Women’s Hockey: BU launches into 2023 schedule with Frozen Fenway
By Stevie Potter and Miranda Lemus
Boston University Women’s Hockey (7-12-0, 6-9-0 HE) is back for their second half of the season and in a big way. The Terriers will take on the Holy Cross Crusaders (2-18-1, 1-14-0 HE) in a special outdoor game at Fenway Park. They will follow that up with a Sunday game versus the No. 6 Northeastern University Huskies (18-2-1, 14-2-1 HE).
Showcasing some of the best collegiate hockey teams in the Northeast, Frozen Fenway will feature BU Women’s Hockey for the first time since the program began in 2005, with the men’s program having made three prior appearances. The Terriers will play in the second game of the day on Friday at 6:30 p.m following Harvard vs. Quinnipiac at 3 p.m..
The Terriers and Crusaders will pick up right where they left off after already meeting back in December for their last game of 2022. The contest went to overtime with BU coming out with a 3-2 win after senior captain Nadia Mattivi scored a coast-to-coast goal 40 seconds into OT.
While BU has not had the strongest start to their 2022- 2023 schedule, the Crusaders have had a much rougher season so far, only winning two of their 21 games played. In their last 10 meetings, BU has won nine and is currently on a three-game win streak against Holy Cross. The last time the Terriers lost to the Crusaders was on Nov. 11, 2021.
Both teams have yet to win a game on neutral soil, but a 13-game losing streak may give the Crusaders some extra motivation going into this highly anticipated matchup. To add onto the Crusaders lack of success this season, Holy Cross also remains winless in away games. Even though the game is on neutral ice, the Terriers have the advantage this Friday as Fenway Park is only a T-ride away from BU’s campus.
Going into this matchup, senior forward Julia Nearis leads both teams with 15 points and is tied for 13th in Hockey East. Meanwhile, Holy Cross junior forward Bryn Saarela leads the Crusaders with nine points.
The Terriers have steadily switched between graduate goaltender Andrea Brändli and sophomore goaltender Callie Shanahan all season. Brändli has started 11 of 19 games this season, while Shanahan started the other eight. The decision for who will represent the Terriers this Friday will come down to game-time.
Northeastern poses a much bigger threat to BU than Holy Cross. In fact, the Huskies record this season is the exact opposite of the Crusaders; having won 18 of their 21 games. In their last 10 games, BU has only bested NU once, and they hold a record of 1-7-2.
The Terriers are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak against the Huskies. The two teams have not met yet this season, but their last meetup on Feb. 8, 2022 resulted in an 3-0 loss for BU. Coming into Sunday’s game, BU will be NU’s first opponent since Dec. 3, which gives the Terriers a slight advantage when it comes to being warmed up after a long break.
The Huskies’ highest point-scorer so far this season is graduate forward Alina Mueller, who has 31 points on the season (14g, 17a). Mueller has recorded at least one point in each of her last five games. Last season against BU, she tallied three points (1g, 2a) in two games.
This weekend will certainly be a tough one for BU, but it will also be the weekend to get the ball rolling and change the course of their season with the start of 2023.
Puck drop on Friday night will take place in Fenway park at 6:30 pm, and Sunday’s match up will occur in Matthews Arena at 3 p.m.