Women’s Hockey: BU opens weekend series against Maine with 1-0 win

By Carolyn Mooney

The Boston University women’s hockey team (2-2-0) began their two-game home series against the University of Maine (4-6-0) with a 1-0 shutout at Walter Brown Arena Saturday night.

It had been just under eleven months since the last time the Terriers stepped foot onto home ice; their last home game on Feb. 29, 2020, when BU had hosted Maine in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Nonetheless, their first home game of this season finally came around. BU’s senior goaltender Corinne Schroeder made 20 saves for the shutout, while Maine’s senior goaltender Loryn Porter made 28 saves on 29 shots for the loss.

BU head coach Brian Durocher said he thought that it was an overall thorough game for his team.

“From shots on goal to the territory, I thought the kids had a lot of jump, a lot of energy,” Durocher said.

Senior captain, Nara Elia, was the lone goalscorer for the Terriers. Her goal game 3:12 into the second period. Elia skated the puck around a Maine defender, into the front of the crease of Porter, then back-handed it five-hole to put BU ahead.

“I saw the puck going down the side, and then I kind of honestly just took it a little bit down low,” said Elia on the play. “I saw there was an opening line to the net, and I think we kind of had trouble getting the puck to that. So, that’s all I was trying to do, and luckily it went in.”

Durocher rolled eleven forwards and six defensemen, as the Terriers were down four players entering the weekend series. Leading goal scorers Jesse Compher and Julia Nearis, as well as freshman defenseman Madison Cardaci and sophomore forward Haylee Blinkhorn did not dress for BU.

“Everything is medical protocol coming off a COVID situation,” said Durocher on the absences. “Jesse’s going to be the quickest one to return. The others are a bit longer than her.”

While the Terriers juggled some missing players, junior forward Emma Wuthrich entered the lineup for the first time this season. Wuthrich had undergone surgery during the offseason and had yet to dress.

“Even with a decent amount of time with the conditioning, you know she’s probably the person that benefited the most from the last couple of weeks because it took her further into the rehab and gave her a few more days to skate,” said Durocher. “I was really happy that we were able to keep her shifts to a very reasonable number.”

Depending on how Wuthrich feels tomorrow, she may not dress for the back end of the two-game series, according to Durocher.

BU is set for a rematch against Maine Sunday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena. The puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.

With the quick turnaround, Durocher hopes that his team will get a good night’s rest to be prepared.

“They’ll have a little bit of energy because we got the first game of the series, so let’s see how we bounce back, said Durocher. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Plus, 11 forwards does allow you to spread the time out pretty well, and hopefully, they’ll answer tomorrow.”

Featured Image: Senior captain Nara Elia (27) and the Terriers celebrate her goal in a win against Maine at Walter Brown Arena on Jan. 23, 2021. Photo by Carolyn Mooney.

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