Women’s Hockey: Terriers Blank in Burlington Against Vermont

By Claire Smieszny

Boston University women’s ice hockey (9-16-3, 7-10-2 HEA) dropped a 3-0 decision to Vermont (13-14-4, 7-9-3 HEA) on Thursday night in Burlington, Vermont.

“It wasn’t our night, that’s for sure,” BU head coach Tara Watchorn said. “They’re a tough team to play against, especially when we’re on the road.”

The Catamounts wasted no time, scoring just 10 seconds into the game. Junior forward Lauren O’Hare buried a rebound from the goal line, slipping the puck past BU junior goaltender Mari Pietersen to give Vermont an early 1-0 lead.

BU responded with a stronger stretch, generating several shots and holding Vermont without one for nearly nine minutes. The Terriers killed off a power play midway through the period and earned a man advantage of their own shortly after, but they couldn’t convert. The first ended with Vermont still ahead 1-0.

Tensions flared in the second period as both teams traded penalties. Despite the Terriers’ power-play opportunity, it was Vermont that struck again—this time shorthanded. At 8:34, junior forward Stella Retrum circled behind the net, jammed in her rebound, and doubled the Catamounts’ lead.

“I was a little disappointed,” Watchorn said about the power play. “It’s actually been looking really good all week, and we talked about some different strategies that they were executing in practice, but they got away from it today.”

Vermont continued to control the pace in the third. Junior forward Kaylee Lewis extended the lead to 3-0 at 3:44 with a quick shot from the right circle that beat Pietersen blocker-side. BU struggled to generate consistent offense, and freshman goaltender Lily Prendergast turned aside every shot she faced to record her first collegiate shutout.

“We’re gonna focus on the controllables and what we can take to Saturday,” Watchorn said.

The Terriers return home Saturday afternoon to face Maine at Walter Brown Arena. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. on NESN and ESPN+.