Tara Watchorn has preached consistency.
The standard, as the Boston University women’s hockey head coach often refers to it, is set by on-ice play and off-ice conduct — morale, consistency, adversity management, mentality. Things you can’t see with the naked eye.
In Friday evening’s 4-0 loss to No. 13 Northeastern, the team didn’t live up to that standard.
“It started with pregame skate. That could have been a lot better. It started with the excuses of being tired and traveling and all that kind of stuff,” Watchorn said. “We let it slip this week for the first time this year.”
In a chippy game at Matthews Arena, the high-octane Huskies (3-2, 1-0 Hockey East) were propelled by freshman phenom Éloïse Caron’s two goals, a late second-period burst and a handful of BU turnovers.
“We never really got hemmed in,” Watchorn said. “We were shooting ourselves in the foot, and that’s the takeaway. How do we just be better internally?”
From puck drop, the Terriers (1-3, 1-1 Hockey East) lacked composure. Northeastern’s forecheck suffocated any attempt to break out of the defensive third. BU’s passes rarely found sticks, and those that did popped off the tape.
The Huskies were at goaltender Callie Shanahan’s doorstep often in the game’s first minutes — a result of over-pursuing Terriers and defensive breakdowns. The junior goaltender, coming off of a 40-save performance a week ago, ran out of bailouts at 4:25 of the first period.
Northeastern senior forward Skylar Irving fluttered a pass down the sheet and past BU senior defender Maeve Carey, who failed to knock it down. Caron collected the pass with space in front of her, firing a goal into the top right corner. The freshman’s sixth point in five games gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers won the subsequent face-off and immediately rifled five shots. The pressure was brief, however, as the Huskies put BU back on its heels. In the Terriers’ lone power play of the first period, Northeastern had more scoring chances.
The Terriers once again began an offensive barrage 13 minutes into the second period, highlighted by Lindsay Bochna’s slick backhand pass to Clara Yuhn in front of the net and Alex Law’s rocket off the near post.
Despite the Terriers recording the same number of shots as the Huskies, Northeastern goaltender Paige Taborski was mostly untested throughout the game.
“They weren’t quality looks,” Watchorn said. “They were just quantity shots, so we need to make them more challenging for her.”
Tensions boiled over when a tight play on the boards left junior forward Luisa Welcke shaken up and put Irving in the box for boarding. It didn’t take long for the Terriers to exact revenge as Bochna laid a hit on Northeastern forward Holly Abela, who hit the boards and then the ice.
“I love how we’re playing a little bit more on the edge. I love how we’re playing gritty and with contact,” Watchorn said. “But at the same time, you can’t get below the line and act with emotion. It’s finding that line and that professionalism that we need to get better.”
In the ensuing 4-on-4, Law attempted to break out of the zone, but Abela intercepted a lazy pass in stride. The junior forward found the top shelf, leaping in celebration of a 2-0 Huskies lead at 18:37.
Less than a minute later, the Huskies broke up a pass in their defensive zone while Caron zipped up the ice. Jaden Bogden flicked the puck to the freshman, who went untouched to the net for her fourth goal of the season and second of the game.
Facing a 3-0 deficit, the Terriers elected sophomore goaltender Mari Pietersen to start the third. Watchorn said the decision was made to protect Shanahan.
“Us giving a 3-on-0 at the end of the second shows we weren’t really supporting her in there,” Watchorn said. “It’s a momentum shift.”
The chippiness returned midway through the third period when Carey took a tripping penalty. Extracurriculars broke out, and BU’s Maggie Hanzel and Northeastern’s Bogden wound up in the box with matching roughing minors.
Northeastern’s Jules Constantinople took a tripping penalty 14 seconds later. In the following stoppage, BU’s Julia Shaunessy knocked a Northeastern player down after the whistle — the fifth player between the two teams in the penalty box at that time.
Northeastern wasn’t done scoring. Freshman Morgan Jackson dished the puck from behind the net to sophomore Ella Blackmore, who scored her first of the season and gave the Huskies an insurmountable 4-0 lead at 14:55.
Watchorn asked her team if they wanted to empty the net — her players agreed.
In over four minutes of man-advantage, the Terriers didn’t hesitate to put their body on the line to prevent a fifth goal — an encouraging sign of buy-in after a tough three-game stretch.
The two teams will battle again Saturday afternoon at Agganis Arena for a 3 p.m. puck drop.
Once again, the result will start with the standard.
“I need them to figure it out internally. It can’t keep coming from me,” Watchorn said. “I have confidence that they’re going to have conversations and tough ones. If they can do that, then we’ll talk strategy on the ice after that. But they got to deal with it first.”
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