Women’s Hockey: BU rolls to series sweep against visiting UVM
By Justin Davids
Looking for their third straight win, Boston University Women’s Hockey (11-10-3, 9-8-1 HE) defeated the Vermont Catamounts (9-14-1, 7-10-0 HE) Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena.
“I’m really proud of our 60 minutes. Us sticking to the game plan and really learning how to close out games,” said coach Tara Watchorn.
The first seven minutes of the contest were heavily dominated by the scarlet and white, obtaining strong puck possession deep in the offensive zone.
However, on the Catamounts’ first shot of the game, Vermont Captain Natálie Mlýnková stuns Matses on her blocker side to make it 1-0.
The Catamounts found their game a bit after Mlýnková’s tally, generating more shots on the Terrier netminder.
With six minutes remaining in the period, BU got their first power-play opportunity of the night after Catamounts sophomore forward Lara Beecher cross-checked Terrier senior defenseman Tamara Giaquinto.
Even though the Terriers didn’t strike on the man-advantage, BU junior forward Christina Vote makes a gorgeous toe-drag move around a Catamount defender to hit Terrier senior forward Catherine Foulem with a game-tying goal.
Shortly after Foulem’s marker, BU junior forward Ani Fitzgerald capitalizes on a breakaway opportunity to give the Terriers the late lead in the first.
Before the first period came to a close, BU sophomore defenseman Maeve Kelly took a hooking penalty to give Vermont a chance to tie the game.
Although the Catamounts weren’t able to even the score, it didn’t take them long to acquire their second power-play of the afternoon.
Once again, Vermont couldn’t cash in on the ensuing infraction. Lucky for the Catamounts, the Terriers found themselves on the penalty kill for the third time.
After three missed attempts on the PP, Catamounts junior forward Evelyne Blais-Savoie trips BU Captain Nadia Mattivi to give the Terriers a chance to tack on an insurance goal.
About a minute after time expired on the Terriers power-play, Vermont’s Beecher was able to break free from the BU defenders to tie the game at two.
The second frame ended with the score tied up 2-2. BU will need to control puck possession like they did early in the game if they want to gain three points in the Hockey East Standings.
A minute into the third is all it took for the Terriers to regain the lead. BU’s Martin wristed one past Catamount senior goaltender Jessie McPherson to give the Terriers the lead.
In a blink of an eye, the game approached the five minute warning. Both teams were getting solid chances at each end of the rink, but the game remained 3-2.
With 1:46 left in the third period, Vermont pulled McPherson to give them the extra attacker. Nevertheless, BU’s Mattivi sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.
“I feel like the belief is there and I really do feel like we’re at a point as a coaching staff where we get to work with them and get to strategize with [our players] to help them achieve their goals,” said Watchorn.
Boston University Women’s Hockey returns to the ice this Tuesday, January 23th, seeking to defeat the Northeastern Huskies to claim their third Beanpot championship title. Watch the game on ESPN+.