Terriers Earn Thanksgiving Split with WCHA Foes
By: Brian Lombardo
On a weekend trip to the nation’s capital, the Boston University women’s ice hockey team split back-to-back games with a pair of Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, Minnesota State and No. 1 Wisconsin. The Terriers bested the Mavericks, 5-2, in a Friday matinee, before having their third-period comeback come up short in a 4-2 loss to the Badgers on Saturday.
Boston University 5, Minnesota State 2
Victoria Bach proved to be the difference maker on Friday night as the Terriers (5-7-2, 3-5-2 HE) topped the Mavericks with apparent ease. The senior notched her second hat trick in three games, and carried the offensive load for the Terriers. The teams traded goals early in the first as Bach broke open the scoring at the 6:43 mark. Just 59 seconds later, the Mavericks evened the score, but the draw would not last long.
Twenty seconds after the equalizer, sophomore Abby Cook began a breakout sequence that ended in Bach’s second strike of the contest. With a 2-1 lead after the first period, the Terriers would stay in control for the rest of the game.
The second period belonged to senior Nina Rodgers; the Connecticut Whale (NWHL) draft pick scored twice in the span of a minute and 46 seconds to push the Terrier lead to 4-1.
Minnesota State put a stop to the BU momentum with a power-play goal with 7:00 to play in the second. However, in response, Bach lit the lamp to complete the hat trick with less than 15 seconds to play in the frame. Her third strike of the afternoon gave the Terriers a smothering 5-2 lead going into the final period, one that they would maintain for the win.
Terrier goaltender Corrine Schroeder continued her sharp play in net, stopping 29 shots. Schroeder turned aside all 11 shots she faced in the third period, sealing the victory for BU.
No. 1 Wisconsin 4, Boston University 1
In the final game of the weekend tournament in Arlington, Va., Boston University dropped a tight decision to the top-ranked Badgers at the Washington Capitals’ Kettler Capitals Iceplex .
Despite the loss, senior assistant captain and leading scorer Bach notched two more tallies. Her first goal came just 32 seconds into the game when junior Mary Grace Kelley jumped a passing lane, and started an odd man rush for the Terriers. Kelley passed the puck to senior captain Rebecca Leslie, who found Bach with a perfect feed for her 14th goal of the season.
The game was taken over by the Badgers from that point on. Getting on the board at the 4:57 mark of the period, and later taking a 2-1 lead at the 12:05 mark.
Corinne Schroeder posted 31 saves in the contest and was the highlight of a Boston University team that struggled on offense, specifically on the power play. However, the Terriers’ penalty kill has been impressively stifling, killing 21 of their last 23 penalties. On the night, the Terriers held the Badgers to only one shot on goal during their three power-play opportunities.
The Badgers added to their lead in the third period, pushing the score to 3-1 with 6:34 to play. The Terriers quickly responded, with sophomore Breanna Scarpaci finding Bach, who again perfectly executed a give-and-go with Leslie.
The tape-to-tape passing led to a sensational move by Bach, as the senior deked around Badgers goaltender Kristen Campbell with just over five minutes to play in the third period. The strike brought the Terriers within one as BU looked to hand Wisconsin their second-straight loss.
However, the third-period effort was not enough to upset the top-ranked Badgers, as Wisconsin added a fourth and tally with 3:10 left in regulation. After a BU turnover down low, Claudia Kepler added the dagger with the game’s final score.
The weekend was overall a good experience for the Terriers, who earned themselves one win and one loss. The team will have a very short turn around before facing the Brown Bears on Tuesday night (Nov. 28) at the Walter Brown Arena.