The opening game of the final frame saw the score 2-2 with BU defeating Boston College 33-11, but at the final buzzer the Eagles defeated BU 5-2 in the Battle of Comm. Avg.
The third-year head coach called the Terriers’ mistakes in the third period “subtle.”
“BC is one of those teams, they score in bunches when there’s a little slump or just a hard bounce,” she said after the match. “The way we reacted after every goal they scored could have been better.”
Just eight seconds into regulation at Conte Forum, the Terriers continued the power play when junior forward Sammy Taber was called to board. BU’s skating advantage, which has been difficult this season, provided good pressure but couldn’t solve senior goalkeeper Grace Campbell.
At even strength after the power play, the Terriers dominated. BU (2-9, 2-4 Hockey East) didn’t let a stirring call to senior assistant captain Clara Yuhn curb its momentum. After a strong penalty kick, sophomore forward Kaleigh Quigg got the Terriers on the board at 9:03 of the first period.
Freshman defenseman Lucy Thiessen ripped a shot from the right circle that Campbell saved. The rebound found Quigg in front of the net, who swept the ball home to give BU the lead.
“If we play according to our game plan, we can dominate the game and take control,” Watchorn said.
The Terriers controlled the game for the first 17 minutes of play, but went into the locker room after the first period buzzer sounded at 2-1.
First, sophomore forward Allana Devlin beat graduate netminder Michelle Pasiechnyk out of the slot at 17:12. At 7:07 p.m., freshman forward Ava Thomas put BC (6-6-1, 5-2-1 HE) ahead. BU outscored the Eagles 18-5 in the frame.
After a back-and-forth first half of the second period, Watchorn challenged a collision during the media timeout at 11:37. The challenge was successful and Thomas, the Eagles’ leading scorer, was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for contact to the head.
The line of freshmen Lexie Bertelsen and Anežka Čabelová and junior Greta Henderson stood out for BU, using their speed to create chaos on the forecheck.
“They all have speed. They like to play rough, and they like to take advantage of those transition pucks,” Watchorn said. “They are an energy line for us, and they showed that today.”
The Terriers controlled the puck in their offensive zone for almost the entire power play. With less than a minute left in the lead, sophomore forward Lola Reid finally cashed in to tie the score at two.
From the goal line, senior forward Riley Walsh found a driving Reid net front. Reid did the rest at 3:42 p.m. It was her first goal and point of the season.
Reid’s tally was just the second power-play goal of the season for the Terriers, and although they finished 1 for 7 with the advantage on Thursday, the unit generated plenty of quality looks. Watchorn feels the power play is improving.
“We get to see a lot of different people, and I like the new setup with the Welcke unit, and the other units look good too.”
BC jumped on BU from the start of the third period, scoring three goals in the first five minutes. The first came just 1:09 into the picture after the Terriers failed to clear their defensive zone and redshirt senior forward Emma Conner capitalized. At 3:26, sophomore forward Sage Babey cleared a loose puck for Pasiechnyk. Then, at the 5:41 mark, freshman forward Maxim Tremblay finished a 3-on-1 to make it 5-2.
BU finished with 43 shots on goal on the season, while the Eagles had 23. Campbell made 41 saves and Pasiechnyk stopped 18.
The Terriers have yet to win back-to-back games, and despite the unexpectedly tough start to the season, Watchorn says the first two periods serve as a proof of concept.
When asked what she told the team in the locker room after the game, Watchorn said, “Hockey isn’t always a perfect equation. There are momentum swings and there are bounces. And how do you stay mature enough to solve problems no matter how you think you’re playing?”
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