Before the season, if you asked assistant coach Megan Myers if the Boston University women’s hockey team would be in first place in Hockey East at the end of the fall semester, she would’ve made no promises.
But after the No. 13 Terriers’ 3-1 win over Maine on Friday at Alfond Arena — that’s BU’s reality.
“We’re so excited for where this group’s gonna go,” Myers said postgame.
The Terriers (11-5-1, 9-2-1 HE) haven’t won the conference in a decade. Entering Friday, BU had 27 points, only one more than second-place Boston College. The win over the Black Bears (3-15-0, 3-9-0 HE) leaves BU with 30 and some breathing room, but they had to earn it in Orono.
It was a back-and-forth first 20 minutes, with neither team separating itself from the other. When the buzzer sounded, there was no score, and shots on goal were even at 12 apiece.
BU’s best chance of the first period came at 8:22. After winning a face-off in the offensive zone, freshman defenseman Kiera Healey — from just below the half wall — found senior forward Christina Vote behind the goal line. Vote tapped the puck to junior forward Sydney Healey in front of the net, but she couldn’t finish the tic-tac-toe play.
At 14:48 of the frame, junior forward Luisa Welcke was called for a hook, sending Maine to its first power play. Senior netminder Callie Shanahan made several saves, and the Terriers killed the penalty.
Shanahan, whose stellar start to the season is a main reason BU is atop Hockey East, stopped 25 shots in Friday’s win — a much-needed outing after allowing eight goals in her last start.
“Callie’s a pro, she lives it every day,” Myers said. “I’m not surprised that after a tough loss to Princeton, she comes back even stronger.”
After failing to capitalize on their first power play opportunity, the Terriers cashed in on their second — at 11:38 of the second — to put BU up 1-0.
Graduate defender Tamara Giaquinto ripped a one-timer on the skater advantage, beating freshman Kiia Lahtinen through traffic for her fourth tally of the season and a much-needed goal on the power play — an area in which the Terriers have struggled.
“We got tested on special teams. Finally got a power play goal,” Myers said of BU, which didn’t muster a single chance on its first opportunity.
Vote was called for a hook at 13:46, sending the Black Bears back to the power play.
Freshman defender Kendall Sundby then knotted the scoreline at 1-1. She caught the Terriers amidst a line change, carried the puck over the blue line, and beat Shanahan from the slot at 15:12.
Head coach Tara Watchorn has emphasized the importance of changes thus far this season. It cost her team a goal on Friday. Despite the impressive first half of the season, improvements can still be made.
“It was just a miscommunication,” Myers said. “We learned from it.”
Maine carried its momentum from the goal and finished the middle frame strong, peppering Shanahan, who stood tall and kept the game tied heading into the third.
At 7:38 of the final frame, BU retook the lead. Junior defender Maeve Carey ripped a shot from the point, and junior forward Riley Walsh redirected the puck into the back of the net to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead. It was Walsh’s fifth goal of the season.
“We talk all the time about getting rebound goals and dirty goals net front,” Myers said “It was cool that those goals were us getting net front and putting our bodies on the line.”
The final 10 minutes looked much like the first 20 — back and forth — until Luisa Welcke went back to the box, this time for a body check at 17:03.
Maine pulled Lahtinen on the power play for a six-on-four advantage. But at 18:22, graduate forward Lindsay Bochna picked up a loose puck at the far blue line, skated it down the ice, and watched the puck into the empty net, sealing the 3-1 win.
With 28 days until its next game, BU will enter 2025 in its current position, and the players are eager to keep the ball rolling.
“There’s tons of belief in the locker room,” Myers said. “It’s been really cool to see this group come together.”
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