Box Score | Season Stats
ORONO, Maine - The Boston University women's ice hockey team fell to Maine 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Alfond Sports Arena. The Terriers (18-11-3, 9-8-2 HE) led 2-1 entering the third period, but were unable to respond to two-consecutive Maine (10-18-2, 5-13-2 HE) goals. The game closed out the regular-season series between the two teams, with BU going 2-1-0 during the three contests.
Maine jumped on the board with a short-handed goal at 10:21 in the first period. The Terriers quickly tied it up, when sophomore Erin Seman scored a power-play goal at 11:22. BU took the 2-1 lead at 3:30 in the second period, when freshman Melissa Anderson took control of the puck behind Maine's net and scored an unassisted goal. The scoring ceased until the Black Bears' two goals in the third. Sophomore goaltender Allyse Wilcox made 16 saves on the day, falling to 10-8-1 on the year.
The Terriers opened the game with a quick-offensive burst, but quickly had to adjust their game, spending the majority of the first ten minutes of the game killing penalties. BU took its first penalty at 5:30, when sophomore co-captain Gina Kearns was called for hooking. Less than a minute after the penalty was killed, freshman Jenn Arms went to the box for body checking at 8:18. Then at 9:49, Maine went to the box as well, when Kelly Law was called for tripping.
Just seconds after killing off the Arms penalty, the Terriers began to set up a play while still in their offensive zone near the blueline. Maine’s Pam Patterson ripped the puck from BU, skating through the slot and taking a high shot over Wilcox’s shoulder to take the 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 10:21.
The lead didn’t last long however. After the goal, the Terriers immediately began setting up their power play, and at 11:12, sophomore Erin Seman scored to tie the game, 1-1. The goal was Seman’s seventh power-play goal on the year and team-leading 16th overall.
Both teams had one more power-play opportunity apiece before the period ended, but ended the period tied at one.
BU scored its second goal of the game early in the middle period. As Maine was bringing the puck around its own net to set up a play, Anderson stripped the Black Bears of the puck, scoring a skate-around-goal at 3:30, to take the 2-1 lead.
At 4:58, the Terriers nearly took a 3-1 lead when junior Julie Poulin hammered a shot at Maine goaltender Rachel Gettings, who lost sight of the puck. As both teams scrambled around the net, the puck remained behind Gettings, barely missing the goal line, before the netminder noticed it and covered the puck for the whistle.
The two teams combined for seven penalties during the second period but neither team could convert and the BU held onto its lead as play opened in the third period.
Four minutes into the third period Maine’s Abby Barton took a slashing penalty. BU enjoyed two-full minutes of five-on-four hockey before taking its own penalty at six minutes to put Maine on the power play. The Black Bears’ power play was cut short when Law went to the box at 7:12, for obstruction-holding. Despite all the opportunities, both teams only combined for two shots on the power play in the third period.
The game appeared to be playing out similarly to Saturday’s 2-1 win, until 12:32, when Maine’s Jenna Ouellette took a pass from Vanessa Vani, scoring the equalizer goal.
The momentum swung dramatically in Maine’s favor after the goal. The team launched a flurry of shots at Wilcox, who managed to deflect all of them just before teammate Amanda Shaw was called for interference at 15:06. At 16:20, Maine took its second lead of the day with a goal from Sonia Corriveau.
The Terriers pulled Wilcox at 18:55 for the extra attacker. With just seven seconds remaining in regulation, Law went to the box for the Black Bears, putting BU up two players in the final seconds of regulation. BU won the faceoff in the offensive zone, but couldn’t get a shot past Gettings, and fell 3-2 in the game.
Both teams went 1-for-9 on the power play, however BU took nine power-play shots, while Maine was held to three. BU ended the game outshooting Maine 22-19.
The series at Maine closed out BU’s road schedule on the year, where the team went 8-6-3, a vast improvement from the 2005-06 season when the Terriers recorded only two road victories. BU returns home for its final two games of the season. On Wednesday, BU will host New Hampshire, before closing at the 2006-07 season against Northeastern on Saturday.
