Women’s Hockey: Terriers Come Up Short in 3-2 Loss at Frozen Fenway
By Miranda Lemus
The first-ever outdoor game for Boston University Women’s Hockey (7-13-0, 6-10-0 HE) finished in a 3-2 loss, ending an 18-game winless streak for the Holy Cross Crusaders (3-18-1, 2-14-0 HE).
“I think [the Crusaders] were quick today, they obviously kept us behind all of the game and I give them a lot of credit for finding ways to score goals,” said BU Head Coach Brian Durocher
The first period got off to a quick start after Holy Cross freshman defender Casey Borgiel opened up the scoring five minutes into the contest. Borgiel was able to get a quick shot off with plenty of traffic in front of the net and the puck found its way to BU forward Madison Cardaci, who deflected the shot off the initial angle, leaving graduate goaltender Andrea Brändli on the opposite side of the puck.
Shortly after a couple of strong chances for BU, Holy Cross sophomore forward Madison Michals was called for holding, giving the Terriers their first power play of the game. This power play was short-lived after senior forward Carly Beniek got a short-handed breakaway chance, where freshman defenseman Brooke Disher was called for slashing in a last-ditch effort to stop Beniek.
2:21 into the Crusaders’ power play, graduate defender Alex Allan hit sophomore defender Emilie Fortunato from behind. After review, Allan’s penalty was deemed a five-minute major and game misconduct, sending her back to the dressing room for the rest of the evening.
The first frame ended with 39 seconds of 5-on-3 play in favor of Holy Cross, luckily for the Terriers’ dominant penalty kill, the score stayed at 1-0 after the first 20 minutes of regulation time.
The second period started off with four minutes of power play time left for the Crusaders. The Terriers’ aggressive penalty kill continued to stump Holy Cross, bringing the game back to even strength after successfully killing Allan’s five-minute major.
BU’s defensive success translated into offensive success when a pass from freshman forward Clara Yuhn to freshman forward Sydney Healey gave Healey a clear lane to the net. Healey’s initial shot was saved by Crusaders junior goaltender Madison Beck, but Yuhn followed up on the rebound, pushing the puck past Beck. Yuhn’s fourth goal of the season put the game at 1-1.
A minute and a half after Yuhn’s tying goal, Crusaders senior forward Darci Johal put Holy Cross back in the lead. Junior forward Lacey Martin attempted to start a regroup for the Terriers; however, Johal was able to steal the puck from Martin, giving her a 1-on-1 chance against Disher. Johal quickly skated past Disher and snuck the puck past the blocker of Brändli. The Crusaders led 2-1 going into the third period.
With under three minutes remaining in the third period, four of the five skaters for BU were caught down low in their offensive zone. Sophomore forward Kylie Roberts found herself as the lone Terrier defending junior forward Millie Sirum and freshman forward Alexia Moreau. Roberts rushed Sirum, who quickly gave Moreau the puck for a breakaway chance. Moreau capitalized on her chance, giving the Crusaders a two-goal lead.
After the third Holy Cross goal, Brändli was called to the bench to give BU the extra man advantage. Now playing 6-on-5, the Terriers set up in their offensive zone to gain possession of the puck. Martin saw her chance and shot the puck with junior forward Clare O’Leary ready to tip the puck past Beck. O’Leary scored her first goal of the season to make it a 3-2 game.
“We started playing with more urgency towards the end because we were down, so we gotta start with the same anticipation, same energy, make the smart plays obviously. Today wasn’t the greatest outcome, but we did have our chances, but [Holy Cross] did their best on capitalizing,” senior forward Julia Nearis said.
BU’s first game of 2023 ended in a 3-2 loss, but this weekend’s action continues as Terriers will aim to win their first game of 2023 this Sunday against the No.6 Northeastern University Huskies at Matthews Arena.