Women’s Hockey: Schroeder’s first career shutout comes in weekend series against Vermont

By: Patrick Donnelly

BOSTON – After taking down their hosts, the University of Connecticut Huskies, last Friday, Brian Durocher’s Terriers returned to Walter Brown Arena for a two-game slate against Vermont this weekend.

Game One:  BU 3 UVM 0

Corinne Schroeder was the story of Friday’s 3-0 win, stopping all 26 shots she faced in her first career shutout.

“I think it was a real team effort,” Corinne Schroeder said of her first career shutout. “The defense was so helpful, keeping players out of the way so I could see the puck and blocking shots as well.”

Jesse Compher got the scoring started, putting the Terriers up 1-0 at the 13:33 mark of the first period. Sammy Davis and Conor Galway were the helpers on Compher’s fifth goal of the season.

The Terriers managed to get two shots on goal during their lone power play opportunity of the period, but Vermont’s Melissa Black kept them at bay.

Durocher and the Terriers got their final power play opportunity of the night in the first half of the second period, but Black stopped both BU shots once again. Not long after the missed opportunity, Mackenna Parker potted her first collegiate goal with the assists from Compher and Galway, putting the Terriers up 2-0 late in the second at the 12:32 mark.

“It was nice to see Kristina [Schuler] and Mackenna [Parker} get on the board because they’ve been playing really good hockey, but just haven’t been able to get a goal and get the monkey off their back,” Durocher said of added secondary scoring. “That’s going to bode well for their confidence and obviously the team.”

Schroeder held the Catamounts in check, stopping eight third period shots as the Terriers weathered the storm through four power play opportunities for Vermont. Kristina Schuler added the insurance goal for the Terriers at the 13:38 mark of the final frame as Breanna Scarpaci and Abbey Stanley assisted on her first of the season. Black stopped 20 of the 23 shots she faced in the loss.

“She [Schroeder] has had a really consistent run here of eight games,” Durocher said when asked about his goalie’s shutout. “She’s played with a different edge and I think it’s really helped her.”

Game Two: BU 3 UVM 3

The two sides returned to action at Walter Brown on Saturday afternoon for a thrilling 3-3 tie. Melissa Black and Corinne Schroeder got the start once again for their respective teams, with Black saving 21 of 24 shots as Schroeder made 19 stops on 21 shots.

Maude Poulin-Labelle put the Catamounts up 1-0 with her first of the season on the power play at 10:42 of the first period with assists coming from Sammy Kolowrat and Theresa Schafzahl.

Mackenna Parker answered for the Terriers late in the first at the 17:38 mark with her second collegiate goal to tie the game at one apiece as Jesse Compher picked up the helper.

The Terriers failed to capitalize on their one power play of the period while the Catamounts went one for two on their opportunities.

Durocher’s Terriers came out flying in the second period as tallied her sixth of the season 3:18 into the period; assisted by Sammy Davis and Parker, who made the most of her promotion to the first line this weekend with three points over the two games (2G, 1A).

From there on out for the rest of the second period the Terriers absolutely dominated play aside from coming up empty on their power play opportunity once again, forcing Black to come up with nine saves.

Just 5:19 into the third period Alyssa Gorecki tied the game for UVM with her second of the season; assisted by Alyssa Holmes and Taylor Flaherty.

Davis answered quickly to put the Terriers up 3-2 at the 8:31 mark of the third period with an assist from Compher for her seventh goal of the season.

The two sides each traded chances as the game entered the home stretch. The Catamounts pulled Black late in the third with just under two minutes to go in order to get the extra attacker on the ice in hopes of a last-ditch tying effort.

With 2:31 remaining in regulation Eve-Audrey Picard scored her fourth of the season to tie the game at 3-3 with assists coming from Kolowrat and Sini Karjalainen.

The game remained even as regulation drew to a close, forcing the Terriers and the Catamounts to overtime with three goals apiece.

Both goaltenders were perfect in the extra frame as Black stopped the one shot she faced and Schroeder turned away all three shots that came her way.

“I think our team did an awful lot of good stuff out there,” Durocher said as he gave his take on Saturday’s tie. “At a point where we could have blown the game open in the second period, their goalie did a real nice job to keep it close, they tie it, and then we have a real individual play from Sammy [Davis] to get up 3-2.”

“At that point you want to close the deal, but they found a way to come back, get the goalie out, and get a goal,” Durocher continued. “You got to give them a lot of credit for that because they kept coming; they kept charging when they could have wilted at two parts in the game.”

The Terriers were able to improve to 3-3-4 overall on the season and in Hockey East after the two games this weekend as Vermont fell to 2-7-4 on their season and 2-6-4 in Hockey East play.

Durocher’s Terriers have a quick turnaround as they are back in action Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. as the team travels to Conte Forum to take on the 10-3 (7-1 in Hockey East) Boston College Eagles in another “Battle of Comm Ave.”