BOSTON — The Boston University women’s hockey team started off with a bang in a 7-1 victory over Merrimack College Tuesday evening at Agganis Arena.
The seven goals were the most in second-year head coach Tara Watchorn’s tenure.
“[The offense] came from every line, came from every age — transfer, freshmen, returners,” Watchorn said.
The main story of the game for BU (1-0-0, 1-0-0 Hockey East) was the special teams.
The Terrier power play unit spent a lot of time on the ice in the first period. Merrimack (0-2-0, 0-1-0 HEA) committed four penalties in the frame, unable to control their sticks for two tripping calls and a slash.
“Last week was really the first time we dove in with these specific units and this specific setup, and it’s just cool to see how they were able to put it into place so quick,” Watchorn said.
The BU power play controlled and moved the puck well while keeping it in their offensive zone. They fired off 27 shots in the first period, including 11 on goal.
The Terriers’ new captain, graduate defenseman Tamara Giaquinto, scored the opening goal through traffic on the 5-on-3 power play. Both Lilli and Luisa Welcke collected assists on the play.
BU was not innocent themselves, though. Senior forward Christina Vote earned the game’s first penalty just over four minutes in, but the Terriers were able to kill off the two minutes.
They weren’t as clean the second time.
Merrimack graduate forward Gabi Jones was able to capitalize on senior forward Ani Fitzgerald’s slashing penalty to tie the game late in the first period.
After recouping in the locker room, the Terriers came out of the intermission hot.
Freshman forward Lola Reid retook the Terrier lead with a pretty backhand-forward-backhand play to get around her defender and then the right pad of junior goaltender Calli Hogarth for her first collegiate goal and the first 5-on-5 goal of the game.
“She obviously has a lot of skill, and the combination with her size, how confident she’s playing already, is really cool,” Watchorn said.
Less than three minutes later, BU was back on the power play after Merrimack senior defenseman Hayley Chang was called for hooking.
The Terriers made her pay a minute into the penalty kill. Graduate forward Lindsay Bochna tapped the puck into a wide-open net after Hogarth bit at Vote’s pass across the crease. Graduate defenseman Julia Shaunessy picked up the secondary assist.
Merrimack ended up right back in the penalty box not even 30 seconds later, and for a third time, the Terriers took advantage.
Giaquinto scored her second of the game with the help of freshman defenseman Keira Healey and Lilli Welcke.
Giaquinto scored two goals the last time she faced Merrimack in February earlier this year, setting a career-high for goals in a game.
Merrimack called a timeout right after the goal to sub out Hogarth for freshman Margeaux Favre for her college debut.
The Warriors were able to maintain more control of the puck after the switch, firing off six shots in under a minute, but none of them were able to hit the back of the net.
The Terriers were able to get the puck back in their offensive zone as the clock ticked down to the final minute, and the period ended with six straight shots off BU sticks.
The game slowed down going into the third period, but BU did not take their foot off the gas.
Sophomore Clara Yuhn, Fitzgerald and freshman Kaileigh Quigg, all forwards, netted three goals in the last five minutes of the game without needing the man advantage.
Vote took the puck from one ice to the other before feeding the puck to Yuhn on Favre’s weak side on a two-on-two, and Yuhn fired it home.
With just two and a half minutes left on the clock, Reid circled behind the net and snapped the puck to Fitzgerald who was waiting right in front of the Merrimack net.
Reid finished her first NCAA game with three points, matching Giaquinto’s game total, ending with a falling pass to Quigg, who netted the shot.
The Terriers fly to Minneapolis to take on the University of Minnesota for a weekend series on Friday Oct. 4 and Sunday Oct. 6.
“We want to play for national Championships, and I’m really excited for our group to see what it takes and to play one of the best,” Watchorn said. “It’s going to be a great learning experience.”
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