The Terriers will head into the consolation game at Boston College to compete for third place in the 44th Women’s Beanpot in a matchup with the Harvard Crimson (7-16-3, 6-11-3 ECAC). Boston University (10-17-3, 9-13-3 Hockey East), who has recently strung together some consistency, will look to get back into the win column.
Despite falling to No. 5 Northeastern in the semifinals, BU showed some life and promise in their game against the Huskies. A goal from freshman Brooke Disher and solid goaltending from graduate netminder Andrea Brӓndli helped the Terriers to hang in against one of the top offenses in the country.
While a loss is a loss, the Northeastern game still had enough positives to keep the momentum rolling for BU. The Terriers’ freshmen have seemingly become more comfortable, as players like Disher, Clara Yuhn, and Sydney Healey seem to be reaching the back of the net with more frequency.
The Disher goal last Monday wasn’t the prettiest, but BU’s commitment to shooting the puck and staying in the offensive zone gave them some pluses heading into the weekend.
After pushing Northeastern for much of the first and third periods, the Terriers took on the other Beanpot finalist, Boston College, at home. A much more low-scoring game, BU only snuck the puck past graduate student Abby Levy once, thanks to senior Haylee Blinkhorn’s third goal of the season. The Terriers kept their foot on the gas for most of the game and again, the loss on the score sheet wasn’t as painful knowing the compete level was there.
As they suit up for their game against the Crimson, BU should feel confident that they can come out on top. Harvard is riding a four-game losing streak, including a 3-0 shutout loss dealt by Levy in their Beanpot semifinal game last week. Harvard averages fewer than two goals per game with a shot percentage of just over .60, and clearly struggles in the offensive zone.
Captains Anne Bloomer and Kristin Della Rovere lead Harvard in points with 22 and 18 each, which still surpass the point leaders for BU, Julia Nearis and Lacey Martin. While Harvard’s top two produce more than BU’s, the Terriers have had more contributions up and down the lineup for an additional 52 points over the Crimson in four more games played.
On the back end, Harvard’s sophomore goalie Alex Pellicci has started in every game so far, posting a 2.90 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. The Terriers have been able to rely heavily on Brӓndli, who since taking over as starter, has been the most consistent player on the ice. Brӓndli’s 72 saves in her last two games are part of the reason BU has been able to lean into their offense and finally get some tallies on the board.
Worth noting is that senior captain Nadia Mattivi missed the Terriers’ game with the Eagles on Saturday, but will hopefully be back in the lineup this afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00pm in Chestnut Hill, with full coverage on Twitter @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog to come.
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