Women’s Hockey: Terriers set to play final game before month long break

Featured image by Kota Tsukada

By Haydée Cepeda

Boston University Women’s Ice Hockey (10-5-1, 8-2-1 HE) prepares to take on the University of Maine Black Bears (3-14-0, 3-8-0 HE) this Friday at Alfond Arena.

Following an 8-1 against Princeton on Thanksgiving Eve, the Terriers are hoping the time off will give them the rest they need to redeem themselves for the Hockey East conference matchup. 

“It was nice to give the team a chance to spend some time with family over Thanksgiving, and we kinda just said take the time to rest, but start to reflect [on] what’s worth giving our energy to,” coach Tara Watchorn said ahead of Friday’s game. 

BU’s senior goaltender Callie Shanahan gave up 8 goals against Princeton, as sophomore goaltender Mari Pietersen was unavailable to play.

“Being the only one back there, I can only imagine it just feels different,” Watchorn said of Shanahan. “I think it was a good challenge, but everything that we’ve seen, she looks great this week in practice so I’m excited for her to respond this week.”

The Terriers hold a 36-22-4 all-time record against Maine, with BU winning both games at Alfond Arena in the 2023-2024 season. 

Friday’s match will be BU’s third time playing against UMaine this season. In October, the Terriers swept both games in the weekend series against the Black Bears at Agganis Arena. 

“We’ve just continued to grow in our own strengths as a group,” Watchorn said. “Playing Maine again for that third time will help us highlight that detail within our own structure.”

Reflecting on BU’s d-core and their strong start to the season, Watchorn said that assertiveness is something that could still use improvement after the loss to Princeton.

“[Assertiveness] is one thing that’s part of our identity defensively,” Watchorn said. “We dictate what we want [the other team] to do…and we have an aggressive mentality that capitalizes on that and I think we saw a little bit of hesitation for the first time.”

Looking forward, the Terriers will have almost a month off before they return to the ice in January after Friday’s game. 

“Everyone doing their own job and trusting each other as we continue to go,” Watchorn said of things she would like to see from her team. “I am so proud of them with the environment. They were excited to learn from that last game [against Princeton], and I think that’s the mentality and where we want to be.”

Puck drop at Alfond Arena is set for 6 p.m. Friday in Orono, Maine. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.