BOSTON — Even after the Boston University women’s hockey team suffered loss after loss in a dismal 1-5-1 stretch, head coach Tara Watchorn remained steadfast in her message to the team.
The wins will come. Focus on the process.
In a Saturday matinee against Providence College, the Terriers played to their process. They executed crisp line changes, they generated scoring chances and they played to their habits. The result — a 5-1 triumph — followed suit.
“I think everyone can agree that’s a nice way to end the semester,” Watchorn said postgame. “Just excited for our group to get to feel a little bit of that external reward for all their hard work so far.”
Since the Terriers defeated Holy Cross, 2-1 Friday night, Saturday’s win earned BU a two-win weekend — its first since a sweep of Merrimack on Nov. 3 and 4.
Cooking with the momentum of their Friday night victory, the Terriers (8-8-2, 6-6-1 Hockey East) jumped on the board first Saturday afternoon. Freshman forward Ella Huntley carried the puck into the offensive zone with pace and sophomore forward Clara Yuhn charged towards the left circle, creating a 2-on-1. Yuhn called for the puck, Huntley dished it and Yuhn one-timed it into the back of the net at 1:28, earning the Terriers a 1-0 lead and Huntley her first collegiate assist.
But after two power plays late in the first, the Friars (6-12-1, 5-8-1 HEA) found their legs. Providence didn’t score on its first man-advantage — after BU sophomore defenseman Maeve Kelly was called for interference — but the Friars took advantage when Yuhn took a penalty for body-checking at 18:23.
Sophomore forward Reichen Kirchmair ripped one past BU graduate puck-stopper Alexa Matses from the left circle at 19:06 to knot the score at one.
The Terriers, led by their top six, roared back in the second period.
At 3:13, senior Catherine Foulem jabbed home a loose puck at the netfront to make it 2-1 BU, cashing in on a strong all-around shift from Foulem, junior forward Christina Vote and freshman forward Alex Law. Less than three minutes later, the Terriers added another — this time on the power play.
Yuhn circled across mid-ice and into the offensive zone, eluding the four Providence skaters on her tail. She found Law trailing behind her, who settled the puck, drifted to her left and sniped the top corner to earn BU a 3-1 lead at 6:01. Providence goalie Mireille Kingsley had no chance.
“I was just walking across and I saw a spot top corner, so I just decided to shoot it and luckily it went in,” Law said.
Sophomore forward Luisa Welcke cemented the result with a tip-in tally at 16:11 of the third. Her twin sister, Lilli, had the primary assist. It marked Luisa Welcke’s second goal in as many games.
“It’s been so fun to watch Luisa and Lilli, just their growth all season,” Watchorn said. “You can tell that their confidence is coming back…Luisa is so creative with the puck down low, and it’s paying off.”
Senior captain Madison Cardaci added an empty-net exclamation mark with 16 seconds to go to seal the win. BU hadn’t scored five in a game since a 6-1 win over Syracuse on Oct. 21.
Coming into the game, BU was 0-4-3 in its previous seven matchups with Providence, and 0-1-1 against the Friars this season.
“We definitely wanted this one,” Watchorn said. “It was nice to get it on home ice.”
Watchorn kept BU’s lines mostly intact after Friday’s 2-1 win over Holy Cross, but she bumped Vote and Foulem up to the first line with Law, and paired senior Lacey Martin and Yuhn with Huntley on the second line.
“I thought ‘Fou’ and Lacey’s lines did a great job,” Watchorn said. “They’re starting to find their own identities, and I think that’s what you’re always looking for as a coach.”
After a month-long break, the Terriers will return to action on Jan. 8 against the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. The Boston Hockey Blog will have full coverage, so be sure to follow along at hockey.dailyfreepress.com and on Twitter (X) @BosHockeyBlog.
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