PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College women's ice hockey team suffered a 4-3 loss against Hockey East rival No. 7 Boston University on Friday, Nov. 30 at Schneider Arena. With the defeat, the Friars overall record moves to 8-6-4 and 5-3-2 in Hockey East play.
After the first 20 minutes of play, the teams were tied at 1 apiece. Providence grabbed the lead at 6:56 when sophomore Haley Frade (Marion, Mass.) shot the puck past BU goaltender Kerrin Sperry from right outside the crease. Sophomore Brooke Simpson (Boxboro, Mass.) assisted on the goal for the Friars.
Boston University tied the score at 15:48 of the first, following a sequence of saves from Providence netminder freshman Sarah Bryant (Bethlehem, Pa.). Terrier Sarah Lefort fed a pass from behind the net to Jenelle Kohanchuk, who tapped the puck into the goal, tying the score at 1.
The Friars regained the lead at 5:49 of the second period when senior Jessica Vella (Pickering, Ontario) scored an unassisted goal. After a rush up the ice, Vella fired a shot while entering the offensive zone. The blast tricked Sperry up high as the puck found its way into the net to give Vella her eighth goal of the season.
Boston University evened the score with a power play goal at 4:52 of the third period. Jenelle Kohanchuk tipped the puck into the net from just outside the crease after a long shot was fired.
Junior Corinne Buie (Edina, Minn.) gave the Friars their third lead of the match when she scored her sixth goal of the season at 8:31 of the third period. Freshman Molly Illikainen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) started the sequence that led to the goal when she fired a shot that was saved by Sperry. Illikainen's rebound found Buie, who blasted the puck past Sperry to give the Friars the advantage, 3-2.
However, a late third period push from the Terriers led to two quick goals that guided them to the victory. Shannon Doyle's shot from the blue line at 14:47 found its way through traffic to tie up the score, 3-3. Forty seconds later, Isabel Menard scored the game winner for Boston University after a 2-on-1 play with Louise Warren.
Bryant finished the game with a career high 35 saves for Providence, while Sperry stopped 22 shots for the Terriers.
Providence and Boston University play the second game of their home-and-home Hockey East series tomorrow afternoon (3 pm) at Walter Brown Arena.