For the first time in 10 years, the Boston University women’s hockey team is back in the NCAA Tournament.
A run of three consecutive overtime wins in the Hockey East tournament earned the Terriers a berth in the University of Wisconsin’s regional bracket. BU will face Clarkson University in the first round Thursday night at Wisconsin’s LaBahn Arena in Madison, with the top-seeded Badgers awaiting in the regional final.
After winning the Hockey East tournament with a 2-1 overtime win over Northeastern at UConn’s Toscano Family Ice Forum on Saturday, the Terriers learned of their draw during Sunday’s selection show.
The team gathered in its renovated team lounge at Walter Brown Arena, erupting into cheers when it was announced that the team would be traveling to the Wisconsin Regional for a first-round bout with Clarkson.
Puck drop is slated for 8 p.m. EST.
BU is staying focused by ‘enjoying the moment’
Head coach Tara Watchorn said the Terriers made a point of arriving in Madison early — on Tuesday — so the team could settle in and have an extra day of practice at LaBahn Arena before facing Clarkson.
That, Watchorn hopes, will give BU some extra time to settle in and enjoy the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s been a long time for our program since we’ve been on this stage, but I think the more you enjoy each other, the more you enjoy the process, you enjoy every practice you get and the team, it’s theirs,” Watchorn said. “They’ve just taken it over.”
Watchorn added that BU’s preparation throughout the season has prepared the group for the heightened stage. So has the team’s positive culture, which has been harped on by coaches and players all year long — but especially during this recent run through the Hockey East tournament.
“They enjoy each other, they enjoy being together, and they’re gamers,” Watchorn said.
Preparing for a fresh opponent
The Terriers haven’t played a non conference foe since defeating Harvard in the Beanpot semifinals on Jan. 14. Before that, the team’s last non-Hockey East game was the 8-1 loss to Princeton at Agganis Arena on Nov. 27.
As a result, BU’s preparation for Thursday’s clash with Clarkson will look different than the team’s prep for the Hockey East tournament. The Terriers had faced Vermont, Boston College and Northeastern three times each in the regular season before battling those teams in the conference tournament. Now, they’ll get ready for an unfamiliar foe in Clarkson, which BU has not played since 2016.
Watchorn noted that the Terriers have played better on Saturdays than Fridays this season, taking time to feel out a new opponent. In a win-or-go-home setting, that won’t be an option.
“That tendency to dip our toe in the water before we go in, I think we’ve proven over the course of our Hockey East play we’ve grown in that area,” Watchorn said. “But I think being able to be prepared, but know what you do well [will be key].”
Scouting the Golden Knights
Clarkson lost to Cornell, 2-1 in triple overtime, in the ECAC Tournament, but earned an at-large bid to the tournament after a 24-12-2 campaign.
The Golden Knights went 3-2-0 against Hockey East opponents this season. Clarkson swept Vermont in early October, 5-1 and 6-1, and dispatched Merrimack, 4-0, on Nov. 30, but the Golden Knights were swept by BC in Chestnut Hill on Oct. 26 and 27.
Watchorn said she was most impressed by Clarkson’s talent on the back end, highlighted by senior defender Haley Winn (team high 45 points) and grad student defender Nicole Gosling (11-26-37). Grad student Sidney Fess is another offensively talented defender (5-17-22).
“They have some pretty great defensemen that are just mainstays for them,” Watchorn said. “They’re the rock back there, they headman the puck, they’re scoring threats…excited to see how we match up.”
Watchorn compared Clarkson’s style of play to that of the teams BU faced in the Hockey East tournament (Vermont, BC, Northeastern). The key, she said, is for the Terriers to do what they’ve done the past few weeks “at an even higher level than we’ve done already.”
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