#4 Women's Hockey vs. #1 UNH - Hockey East Semifinals

by Jeremy Binckes

The Boston University Terriers weren’t expecting the University of New Hampshire Wildcats to roll over in the first round of the Hockey East Tournament. However, the Wildcats (31-3-1) weren’t expecting the Terriers (15-17-3) to roll over as easily as they did, allowing UNH to cruise to a record 8-0 victory.

“Obviously we’re saddened and disappointed that we didn’t play a more competitive game,” Durocher said after the loss.

“There were 9 or 10 straight periods where we played them well, and then 2 periods where we let it slip away,” he added. “We’re not the first team that’s happened to.” Durocher added that he expected the game to be closer to the 3-1, 3-2, and 4-1 games these two teams have played this season.

In the first period, sophomore Micaela Long scored the only goal for the Wildcats. After a closely-matched first period, though, it took just two minutes for a close 1-0 game to turn into a 3-0 laugher, en route to a rout. It started when senior defender Julie Poulin was called for cross-checking just 54 seconds into the second stanza. UNH capitalized on their first shift, as freshman forward Courtney Birchard ripped a one-timer through traffic which deflected off of a Terrier stick in the crease, and past junior goaltender Allyse Wilcox (19 saves).

Unfortunately for the Terriers, this was just the beginning for the red light behind Wilcox; it would be lit 4 more times in the next 18 minutes. Thirty-six seconds after Birchard found the back of the net, freshman Terrier-killer Jenn Wakefield—celebrating her awards for Hockey East’s Rookie of the Year and Conference scoring champion—struck on a 2-on-1 from sophomore linemate Steph Holmes.

“It turned into 3-0, and then it was off to the races,” Durocher said. “The second and third goals were a combination of a bad bounce, and their talent.”

After a Leah Craig hard-angle shot beat Wilcox to expand the score to 4-0, the Terriers defense fell apart. Junior forward Sam Faber walked around Sarah Appleton –literally—to beat Wilcox one-on-one. Under a minute later, Micaela Long scored her second goal of the game, beating Amanda Shaw in a footrace, then taking a point-blank shot past BU’s netminder.

“I’m sure somewhere in there, she’d [Wilcox] love to make a miracle save,” Durocher said, “but I’m not exactly sure which one she was going to grab because they were deflections, they were bang-bang right in front of the net.” In reality, Wilcox was left out to dry by her defenders on multiple occasions, leaving her to her own devices.

Sophomore goaltender Melissa Haber (9 saves) came out for the third period, and didn’t fare much better. Jen Faber scored her second goal of the game, after having a one-on-two before junior co-captain Sarah Russell dove for the puck, missing and giving Faber the right side to work with. Finally, Jen Wakefield became the third member of the two-goal club, firing a power-play goal past Haber.

Terrier Notes:

-Boston University finished the season with a 15-17-3 record. “We’re on our way up the ladder,” coach Durocher said after the game. “Today wasn’t our day, but it was theirs.” BU’s schedule included 13 games against ranked opponents. BU went 1-11-1 in those games, with the win coming over Boston College in December, and the tie to Dartmouth in late October.

-Three Terriers came away with three Hockey East awards. Melissa Anderson was named to the conference second team, while Allyse Wilcox was named Hockey East’s all-star first-team goaltender, in addition to being runner up for the ITECH Goaltending Champion (awarded to the goaltender with the best GAA in league play).

- The third Terrier to win an award was BU head coach Brian Durocher, who was named Hockey East’s Coach of the Year. “I’m highly honored, and I really consider this a team award,” Durocher said. “A staff award.” Durocher thanked his coaches, listing them for their hard work. Durocher was assisted for the third consecutive year by Kerstin Matthews, Erika Silva and Todd Langlais.