BOSTON - The No. 8 women's ice hockey team pulled within one with six minutes to play, but could not catch the No. 3 Wildcats, dropping a 4-3 decision to New Hampshire on Friday night at Walter Brown Arena. The loss is BU's second in a row and puts the Terriers at 3-3-4 on the year and 1-2-0 in Hockey East. UNH improves to 8-1-2 on the year and stays perfect at 4-0-0 in conference action.
Down 3-2 entering the third period, Hockey East Player of the Month Kelly Paton netted her seventh goal of the year to give the visitors a 4-2 lead with 10:13 to play. The Terriers took advantage of a power-play four minutes later as Jenelle Kohanchuk netted her team-leading ninth goal of the season at 6:06 to narrow the deficit to one.
BU pulled its goalie for the final minute, but was unable to generate solid scoring chances and the game ended in the 4-3 final.
BU goalie Melissa Haber stopped 28 shots in a promising effort while her counterpart, Lindsey Minton, made 20 stops on the night.
The game began with strong pressure from the visitors, but the Terriers found their stride and returned the pressure in the opposing zone. After an unsuccessful man-up opportunity, the Terriers cashed in on the strength of their top line. Jonnie Bloemers moved the puck into the zone along the left boards and fed Melissa Anderson who threaded a pass to Jill Cardella and Cardella knocked home her fifth score of the year for a 1-0 lead 14:27 into the game.
The Terrier defense had a mild hiccup towards the end of the period and the Wildcats capitalized to take a 1-1 score into the break. Courtney Birchard put a shot on net that was tipped to Kristina Lavoie and then to Julie Allen, who stuffed home the equalizer with 37 left in the opening period.
UNH struck again 5:26 into the second as Lavoie potted a power-play goal off feeds from Paige Goloubef and Raylen Dziengelewski. The Terriers answered just over two minutes later as Bloemers wristed home her second goal of the season thanks to assists from Cardella and Anderson.
The assist by Anderson marked her 102nd point as a Terrier, tying her for the program record with Gina Kearns ('09). Her 65 career assist also stands as a program record.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead on a second power-play tally, this time on a Birchard goal courtesy of feeds from Kelly Paton and Micaela Long. Paton almost gave the guests a two-goal lead on a breakaway towards the end of the second, but Melissa Haber made a huge save to keep the score 3-2 into the second intermission.
The Terriers and Wildcats are back at it tomorrow night in Durham, N.H., where the Hockey East foes will wrap up their home-and-home series in a 7 p.m. showdown at the Whittemore Center.