Women’s Hockey: No. 8 Terriers extend unbeaten streak to eight games
By: Patrick Donnelly
BURLINGTON–The No. 8 Boston University Terriers (15-6-6, 12-5-5 WHEA) have extended their unbeaten streak to eight games after a 7-2 thumping of the University of Vermont Catamounts (7-17-4, 5-14-2 WHEA) on Friday night.
Sophomore Corinne Schroeder got the start in goal once again for the Terriers while senior Melissa Black got the call for the Catamounts.
Vermont wasted no time getting on the board as Sini Karjalainen scored her first collegiate goal to put the Catamounts up 1-0 just 4:19 into the first period with Taylor Flaherty and Theresa Schafzahl picking up the assists.
Minutes later, the Catamounts thought they had beaten Schroeder for the second time before the halfway mark of the first after Schafzahl batted the puck in out of mid-air, but the goal was waived off due to a high stick.
Head coach Brian Durocher’s Terriers answered quickly, though, as Deziray De Sousa potted her sixth of the season on the power play off a feed from Reagan Rust and Abbey Stanley, tying the game at one apiece with just about eight minutes remaining in the opening frame.
It only took a minute and thirty-eight seconds after De Sousa’s goal for Mackenna Parker to put the Terriers up 2-1 with her ninth of the season.
The play all started with Breanna Scarpaci making a strong defensive play with her stick to break up the Catamounts’ rush. Sammy Davis recovered the puck, and, showing great poise and vision, was able to evade the UVM forechecker before sending a cross-ice pass to Parker in-stride, who buried a wrister from the top of the right face-off circle to beat Black under the glove.
With 3:48 remaining in the first, Davis tallied her eighteenth goal of the season, assisted by Jesse Compher and Abbey Stanley, to take the Terriers into the locker room with a 3-1 lead.
The goal explosion continued in the second for BU as Compher gave a speeding Davis a touch-pass in the neutral zone before Davis motored down the left wing and sent a slick cross-crease dime over to Emma Wuthrich who one-timed her fourth of the season past Black, putting the Terriers up 4-1.
With 7:09 remaining in the second Compher tallied her fourteenth goal on the year after redirecting a shot from the point by Abby Cook, who uncorked a one-timer off a indirect pass off the half-wall from Davis.
45 seconds later, the Catamounts finally answered as Anna Erickson registered her first collegiate goal to cut the lead to 5-2 in favor of BU.
3:27 into the third, Kristina Schuler put the Terriers up 6-2 and forced Black out of the game with her fourth of the season after cleaning up the loose change in front of Nara Elia’s tip of Cook’s shot.
Just a minute and thirty-eight seconds later Rust pitched the puck forward for Kaleigh Donnelly, who sped below the goal line on the right side before sliding the puck over to Wuthrich who beat Sierra Natzke to make the lead 7-2 with her fifth goal this season.
Wuthrich’s second of the game marked her first multi-goal game of her career.
That score would hold through the rest of the third period and stand as the final for the game.
Schroeder, who now remains unbeaten in seven games (6-0-1) was exceptional for the Terriers, making 16 saves, highlighted by her breakaway stop on Catamounts sophomore Val Caldwell late in the second.
Davis extended her point streak to four games (4G, 6A, 10P), matching career-highs in points (four) and assists (three).
Compher’s point streak now extends to eight games (3G, 11A, 14P) with her goal and NCAA-leading 31st and 32nd assists.
De Sousa (2G, 3A, 5P in four games) and Cook (1G, 5A, 6P in five games) also extended their scoring streaks as well.
In total, six different Terriers scored, six had multi-point nights, and five others had at least a point.
The Terriers are back in action on Tuesday night as they travel to the Bright-Landry Hockey Center at Harvard University to take on No. 3 Northeastern University (20-3-3, 18-2-2 WHEA) in a 5:00 PM start to kick off the 41st Women’s Beanpot.