Terrier Teams Close In on Titles

It was one big weekend for Boston University athletics, men and women, basketball and hockey, with plenty of heroics and a couple of firsts.

Women’s ice hockey team wins Hockey East, onto NCAA quarterfinals
Tara Watchorn (CAS’12) scored in overtime to lift the Boston University women’s ice hockey team to its first Hockey East championship with a 2-1 win over seventh-ranked Connecticut on Sunday at Providence College’s Schneider Arena. For the first time in program history, the Terriers will advance to the NCAA tournament, where they will face Mercyhurst.

Goaltender Melissa Haber (SHA’10) was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after making 25 saves in the title game. Watchorn and forward Melissa Anderson (CGS’08, MET’10), who scored twice in Saturday’s semifinal win over New Hampshire, also earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.

Watchorn’s game-winner came on a long blast 9:52 into the extra frame. It was the second goal of the season for the defenseman, who was named to the Hockey East All-Star Team for the second straight season.

In regulation, defenseman Kathryn Miller (CGS’11) scored for BU.

With the Terriers on the power play in the first period, Jonnie Bloemers (SMG’10) sent the puck towards the net from the back boards. The puck deflected off the side of the net, but right to the stick of Jenelle Kohanchuk (CGS’10), and she passed to Miller, who was stationed at the side of the net and flipped the puck in. It was the second goal of the season for Miller and Kohanchuk’s assist extended her streak of tallying a point in each of her five career postseason games.

The Huskies leveled the score 6:50 into the second period when Michelle Binning swooped in to bury a rebound off a shot from Monique Weber.

A scoreless third period sent the game into overtime, the Terriers’ NCAA record 15th overtime game of the season.

The Terriers have now won 6 straight games and are unbeaten in their last 10, tying program records on both counts.

Men’s b-ball into America East finals
Trailing 53-48 with 6:42 remaining, the BU men’s basketball team went on an 13-3 run and then held off a Stony Brook charge for a 70-63 America East Championship semifinal victory Sunday at the University of Hartford. Earning their first trip to the title game since 2003, the Terriers (19-12) will next play on Saturday, March 13, at Vermont. ESPN2 will televise the game.

After tallying 26 points against Hartford in the quarterfinals, Corey Lowe (SHA’10) continued his strong play with a game-high 24 points, along with 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Carlos Strong (MET’10) was two boards shy of a double-double with 15 points. Jake O’Brien (CGS’10) and John Holland (CGS’09, COM’11) each added 10. BU shot 25 for 61 and forced 19 Stony Brook turnovers but gave up the ball only 10 times. The Seawolves shot 22 for 53, 10 for 21 from the free throw line.

Men’s hockey edges Northeastern; quarterfinals next
For the second time in as many nights, the Boston University men’s ice hockey team used a third-period goal Saturday to break a tie and defeat Northeastern. Kevin Gilroy (CGS’10) provided the heroics on a tally with 6:28 left to lead the Terriers to a 4-3 victory over the Huskies in the regular-season finale at Matthews Arena. BU earned the number-three seed for the Hockey East playoffs and will host Merrimack in next weekend’s quarterfinal round. BU finishes the regular season with a record of 16-15-3, including a 13-12-2 Hockey East mark.

Zach Cohen (CAS’10), Nick Bonino (CAS’11), and freshman Alex Chiasson all tallied for the Terriers, while Chris Connolly (CGS’10) recorded a pair of assists.

BU will open its best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series against Merrimack on Friday, March 12, at Agganis Arena.

Women’s b-ball falls to Vermont
A second-half run by number-two Vermont lifted the Catamounts to a 69-52 victory over the BU women’s basketball team on Sunday in the 2010 America East women’s basketball semifinals. Alex Young (COM’12) led all players with 14 points, Caitlynn Moran (SED’13) added 12, and Aly Hinton (CAS’09, SED’10) 10.

Playing all 40 minutes, Young was 3-for-17, with 6 points coming from behind the arc, and going a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Moran connected on 3 of her 11 attempts, and Hinton was 2 for 5 from the field and sank 4 free throws. Caroline Stewart (CGS’10) was the team’s leading rebounder, with nine.