Sept. 30, 2008

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BOSTON - As the Boston University women's hockey team embarks on its fourth season, things are beginning to come full circle for the fledgling program as the Terriers graduate their first senior class this spring. Head coach Brian Durocher has seen his team steadily improve over the first three years and reach a series of exciting milestones. In 2005-06, the program completed its inaugural season. A year later, the first winning season was in the books and last season, BU reached the Hockey East playoffs for the first time. As the 2008-09 season gets underway, Durocher and the Terriers are now focused on becoming a consistent power on the college hockey scene.

"We like to put the top four in the league as one of our immediate goals," said Durocher. "Can we get to three, two or one? That's another goal we put out there. Beyond that, we look at winning the Beanpot, winning Hockey East and potentially making the NCAA tournament. That may be a lofty goal, but it's certainly something we keep out there as a long-range objective."

Last season's squad tied for third in Hockey East with an 11-9-1 conference record and made BU's debut in the Women's Hockey East playoffs. Overall, the Terriers finished with a 15-17-3 mark, but one of the major milestones of the 2007-08 season was taking on a challenging schedule that featured 13 games against nationally ranked teams, more than twice as many as in any of BU's previous seasons. After guiding his team to its first-ever postseason berth, Durocher was honored as the Coach of the Year by both Hockey East and the New England Hockey Writers' Association.

For the program's fourth season, Durocher has an experienced squad with 10 seniors and seven juniors making up the bulk of a group of 20 returning letter winners and four newcomers. A pair of seniors in forward Gina Kearns and defenseman Sarah Russell will captain the squad for their third and second years, respectively. "We should have the experience and ability to be a pretty competitive team," remarked the coach. "We're experienced defensively and we have to take care of business at both ends." The Terriers were tabbed for a fifth-place finish in a tightly packed Hockey East preseason coaches' poll and Durocher expects BU to be right in the midst of a heated battle for playoff positioning for this season's expanded six-team Hockey East tournament.

GOALTENDERS

Durocher, a former netminder himself, has built the Terriers from the goal out and BU has both quality and quantity between the pipes this season. Senior Allyse Wilcox was the Hockey East first-team all-star goalie last season after posting 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage to go with a 12-12-2 record that included three shutouts. Wilcox has been the Terriers' primary netminder ever since becoming a varsity program and will leave a lofty standard in the BU record books for future goalies to measure up to.

Junior Melissa Haber gives the Terriers a more-than-capable backup. Described by Durocher as "an established Division I goaltender," Haber posted outstanding numbers her freshman season with a 9-3-2 record, including four shutouts, in 15 games to go with a 2.12 GAA and .910 save percentage. Because of Wilcox's dominance last season, Haber's playing time diminished, but she remains a valuable piece of the BU goaltending corps.

Junior Ashley Leichliter provides further depth. As a walk-on last season, Leichliter made it into two games without a blemish on her record.

DEFENSE

The blueline corps receives a nice upgrade this season with three newcomers expected to bolster an already solid, experienced group. Senior Amanda Shaw headlines the group after tallying 14 points last season. "I believe Amanda will have her best and most consistent season this year," predicted Durocher. "She has plenty of offensive ability and has continued to work hard on her all-around game. She should challenge for all-star honors in Hockey East this season."

Junior Sarah Appleton led the Terriers' defensemen in scoring last season with 17 points off six goals and 11 assists and Durocher expects continued improvement. "She's a talented player who can really be counted on," said the coach. Russell provides experienced leadership on the blue line and is a consistent defensive force.

Junior Melissa Tetreau is a versatile player who moved from forward to defense last season. "She was the surprise of the team," said Durocher, and Tetreau was honored with the team's most improved player and unsung hero awards after her five-point sophomore campaign. Senior Caitlin Reddy provides further depth to fill out the defensive lines with a steady veteran presence.

Durocher has also brought in three highly touted freshmen who he expects will all contribute this season. Two of the newcomers are already familiar with each other as opponents, as they each played for their national teams in the world women's U-18 championship last season. Tara Watchorn of Newcastle, Ontario, was the top-scoring defenseman for the Canadians and her 5-10 frame will give the Terriers size on the blue line. "Tara's a talented player and her experience in the international game should give her the confidence to play well at this level," said Durocher.

Kasey Boucher of Lewiston, Maine, played for the U.S. National U-18 Team and posted a plus-7 rating in the tournament. "Kasey understands the game," praised Durocher. "She has a good first pass and good agility and balance."

The tallest player on the team at 5-11, Carly Warren will add size and reach to the defense. The Calgary, Alberta, native was named the outstanding defenseman in her province's women's league. "Carly has good passing and shooting skills," said Durocher. "Her best years are ahead of her."

OFFENSE

The Terriers' group of forwards, much like the rest of the team this season, can be characterized by depth and experience. BU's top 10 scoring forwards are back to lead a group that includes six seniors. "I am confident that we can roll out four lines of quality players," said Durocher.

Leading the way will be Hockey East All-Star Melissa Anderson, who returns for her junior season after leading the team with 29 points off 16 goals and 13 assists last year. Anderson also chipped in seven power-play goals, a big reason that the Terriers' power play ranked second in Hockey East a year ago. "Melissa is the unquestioned leader of our offensive production," said Durocher. "And she's supported by a great deal of solid talent."

That supporting talent begins with Kearns, the senior captain who was second on the team with 24 points last season, thanks to eight goals and a team-leading 16 assists. "Gina is an offensive point producer," said Durocher. "I think she's poised to have her best year this season."

The Terriers will be hoping to see Erin Seman return to form for her senior campaign after being slowed by injury last season. A 19-goal scorer in 2006-07, Seman still tallied 15 points her junior year. "Erin's a player that we can count on this season if she's healthy," said Durocher.

Also returning from injury is senior Nicki Wiart, who was severely limited last season, but netted 12 goals as a sophomore. "Nicki doesn't need as many chances because she can create a lot of scoring opportunities," said Durocher. Despite playing in only eight games last season, Wiart still posted a pair of goals and an assist.

Another senior forward is Laurel Koller, who contributed eight goals and five assists for 13 points last season after missing her sophomore year due to injury. "Laurel is a goal-scorer who can be counted on for shots," said Durocher. "She has one of the better shots in the East."

Junior Jonnie Bloemers is a versatile forward, able to play on the wings or at center, where she won 59 percent of faceoffs last season. She tallied 13 points last year, none more memorable than her game-winning overtime goal against Boston College. "Jonnie is as consistent a two-way performer as anyone," praised Durocher.

A trio of sophomores provides promise for this season and beyond. All key contributors as freshmen, Durocher expects them to continue to play an important role in the Terriers' offense this season. "I anticipate their growth and maturity will yield even better results in year two," said the coach.

Jillian Kirchner was the team's top-scoring rookie, tying for the team lead with 16 assists and notching 22 points, good for third on the team. Lauren Cherewyk, perhaps the best skater on the squad, added 15 points and Holly Lorms had a five-goal rookie season despite being slowed by a midseason injury.

Durocher calls senior Caroline Bourdeau the unsung hero among the forwards, someone who plays an important defensive role. She had a career year offensively last season with 12 points. Classmate Kelley Karnan also had a career-best six points last year. "Kelley is a steady right wing who plays intelligent hockey," said Durocher.

Junior Jenn Arms is one of the better skaters on the team and Durocher expects to see her explosiveness improve after working hard in the offseason.

The lone newcomer to the Terriers' offense is freshman Jenelle Kohanchuk, a well-rounded forward out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kohanchuk was a member of Team Manitoba at the Canadian Winter Games and was invited to the Canadian U-22 camp.

SCHEDULE

One of the keystones in building the BU women's ice hockey program is lining up a challenging schedule. Once again, the Terriers will be challenged throughout the season with seven games against teams that made the NCAA tournament field last season.

"We're playing a very competitive schedule this season," said Durocher. "We're exactly where we want to be schedule-wise. Now our task is to get a couple of quality non-conference wins early, and in Hockey East not only play with the top teams, but get points and victories. We want to signal that we've learned how to win against the upper echelon."

The 34-game regular season begins on Friday, Oct. 3, at Union with a game against ECAC Hockey mate Rensselaer the following afternoon. The home opener comes a week later when the Terriers host defending College Hockey America champion Mercyhurst for a pair of games at Walter Brown Arena on Oct. 10-11. Those games kick off a six-game homestand that includes a visit from ECAC Hockey power St. Lawrence on Sunday, Oct. 19, the Hockey East opener on Thursday, Oct. 23, against defending champion New Hampshire - the team that eliminated BU from the playoffs last season - and an appearance at Agganis Arena on Saturday, Oct. 25, against Maine.

The Women's Beanpot will be played at Northeastern's Matthews Arena this season, where the Terriers will face defending ECAC Hockey champion Harvard in the opening round on Tuesday, Feb. 3, with the championship and consolation games a week later.

The expanded Women's Hockey East Championship will include this season the top six finishers in the eight-team league. First-round games between the third through sixth seeds will be played on Saturday, Feb. 28, or Sunday, March 1, at campus sites with the winners advancing to the semifinals and championship game, to be hosted the following weekend at the home of the regular-season conference champion.

The postseason carries added excitement because Boston University will serve as host for the 2009 NCAA Women's Frozen Four at Agganis Arena from March 20-22. The national champion in women's college hockey will be crowned in Boston for the first time this spring.

This season, live streaming video will be available for all home games through BU All-Access