1-0 start earlier this season. That skid has seen a BU squad that was projected to be ‘middle of the pack’ fall to the bottom of the Hockey East standings. 

Last season, the Terriers were able to claim the season series against the Catamounts, taking two out of three contests. 

A late October matchup at Walter Brown Arena saw the Terriers take the first contest of the 2021-22 series in a shootout. Later on in February, the two sides split a weekend series at the Gutterson fieldhouse. The Terriers took the Friday tilt, 4-3, while the Catamounts bounced back for a 5-2 victory on Saturday. 

Currently sitting in second place in Hockey East alongside the Providence Friars, the Catamounts possess a decided advantage over the Terriers, as they have proven to be a top-tier Hockey East program with aspirations to make noise in the national conversation. 

If the Terriers are to come up with some surprise victories this weekend, goaltending is likely to play a large role. 

A bright spot for the Terriers has been the strong play of newly-acquired graduate goaltender Andrea Brändli, a transfer from the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Brandli has given the Terriers a chance to win every time she has stepped between the pipes, posting a .938 save-percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average. 

In front of Brändli, the Terriers have struggled mightily to find the back of the net. Heading into a weekend against a team who can effectively limit the scoring of their opponents, the Terriers are facing a tall task ahead of them. 

It has not been disclosed who will carry the bulk of the goaltending duties this weekend –– Brandli or sophomore Callie Shanahan. 

Following the series against Vermont, the Terriers will be tasked with a home-and-home series against the UConn Huskies, another top Hockey East team. With their slate of games not getting any easier week-to-week, there is no time like the present for the Terriers to begin to turn their season around. 

For full coverage of the series, make sure to follow along on Twitter @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.