Game Previews, Women's Hockey

WIH looking to head into final stretch strong with game against Maine

Photo by Cristina Romano.

The Boston University women’s hockey team is set to face off against the University of Maine Black Bears in a Friday night Hockey East matchup at Walter Brown Arena.

The game comes after the Terriers split last weekend’s Battle of Comm Ave series against No. 15 Boston College, losing 3-0 Friday night on home ice and winning 3-0 Saturday afternoon at Conte Forum. 

That jekyll and hyde performance for BU typifies its performance thus far this season, an up and down one where it’s hard to foresee which version of the team you’ll see from night to night. 

Saturday’s win against BC was junior goaltender Callie Shanahan’s first shutout since her freshman year, and the team’s first shutout at Conte Forum in more than a decade. 

Friday’s game against the University of Maine gives the Terriers a good opportunity at another prove-it game as they enter the final weeks of the season. Following Friday’s game, BU will have just two weekends left of the regular season. 

The Terriers will need some more quality play from their leading goal scorers, Lacey Martin and Catherine Foulem, this weekend to set themselves up for a better standing going into the Hockey East playoffs. 

While Martin and Foulem appear as BU’s primary offensive weapons on the scoresheet, their play has been inconsistent at times. The pair have only one goal between them in the past two weekends. 

Martin’s goal in Saturday’s win against BC was the Terriers’ first power play goal, breaking a 0-for-21 ‘curse’ that had followed the Terriers for weeks. Foulem, the senior forward, hasn’t lit the lamp since scoring the game-tying goal in the Beanpot Championship on Jan. 23. 

Maine is an in-conference team that the Terriers have played well this season, winning the first two games of the season series. The Black Bears, who hold a 7-13-2 conference record this season, are one of the only Hockey East teams that the Terriers have played consistently well against. 

Five things to know about the Black Bears:

  • The Black Bears are currently riding a four-game losing streak, after being swept by the University of New Hampshire in the Border Battle series and by Merrimack last weekend. 
  • Maine’s leading scorer is graduate forward Ann-Frederique Guay with 19 goals in 29 games played this season
  • The Black Bears lead the country in shorthanded goals with eight on the season, paired with a 76.6 percent penalty kill. 
  • Maine is also one of only five teams in the country to have allowed zero shorthanded goals this season
  • Julia Bachetti, freshman goaltender, has played the most minutes in net this season, starting 15 games with a 2.90 goals against average and .907 save percentage.

Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Friday night at Walter Brown Arena. The Boston Hockey Blog will have full, on-the-ground coverage so be sure to follow along on Twitter (X) @BOShockeyblog and Instagram @boston.hockey.blog.

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