Following their win in the Beanpot semifinal, BU head coach Tara Watchorn said that the championship-clinching game proved that the Terriers are a “good hockey team.”
If their performance in Tuesday’s game didn’t convince everyone, how about taking care of business in the second of a two-game series against UVM to secure the sweep?
Saturday’s 4-2 win against the Catamounts certainly proves that this version of Boston University’s women’s ice hockey team is different and poised to continue its strong start to the spring semester.
“What the message that I really left with the girls right now is, do we want this feeling to be our destination or do we want this to be our turning point,” Watchorn said postgame.
The Terriers are certainly using the beginning of trophy season as a galvanizing opportunity.
“Tara has been talking about how we want to use the Beanpot as our turning point and I think that’s exactly what we’re doing,” senior forward Lacey Martin said postgame.
The team has used Tuesday’s win in the semifinals as a blueprint, bringing that resiliency into this weekend.
“I think having played off mentality in that game has kind of translated into this weekend and hopefully we can take that through the rest of the season as well,” Martin said.
Graduate transfer goalie Alexa Matses got the start on Saturday, after junior Callie Shanahan started in Friday’s 6-1 win.
When asked why she turned to Matses for the start, Watchorn explained her reasoning was two-fold, saying “we’ve got great goalies” and citing the need for injury management for Shanahan.
“We’re gonna have to manage [Shanahan’s] return based on performance and based on health and knowing that playing every game probably isn’t the right thing,” Watchorn said.
The Catamounts were first on the board in Saturday’s contest, taking their 1-0 lead off a rocket shot from senior forward Natalie Mlynkova who fired it from the left circle. After opening up the game trailing shots on goal 0-3, UVM quickly caught up, trailing 6-7 in a matter of minutes.
The Terriers drew a cross-checking call on Lara Beecher but couldn’t score on the power play, something that has troubled the team as of late.
But BU came up with an equalizer a minute after time expired on the power play with a goal from senior forward Catherine Foulem. Foulem, who got the puck from junior forward Christina Vote, tapped the goal in past goalie Jessie McPherson’s glove to tie the game for BU.
A little more than a minute later the Terriers took a 2-1 lead thanks to a goal from Ani Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald got the puck near the left side boards and outskated four UVM defenders to get to the net and score.
The Terriers ended the period on the penalty kill after a hoolking call went against sophomore defender Maeve Kelly which bled into the second period. BU killed off the penalty, while also not allowing a single shot on goal in the PK.
Watchorn said that growth on the penalty kill has come down to “confidence” among her players in their approach.
“We always keep saying it’s a mentality and kudos to them, they’ve really bought in,” Watchorn said.
While both teams had quality scoring chances throughout the second period, it was a quieter frame than the one that came before it.
The Terriers gave the Catamounts a couple power play scoring opportunities, after holding and roughing calls on sophomore Lilli Welcke and senior Lacey Martin respectively, but UVM couldn’t deliver.
BU got its own shot on the man advantage after a tripping call against junior forward Evelyn Blais-Savoie but also couldn’t deliver.
It took until 14:49 of the period for a goal, coming from Beecher off the assist from freshman Kaylee Lewis. Beecher stuck in the tying goal past the stickside of a diving Matses who seemingly misjudged the puck’s location.
The score stayed knotted at two as both teams headed off to the final intermission.
Shooters shoot.
Lacey from Clara and Ella.
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/5Ct1JhLsmH@espn | @hockey_east#GoBU pic.twitter.com/WbPXhis9uf
— BU Women's Hockey (@TerrierWHockey) January 20, 2024
Martin got the Terriers going early in the third period, scoring to put BU up 3-2 at 1:01. Martin shot the puck from the left circle through a rush-hour traffic crowd of UVM and BU skaters.
“It was really a good play by Clara, really good pass, but I think we wanted to come out of that period hot and kind of finish that game early,” Martin said.
While closing out games has been an issue for this team in the past, the Terriers didn’t let up the gas one bit on either side of the ice for the rest of the period. With time dwindling down, UVM decided to pull McPherson, which led to an empty net goal on the following play from senior defenseman Nadia Mattivi.
BU’s 4-2 victory places them in fifth place in Hockey East standings and brings their record over .500.
The Terriers will next face off against Northeastern University in the Beanpot Championship Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the Boston Hockey Blog will have full, on-the-ground coverage of the matchup, so be sure to follow along on Twitter (X) @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.
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