The Boston University women’s hockey team (5-3-1, 4-3-0 Hockey East) secured the weekend split in its home-and-home series with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (6-7-1, 4-2-1 HE). The Terriers dropped the first game at home 4-2 before making a statement on Saturday, defeating the Wildcats 5-3 on the road.
BU let the game get away from itself in Friday’s first period and was not able to overcome the deficit by the end of the final horn.
Graduate goaltender Alexa Matses earned her third straight start in net, but after surrendering three goals in a four-minute span of the first period, freshman Mari Pietersen came in relief.
Pietersen allowed a short-handed goal within her first nine seconds of play but remained sharp for the rest of the contest.
Sophomore forward Lilli Welcke and senior forward Catherine Foulem got the Terriers on the board in the second and third periods respectively, but BU was ultimately handed its first regulation loss in six games.
“I think the team you saw in the back half of that game was us – just got to put it together over 60 minutes,” BU head coach Tara Watchorn said post game.
Saturday’s rematch was a game of special teams as both sides cashed in on the power play twice.
The Terriers found themselves short-handed to start the game for a warm up violation, and sophomore forward Sydney Healey served the two-minute minor.
However, BU took advantage of the unfortunate situation with a short-handed tally 1:03 into the game.
As UNH tried to clear its defensive zone, Foulem stripped the puck at the blue line and hustled the other way. The assistant captain created time and space, avoiding a defender, and was in all-alone on freshman goaltender Sedona Blair. Scoring in back-to-back games, Foulem beat Blair top shelf to make it 1-0.
BU has implemented a fresh approach to its penalty kill, looking to create a spark even while down a player.
“We call it the ‘power kill,’ so we try to have an offensive approach to it,” Foulem said during the first intermission. “We’ve been gaining momentum off of our power kill this whole year, and we’re hoping to keep that going.”
Midway through the first period, the Terriers doubled their lead to make it 2-0 at 11:49. Shortly after an expiring BU power play, senior forward Lacey Martin continued to stay hot offensively with an even-strength goal.
UNH’s impressive shot-blocking — evident in its 18-6 edge in game one — was no match for Martin as she ripped the puck through three Wildcat players.
Martin continues to add to her senior-year campaign, recording her seventh goal of the season. The assistant captain has already broken her previous season-high scoring record of five goals through her first nine games of the year.
The Wildcats got on the board with a power-play goal early in the middle frame. UNH moved the puck well and was rewarded with a pretty tic-tac-toe goal from senior forward Chavonne Truter at 1:49.
The Terriers answered back with two power play goals of their own — both coming from senior defender Andi Calderone.
The blueliner’s first goal came at 5:11 of the second period. Calderone received a rolling puck from Martin and slipped it through Blair’s five hole to give her team a 3-1 lead.
She made it a 4-1 game on a UNH body-checking minor four minutes later. The Terriers moved from low to high, and Calderone fired it past Blair at 9:39 for her first career two-goal performance.
The Wildcats made a late-period push, but they found their rhythm in the third. Potting two goals in 91 seconds, the home team clawed its way back into the competition during the final frame.
Both even-strength tallies came from junior forward Shea Verrier. Verrier tapped in a rebound at 6:52 before finishing off UNH’s end-to-end play at 8:23.
Despite their efforts, sophomore forward Clara Yuhn put the game away for BU with 2:40 remaining. On an individual effort, the second-year pulled off a highlight-reel goal from a difficult angle from below the goal line. Yuhn banked the puck in off of Blair’s pads to give her team a 5-3 lead.
The Wildcats’ late-effort attempt to come back was not enough, and the Terriers secured the weekend split.
Saturday’s victory was a much-needed response by BU after Friday’s lackluster effort at home. While neither side converted on the power play in game one, special teams were key for the regrouped Terriers. Although the Wildcats rallied a comeback late in the third, BU remained composed and finished the business — something last season’s group struggled to do.
The Terriers will have a quick turnaround before facing Harvard University on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Bright-Landry Center. The Boston Hockey Blog will have full coverage of the 7 p.m. game, so be sure to follow along on Twitter (X) @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.
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