From game one, this Boston University women’s hockey squad has looked like a much better team than the year before, and has looked better than its opponents.
But it couldn’t find the win to prove it until Saturday’s 6-1 rout of Syracuse (3-5-1).
“For us to finally get that rewarding feeling of a win and get to play our winning song, it was just so awesome,” BU sophomore forward Sydney Healey, who scored twice, said postgame.
Saturday’s win meant more than proving the team’s newfound offensive prowess; it was also the first for new head coach Tara Watchorn.
“I’ve always wanted to be a coach and just to get to be the coach of this program means so much,” Watchorn said postgame.
Saturday’s win was dominant in all facets for the Terriers, who outshot their opponent 43-13.
Healey was the first to score for the Terriers, intercepting a bad pass attempt by Syracuse to put BU up 1-0 with seven minutes left in the first period.
“I saw the puck, I took it, and shot it,” Healey said, talking about her first goal, “I knew [Syracuse goaltender Allie Kelley] was already in her poke checking position so I was like ‘Well, I better shoot it or else it’s not going in the net.’”
Moments later, sophomore forward Clara Yuhn went to the box for interference after a hard hit on Syracuse’s freshman forward Nea Tervornen. The Terriers had a successful two minutes of penalty kill, a phase of the game that shined throughout Saturday’s win.
“I can tell they’re feeling it,” Watchorn said about her team’s penalty kill. “And when they start to feel it you really get that buy in and now when we get penalties, it’s like excitement to go out there.”
BU opened the second period on the power play but couldn’t score, going 0-for-3 on its first chances on the power play.
That opened the door for Syracuse to tie up the game with a goal from graduate defenseman Kailey Langefels. It looked as though Langefels’ original shot might have been saved by BU’s freshman goalie Mari Pietersen, but the Orange defender tapped it in for good measure, evening the contest.
A tripping call against graduate Syracuse defenseman Rachel Teslak allowed the Terriers to make good on their power play miscues.
They did just that, taking back the lead on the power play from a goal by Luisa Welcke. Luisa’s sister, sophomore forward Lilli Welcke, got the puck from senior defenseman Julia Shaunessy at the top of the left circle and passed it to Luisa, who stuck it in, giving BU the 2-1 lead.
The goal was the first goal and point for the twin forwards who transferred to BU from the University of Maine this year.
“They’re so talented, and it’s been such a pleasure working with them,” Watchorn said of the Welcke twins. Watchorn credited the Welckes’ success in the game to their compete level.
“I think today a big part of their success is they competed, like there’s no doubt they have the vision, the IQ, the skill set, and they really bought into that compete today and it paid dividends for them,” she said.
BU added to its lead later in the second after a goal from freshman forward Alex Law, scoring off the feed from Yuhn.
The Terriers kept giving Syracuse more opportunities on the power play, with roughing and high sticking calls going against senior defenseman Andi Calderone and Yuhn, respectively. Though more successful penalty kills from the Terriers negated these penalties, the Terriers left the second with a 3-1 lead.
A minute into the third, senior forward Lacey Martin added to the Terrier scoring onslaught, squeezing the puck in the net past the stick side of Kelley to give BU a three-goal lead.
After a lengthy review to see whether Martin’s goal was fair, the goal was confirmed, and the Terrier bench erupted with cheers.
A power-play goal by Sydney Healey and another from senior forward Catherine Foulem in the third put the exclamation mark on the win for the Terriers.
Next week, The Terriers (1-2-1, 0-2-0 Hockey East) will travel north to play against the University of Maine. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the Boston Hockey Blog will have full coverage, so be sure to follow along on Twitter (X) @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.
Congrats to the WIH team on their first win of the season!