Women’s Hockey: Terriers Can’t Get Going, Lose 6-2 to Northeastern
By: Max Wolpoff
BOSTON — On a night where graduate student Mary Parker netted her 100th career point, the Boston University Terriers offense had little else to cheer about against the Northeastern Huskies. Goaltender Erin O’Neil allowed five goals on 37 shots faced, as BU lost their second straight Hockey East game.
BU drops to 2-2 in the conference and 3-2-1 overall, while Northeastern garnered their first win in Hockey East play (1-0-0) and improved to 4-2-1 overall.
BU head coach Brian Durocher credited the Huskies with winning the physical battles during tonight’s game. “We couldn’t answer the bell,” he said. “They walled us off pretty darn well.”
The Huskies employed a forecheck where all five players were pressing in the defensive zone. One would be in front of the crease, two would block the passes along the goal line and the hashmarks, and the other two were along the blue line. BU frequently turned the puck over in their own third of the ice because they were looking to make that perfect pass.
“I think sometimes you just have to take what they give you, which means throw it off the glass,” coach Durocher said. “If you’re always looking for the tape-to-tape, the easy pass, I’m only gonna yell at you if you send it off the glass and it goes for icing.”
Shelby Herrington of Northeastern factored in on three of the first four Husky goals, scoring the first two and assisting on the fourth.
Both sides had seven power play chances, some were abbreviated due to overlapping penalties. Herrington scored the lone power play goal for either side.
Late in the second, down 4-2, Victoria Bach took a hooking penalty and was escorted to the box. When co-captain Natalie Flynn came on the ice to talk to the official who made the call, he waved her away. At period’s end, co-captain Alexis Crossley gave him an earful before going to the locker room. The complaints fell on deaf ears.
Natasza Tarnowski scored her second collegiate goal late in the first period from her back. A shot from low along the goal line for Samantha Sutherland got knocked down by Brittany Bugalski. Tarnowski was wrestled to the ice, but Buglaski could not control the rebound. Tarnowski got enough on the puck to slide it by Bugalski from her backside.
Parker’s 100th collegiate point came in bringing the Terriers to a 4-2 deficit. She tucked home a rebound off a bid from Bach in the faceoff circle. Sarah Steele had to ask the linesman for the puck, as the officials got to it before any Terrier knew to pick it up for her.
Late third period goals from Denisa Krizova and an empty-netter from Paige Savage iced the game for Northeastern in front of a raucous Matthews Arena on Club Sports Night.
Alexandra Calderone took two late shoves to her back, only one of which was called for a penalty. She needed to be helped off the ice by her teammates.
“Before she could really catch herself, [Christina Zalewski] catches her from behind. Hopefully she’ll come out of it and be OK,” Durocher said. Calderone did not play another shift for the remainder of the game. No preliminary reports on the extent of her injury were available at that time.
These two teams wil face each other again next Tuesday from Walter Brown Arena. Coach Durocher hinted there would be few changes made to the roster before the next game.
“We can’t get beat physically the way we did today,” he said.