Women’s Hockey: BU Extends Unbeaten Streak to Four Games with 4-1 win over Merrimack
By Michael Wax
Powered by a hat trick from junior forward Madison Cardaci, Boston University Women’s Hockey (9-15-2, 8-12-2 HE) extended their unbeaten streak to four games as they defeated the Merrimack Warriors (7-20-1, 4-16-1 HE) 4-1 on Friday night.
“Good start, and a fantastic job for [Cardaci],” BU Head Coach Brian Durocher said. “I commended both of her linemates for making some nice passes… [Cardaci’s] had a nice season up front for us.”
Cardaci’s hat trick came in the first multi-goal game of her collegiate career and doubled her goal total for the 2022-23 season.
“She’s been working hard, persevering,” Durocher said. “Six goals is an okay number on our squad, cause goals haven’t come easy.”
BU took a 1-0 lead just 5:50 into the game. After sophomore forward Christina Vote drew in two Warriors along the end boards, the puck found its way to junior forward Catherine Foulem. Foulem attempted a pass into the slot looking for Cardaci, but the puck ricocheted off Merrimack sophomore Hayley Chang’s stick and up into the air. Once the puck landed, Cardaci got a stick on it and put it past freshman goalie Calli Hogarth for the game-opening goal.
“The first one was the one that set things in motion,” Durocher said. “Those are the goals that maybe we haven’t gotten enough of this year.”
BU came out of the first period up 1-0 on the scoreboard, but down 7-5 on the shot counter. That trend would continue in the second, as the Terriers escaped the period with their 1-0 lead intact but still trailing Merrimack 18-17 on the shot counter.
Cardaci’s second goal of the game came in the third period and gave BU some much-needed breathing room. Just over a minute into the final frame, the Terriers had a potential 3-on-2 developing. With Vote carrying the puck across the blue line, she passed the puck at the left face-off dot to a trailing Cardaci. Cardaci was wide open in the slot, and her wrist shot beat Hogarth. Vote and freshman defender Brooke Disher picked up the assists.
“Me, Vote, and [Foulem] have been working really hard in practice,” Cardaci said. “Especially our zone entries and making sure we have [offensive] zone time. We’ve been gelling really well.”
Cardaci completed her hat trick a little over three minutes later. Vote once again started the play, turning defense into offense as she carried the puck across the line. On her backhand, she put a shot on net that was stopped by Hogarth, but the rebound was right there for a charging Cardaci to put home to push her goal total to three for the night. Vote and Disher once again picked up the assists.
“My job is usually to get to the net,” Cardaci said. “I knew that was my job, I knew how to get there, and it worked tonight.”
Merrimack would break the shutout bid just over a minute later. On the power play, Senior forward Sam Lessick successfully retrieved the puck from behind the net before putting it up top for Chang. Chang passed it across the top of the zone to senior defender Teghan Inglis, who wired a slap shot by the glove of graduate goalie Andrea Brändli to get Merrimack on the board.
Freshman forward Clara Yuhn iced the game with an empty net goal, her second consecutive game with an ENG and sixth goal of the season. Foulem picked up her second assist of the night, becoming the fourth Terrier with a multi-point game.
Captain Nadia Mattivi also celebrated her 100th game in a Terrier uniform. She’s scored 43 points (12g, 31a) in that span.
The Terriers will take their four-game unbeaten streak into a matinee matchup with the No. 11 University of Vermont Catamounts. The game will take place at Walter Brown Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m.