BOSTON - Senior captain Louise Warren collected her second career hat trick as part of a four-point afternoon to help the Boston University women's ice hockey team defeat Connecticut, 5-2, on Saturday at Walter Brown Arena.
Sophomore Sarah Lefort (2g, 1a) and freshman Samantha Sutherland (3a) each added three points as the Terriers' top line combined for 10 of the team's 14 points. Both Warren (20) and Lefort (21) reached the 20-goal plateau, marking the second straight season that a pair of Terriers has scored 20 or more goals. Lefort also tallied her NCAA-best seventh game-winning goal of the season while Warren leads the nation with six multi-goal games.
With the win, BU (18-8-1, 11-5-0 WHEA) improved its win streak over Connecticut (7-19-2, 4-10-1 WHEA) to 14 games. Sophomore Lillian Ribeirinha-Braga collected two assists to extend her point streak to a career-best four games. Senior Kaleigh Fratkin and freshman Sarah Steele each had a helper while freshman Victoria Hanson made 24 saves for her third win of the season; she stopped all eight shots she faced in the final 20 minutes.
Warren struck first on a power-play goal with 1:59 to play in the opening period. Ribeirinha-Braga slid the puck across the top of the zone for Fratkin, who unleashed a shot that Warren redirected past Elaine Chuli (30 saves). Fratkin matched a career high with a point in four straight games, a feat she last accomplished in the final four games of the 2012-13 campaign.
Connecticut responded 3:52 into the second stanza when Michela Cava completed a 2-on-1 rush to tie the game. Less than four minutes later, BU responded with another Warren goal. Sutherland moved the puck out of the Terriers' zone to Warren, who then got the puck to Lefort. The sophomore winger got a shot off that Chuli stopped, but Warren continued to drive to the net and knocked home the rebound.
The Huskies tied the tilt once more when Sarah MacDonnell converted a power-play chance. Like in the first period, however, BU scored a late goal to take a lead into the locker room. After a near-miss from Warren, Lefort took a shot from between the circles that Chuli stopped. She then saved Sutherland's rebound attempt, but the freshman forward stayed with the play and won it for Lefort along the left half-wall. Lefort drove to the net and beat Chuli five-hole for her 20th tally of the season.
The Terriers took their first two-goal lead of the contest at the 10:11 mark of the third period. Warren raced out of the zone and after eluding a UConn defender sent a shot towards goal that Chuli saved. Warren jammed at the rebound, however, to complete the hat trick. Lefort added an empty-netter with 1:48 remaining in regulation to close the scoring.
BU will be back in action on Tuesday night when the Terriers travel to Boston College for the opening round of the 36th Annual Women's Beanpot. Puck drop at Conte Forum is set for 8 p.m.