The No. 13 Boston University women’s hockey team has had no problem making themselves at home at Agganis Arena this fall. The team owned an impressive 5-1-1 record in their makeshift home coming into Tuesday’s matchup with Princeton.
However, as BU plans its return to a renovated Walter Brown Arena in the spring, they were unable to bring fireworks to their Agganis finale.
The Terriers (10-5-1, 8-2-1 Hockey East) lost their usual defensive stability on Tuesday afternoon, following an 11-day recess from play. The breakdown allowed the high-motor Tigers (6-5-0), who rank second in goals per game in the league, to run away with the 8-1 victory on the eve of Thanksgiving.
“Great test for us,” head coach Tara Watchorn said. “One of those games where I think there’s a lot of narratives and truths from every angle. When we played well and we had good possessions, it looked great, and when we gave them those little moments that are a very skilled team.”
In the first period, the two teams appeared even. BU senior goaltender Callie Shanahan looked strong early, while Princeton’s Jennifer Olnowich held firm on the other end. By the end of the period, the Terriers even outshot the Tigers 15-14 in an offense-heavy period.
Princeton earned the first tally at 9:36 of the first when freshman forward Mackenzie Alexander entered the zone and took a shot that deflected off BU’s Maggie Hanzel. Shanahan scrambled to make the right pad save, but the puck leaked out left. Junior forward Katherine Khramtsov dove to flick it into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers have fallen behind at Agganis Arena before, but there is a danger in falling into too large of a hole against a potent offense like Princeton.
Less than three minutes later, when the Tigers struck again, it was a similar story. Junior forward Issy Wunder drove toward the net and looked to pass the puck to the slot. Instead, it bounced off Shanahan’s pad, dribbling to the tape of sophomore defenseman Maggie Johnson. Shanahan was too slow to get back in position, and Johnson had the entire net to take a 2-0 lead at 12:01.
The Tigers weren’t done there. Just 36 seconds into the second period, Wunder notched one of her own. The Terriers attempted to break out of the zone, but they passed the puck right to Johnson at the point. She then found Wunder in the middle of the ice, who slung the puck past Shanahan for a 3-0 advantage. Johnson had earned a point for each goal.
One of the biggest keys to the game was special teams. The Tigers own the nation’s second-best power play, scoring at a .387 clip. Meanwhile, the Terries own the second-best penalty kill at .930. It was iron-on-iron, and Princeton came out sharper.
BU’s Ani Fitzgerald was called for tripping at 6:16, and 1:19 later, Alexander found the back of the net. At 9:32, BU freshman standout Lola Reid went to the box for tripping. Less than a minute later, junior forward Jane Kuehl scored to give Princeton a 5-0 lead at the end of the second frame, despite the Terriers outshooting 29-24.
“It’s great that we were tested,” Watchorn said. “There are couple controllable things that led to it that we are we could do differently and very much within our control, like getting those clears.”
By the end of the contest, the Terriers had five penalties to the Tigers’ one.
The Terriers haven’t gone quiet this season. BU graduate student defenseman Julia Shaunessy’s initial shot sat in front of the net. Freshman forward Kaileigh Quigg fought with Olnowich, chopping at the puck until it ended up in the back of the net. Quigg’s second goal of the season made it 5-1 at 3:04 of the third.
Princeton, however, had no issues suppressing any push from the Terriers. Junior forward Sarah Paul sniped a goal bar-down on another power play at 4:59, and freshman forward Lucia DeGirolamo scored a backdoor tip at 5:23. Paul then scored at 15:59 — an 8-1 lead with seven unique goal scorers.
The Terriers outshot the Tigers 45-32 by the end of the game, which is a season-high in shots on goal. However, they failed to cash in.
“It probably just comes back to that like offensive contact, finding ways to bury your rebounds. There were a lot that were sitting there, and opportunities where we can upgrade,” Watchorn said. “Those are the fun conversations to have, and how do we look at those chances and finding ways to bury the chances.”
The Terriers will have another break before returning to play. In nine days, on Dec. 6, BU will make the trek up to Orono, Maine to take on the Black Bears at 6 p.m.
“I’m excited to get some downtime, and I’m excited to have time to kind of decode this game, but also not give it too much energy that doesn’t need,” Watchorn said. “I’m excited just to have a little mini reset so we come back, we have some fresh set of eyes, fresh thoughts, and excited to collaborate.”
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