June 18, 2008

The Year in Sports: Women’s Hockey Heads to First Postseason

Terriers sink Huskies, 3-2, with late goal in season finale

By BU Athletics

The women's hockey team takes its first crack at postseason play. Photo by Robert Klein

Sports fans will tell you that every game matters, but the truth is, some games matter more than others. This week, BU Today presents a five-part look back at the games, the players, and the teams that made the difference in BU’s 2007-2008 seasons.

Boston University’s women’s ice hockey team closed out the regular season with a 3-2 win over Northeastern at Matthews Arena on March 2, as Laurel Koller (CAS'09) notched the game-winner with 2:27 left in regulation. Melissa Anderson (CGS'08) scored the Terriers’ first goal and Julie Poulin (CAS'08) slotted the tying goal to put the team in position to win.

The Terriers (15-16-3, 11-9-1 HE) tied for third place in the conference with the win, just a day after sealing a bid for the Hockey East playoffs. Providence will be the third seed at the playoffs, however, because the Friars won the season series against the Terriers.

BU spent much of the game in the Huskies’ zone, slotting 34 shots on goal on the afternoon. Several missed opportunities for the Terriers kept the game close throughout, with the Northeastern goaltender getting her team out of trouble on several occasions.

The Terriers had a golden opportunity to get on the board with time winding down in the first period while on the power play. Sarah Appleton (CAS'10) placed a shot on goal from the blue line with Jonnie Bloemers (CGS'08) shielding the goaltender. The puck bounced off the netminder and right to Lauren Cherewyk (COM'11), but Bloemers was whistled for a crease violation, killing the play.

Northeastern pulled ahead at 18:59 of the first period with a power-play goal. After circling the net and looking for an opening, freshman Alyssa Wohlfeiler fired a shot that Melissa Haber (CGS'08) saved. But junior Erin Reil recovered the rebound and slotted a shot on Haber’s glove side, just out of the goaltender’s reach.

BU pulled even at 4:53 of the second period, as Anderson scored her fifth goal in the last three games. From the left side of goal, Cherewyk sent a pass to Anderson between the circles. Anderson’s shot went off the shoulder of freshman Leah Sulyma and into the upper-right hand corner of the net.

The Terriers had a goal called off with about 11 minutes remaining in the second period, when Anderson wristed a shot over Sulyma, who was spread on the ice. The referee whistled the play dead because of a crease infraction.

At 6:15 of the third period, Northeastern pulled ahead on a diving shot by Wohlfeiler. Junior Ali Bielawski’s shot on goal bounced off Haber’s pads, but was left unclaimed inside the crease. Wohlfeiler came from behind the net around Haber’s stick side and slid forward on her chest with her arms reached out, nudging the puck past Haber with her stick.

Poulin erased the one-goal deficit at 15:00 of the third period, scoring while both teams had a player in the penalty box. With a scrum at the goal, Caroline Bourdeau (CGS'07, COM'09) sent a pass back to Poulin at the blue line. Poulin's shot got past Sulyma to knot the score at 2-2 with only a few minutes to play.

The game-winning goal came at 17:33 of the third period, when Koller laced a shot between the netminder’s legs off a pass from junior cocaptain Gina Kearns (SAR'09).

The Terriers face off against number two New Hampshire on March 8 in the Hockey East playoffs at Connecticut’s Freitas Ice Forum. It will be the first postseason appearance for BU.

This story originally ran March 3, 2008.