Tara Watchorn said last week that as the head coach, she’s always trying to “sell” the Boston University women’s hockey team on what they can gain from their upcoming game or series. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons BU’s buy-in has been so consistent all season, something Watchorn has repeatedly praised.
And crucially, Watchorn isn’t just selling her team on wins.
“Yes, it’s three points,” she said. “But it’s always more than that.”
Some examples: “This opponent provides us an opportunity to work on our transition game. A different opponent might lend us to more of our defensive zone or sustained offensive zone play.”
“Obviously, every game can shape up differently,” Watchorn concluded. “But based on what we know, what is our selfish opportunity for growth?”
That brings us to New Hampshire.
Because No. 13 BU’s home-and-home series with the Wildcats on Friday and Saturday is, ultimately, about the points. The Terriers are only one point clear of UConn at the top of Hockey East with four games to go — and the last two are against the Huskies. If BU sweeps UNH, it will need to win just one from those two games against UConn to clinch its first Hockey East No. 1 seed in 12 seasons.
And yet:
“I think what’s probably dominating their focus more — and I think it’s been something all year — is that every team has a different style,” Watchorn said during her midweek call on Wednesday. “UNH plays a completely different style than a UConn. So I think it’s more just about constantly knowing what we do well with our game plan, knowing we got to bring it against any team in this league.”
BU didn’t bring it the last time it traveled up to Durham, N.H., in a 2-0 loss to the Wildcats the Saturday before the Beanpot final. It was one of only four games this year in which the Terriers have been shutout, and the Wildcats are one of only two teams in Hockey East — UConn is the other — that BU has yet to beat this season. (In fact, BU’s beaten every other team at least twice.)
Watchorn compared UNH’s style to that of Boston College, which BU went 2-1 against this season.
“A little bit more free flowing,” she added. “They’re going to make you pay.”
The Terriers haven’t always handled that kind of team well, but in the last several weeks — punctuated by a 3-2 win over BC — BU’s appeared to grow more comfortable with it.
The Terriers will need to flex that muscle this weekend.
Some notes on BU:
– It took sophomore forward Alex Law 24 games to score a goal, but in the seven games since the dam broke, she’s scored three goals and dished out two assists.
That included a perfect tape-to-tape pass for Maeve Carey’s game-winning goal and a game-clinching shorthanded tally of her own in the third period against Providence on Saturday.
“I think most players would say that when they’re snakebit, sometimes it just takes one for the floodgates to open,” Watchorn said.
Junior defender Carey’s goal was the first of her season, too. BU’s now gotten goals from 17 different players this season, with only two regular starters (freshman defender Keira Healey and senior forward Liv Haag) yet to find the scoresheet.
– Sophomore goalie Mari Pietersen won Hockey East Defender of the Week for her 36-save performance against the Friars. She’s now started five games in the spring semester and allowed only five goals, with a .949 save percentage over that stretch.
Her save percentage for the season is now .920, compared to senior Callie Shanahan’s .924. Since the Beanpot final, Pietersen’s started more games than Shanhan.
“A little bit of one,” Watchorn said when asked if she had a plan for her goalies headed into New Hampshire. “But fortunate enough, they’re making my life hard in terms of the final decision.”
She added nothing was “set in stone.”
Some notes on UNH:
– The Wildcats (15-14-1, 11-12 HE) enter the series sixth in the conference, boasting wins over third-place BC, at fourth-place Northeastern, against fifth-place Providence and, of course, versus first-place BU.
Statistically, UNH is an average team, ranking near the middle of the country and the middle of Hockey East in various categories. The Wildcats score as many goals per game as they allow (2.2).
Watchorn noted their special teams as “strong.” UNH’s power play (19.5 percent) ranks 17th in the country and third in Hockey East, its penalty kill (87.7 percent) is seventh and fourth.
Senior forward Kira Juodikis leads the team in points and goals (12 goals and eight assists in 28 games played), graduate forward Sara Boucher isn’t far behind (nine and nine in 28) and sophomore goalie Sedona Blair enters with a .929 save percentage.
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