Women's team takes Hockey East title in OT thriller

(photo credit Tom Maguire)

The Terrier Women’s Hockey Team, in just its fifth varsity season, made its first trip to the conference title game a winning one, edging Connecticut in overtime, 2-1. Sophomore Tara Watchorn’s one-time blast proved the difference for the Terriers who became Hockey East champions and earned the Terriers' first-ever berth in the NCAA tournament. Senior goalie Melissa Haber, who was voted the tournament’s MVP, stopped 25 shots. Watchorn, Haber and senior Melissa Anderson, who scored a pair in the semifinal win yesterday, on the All-tournament team.

With men’s team coach Jack Parker and Nick Bonino in the crowd at Schneider Arena in Providence, Coach Brian Durocher's squad took a first-period lead on freshman Kathryn Miller’s goal, before UConn knotted the score at one apiece in the second period. Watchorn’s winner was unassisted at 9:52 of overtime. The game marked BU’s NCAA record 15th overtime game of the season.

Durocher, voted Hockey East Coach of the Year in 2008, is a former assistant head coach of the BU men's team and was a goalie and co-captain of the Terriers' 1978 National Champions.

BU will meet top ranked Mercyhurst next in the first round of the NCAAs. The Terriers played Mercyhurst twice in 2008-09 and split the games.

• GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score
• Hockey East Online recap
• Post-game comments (video)
• USCHO recap
• WTBU video recap and Haber feature

• New England Hockey Journal recap
• NCAA tournament draw