BOSTON - Senior Kerrin Sperry stopped all 28 shots she faced and five different skaters lit the lamp to help the Boston University women's ice hockey team defeat Vermont, 6-0, on Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena.
BU (6-1-1, 3-0-0 WHEA) led by just a 2-0 margin entering the third period, but the Terriers tallied four times in the final 20 minutes to seal the victory. Sperry's 12th career shutout came in her 100th career start at BU; she had made her 100th career appearance on Friday night at New Hampshire.
Senior captain Louise Warren capped off her amazing week with her second straight two-goal effort. She scored five goals in three games this week, including two game winners. Sophomore Dakota Woodworth's first-period marker proved to be the difference, and she was one of three Terriers to light the lamp for the first time in 2013-14.
Junior Sarah Bayersdorfer and sophomore Diana Bennett each collected their first collegiate goals while freshman Natalie Flynn registered her first collegiate point with an assist on Bayersdorfer's goal. Every Terrier skater that has played this season has now recorded at least one point.
Woodworth struck first with a power-play goal just 5:49 into the proceedings. Junior Shannon Stoneburgh kept the puck in at the right point and got it to sophomore Jordan Juron along the right half-wall. Juron's pass to Woodworth went off of a Vermont stick, but the puck still got to the sophomore forward, who skated below the right faceoff dot and beat Madison Litchfield (23 saves) for her first goal of the season.
Sperry's best save of the night came on a shorthanded bid from Amanda Pelkey late in the first period. Pelkey came in alone on Sperry, but the senior netminder turned the shot aside and kept the Catamounts off the board.
Bayersdorfer gave the Terriers a 2-0 lead at the 12:19 mark of the second stanza. Senior Meghan Riggs' outlet pass for Bayersdorfer was a whisker long, but Bayersdorfer chased after it and got to it first in the left corner. She sent it in front to Flynn, who had it knocked off her stick. Riggs and Flynn kept the play alive, however, and Bayersdorfer came around the net and roofed a backhander over Litchfield's glove.
Warren's first goal of the game came just 1:13 into the final frame. After Sperry made a nice save, Holze collected the puck and cleared the zone. Warren raced after it and got to the puck at the Vermont blue line. She outmuscled her defender and then made a nice deke to her backhand to beat Litchfield. Her second goal was a great individual effort when she forced a Vermont turnover at its own blue line, skated around a defender and put the puck past Litchfield for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.
Bennett's goal came on a power play chance at the 6:50 mark of the third period when she backhanded the puck from between the circles that went top shelf. Juron and classmate Rebecca Russo each earned an assist on the play.
Tutino closed the Terriers' account with 3:43 remaining in regulation. Sophomore Lillian Ribeirinha-Braga moved the puck forward in the neutral zone to sophomore Sarah Lefort, who then dished it to Tutino. The junior forward rushed into the zone and cleanly beat Roxanne Douville (8 saves) for her second goal of the season.
BU will continue its four-game homestand on Wednesday night when the Terriers welcome Connecticut to Walter Brown Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.