BURLINGTON, Vt. — It was only a matter of time before Callie Shanahan found her groove again.
The senior netminder has a .968 save percentage in her three starts since the Boston University women’s hockey team’s 8-1 loss to Princeton on Nov. 27, and in the Terriers 2-1 win over Vermont on Friday, she was excellent, stopping 21 of 22 shots.
“It happens,” Shanahan said of the ups and downs of being a goaltender. “You just gotta take it and get stronger from it.”
She was especially excellent in the first period on Friday at Gutterson Fieldhouse as the No. 13 Terriers (13-5-1, 11-2-1 Hockey East) struggled after taking a 1-0 lead just 1:01 into play.
Amidst a Catamounts (4-16-2, 3-10-2) line change, junior forward Lilli Welcke rushed the puck up the ice and scored her third goal of the season with her backhand. It was her first goal since Oct. 18.
“Lilli is just so strong, so effective with her contact and ability to make plays,” head coach Tara Watchorn said postgame.
But BU struggled to maintain any possession after the first shift. Vermont was quicker to pucks after falling behind, forcing the Terriers into uncharacteristic mistakes — Watchorn labeled the start “shaky.”
The Terriers took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but Vermont outshot BU 9-5. The Catamounts had a slew of chances, but Shanahan stood strong.
Her most impressive save of the day came at 15:03 of the first. A bouncing puck found a Catamount all alone in front of the net, and Shanahan showed her quick reflexes, flashing her glove to make the save.
“Unbelievable,” Watchorn said of Shanahan.
BU was much better to open the second period. Strong play in the neutral zone led to better looks in the offensive zone, but the Terriers couldn’t beat senior goalie Jane Gervais, who stopped 23 of 25 shots in the loss for Vermont.
Junior forward Riley Walsh took a slashing call at 11:26 of the second. BU didn’t only kill the penalty; it scored its third shorthanded goal of the season at 13:17.
Junior forward Luisa Welcke finished a two-on-one with a one-timer off a feed from graduate captain Tamara Giaquinto. It’s her fourth goal of the season and first since Nov. 8.
“The message is always, ‘Let’s get a shorty,’” Watchorn said. “Having that mindset gives you a purpose, versus playing on your heels.”
Friday was the first time the Welcke sisters, who were moved off the same line late in the fall semester, scored in the same game this season.
“How do we take two amazingly skilled players and make four other players even better, versus keeping them together?” Watchorn said of what went into the decision to split up the Welckes.
The first 15 of the third period were the best the Terriers played on Friday. While the Terriers were unable to score in the third, they set up in the offensive zone the best they had all day. The looks were there, but BU was just unable to capitalize.
Vermont struggled to muster up any offense for long stretches of the final frame but began to pressure the Terriers as regulation winded down.
“They’re really quick and they’re a really gritty team,” Shanahan said of Vermont.
Watchorn added: “Until you feel their ability to compete, it’s hard to really replicate that — a tough opponent.”
The Catamounts got on the board at 16:20. Graduate forward Grace Nelles fired a shot from the slot off the right post and in to cut BU’s lead to 2-1.
BU will look for the two game sweep tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
“Tomorrow we’ll look for moments we can really upgrade.”
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