Women’s Hockey: Terriers Head to Maine
BOSTON — Following a comeback win over Boston College last weekend, Boston University now travels to Maine to face the only other Hockey East team to beat BC in two years.
Then again, the Black Bears have only one conference win: that game against the Eagles. Afterward, Providence, Vermont, and Northeastern all came up on the positive side of a 3-2 result against Maine.
BU are a combined 8-1-0 against Maine over the last three seasons, with the last loss coming on the back-end of a weekend series in Orono in October of 2014. In those nine games, BU has outscored Maine 36-20, featuring a single one-goal game.
GAME INFORMATION
Boston University @ Maine, Friday 2 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m.
Stream: http://mixlr.com/wtbusports/
Commentator: Max Wolpoff
MAINE BLACK BEARS: 2-9-0, 1-6-0 Hockey East, 2-3 Home, 1.7 goals per game, .089 percent power play efficiency (4-45)
After opening the season with a series split against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Maine lost five straight, two to Quinnipiac, two to Boston College, and one to Merrimack.
Of their two wins, only one came at Alfond Arena. The game with BC was played in Auburn, Maine as part of the team’s effort to play games around and across the state.
Four players — Tereza Vanisova, Morgan Sakundiak, Brooke Stacey, and Catherine Tufts — have more than one goal on the season. The Black Bears have just 19 goals on a team total 261 shots, with 15 coming from the above players.
Vendula Pribylova, a freshman out of the Czech Republic, scored the last-minute game-winner over the Eagles on a tip-in. Since that game, Maine has not scored more than three goals in a contest.
In each of the last three losses, Maine has conceded a power play goal. Opponents of the Black Bears are ticking at a .269 percent rate when given a woman-advantage.
Only against Providence did Maine fail to score in the third period during this losing streak. Against Vermont and Northeastern, Maine only scored in the final frame.
Freshman goaltender Carly Jackson has wrested the starting job from senior Mariah Fujimagari. Jackson relieved Fujimagari in two of her three starts; she boasts a .908 save percentage in 10 games and eight starts. Fujimagari has not played since the 5-1 loss to Merrimack a month ago.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS: 4-4-1, 3-4-0 Hockey East, 1-3-1 Road, 3.9 goals per game, .220 percent power play efficiency (11-50)
It cannot be underestimated how important the victory over Boston College is to BU’s season. With their next four conference games against Maine and Connecticut, they needed to take at least two points from the BC series to stay at the top in the conference.
With their win, the Terriers reappeared in the USCHO.com poll and forced the Eagles down to sixth. St. Lawrence replaced BC in the four spot.
Mary Parker improved to a team-leading 14 points thanks to a five-point weekend, good enough to win Hockey East Player of the Week. Nina Rodgers also tallied twice for her first Terrier goals. Victoria Bach got the Saturady comeback started and completed with the first and tying goals. And despite no goals of her own, Rebecca Leslie still has points in seven of nine games.
Still yet to score for the Terriers this season are co-captain Natalie Flynn and freshman Breanna Scarpaci.
Saturday’s contest against BC marked the first time all season where the Terriers succeded in not giving their opponents a power play for one whole period (the third period). They have taken a penalty in every period of play, but the one Leslie took late Saturday offset with Grace Bizal. It also marked the first win for BU after conceding the first goal.
Erin O’Neil started both games against Boston College, finishing 119:30 of play with a combined 68 saves. Should she start and win both games this weekend, she will end with 30 collegiate wins.