Melissa Anderson scored two goals to propel the Boston University women's ice hockey team to Saturday afternoon's 4-0 victory against fifth-ranked University of New Hampshire in the semifinals of the eighth-annual Hockey East Championship at Schneider Arena.
UNH, which had won the previous four league tournament titles, is now 19-8-5, and awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament selection show on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. BU improved to 16-8-12, and will be making its first appearance in the Hockey East championship game.
BU goaltender Melissa Haber made 17 saves to record the shutout Đ the first of the Wildcats this season. UNH goalie Lindsey Minton also stopped 17 shots.
New Hampshire generated a 7-3 shot advantage in the scoreless first period.
UNH's penalty kill did not surrender a shot on BU power play opportunities at 3:10 and 6:57. Then redshirt freshman Brittany Skudder floated a dangerous backhand from the slot that Haber snared with her glove.
BU's Laurel Koller carried the puck into the offensive zone in the second period and her shot from the right point sailed into the cage to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead 58 seconds into the middle frame.
With 3:30 to play in the second, Long led a rush down the right wing and centered the puck to Lavoie. She swung the puck to the right wing, but the pass did not connect with the charging Paton.
BU opened the third period with a flurry of shots, and Minton denied Anderson in the low slot to keep the Wildcats within 1-0.
The Wildcats immediately counterattacked with Paton hustling down the right wing. She centered to Long, whose backhander beat Haber but ricocheted off the right post.
The Terriers quickly extended the lead to 3-0 with goals at 13:44 and 16:11. Minton stopped Jenelle Kohanchuk's initial shot, but Brittany Hergesheimer's point-blank shot off the rebound deflected into the air and trickled across the goal line.
Anderson then increased the advantage to three goals when she cut from the right side across the crease and tucked a shot inside the open left post. Lauren Cherewyk, with the pass from the left point, set up the tally.
UNH went on another power play with 1:26 remaining and pulled Minton in favor of an extra skater. BU kept the ‘Cats to the perimeter and cleared the puck to the neutral zone with one minute to play.
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