The BU women’s hockey team’s last game at Agganis Arena was a disappointing one.
The No. 13 Terriers (10-5-1, 8-2-1 Hockey East) had not had a regulation loss in 11 straight games entering their matchup against Princeton last week, where they fell 8-1. Now, after a 9-day break and a four-hour drive up to Orono, BU looks to reset itself against Maine (3-14-0, 3-8-0 HE).
“We said [to] take the time to rest, obviously, and start to reflect,” head coach Tara Watchorn said in her weekly media call Wednesday.
These two teams have already faced off in a two-game set at Agganis. BU swept, but the wins were not as convincing as Watchorn would have liked.
A third look at a struggling conference opponent may be what the Terriers need to get back in the win column to go into the second half.
The game is set for 6 p.m. on Friday at Alfond Arena. Here’s what you need to know.
Puck management a priority
The BU defense struggled in their last game against Princeton. Now, facing the Black Bears, it will have to be on high alert to make sure Maine isn’t able to capitalize on any mistakes.
“Some trends are starting to show in terms of giving up odd-man rushes, having good offensive looks, but then somehow that leading to an offensive look for the other team,” Watchorn said. “We’ve potentially cracked that code, and Maine was a team that made us pay for that last time.”
With senior goaltender Callie Shanahan coming off of a shaky performance, too, BU can’t afford to make her job harder than it needs to be.
Callie Shanahan needs a good game
Eight goals is a lot for any goalie to give up, but it was particularly startling for Shanahan, who has been one of the top goaltenders in the country this season.
An opponent like Maine that only scores 1.35 goals a game will be a good test to see if Shanahan is able to bounce back
“Everything that we’ve seen, she’s looked great this week in practice,” Watchorn said. “Excited for her to respond this week.”
Special teams need to return to form
In their last matchup, BU gave Princeton five opportunities on the power play, and the Tigers cashed in on three of them. The Terriers’ penalty kill has been solid all season until then.
Maine’s special teams struggle on both sides of the puck. The Black Bears’ power play conversion rate ranks dead last in Hockey East at 9.1%, just over half of BU’s, with an eighth-place penalty kill and a high number of power plays the team allows.
BU will have to be able to take advantage of the advantages handed to them.
Scouting the Black Bears
Maine is coming off a humbling series against the No. 1 team in the country, Wisconsin, where they were outscored 17-1 on their own ice.
The Black Bears sit at eighth in the Hockey East standings, right where they were picked to finish in the preseason poll. They sit at the bottom of the conference in both goals allowed by a wide margin, and the team save percentage is under .900.
BU’s sweep was closer than it looked on paper, but having seen Maine before, the team has a chance to build off what it struggled with and go into the mid-season break with a bounce-back win.
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