Women’s Hockey: Terriers look to right ship against Holy Cross

By Stevie Potter

The Boston University Terriers (5-3-3, 4-2-3 HE) will face the Holy Cross Crusaders (1-10-0, 0-7-0 HE) in back-to-back games  this week. 

This week’s unusual schedule will start off with a Thursday night contest at 6 p.m. in Worcester, Mass., and will finish with a Terrier home game at Walter Brown Arena Friday night at 7 p.m.

Last weekend was not BU Women’s Hockey’s finest, losing back-to-back games to the UConn Huskies (11-1-0, 6-1-0 HE) in two important conference matches. The Huskies won Friday’s game in Storrs, Conn., 2-1, and claimed Saturday’s game at Walter Brown, shutting the Terriers out 1-0.

BU struggled to create offense for most of last weekend. BU head coach Brian Durocher said the Terriers need to make things more difficult for opposing teams and goaltenders.

“We know what we have to work on this week: the need to get to the net a little faster, make the small passes that create openings and just to put things away,” Durocher said on Saturday. “In the first two periods we probably shot it over the net a half dozen times. That doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the goalie or the other team.”

Despite the disappointing losses, Terrier senior goaltender Kate Stuart continues to shine in the net and has earned herself a .958 save percentage in her last five games. Durocher praised his starting goaltender after last weekend’s games.

Thanks to [Stuart] for coming up with some big saves,” Durocher said, also praising his penalty kill, which held UConn scoreless on five tries in the loss. “Compliments to [Stuart] and compliments to the penalty killers.”

Holy Cross is coming off a disappointing weekend themselves, losing their singular game to Merrimack (3-8-1, 3-4-1). The Crusaders lost 5-3 to the Warriors on Nov. 6. Sophomore Millie Sirum leads Holy Cross in points with three goals and two assists, although that tally is not even half of BU’s leading scorer’s, senior forward Courtney Corriea’s, point total (11). 

Holy Cross will be coming into this week’s series looking for their first win in Hockey East of the season, but historically the Terriers have had an easy time in their matchups against the Crusaders, winning all six contests. 

The Terriers will be without junior defender Nadia Mattivi in both games, as she is playing with the Italian women’s national team in Olympic qualifiers this weekend.

Next week the Terriers will take on the Maine Black Bears on Nov. 19 and then the Boston College Eagles on Nov. 21.  

Featured Image: BU senior goaltender Kate Stuart makes a save against UConn during a penalty kill in the third period of a 1-0 loss at Walter Brown Arena on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Photo by Patrick Donnelly.