Vermonster Smash (Week 14 Recap)
The men drop 13 on the Catamounts at Agganis on the weekend, while the women have a tight split in Burlington
The men’s squad continue their winning ways against the Catamounts, while the women drop a rough one in the second game of the weekend.
Women’s
Vermont (2-1 W, 2-3 L)
On Friday night, Lilli Welcke opened the scoring at just over 1 minute into the game. It was just her second career goal on the road at a Hockey East rink as a Terrier. Her twin sister, Luisa Welcke extended the lead midway through the second. Luisa Welcke has now scored a goal against 9 of 10 Hockey East teams in her career, including her time at Maine. Vermont denied Callie Shanahan the shutout, cutting into the Terriers’ lead with 4 minutes to play in the third. Shanahan stopped 21 of Vermont’s 22 goals. Both teams were unsuccessful on the power play, with BU going 0-3 and Vermont going 0-2.
On Saturday, Sydney Healey opened the scoring just 18 seconds in with her team best eighth goal of the season. Healey’s goal set a new career high for a season, passing her previous best of seven goals from last season. Vermont tied it up midway through the first, before Maggie Hanzel gave the Terriers the lead back two minutes later with a power play goal. Her first goal of the season and first since January 19th, 2024 also vs. Vermont. The Catamounts added one in the second and one in the third to take game two of the weekend.
Mari Peterson got the start on Saturday, allowing 3 goals on 16 shots.
Despite leading in shots 22-16 and winning 55% of faceoffs, the Terriers were not able to pull off the win. The Terriers extended their PK streak, killing 1–1 penalties on Saturday to extend their streak to 10 of 10.
Other Notes
Friday night was the first time in their careers that the Welckes both scored in the same game
Tamara Giaquinto is on a 4 game point streak, the longest of her career
Men’s
Vermont (6-1 W, 7-4 W)
The Terriers returned home on a low for some and a high for others. A low for the players who faced Yale to end 2024 and a high for the quartet of American Terriers returning to Agganis with World Juniors Gold Medals around their necks.
In game one, co-captain Ryan Greene opened the scoring at 7:05 in the first period. Greene scoring in back to back games for just the second time in his career and first since November 11th and 12th, 2022 (both vs. UMass). Quinn Hutson scored two in the first. Hutson has scored in 5 of 7 games vs. Vermont, and scored 5 in his last 2 vs. the Catamounts.
Jack Harvey extended the Terriers’ lead to 4, less than a minute into the second. The goal ended Harvey’s 8 game goal drought, scoring his first goal in just over two months —last goal coming November 9th vs. UMass Lowell. Ryan Greene recorded a point on each of the Terriers first 4 goals. It was his first 4+ point effort since he recorded 5 (2g-3a) vs UMass on November 11th, 2022. Birthday boy, Devin Kaplan, scored his second goal in as many games, returning after missing the last game vs. Yale. It was Kaplan’s 3rd career goal vs. Vermont and first at home.
Jack Hughes capped off the scoring for the Terriers with his first of the season. Hughes is the 17th Terrier to record a goal this season. Vermont denied Mathieu Caron of his shutout midway through the third. Caron stopped 27 of 28 shots. The single goal allowed was the fewest allowed by Caron since October 12th vs. Union.
In game two, the Terrier scoring dominance continued. After allowing a Catamount goal 15 minutes into the first, Cole Eiserman tied things up with his 10th of the season, the first Terrier this season to reach the milestone.
In the second, Quinn Hutson gave BU the lead at 1:15 in the period. It was Hutson’s 6th goal in his last three vs. the Catamounts. It also extended Hutson’s goal streak to 4 games, a streak in which he has scored 6. Just four minutes after Hutson tied him for the team lead in goals, Cole Eiserman took the lead back with his 11th of the season and 10th at home. Vermont cut the Terriers lead in half with a goal midway through the period.
Early in the third, Jack Hughes returned the Terriers’ lead to two, with his second goal in as many games. The goal, along with two assists in the second, gave Hughes his first three point game since February 2nd, 2024 vs. New Hampshire. In the sixth minute of the third, as he had done in the sixth minute of the second, Cole Eiserman scored, this time for a Hat Trick. He became the first Terrier freshman ever to score a Hat Trick at Agganis Arena. 44 seconds later, Jack Harvey extended the Terriers’ lead to 4, with his fifth of the season. Jack Hughes and Jack Harvey have scored in the same game for the 3rd time in their BU careers, including both games against Vermont this season. The Catamounts got two back before Ryan Greene iced the game with under two minutes to play, his 8th goal and 20th point of the season. The goal extends Greene’s goal streak to 3 games, the longest of his career.
For the second straight game, the Terriers were perfect on the PK (3-3), it is the first time since October 12th (Union) and 18th (UConn) that BU was perfect in back to back games.
The win over the Catamounts was their fourth straight against Vermont, in which the Terriers scored 6 or more goals. It also extended BU’s winning streak over UVM to 9 games, their longest active win streak vs. any active opponent—dating back to January 22nd, 2022.
Other Notes
The last Terrier to score a goal on their birthday prior to Devin Kaplan last night was Robert Mastrosimone on January 24th, 2020 who score a goal and assist vs. Lowell on his birthday
Prior to Eiserman, the last Freshman to record a hat trick for the Terriers was Chris Higgins on March 24th, 2006 vs. Nebraska-Omaha
Advanced Stats
Game 1
The Terriers were able to take high quality chances, while holding Vermont to low quality ones, with shot attempts and shots on goal nearly tied. BU held a big edge in Scoring Chances and OZone Possession. BU continues their struggles on OZone faceoffs only winning 37% of them (36% vs. Yale), compared to winning 62% and 56% of OZone faceoffs vs. UMass.
Per Period xG: 1st (.82-.61, BU), 2nd (1.01-.52, BU), 3rd (.47-.49, UVM)
Player Impact Game Cards Currently Unavailable will be updated when able
Each team only record 1 high danger shots, with BU’s resulting in Jack Hughes’ goal and Vermont’s being saved by Caron. Of Vermont’s 22 shots, 18 were low danger shots. Cole Hutson recorded a puck control time of 50 seconds, it was his 7th game this season with a PCT of 50 seconds or more.
Vermont started out strong, taking the xG lead early in the first, before BU shot off to an insurmountable lead in the second while limiting Vermont to low and medium danger shots. After Jack Hughes goal early in the 3rd, BU settled into controlling play and not taking shots.
xG% Plot Currently Unavailable will be updated when able
Game 2
In a flip from game one, Vermont held the significant xG advantage over the Terriers. As in game one, shots on goal were even but unlike game one, Vermont recorded a +13 shot attempt advantage. Vermont also held a slight advantage in OZone Possession. For the first time since December 11th vs. UMass, BU held the face off edge (52%-48%).
Per Period xG: 1st (1.13-1.09, UVM), 2nd (1.18-1.85, UVM), 3rd (0.51-1.33, UVM)
Player Impact Game Cards Currently Unavailable will be updated when able
BU recorded just 1 high danger shot attempt (.25 xG), compared to Vermont’s 9 (2.35 xG). 3 of Vermont’s high danger shots resulted in goals (.82 xG), 4 were saved, and 2 missed the net. BU’s singular high danger shot was saved by Vermont’s Mangbo. Eiserman record a xG Conversion of 15, the highest of his career, scoring 3 goals off a while only record an xG of .2.
Game two featured a back and forth xG differential, with neither team taking a lead by more than .5 till Vermont broke away at the tail end of the second. Despite recording .51 xG in the third, BU was able to pot 4 goals.
xG% Plot Currently Unavailable will be updated when able