No. 10 Terriers Take On Eagles in Conference Home Opener
November 2, 2009 | Women's Ice Hockey
Nov. 2, 2009
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The No.10 women's ice hockey team (3-1-4, 1-1-0) starts its home conference schedule with a showdown against inner-city rival Boston College (1-2-4, 0-1-1) Monday night at 7 p.m., at Walter Brown Arena. The two teams enter tonight's matchup tied for fourth in the conference with two points apiece.
The Terriers broke their Schneider Arena jinx this past Saturday, collecting their first ever win against the Providence Friars on their home ice. On the strength of two Jenelle Kohanchuk tallies and freshman Britt Hergesheimer's first goal as a Terriers, BU skated to a convincing 3-1 win and captured two points in its conference opener. Senior goalie Melissa Haber made 24 saves in the win, allowing just the one goal.
Kohanchuk remains in the team lead for goals (8) and points (9) and is currently tied for second in the nation in goals-per-game (1.00), tied for fifth in power-play goals (3) and tied for fourth in game-winning goals (2). She also ends the month of October on a four-game point streak, tallying seven goals and one assist during that stretch. Jillian Kirchner, Lauren Cherewyk and Melissa Anderson all have six points on the season while freshman Jill Cardella leads all Terrier rookies with five points (3g, 2a) on the year. Cardella is currently tied for 19th in the nation among rookies in points-per-game (0.62). Haber, who has started seven of the eight games so far this season, currently holds a 2.86 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage on the season.
Averaging 3.00 goals per game, the Terriers boast the No. 8 scoring offense in the nation, along with the ninth-best power-play (19.4) and sixth-highest winning percentage (.625).
The Eagles began their 2009-10 season with a tough schedule and despite registering only one win in their first seven games, four ties has kept the Eagles collecting points through the early part of their season.
BC last took the ice against Maine on Oct. 18 and skated to a 1-1 tie with the Black Bears before recording a shootout win. A first period goal by Laura Hart put the Eagles on the board but Maine struck back in the second to even the score through the end of regulation. A six-round shootout was needed to decide the winner as Ashley Motherwell netted the final goal to give BC a shootout win. In the game against Quinnipiac on Oct. 16, BC also recorded a 1-1 tie, thanks to a third-period power-play score by Allie Thunstrom.
Thunstrom has paced the Eagles' offense this season, recording a team-best five goals for a team-leading five points on the year. Mary Restuccia and Alison Szlosek both have a goal and three assists on the year while Motherwell has four points as well, thanks to a team-high four assists. Freshman goalie Corinne Boyles has been terrific in net this season for BC, recording a 2.20 goals-against average to go along with a .934 save percentage.
Boston College holds a 5-8-2 all-time advantage against BU and has recorded three shutouts to the Terriers' none in the 15-game history. The Terriers still hold a 3-2-1 record against BC at Walter Brown Arena. The last time the teams met was in last year's conference semifinals where BC edged BU 3-2 to advance on to the championship in Durham, N.H.
Up next for the Terriers is a home-and-home against New Hampshire, the only other Hockey East team to receive a national ranking this season. The Terriers take on the Wildcats at Walter Brown on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., before completing the series in Durham, N.H., on Saturday in a 7 p.m., showdown.
