Terriers Struggle in Weekend Series
By: Brian Lombardo
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Terriers ventured down to Princeton, New Jersey for a two-game series that brought an end to their calendar year. The Terriers had a chance to play two games against a struggling 4-9-3 Tigers squad, but with having the last three or so weeks off, holiday rust proved to be a factor. The Terriers dropped a 4-1 contest on December, 30th, and skated to a 1-1 tie on December 31st.
There was a noticeable absence from the Terriers lineups this weekend. That presence was their senior leadership and main goal scorers Victoria Bach and Rebecca Leslie. The two seniors were skating with Team Canada at the Nations Cup in Austria.
Game 1:
PRINCETON TIGERS 4 BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS 1
To fill the void left by Bach and Leslie, Coach Brian Durocher turned to Reagan Rust and Katie Shanahan to skate as forwards; the two are normally blue-liners for the team. Despite the 4-1 final score, freshmen goaltender Corinne Schroeder was busy between the pipes making 34 saves on the night.
Sophomore forward Breanna Scarpaci scored her first goal of the season. It came in the second period and was also accompanied by freshman Rachel Allen’s first collegiate assist.
Game 2:
PRINCETON TIGERS 1 BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS 1
The second half of the weekend series featured a change in net. This time out, senior Erin O’Neil got the nod in the cage. In an overall impressive performance, she stopped 41 of the 42 shots she faced from Princeton on Sunday.
Reagan Rust provided the scoring for the Terriers. She once again skated as a forward for Durocher. The goal came in the second period and was assisted by Sophomore Natasza Tarnowski, who is budding as an offensive weapon for the Terriers.
However, the Terriers felt the void left from having no Bach or Leslie. The Terrier team that usually gets a high amount of shots on net managed just 37 shots on goal the entire weekend, the team had 14 shots in Sunday’s contest – a season low.
The team has a few days off before returning to action at home. The Terriers will host a two-game series against Maine starting on January 6th.