DURHAM, N.H. - Kelly Paton (Woodstock, Ontario) recorded her 150th career point and Kristina Lavoie (Fonthill, Ontario) extended her goal-scoring streak to 10 games, but Melissa Anderson and Holly Lorms tallied two points apiece to lift the Boston University women's ice hockey team to a 5-2 victory against fourth-ranked University of New Hampshire in Saturday's Hockey East action at the Whittemore Center.
UNH, which recorded a 35-9 shot advantage, fell to 15-6-5 overall and 9-5-2-0 in Hockey East. BU climbed into a tie for fourth place with the Wildcats in the Hockey East standings by improving to 11-8-10 overall and 7-6-4-2 in the league.
Paton, who entered the game with 149 career points, became the 14th UNH Wildcat to reach the 150-point milestone with a second-period assist. She now has 57 goals and 93 assists.
Anderson netted BU's third goal, which broke a 2-2 tied and proved to be the game-winning goal, and scored a shorthanded goal into an empty net with 2:27 remaining to give the Terriers a 5-2 lead. Lorms tallied a goal and an assist while goaltender Melissa Haber stopped 11 shots all three periods to finish with 33 saves overall.
With the score tied 2-2 at the start of the third period, BU regained the lead on Anderson's early strike. Jill Cardella gained possession in the left circle and chipped the puck past a UNH defender to Anderson, who corralled the pass and wristed a shot into the upper-right corner of the net at 2:51.
The Terriers extended the lead to 4-2 at 7:12 on Lauren Chrewyk's goal. Jillian Kirchner won control of the puck in the left corner and sent a pass out top to Sarah Appleton, who moved the puck across the slot to Cherewyk. Her shot from the right point sailed through traffic and trickled past UNH goaltender Kayley Herman (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) across the goal line.
BU was whistled for a penalty at 15:43 and, after calling time out, UNH pulled Herman in favor of an extra skater. The Wildcats generated heavy pressure in the zone with the two-skater advantage - it increased to a three-skater advantage when the visitors were whistled for another penalty at 16:05 - but BU goalie Melissa Haber preserved her team's two goal advantage.
The Terriers cleared the puck out of the zone with 2:55 remaining. The 'Cats reentered the zone moments later, but Anderson blocked a shot at the top of the right circle and advanced the puck through the neutral zone with UNH defenseman Courtney Birchard (Mississauga, Ontario) backing into a defensive posture to protect the empty net. Anderson skated to the slot and shot the puck into the net to give the Terriers a 5-2 lead at 17:33.
Herman was credited with four saves.
In the opening minutes of the game, UNH generated dangerous rush in which a shot from the slot by Kristina Lavoie (Fonthill, Ontario) was redirected in front by Kristine Horn (Utica, Mich.). The 'Cats sustained pressure and a wrister by Kelly Paton (Mississauga, Ontario) in the slot was denied by Haber's glove.
BU took a 1-0 lead at 4:27 of the first period when Lorms redirected Tara Watchorn's shot from the left point into the net.
Three minutes later, UNH's Micaela Long (South Boston, Mass.) carried the puck into the left circle, then maneuvered to the slot and had a shot turned aside by Haber. The rebound went back to the slot and a bid by Julie Allen (Brampton, Ontario) was blocked in front by Kirchner.
UNH went on its first power play of the game - the 'Cats were 0-for-7 on the day - at 9:47 and in the waning seconds of that skater advantage, Brittany Skudder (Plainview, N.Y.) had an initial shot from deep in the right circle blocked by a BU defender, but she pulled in the loose puck and snapped a shot that caromed off the near post.
In the 15th minute, Birchard's long outlet pass created a rush for Allen. She advanced down the right wing and maneuvered through a defender, but her point-blank shot at the post was turned aside by Haber's left leg pad.
UNH, which trailed 1-0 at the first intermission despite an 11-2 shot advantage, leveled the score, 1-1 at 5:48 of the second period. The initial shot by Courtney Sheary (Melrose, Mass.) from the left point was blocked, but Horn corralled the puck at the right doorstep and jammed the puck into the cage.
In the seventh minute, Haber stopped the initial shot from the left point by Katie Brock (Marblehead, Mass.) and then lunged to the right post to stymie Allen off the rebound.
Boston University called time out at 7:43, but that did little to slow UNH's attack. Moments after a successful penalty kill by the Wildcats, Paton led a rush down the slot and fired a shot that was knocked down by Haber. The rebound went to the low slot and Lavoie quickly swept a shot wide left of the cage.
Within the next minute, Paton led a charge that would not be denied as she recorded her 150th career point when UNH took a 2-1 lead at 12:09. Paton left the puck for Horn at the left point, and her blast was stopped by Haber, but Lavoie was at the right doorstep and shoved the puck into the open side of the net.
With the teams skating 4-on-4, BU tied the score, 2-2 at 15:11. Lorms collected a loose puck in the slot and patiently waited to maneuver around a sliding defender and advance the puck to Laurel Koller, who was alone at the left post and redirected the puck into the net.
New Hampshire returns to action Feb. 7 (1 p.m.) at eighth-ranked University of Connecticut. The Wildcats' next home game is Feb. 13 vs. the University of Vermont. Game time at the Whittemore Center is 2 p.m.