BOSTON - Senior forward Jenn Wakefield notched two goals and added a pair of assists, while classmate Jenelle Kohanchuk potted a pair of goals, including the game-winner, to lead the No. 4 Boston University women's hockey team to a 5-2 victory over Niagara on Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena.
Juniors Isabel Menard and Kathryn Miller also had multi-point afternoons, as BU improved to 3-1-0 on the season. Niagara fell to 0-4-0 on the year. Junior Alissa Fromkin stood tall between the pipes for the Terriers, as she made 29 saves. She saved her best for last, as she stopped all 17 shots she faced in the third period.
The Terriers struck first, and as has been their specialty this season, it was on the penalty kill. Kohanchuk and Wakefield combined for a give-and-go play, with the senior captain eventually finding Kohanchuk on the doorstep for the easy finish past Niagara goaltender Sarah Moses (25 saves). It was the third goal of the season for Kohanchuk, and the third shorthanded goal in four games for BU.
Niagara evened the score, 1-1, when junior Jenna Hendrikx potted her second goal of the season. Senior Erica Owczarczak and sophomore Jessica Hitchcock picked up assists on the goal, which occurred at the 16:19 mark of the first frame.
The Purple Eagles took the lead 4:39 into the second stanza. Fromkin saved Hendrikx's initial shot, but junior Kelsey Welch got the rebound and passed the puck to Hitchcock, who deposited it into the open net for her second goal of the year.
Wakefield knotted the game, 2-2, with 12:13 gone by in the second. Menard fed Miller, who gave it to Wakefield in the left circle. The senior captain sent a wrister on goal that beat Moses for the power play tally. It was the fourth goal of the season for Wakefield, with Menard adding her fifth assist of the year. Menard has tallied at least one point in all four of the Terriers' games this year.
Kohanchuk dazzled the crowd 1:35 later when she took the puck in the neutral zone, gained speed and deked past a defender in the Niagara zone before sliding the puck past Moses for the 3-2 lead. It was the second goal of the game and the fourth of the season for Kohanchuk.
It was a furious finish for BU in the second stanza, as the Terriers barely beat the clock to take a 4-2 lead into the locker room. Miller fed Wakefield, who passed it up to Menard. Menard skated into the left circle and put a shot towards goal that deflected off a defender's leg and into the back of the net. It was the second assist of the game for Miller and Wakefield, who each earned their fourth helper of the season.
Kohanchuk nearly had a hat trick early in the third period, but her shot rang the crossbar and deflected out of play. Wakefield notched her second goal of the game a short time later, however, when she fired a wrist shot from between the circles that went top shelf past Moses. Senior defenseman Kasey Boucher and junior forward Taylor Holze each earned an assist on the goal that came at the 5:14 mark of the third.
Once again, the BU penalty kill was spectacular, as the unit held the Purple Eagles' power play 0-for-7 on the evening and 0-for-13 on the weekend. BU has allowed just one power play goal in 26 chances, good for 96.2 percent.
The Terriers' successful weekend will carry over into Agganis Arena on Saturday evening, as BU will be honored for its trip to the NCAA title game last March. The Terriers will be feted during the first intermission of the men's hockey game against New Hampshire, which begins at 8 p.m.
The women's hockey team will take the ice again on Saturday, Oct. 15, when the Terriers host Union. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.