TROY, N.Y. - The seventh-ranked Boston University women's ice hockey team began the 2013-14 regular season with a 2-2 tie at Rensselaer on Friday night at Houston Field House.
Sophomores Jordan Juron and Rebecca Russo each had a goal and an assist to lead the BU (0-0-1) offense. Senior Kerrin Sperry was terrific between the pipes, making several nice saves among her 34 for the game. She stopped 19 shots in the third period and overtime to preserve the result.
Juron scored the Terriers' first goal of the season just 2:42 into the opening period. An Engineer player tried to clear her zone but Juron made a play at the blue line to knock the puck off an RPI (1-1-1) stick and knock it behind goaltender Kelly O'Brien's cage. Russo retrieved the puck, turned and fired the perfect pass to Juron, who beat O'Brien short side.
The Engineers tied the game nearly nine minutes later when Alexa Gruschow potted her first goal of the season. Both teams had plenty of chances in the opening stanza, as BU and RPI each registered 13 shots on goal.
The Terriers began the second period on the power play and wasted little time taking advantage. In a similar play to what set up the first goal, Juron got the puck from behind the RPI net and found Russo in front, who went top shelf to give BU a 2-1 lead. Senior Kaleigh Fratkin had the secondary assist.
Sperry made the save of the night with 13:05 remaining in the second frame to maintain the one-goal lead. The Engineers' forecheck forced a turnover and created a 2-on-1 in front of Sperry. However, Gruschow was denied her second marker of the contest when Sperry reached out her glove and robbed the sophomore from point-blank range.
Senior Taylor Holze almost gave the Terriers a 3-1 advantage when, after she and Lefort forced a turnover in the Engineers' zone, she hit the right post. The play went to video review but the call stood and the lead remained at 2-1.
Despite outshooting BU in the third period, RPI was unable to beat Sperry until the 12:15 mark of the period when Taylor Mahoney redirected a puck that beat trickled behind Sperry to tie the game, 2-2.
RPI nearly earned the full share of the spoils with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, but Sperry twice denied Lauren Wash from below the hash marks to send the game to overtime. Sperry made three great pad saves in the extra session and the Terriers nearly scored in the waning seconds. A mad scramble ensued in front of the RPI cage, but BU was unable to beat O'Brien before the final horn sounded.
The Terriers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they visit Union in Schenectady, N.Y. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.