Women’s Hockey: Porter shuts the door as Maine shuts out Terriers, 2-0

By Patrick Donnelly

The Boston University Terriers (2-3-0) fell to the University of Maine Black Bears (5-6-0) by a final score of 2-0 at Walter Brown Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Overall, BU head coach Brian Durocher was pleased with his team’s effort, despite the loss.

“I told the team that I could make a case that today was just as good of performance as yesterday and in some ways a little bit better,” Durocher said. “I liked the way that the team played.

“We maybe could have offensively executed a whisker better.”

Fresh off her 20-save shutout in Saturday’s win, senior goaltender Corinne Schroeder got the nod in net for BU. Senior netminder Loryn Porter went for the Black Bears.

Schroeder made 19 saves in the losing effort, while Porter stopped all 37 shots she faced for her first shutout of the season.

“Unfortunately, [Porter] has had a tremendous start to the season and only added to it,” Durocher said.

The first period saw the Terriers come out flying, pressuring Maine on the forecheck at every turn and holding the majority of puck possession.

About midway through the first period, the Black Bears caught BU in the middle of a change and swopped in on the attack. Junior forward Ali Beltz sent a pass that was slightly behind her teammate that BU sophomore defender Grace Parker picked off, but Maine stuck with the play and forced a turnover.

Beltz took the puck and sent a slick backhand saucer pass to sophomore defender Ella MacLean in front of the net, forcing Schroeder to make a few quick saves to keep the game scoreless.

The stalemate held through the end of the first period, but not before Black Bears sophomore forward Ida Kouppala rung a shot off the left post as the Terriers caught a lucky break.

On two power play opportunities in the first, including an abbreviated five-on-three opportunity, the Terriers came up empty.

Early in the second period, with Maine on the advantage, a shot from the point found its way through the crowd in front and Schroeder, but nailed the right post, giving the Terriers another fortunate bounce.

After BU had a power play of their own expire, Maine earned a two-on-one rush. Black Bear freshman forward Rahel Enzler fed sophomore center Celine Tedenby in the slot, who ripped a one-timer towards goal, but Schroeder made the glove stop.

Late in the middle stanza, Maine broke through and got on the board first.

Freshman defender Kennedy Little sent a wrist shot from the point towards goal, and the puck pin-balled, deflecting off sophomore forward Ida Kouppala, in front of Schroeder before winding up in the back of the cage. The goal was originally credited to Little, which would have been her first collegiate tally, but it was later credited to Kouppala following the game – her fifth of the season.

Just 1:30 later, the Black Bears doubled their lead.

Enzler saw a lane to the slot and attacked, walking in and beating Schroeder with a glove-side shot for her first career goal, putting Maine up 2-0 with just 45.6 seconds remaining in the middle frame

Maine’s two-goal cushion stood as the first 40 minutes drew to a close.

The Terriers got two power play opportunities early on in the final frame, but came up empty once again.

With under five minutes remaining in regulation, the Terriers called Schroeder to the bench in favor of the extra attacker. BU had plenty of attacking zone time, but Porter and the Black Bears continued to shut the door.

With the extra attacker out, junior defender Alex Allan sent a wrister towards the front of the goal from the point. In the net front scramble, senior captain Nara Elia wound up with the puck on her stick right in front of the open goal with Porter down and out, but the Black Bear defenders managed to sweep the puck away before Elia could get a shot away.

The Terriers continued to put on a puck possession clinic withe extra attacker out on the ice, but their efforts were fleeting as the 2-0 score stood through the final buzzer.

“In the end you still got to finish, you still got to get it by that outstanding goaltender and this year it’s been hard,” Durocher said.

In all, BU came up empty on all four power play opportunities, while Maine went scoreless on its only opportunity on the advantage.

The Terriers will likely return to action next weekend, but an official schedule is yet to be announced as Hockey East has reverted to scheduling games on a week-by-week basis.

“I have faith [the team] will [bounce back], but emotionally they’ll be a little bit down,” Durocher said. “Come tomorrow, they’ll get on with school and then a little more hockey.”

Featured Image: Freshman defender Tamara Giaquinto controls the puck in a loss against Maine at Walter Brown Arena on Jan. 24, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.

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