With the 2017 Beanpot Tournament less than a week away, the Boston University women’s hockey team will prepare to face Merrimack College for the third time this season.
The last time the two teams met in November, the Terriers (13-8-5, 8-7-4 Hockey East) swept the Warriors (8-17-3, 4-14-0 Hockey East).
BU is coming off a weekend series with Providence College, in which they tied the first game and secured a 5-2 win during the second game. The win couldn’t have come at a better time, as the team was able to regain its momentum.
“We’re here to play to win, and we have expectations that are fairly high and we want to add up the wins,” said BU head coach Brian Durocher. “Unfortunately, we haven’t put ourselves where we’re somewhat accustomed to or like to be, so to get a little bit [of] extra confidence was definitely a boost on Sunday.”
The Terriers sit at third place in the Hockey East, but they’re in danger, as they own a 1-1-4 record in their last six games.
However, the new year has not treated the Warriors well, either. They most recently lost 4-1 to Boston College on Wednesday.
The two teams have similar penalty kills, with BU’s 82.4 percent slightly higher than Merrimack’s 81.2 percent. However, the Terriers maintain a 19.3 percent power play success rate, which doesn’t bode well for the Warriors after the Eagles (19-3-4, 15-2-2 Hockey East) scored two shorthanded goals past goaltender Samantha Ridgewell on Wednesday.
Merrimack may be last in the league standings, but Durocher reiterates that he wants the Terriers to respect their opponent.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re ready to go, and we have no reason to have a big head or be overconfident because we’ve gotten bumped off by a number of teams in this league, some teams that we’re not accustomed to getting knocked off by, and I give them credit,” Durocher said. “We just have to come a little better prepared.”
Despite being 1-4-1 in its past six games, Merrimack was able to dig out an overtime win against the University of Vermont, whom BU tied twice on Jan. 14 and 15.
Forward Paige Voight and freshman Mikyla Grant-Mentis, who are tied for most points on the team with 20, lead the Warriors. Sophomores Katelyn Rae and Jessica Bonfe have also been key contributors and will pose a threat to the Terriers’ blueliners.
“I think our biggest thing is not following the puck, and I think that’s mostly in our defensive zone,” Durocher said. “It’s a tight area [and] you’re along the walls. The other thing is just staying assertive all the time whether it’s on the forecheck, in the neutral zone or in the [defensive] zone because that’s what slows people down and helps your defense — being good in all three zones.”
During the Terriers’ second contest against Merrimack, senior goaltender Victoria Hanson had her only shutout of this season. With a .929 goal save percentage and a 2.35 goals against average, Hanson has remains a steady presence in net.
In order to find another win in 2017 on Saturday night, Durocher stressed that his team will need to be mindful of the neutral zone.
“When you get a small center ice zone that changes the complexion of the game a little bit,” Durocher said. “What goes on in men’s hockey isn’t always parallel to the women’s side but certainly in the middle of the rink, the neutral zone, it does parallel.”