Funny story: We forgot to publish these online last season! The Blog wrote out all of our predictions, just like the following, for the BU women’s hockey team ahead of 2024-25, and they never saw the light of day.

Well, sort of. Even funnier story: We did print our predictions in our annual Hockey Issue (a physical newspaper, we mean), and all five of us had the Terriers with a losing record and a first or second-round conference tournament loss.

The Terriers noticed, and were more than happy to remind us after they only went and won Hockey East.

Rest assured, the Blog is far more optimistic about BU as we enter the third season of the Tara Watchorn era. But how will the Terriers follow one of the most exciting and unexpected seasons in program history?

Our five writers predicted the answer. Let’s dive in:

Eli Cloutier

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 18-13-2

POSTSEASON FINISH: Loss in Hockey East semifinal

MVP: Michelle Pasiechnyk

MOST IMPROVED: Keira Healey

BOLD PREDICTION: Michelle Pasiechnyk wins NCAA Goaltender of the Year, again.

Tara Watchorn has brought the BU women’s hockey program back from the dead. After an incredible but unexpected last season, I expect foreseeable future success for the Terriers. It’s going to be difficult to replicate the success of last year, given the sheer amount of experience and key players graduating. The BU defensive core was extremely steady last season. This year’s blue line will look much different. Seniors Maeve Carey and Maeve Kelly are comfortable playing together and will need to be consistent presences on a game-to-game basis. Sophomore Keira Healey played a top-four role as a freshman and will be relied on much more this season — I like her taking a step this year and scoring some goals. Up front, the Terriers are returning several key players. Seniors Luisa and Lilli Welcke were arguably BU’s two best forwards down the stretch last season, and it seems reasonable that their production increases. Add in senior Riley Walsh with the Welcke twins, and that’s the Terriers’ top forward line. But I do think BU will score by committee once again. That’s why I’m taking late addition Michelle Pasiechnyk as my team MVP. Despite taking a year off from the sport after graduating from Clarkson, I expect Pasiechnyk to start the bulk of the games in net for the Terriers. She left college hockey at the top of her game, and I’m predicting her to pick up where she left off. With all that being said, Hockey East got better, and I’m not sure BU did.

Sam Robb O’Hagan

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 21-10-2

POSTSEASON FINISH: Loss in Hockey East final

MVP: Luisa and Lilli Welcke

MOST IMPROVED: Kaileigh Quigg

BOLD PREDICTION: BU wins its first Beanpot since 2018.

After speaking to several people in and around the program this offseason, it’s clear there’s an unwavering confidence that BU is here to stay. I’m going to drink the Kool-Aid and predict the Terriers take another step forward this year — after taking about 10 in one season in 2024-25 — despite losing a ton of critical players. I think they’ll take a game from Minnesota or Colgate to begin the season and win the program’s second Beanpot — defeating their kryptonite, Northeastern, in the process. Let’s go with a weird pick for MVP and select the Welcke twins, Luisa and Lilli, together. Why not? So much of their impact is because of their ability as a collective, and at the end of last season, they were completely dominating games together. Sophomore Kaileigh Quigg, with her size, speed, and offensive versatility, will be a top-point scorer. I’m worried about the defensive core, but BU’s got an elite goalie room with the late addition of Michelle Pasiechnyk, and I certainly trust Tara Watchorn to develop defenders. BU will finish with a better regular-season record than last season but will lose in the Hockey East final (probably to UConn), because anything can happen in tournament hockey — remember, BU went to four overtimes in three HE tourney games last year. I wonder, too, if there’s any potential for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament out of Hockey East.

Henry Dinh-Price

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 19-12-2

POSTSEASON FINISH: Loss in Hockey East final

MVP: Michelle Pasiechnyk

MOST IMPROVED: Keira Healey

BOLD PREDICTION: BU enters January’s Friendship Four with a losing record.

The vibes could not be higher entering the 2025-26 season after the Terriers shocked pretty much everyone outside of their locker room by winning the Hockey East title, just one year removed from a first-round defeat. Tara Watchorn has brought life to this program, and BU appears well-positioned for another strong campaign. I do, however, believe that the Terriers will get off to a sluggish start, partly due to a difficult schedule and partly due to a younger, inexperienced defensive core that will need time to hit its stride. BU begins its season against Minnesota and at Colgate and has a home-and-home series with the other five Hockey East teams that finished in the top six last season before the midway point in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I predict the Terriers to win the Friendship Four, a victory that will propel them to a strong second half. Michelle Pasiechnyk will be phenomenal in net and is my pick to win Hockey East Goaltender of the Year. BU’s offense will look great, led by its returning scorer from a season ago, Sydney Healey, and the line of Luisa Welcke, Lilli Welcke, and Riley Walsh. After BU graduated much of its defensive core, the runway is cleared for Keira Healey to take a step forward in a larger role, hence my most improved pick. The Terriers will contend for the Hockey East title once again, but ultimately, winning Hockey East is no easy task, and I predict BU to get stymied in the title game. 

Hannah Connors

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 20-10-3

POSTSEASON FINISH: Loss in NCAA regional semifinal

MVP: Riley Walsh

MOST IMPROVED: Kaileigh Quigg

BOLD PREDICTION: BU earns an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

This past season, Tara Watchorn proved that Boston University is a hockey school on both the men’s and women’s sides, winning BU’s first Hockey East title in a decade. It’s clear Watchorn has one goal: sustained success, and the best way to achieve that is simple: winning. BU returns a strong core. I anticipate Luisa and Lilli Welcke, along with Riley Walsh, to be major contributors once again. The trio led the offensive charge in last year’s postseason, and I expect them to carry that same sentiment into the new season. Adding Michelle Pasiechnyk is a major boost for the Terriers as well. Despite taking a year off, her performance in her final season at Clarkson speaks volumes. She posted an impressive 25-5-1 record and a .945 save percentage. Her experience and skill between the pipes will be a significant asset for BU this season. That said, BU may need time to find its rhythm early in the season. With much of the Terriers’ defensive depth graduating, the incoming underclassmen will take time to adjust to the pace of college hockey. If BU can start strong in their opening weekends against Minnesota and Colgate, they have a real chance to climb in the Pairwise rankings — making my bold prediction for an at-large NCAA bid feel within reach. Still, while BU has clearly taken a step forward, so have other teams in Hockey East. Last season’s championship run was unforgettable, but it’s worth noting that all three postseason wins came in overtime, so I am not sure if back-to-back Hockey East titles are in the cards this year. Yes, the Terriers delivered when it mattered most, but in hockey, anything can happen, and repeating that kind of performance is never guaranteed.

Marcus Antonelli

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 20-11-2

POSTSEASON FINISH: Loss in Hockey East final

MVP: Michelle Pasiechnyk

MOST IMPROVED: Keira Healey

BOLD PREDICTION: Anežka Čabelová contends for Hockey East Third Team.

The women’s program won their first Hockey East title in a decade. A primary part of that was the Welcke-Walsh line (Luisa and Lilli Welcke + Riley Walsh), who carried the scoring load in the playoffs. Bringing that into this year will be a huge boost offensively. Along with that, Sydney Healey returns as the team’s top point-getter and scorer; expect her to round out the top-six scoring to complement that first line. On defense, the Terriers lost some experience. Senior Meave Kelly should be a great mentor on the back end, as well as junior transfer Ella Belfry, who came in from a touted program in Colgate. The big focus at Walter Brown Arena is not just the fresh new renovations but also a big name joining the Terriers; Michelle Pasiechnyk, who took a year hiatus from hockey. She joined the program as a late addition to the goalie group and has quite the resume. In four seasons at Clarkson, she absolutely dominated with a 1.58 goals-allowed average and a .935 save percentage across that span. That addition immediately boosts the Terriers’ competitive chances with her and junior Mari Pietersen in goal. I’d love to see both utilized as a tandem, considering their amazing numbers, but we’ll see what Tara Watchorn has up her sleeve to contend for a second conference title.