WEEKEND PARKING ADVISORY

The Boston University women's ice hockey team will host Merrimack on Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena at 3 p.m.

Saturday is the Terriers' second annual "Do It For Daron Mental Health Awareness Day." DIFD is an organization dedicated to raising awareness, inspiring conversations and transforming youth mental health. There will be merchandise sales and a chuck-a-puck contest with proceeds benefiting the Boston chapter of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the Do It For Daron Foundation.

BU (16-9-2, 13-4-2 WHEA) has won both games against first-year Merrimack this season, including a 4-2 win at Walter Brown on Nov. 21. Senior Sarah Lefort has six career points against the Warriors while sophomore Victoria Bach tallied three goals and an assist in November. Both junior Victoria Hanson and sophomore Erin O'Neil earned a win between the pipes against Merrimack.

Saturday’s showdown is also the Terriers’ final game before the 38th Annual Women’s Beanpot begins on Tuesday at Walter Brown. BU is 5-0 in its last five fixtures immediately preceding the opening round of the Beanpot. Overall, the Terriers are 8-2-1 in such contests, with one of the losses coming in the program’s first varsity season.

Sophomore Rebecca Leslie is the reigning Hockey East Player of the Week and enters the weekend on a seven-game point streak. Leslie has tallied three goals and seven assists during that span for 10 points and is tied for the NCAA-lead with an assist in six games over that seven-game stretch.

Leslie's linemates, senior Rebecca Russo and junior Maddie Elia, have also been playing well of late. In the Terriers' sweep of Providence last weekend, the trio combined for 12 points (5g, 7a) in the two games and was a combined plus-13 over the weekend.

Merrimack (4-22-1, 2-14-1 WHEA) enters Saturday with just four wins in its first varsity season, though one of those victories came on Jan. 19 against Brown, a 4-1 triumph. The Warriors followed that with a 4-1 loss against Boston College on Tuesday. Saturday’s tilt is huge for Merrimack, as the Warriors are just two points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand on eighth-place Maine.

Freshman Paige Voight leads Merrimack with 17 points on a team-best nine goals and is also tied for the team lead with eight assists. Classmates Katelyn Rae and Paige Sorensen also have eight helpers apiece and rank second and third, respectively, in points.

Freshman goaltender Samantha Ridgewell has played 21 games between the pipes, going 4-15-1 with a .914 save percentage and a 3.20 goals-against average; she did not face BU in November because of an injury.

BU will host the 38th Annual Women's Beanpot on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Boston College and Harvard will face off at 5 p.m., before the Terriers and Northeastern drop the puck at 8 p.m.