Leslie’s Pair of Goals Help BU to Win
By: Akshai Wadhwani February 17, 2018
BOSTON — The Boston University women’s ice hockey team made a huge leap forward towards a favorable playoff seeding on Saturday afternoon, as they grabbed a 2-1 victory at New Hampshire. Rebecca Leslie’s strike at the midway point of the third period — her second of the game — proved to be the go-ahead goal, as the Wildcats were only able to halve a 2-0 deficit later on in the stanza.
BU (12-15-6 overall, 7-11-5 Hockey East) is now just one win away from clinching the sixth seed in the Hockey East tournament later this month; they could potentially finish one point above UConn, who have already played their final game of the season in the conference table. Meanwhile, New Hampshire (14-12-7 overall, 9-9-5 Hockey East) could still leapfrog Northeastern for the fourth-place spot if they beat the Terriers tomorrow at Walter Brown Arena.
Leslie’s deciding tally came in a game with little offense, as each team managed just 26 shots each over the three periods. BU got off the mark late in the opening frame, with Leslie scoring the first goal in her brace; Mary Grace Kelley entered double digits in assists for the year with a helper on the score.
After a scoreless second period, Leslie’s doubling of the Terriers’ lead was followed by Taylor Wenczkowski finding net at 17:27 of the third, giving the Wildcats life. However, the scarlet and white were still able to protect the advantage for what was only their second road win since December 7.
Leslie and fellow senior Victoria Bach finished with a team-high six shots each; Bach also assisted on the game-winning goal. Abby Cook overtook teammate Jesse Compher for third place on BU’s points table, listing helpers on both tallies for her 24th and 25th points of the season.
Though ultimately robbed of her first shutout of the season, Terrier goaltender Corinne Schroeder can still look back fondly on the seventh game of her career in which she has allowed just one puck past her.
The result should serve as a revival of morale for BU, after a devastating 4-3 loss in overtime to Boston College on Tuesday that denied them their first Beanpot championship since 1981. Now, the Terriers will return home to conclude their regular season in search of the sixth seed.
Next Up: The Terriers will clash with New Hampshire once more at Walter Brown Arena on Sunday. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.