Early Outlook on BU

Courtesy of bu.edu

With the loss of nine seniors to graduation and the additional loss of Marie-Philip Poulin to the Olympics, it seems as if the Terriers might not be the team that went to the NCAA Championships last season. They are returning three of their top six goal scorers in Sarah Lefort, Kayla Tutino, and Louise Warren. However the loss of Jenelle Kohanchuck, Poulin, and Isabelle Menard will hurt the Terriers offensively. They do still have their star goaltender Kerrin Sperry for an additional year, which will keep BU one of the top ten teams in the country.

The incoming class at BU consists of three forwards, two goaltenders, and one defender, Sarah Steele. She should fit right into the core of the BU defense, and her international experience with the Canadian U-18 team will have her well prepared for the challenges of the Hockey East.

Sperry will still be the starting goalie for the Terriers for the upcoming season, but as both she and her netminder classmate Braly Hiller, will both be seniors this season, the freshmen, Mia Becker and Victoria Hansen, will be fighting for who gets that second spot. Becker comes from Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota, a school that has had great success in their hockey programs over the past few years. Hansen on the other hand, comes from Lawrence Academy, and was a teammate of Kerrin Sperry during Sperry’s senior year. Hansen has the ability to step up after the loss of a strong goaltender, and Becker knows how to lead her teams to national championships. Both will develop well in the BU program.

Courtesy of Boston.com

With such a strong defensive core and good goaltending, it’s hard to see how BU will not be repeating their past success. It will be interesting to see who steps up to take the spots of Kohanchuck, Poulin, and Menard. With this being an Olympic year, the outcome could be surprising. In addition to Poulin being on the centralized Canadian National Team, four additional terriers, including two of their top returning scorers, have been selected to the U-22 Development Camp, competing for a spot on the team. Depending on who gets chosen, BU could potentially be left with only one of their top six returning scorers in Tutino. Lefort had a great year and was second on the team in goals, while Warren was great at helping out her teammates and earning the assists. The BU coaching staff will be looking for all of their returners and incoming freshmen to make an immediate impact on scoreboard. The three incoming forwards are adding much needed depth to the Terrier squad. Having strong players such as Poulin and Kohanchuck are important, but they won’t be there forever.

To read the release on the BU class of 2017, click here. To read the release on the four Terriers named to the U-22 Development Camp, click here.