Women’s Hockey: Terriers Tie 2-2, Win Shootout to Take Weekend Series with Providence

By Riley Lackey

The Boston University Women’s Ice Hockey team (3-10-1, 2-5-1 HEA) finished its weekend series with Providence College Friars (4-9-2, 2-3-2 HEA) by rallying to tie the game 2-2 in regulation before winning in the shootout.

Head Coach Tara Watchorn praised her team’s resilience after the game, saying, “It wasn’t a perfect 60, but we stuck together and solved some problems and [got] away with a gutsy road win in Providence.”

The game opened quickly, with both teams exchanging early rushes, though Providence generated the more dangerous chances. Friar goaltender Sophie Walinski set the tone early with three key saves to keep BU off the board.

Providence struck first when freshman forward Sami Snyder buried a bar-down shot from the slot, her third goal of the season and second of the series, after slipping free behind Terrier coverage on a feed

BU struggled to break out cleanly throughout the period, while Providence’s third line drove play and pinned the Terriers in their own zone.

With under two minutes to go in the period, Providence doubled its lead. Senior forward Reichen Kirchmair carried the puck on a 2-on-1 and snapped a shot over BU goaltender Mari Pietersen’s shoulder for her ninth goal of the year, sending the Friars into the break leading 2-0. Providence outshot BU 23-12 in the first.

BU opened the second with a quality chance after a giveaway by Friar junior Audrey Knapp, but junior Neely Nicholson’s breakaway rolled just wide.

Moments later, the Terriers went on a power play after sophomore forward Kaileigh Quigg absorbed a heavy hit from freshman Bella Paolucci. BU pressed and kept the puck in the offensive zone but couldn’t convert. Quigg then took a body-checking penalty, sending Providence to the power play, but BU’s penalty kill held strong.

Walinski continued her standout night with consecutive stops, including a breakaway save and a denial on senior forward Riley Walsh as BU surged late. The Terriers pressed hard in the final five minutes, with sophomore forward Lola Reid testing Walinski repeatedly, but the Friars’ netminder stood tall.

BU finally broke through when Quigg found junior transfer forward Greta Henderson cutting to the net. Henderson roofed the puck to Walinski’s right. After review, the goal stood—Henderson’s second of the season—pulling the Terriers within one.

Through two periods, BU led in shots and dominated the faceoff circle, winning 20 draws to Providence’s eight.

After the game, Watchorn pointed to that momentum shift as a key turning point. “I think just controlling the controllables… and having trust in the person next to you to do the same,” she said. “All of a sudden, you start building momentum, and you’re like, oh, that kind of clicks.”

The final period opened with a slower pace, but the Friars threatened first. Hofbauer broke free for a breakaway, only for Pietersen to shut the door and keep it a one-goal game.

Moments later, Pietersen went behind the net to play the puck and hesitated returning to her crease, leaving freshman Molly Farace with a wide-open look. Farace couldn’t capitalize. Providence continued to pressure, generating a dangerous rebound off a point shot that Pietersen struggled to cover.

The Terriers pushed hard in the final five minutes. BU pulled Pietersen with 2:40 remaining, called a timeout shortly after, and fired shot after shot toward Walinski. Nicholson had one attempt deflected, and the Friars narrowly missed an empty net on the counterattack.

Walinski briefly lost track of a rebound while returning to her crease, giving BU one last window. With 30 seconds left, senior forward Sydney Healey buried a backdoor finish off a rebound created by junior forward Clara Yuhn’s shot, tying it 2-2 and forcing overtime. It was Healey’s seventh goal of the season.

Providence generated the first look of OT but failed to get a shot on net. The Welcke sisters controlled possession on the Terrier’s best shift, with Luisa Welcke firing a quality chance that Walinski steered aside.

Providence generated the first look of overtime but failed to get a shot on net. The Welcke sisters controlled possession on BU’s best shift, with Luisa Welcke firing a quality chance saved by Walinski.

A near breakaway for BU led to Walinski diving far out of her crease to freeze the puck, drawing a delay of game penalty and giving BU a 4-on-3 power play. Nicholson scored on a one-timer, but Walinski held strong, sending the game to a shootout.

Pietersen opened the shootout by stopping Reichen Kirchmair’s shot. Luisa Welcke responded by beating Walinski to give BU the advantage. Audrey Knapp was denied by Pietersen on Providence’s next attempt, setting the stage for Healey, who scored the winner to complete the comeback.

The Terriers return to the ice Dec. 2 in Worcester, Mass., to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders. Puck drop is 7 p.m., and the game will stream on ESPN+.