Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Sophomore Victoria Bach collected her first collegiate hat trick to help lead the Boston University women’s ice hockey team to a 5-1 victory over Merrimack on Friday night at Lawler Rink.

BU (9-6-0, 7-3-0 WHEA) scored twice in each of the first two periods before Bach completed her hat trick 21 seconds into the final frame. Merrimack, which is playing in its inaugural season in Division I, dropped to 2-11-0 and 1-6-0 in Hockey East.

Senior Sarah Lefort matched a career high with three assists, as she had a helper on all three of Bach’s goals. Senior captain Kayla Tutino and junior Samantha Sutherland each had two assists, while junior Alexis Crossley also added a helper.

Senior Dakota Woodworth notched her second goal in as many games while juniors Sarah Steele and Maddie Elia each added an assist. Junior goaltender Victoria Hanson made 16 saves to earn her fourth win of the season.

Bach's previous career high for goals in a game was two, which she most recently achieved on Jan. 25, 2015, against Vermont. She was quick to credit her teammates for tonight’s success, however.

"It felt great (to get a hat trick)," Bach said. "I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I got some nice passes from Sarah and Kayla. Once we got the first goal, it was a momentum builder."

The Terriers attempted 50 shots on goal for the first time since Feb. 23, 2013, a 7-5 win over UConn. BU was also terrific on special teams Friday night, as the Terriers went 2-of-3 on the power play and killed all three of Merrimack’s power-play chances.

Woodworth opened the scoring 10:57 into the proceedings after she won an offensive-zone faceoff. She won it cleanly to Sutherland, who quickly dished it to Steele at the top of the zone. Steele fired a shot on goal that Kate Kowalchuk saved, but Woodworth followed the play and knocked home the rebound for her second goal of the season.

Bach made it 2-0 less than three minutes later on the Terriers’ first power-play chance of the game. Merrimack cleared the zone, but Crossley quickly gathered the puck and got it to Lefort, who then quickly shipped it to Tutino. The senior captain dropped it for Bach, and the sophomore’s wrist shot found the top corner.

Hanson made her best stop in the second stanza when she denied Jackie Pieper on a breakaway bid. Shortly after that save, Bach notched her second of the game after some hard work in front of the net. Lefort deflected a Crossley shot, which Kowalchuk stopped. Bach was there to knock home the rebound, and after a video review, the goal stood.

Russo ripped home a one-timer to make it 4-0 on a BU power play. Sutherland got the puck to Elia, who laid a perfect pass for Russo. The senior got the entire puck and it whistled past Kowalchuk.

It took just 21 seconds of the third period for Bach to complete her hat trick. On a breakout, Tutino laid the puck for Lefort, who skated into the Merrimack zone and dished the disc to Bach. The Milton, Ontario, native finished for her seventh goal of the season.

Merrimack added a goal at the 3:02 mark of the third period to spoil Hanson’s shutout bid, but the Terriers kept a clean sheet the rest of the way to secure the result.

The two teams will conclude the home-and-home series on Saturday at Walter Brown Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.