Talk of transfer portal losses and additions, of unfortunate losses to Holy Cross and high hopes for a bounceback season can only last so long.
After a seven-month offseason, it’s finally time to see the Boston University women’s hockey team hit the ice — this time, for a game that counts.
The Terriers will open up regular season play in a Hockey East matchup against Merrimack College Tuesday night at Agganis Arena. The puck will drop at 6 p.m.
Here’s what you need to know.
What will lines and defensive pairings look like?
Without any media availability with head coach Tara Watchorn to draw from, the best indicator would seem to be the combinations from BU’s 4-1 exhibition win over Concordia University on Sept. 20.
The line of Lilli Welcke, Luisa Welcke and Union transfer Riley Walsh seems like the safest bet to remain intact. The group accounted for two goals against Concordia, and Watchorn intimated that the trio would stick together in her postgame press conference, saying they “bonded from day one this summer” and that Walsh made a trip to Germany, building chemistry with the Welckes in their home country.
The other combinations played well together, too. Providence transfer Lindsay Bochna meshed well with veteran Christina Vote and talented sophomore Clara Yuhn on the first line.
Sydney Healey, Ani Fitzgerald and Neely Nicholson played on the third line, and Liv Haag teamed up with freshmen Kaileigh Quigg and Lola Reid on the fourth line.
At least one of those combinations will be split up if Alex Law returns to the lineup. The sophomore forward was sidelined for the Concordia exhibition as she recovers from shoulder surgery she underwent over the summer, according to Watchorn after the scrimmage.
Watchorn did not provide a specific timetable for Law’s return but said the Terriers are “just getting her more game ready.”
From the exhibition, defensive pairings were: freshman Keira Healey with senior captain Tamara Giaquinto, junior Maeve Carey with grad student Julia Shaunessy, senior Maggie Hanzel with junior Maeve Kelly, and a freshman tandem of Tessa Demain and Kate Meinert
Who will start in net?
An educated guess would be senior Callie Shanahan, the more experienced member of the Terriers’ goaltending “one-two punch,” as Watchorn called it.
Shanahan missed the first semester of last season with an injury but returned in the second half to play 13 games, posting a .911 save percentage. She’s now fully healthy and prepared for the season.
Shanahan started the exhibition against Concordia, but sophomore netminder Mari Pietersen replaced her exactly halfway through the game and played the rest of the way. Pietersen started 11 games last year, notching an .869 save percentage. In a preseason interview, Watchorn highlighted her growth and the work she put in over the summer.
The two netminders, it seems, will share the load throughout the season. Still, Watchorn said, Shanahan is the “one” of that one-two punch.
Scouting the Warriors
Merrimack was picked ninth out of ten teams in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll. The Warriors are coming off a 11-22-3 finish last season, although they did defeat Maine in the first round of the Hockey East tournament before losing to Northeastern in the second round.
Like BU, Merrimack’s top two scorers from last year — Celine Tedenby and Mary Edmonds — are no longer on the roster. But the Warriors bring back forward Maria Lindberg and defenseman Hayley Chang, who both tallied 16 points last year.
Tuesday’s game will also mark the return of Madison Cardaci, who captained BU last year before grad-transferring to Merrimack.
Junior netminder Callie Hogarth is back after starting 35 games with a .908 save percentage for the Warriors last year. She’s the likely starter for the visitors.
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