No. 8 Terriers Hold Off UNH, 2-1, in Season Opener

Friday, December 4

Durham, NH

6 p.m.

Boston University

1-0-0

New Hampshire

0-3-0

Boston U.

New Hampshire

No. 8 Terriers Hold Off UNH, 2-1, in Season Opener

December 4, 2020 | Women's Ice Hockey

Box Score Box Score Highlights Durocher Postgame Press Conference

DURHAM, N.H. - The No. 8 Boston University women's ice hockey team scored in each of the first two periods before holding off New Hampshire, 2-1, in its season opener on Friday evening at the Whittemore Center.

Senior co-captain Jesse Compher opened the scoring late in the first before sophomore Julia Nearis added the eventual game winner just over seven minutes into the second period.

UNH got on the board at 3:18 into the third to spoil Corinne Schroeder's shutout bid, but the senior was outstanding the rest of the way, making eight of her 18 saves in the final frame to seal the victory in the first game played by a BU team since the coronavirus pandemic halted play back in March.

Freshman Andi Calderone and sophomore Brooke Ersoy picked up their first collegiate points with the assists on Nearis' goal, while juniors Courtney Correia and Mackenna Parker had the helpers on Compher's strike.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The teams remained deadlocked until Compher lit the lamp with 2:56 remaining in the first period. Parker circled from behind the net to the bottom of the left circle and dropped the puck for Correia, who then sent a cross-crease pass to Compher at the right circle. The senior calmly collected the pass before roofing a wrist shot over the glove of Wildcat netminder Nikki Hartnett (26 saves).
Nearis extended the lead to 2-0 at 7:07 of the second stanza. Ersoy and Calderone helped to force a turnover, allowing Nearis to collect the puck in the neutral zone and skate all the way in along the left side before burying a shot.
UNH got a goal back at 3:18 of the third, but Schroeder was sensational down the stretch, including a fantastic kick save to keep the Terriers' one-goal advantage.
Schroeder's most important save of the night came midway through the final frame when she denied a wide-open Annie Berry from below the hash marks on a 3-on-1.
The Wildcats pulled Hartnett in favor of an extra attacker with less than a minute to play, but they were unable to find an equalizer.

GAME NOTES

The Terriers improved to 7-2-1 in their last 10 season openers.
This is the second straight year that they have won their opening game by a 2-1 score; BU bested Union, 2-1, last year.
BU is 8-0-1 in its last nine regular-season games dating back to last season.
The Wildcats' third-period strike was the first goal they scored against BU since the teams met in October 2019. The Terriers recorded back-to-back shutouts against UNH this past February.
All seven Terrier freshmen made their collegiate debuts on Friday.
In addition to Calderone, Madison Cardaci, Catherine Foulem, Tamara Giaquinto, Lacey Martin, Clare O'Leary and Julia Shaunessy wore a Terrier uniform for the first time.
Andi became the second Calderone to collect her first collegiate point against UNH. Her sister, Alexandra ('20), earned her first collegiate assist in a 5-1 win against the Wildcats on Oct. 7, 2016.
BU outshot the Wildcats in every period and held a 28-19 shot advantage for the game.
The Terriers (0-for-2) and Wildcats (0-for-5) came up empty on their seven combined power-play chances.