Women’s Hockey: BU Falls Late to No. 7 UConn 3-2

By Ryan Ownens

The Boston University Terriers (4-11-2, 4-6-2 HE) fell in the dying seconds of a tight battle with the No. 7 University of Connecticut Huskies (13-3-2, 6-1-1 HE), losing 3-2.

BU, which defeated UConn in a shootout in Storrs on Friday, tied the game with less than five minutes to play but gave up a back-breaking goal with just seven seconds left in regulation.

“Another good experience to add to our bank account,” BU Head Coach Tara Watchorn said when asked about the loss. “I think obviously you want the win, especially that late in the game, but there’s a lot of good to be taken from that.”

The Terriers entered the night undefeated in their previous four games, while UConn extended its unbeaten streak to six.

“I think it’s a good way to end the first semester,” Terrier forward Neely Nicholson said. “Obviously, we had some rocky moments, but that just shows us that we can hang in with anyone in the country, and it at least gives us a little momentum going forward.”

The game opened with both teams carrying the puck back and forth down the ice, generating odd-man rushes but failing to register many early shots on goal.

UConn applied more pressure halfway through the opening frame, sending a barrage of shots toward BU goaltender Mari Pietersen. The junior turned them all aside to keep the game scoreless.

BU took the first penalty of the game 13 minutes into the first period, a bench minor for too many players on the ice. The Terriers’ penalty kill held firm, allowing only two shots that Pietersen handled with ease to end the advantage and close out a scoreless first.

“I don’t think we’re in that game after the first period if it wasn’t for Mari,” Watchorn said.

The Terriers finally broke the scoring drought four minutes into the middle frame. German forward Luisa Welcke joined her teammates crashing the Huskies’ net and slipped the puck to her sister, Lilli, at the right side of the crease. Lilli lifted a shot over UConn goalie Tia Chan’s shoulder to give BU a 1-0 lead.

Momentum on both sides continued to build as the period wound down, but it shifted when Keira Healey took a tripping penalty, giving the Huskies their second power-play chance. UConn capitalized in a matter of seconds, crashing the net before forward Livvy Dewar poked the puck past Pietersen to tie the game 1-1.

The Terriers briefly regained momentum when Huskies defender True Thompson took a slashing penalty shortly after the goal, giving BU its first power play of the game with five minutes left in the period. The Terriers spent much of the advantage in the offensive zone but failed to convert, sending the game to the third tied 1-1.

UConn controlled much of the play in the opening minutes of the final period, rushing into the BU end and hemming the Terriers in their own zone. Huskies junior Ashley Allard collected the puck in the slot and rocketed a shot over Pietersen’s glove to give UConn a 2-1 lead.

The Huskies generated another dangerous chance soon after, creating an odd-man rush and firing a shot that left a seemingly open net for a rebound. Pietersen, however, dove across her crease to make a highlight-reel stop, drawing a roar from the Walter Brown Arena crowd.

Despite her efforts, the momentum remained tilted toward UConn, and BU took another penalty with eight and a half minutes left in regulation. The Terriers killed it off again, relying on timely stops from Pietersen.

Just when it seemed their luck had run out, BU struck back off an offensive-zone faceoff. Freshman defender Avery Supryka found a loose puck at the point after the Terriers won the draw and fired a shot that beat Chan over the shoulder, giving Supryka her first collegiate goal and tying the game 2-2 with less than five minutes to play.

“It’s been fun to watch,” Watchorn said of Supryka’s progression. “She came in ready and we knew that, and she slowly got more comfortable and progressed and started to take more ownership, and I think that’s translating into her game.”

UConn got the last word, however. The Huskies held the puck in the offensive zone for most of the final minute, and sustained pressure allowed defender Meghane Duchesne-Chalifoux to drift into the slot and bury a rebound in the top corner with 7.3 seconds remaining, giving UConn a 3-2 lead and leaving BU no time to respond.

“It leaves a fire,” Watchorn said of giving up the late goal. “[That] probably isn’t a bad thing… You want them back, especially after you work so hard to come back and tie it.”

With the loss, the Terriers drop to 3-5-0 at home this season, while the Huskies improve to 5-1-1 on the road. BU still leads the all-time series 31-22-10.

The Terriers have wrapped up the first half of their season and will now head into winter break. Their next game will be in Belfast against Quinnipiac on Jan. 2.