Women’s Hockey: BU comes back in final minute against Merrimack
By Alexa Podalsky
Boston University women’s ice hockey (3-2-1, 2-2-0 HEA) slid past the Merrimack Warriors (4-6-2, 1-4-1 WHEA), 2-1, in a fast-paced third period that brought the game to overtime on Friday, Nov. 3 at Lawler Arena.
The Terriers did not score until there was under a minute remaining in the third period, and completed the comeback in the extra frame.
“Wasn’t pretty, but happy to get away with the win,” coach Tara Watchorn said. “The resiliency our group showed tonight was really exciting.”
Boston received the first penalty for delay of game before the whistle blew. Despite playing the minority, and Merrimack winning the first faceoff, the Terriers worked hard to control the puck in their opponent’s third.
BU held possession through most of the power play, but quickly lost it to give Merrimack the opportunity of two offensive pushes.
Graduate goaltender Alexa Matses made an incredible save off a shot from fifth-year forward Celine Tedenby. She approached the net unguarded and attempted to tip it into the bottom right corner, but the corner Matses’ left leg pad blocked the shot.
“She kept us in it early,” Watchorn said. “Excited for her, first collegiate win. She just keeps us in the game and she played well again today, and gave us confidence in front of her.”
Merrimack made another push toward the goal. The puck shot into the middle of the net but ricocheted off Matses causing a swarm of Warrior players to crowd the net. Sophomore forward Sarah Hirst collected the rebound, snuck the puck past Matses, and passed the goalline before a BU defender could pull it out. This marked her first collegiate goal.
Merrimack received a slashing penalty against Teghan Inglis which gave BU a close scoring opportunity.
Sophomore forward Clara Yuhn passed the puck to senior defender Tamara Giaquinto and gave it to graduate student defender Nadia Mattivi. Mattivi found the perfect pocket to shoot the puck but Merrimack’s sophomore goalkeeper Calli Hogarth surprisingly kept it out.
Merrimack continued their dominance going into the second period. By making the first shot five seconds in. Less than a minute later, they made three consecutive shots that were all saved by Matses.
Then, BU took back possession and made three great shots, but nothing could get past Hogarth. Two injuries subsequently stopped the clock; both a Terrier and a Warrior slammed into the boards behind Boston’s goal and were benched.
Coming off the faceoff, Merrimack couldn’t hold their possession. Their senior defender Natalie Nemes and sophomore forward Alex Ferguson were forces that prevented the Terriers’ multiple attempts to score. They each blocked a shot and kept the Terriers scoreless.
The gameplay remained even with both teams equally holding possession until the 17th minute. For the last three minutes of the period, they missed seven shots, and five of them Hogarth saved.
Tensions were high for the Terriers entering the third period as they were about to end their lowest-scoring game of the season.
Both teams shared possession of the puck for the first four minutes of the game. Then, Boston made seven more shots on goal. Each shot was better than the last, but none of them were any match for Hogarth.
With four minutes left, the Terriers fought harder to bring the game to overtime. Merrimack gave the Terriers a powerplay which allowed multiple shots on goal before playing with an empty net to bring another attacker on the ice.
After the reset, Boston won the faceoff. Junior forward Christina Vote and senior defender Julia Shaunessy passed the puck to freshman forward Neely Nicholson as she faced Hogarth and no one guarding her. They slid the puck into the lower left corner and tied the game during a Power Play.
Watchorn was happy with the freshman’s performance. “I really liked [Nicholson’s] game today… she was trying to shoot off the pass all night, and it ended up working out for us when she buried it.”
With no action from either team, the game entered a five-minute overtime. The last time both teams went into overtime, Merrimack held the advantage and the Terriers were hoping history wouldn’t repeat itself.
The Terriers came out strong with two shots that were nearly saved by Hogarth. After a BU time-out, Yuhn made a defensive save to support Matses and senior forward Catherine Foulem made a run for the goal.
“[Foulem’s] a 200-foot player. It’s a no-brainer when you think about 3-v-3 and the skills she brings,” Watchorn added.
She raced from Merrimack’s third and pursued the goal. In a quick hit, the puck slipped into the goal undefended and gave Boston the win.
The Terriers look to sweep the Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Walter Brown Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.