After being swept at home by Vermont just two weeks ago, BU responded with a sweep of its own against Merrimack. Myers said the players went a step further when the Welckes settled in Italy to represent Germany in the Olympics.
With a chance to avenge the two losses to the Catamounts – again fleeting – this time at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt., the Terriers (9-16-3, 7-10-2 Hockey East) failed to act, falling 3-0 in a lackluster effort.
“It wasn’t our night, that’s for sure,” a raspy Watchorn said on a postgame call. “They’re a tough team to play against, especially when we’re on the road.”
Before BU could even settle against Vermont (13-14-4, 7-9-3 HE) on Thursday night, the puck was in the back of the Terriers’ net. Junior Lauren O’Hara opened the scoring just 10 seconds into regulation time.
After winning the opening face-off, junior Kaylee Lewis fired a shot wide that rocketed to the far corner of the ice. From under the right circle, O’Hara one-timed the puck past junior Mari Pietersen.
The Catamounts earned a power play when junior Greta Henderson was called for a hold at 11:49 of the first. But it was shorthanded BU that had the best view of the power play in Vermont.
Senior Sydney Healey grabbed a rebound for Pietersen and drove up the ice, setting up a 2-on-1 with sophomore Kaileigh Quigg. Set up by Healey, Quigg fired the shot wide.
The Terriers created very little offense on Thursday and managed just 18 shots on goal in the match. Watchorn said BU was unable to effectively anticipate and stack services.
“They are a physically fast team, and you can feel it,” she said. “They could really close us in at times.”
Sophomore Lola Reid had two penalties in the first half of the second period – a hooking call followed by a interference call – giving BU two opportunities for player advantage to get on the board.
Behind two of the most dangerous attacking players in the Welckes, the Terriers’ power play continued to struggle, failing to convert on all four chances.
“A little disappointed,” Watchorn said of the power play. “We talked about some different strategies that they were putting into practice and they came away from that today.”
Worse off for BU, the Catamounts doubled their lead on short notice at 8:32 of the second period. Senior Maeve Carey had the puck put away from her behind the net by junior Stella Retrum, and after her first goal attempt was saved by Pietersen, Retrum returned one home to put the Terriers down 2-0.
BU lacked a sense of urgency entering the third period trailing by two goals, and Vermont extended its lead to 3-0 at 4:29. Junior Kaylee Lewis received a pass as she entered the offensive zone and, with no Terrier defender in sight, fired a wrist shot on the short side that beat Pietersen, who made 20 saves on 23 shots.
In a period when BU was generating few quality chances, Reid had the team’s best look, breaking away on a breakaway after a pass from freshman Lexie Bertelsen. Her shot was easily contained by freshman netminder Lily Prendergast with under five minutes to play. Prendergast stopped all 18 shots she faced.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Terriers, who travel back home to face Maine on Saturday. For BU, it’s about getting back to basics.
“It was a very good week of practice, all things considered, and we performed at a very high level, I thought, so it’s not a departure from our habits,” Watchorn said.
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